Advocacy & Safety - Rear ended by 40+ mph SUV...lived to tell tale

Last night I was riding after dark and was rear ended by a drunk driver in an SUV. I was using a flashing rear tail light to make myself visible, but that doesn't matter when a drunk is behind the wheel. I was going about 15 mph when he slammed into me from behind. The force was so great that my rear wheel was completely shattered...all the spokes broken and the rim in several pieces. Judging from the damage, force...and the fact that the guy was drunk...he was going at least 40 mph when he hit me. The rear wheel lifted up sending me face first into the asphalt. I have abrasions and swelling on the right side of my face and three of my teeth were chipped. Fortunately I have no head injuries because I was wearing my helmet...although the front of the helmet is cracked (probably saved my life). As a matter of fact...I suffered no injuries other than the abrasions and chipped teeth. Fortunately...some good samaritans saw the whole thing and came to help me. The drunk driver who hit me was initially remorseful, but became agitated when he realized there were so many others on the scene. The firefighters showed up first, and he tried running from them on foot, but the caught him. Now I'm just waiting a few days until I can have my teeth fixed up. The guy was arrested, hopefully we'll get as much out of this ******* as we can.

"Fortunately I have no head injuries because I was wearing my helmet..."

-- Say it loud.
What is the driver's story; does he claim you were too far left in the traffic lane? Please keep us apprised on whether the driver was cited and if you will be compensated for your medical costs.

l

Wow...kinda like a horrible thing, but you feel like celebrating because you're not completly destroyed.
Glad you seem to be suffering no longterm debilitating injuries.
What an @$$hole. Hope you get a cycling positive judge.
40 mph is a good hit, could have killed you if your head had struck a stationary object full on.

Although the driver wasn't drunk, friends of ours were involved in a similar rear-end collision with a motorist in a Ford Expedition who was talking on the phone and drifted off-line into the rear end of their tandem.

http://www.tailwindtandemclub.com/Wear%20a%20mirror.htm

Helmets, mirrors, a working knowledge of the rules of the road, common sense, and situational awareness are all critical for anyone who rides their bicycle on public roads.

I'm glad that you not only survived, but are well enough to write about it. There is nothing you can say good about a drunk driver. A lifetime driving ban should be imposed on anyone convicted of drunk driving after they get out of prison - no exceptions, no second chances.

wish you a speedy recovery...
i'm glad you can pretty much walk away from this one
i'm glad to hear that people stopped to help
i'm glad they caught the drunken SUV driving bastard

I'm glad that you not only survived, but are well enough to write about it. There is nothing you can say good about a drunk driver. A lifetime driving ban should be imposed on anyone convicted of drunk driving after they get out of prison - no exceptions, no second chances.


And a conviction for driving without a license should be punishable by either house arrest for life or by loss of both eyes, at the convict's choice. Too many of these guys go on to do it again and again, with or without a legal licence.

Thank God you are alive and not badly damaged! Thanks for posting.

Helmets save lives . . . pass it on! Glad you're OK!
Been hit twice at 40+ mph from the rear; both hits in daylight.
Hit #1 was on my racing bike, by a drunk driver in a pickup truck. Saw F_O_R_D spelled backward in my rearview mirror and was struck in the back by the westcoast mirror that then ripped off the truck. Someone saw the hit and told cops who were just on other side of hill I was climbing. He was handcuffed/arrested. Saw to it that he lost his driver's liicense for 3 months.
I never fell . . . but took 3 months of chiropractic to straighten out my back.
Hit #2 was on our tandem, at noontime, ideal weather conditions. Pickup truck struck us from behind at about 40 mph. Again, westcoast mirror hit stoker in the back (deja vu!) and managed to keep tandem upright; intuition is to swerve to the right, but a deep ditch is not inviting) so managed to hold my line.
Stoker had some bad bruising and and ended up in the emergency room. Driver was age 75 with severe glaucoma and a restricted drivers license and NO insurance! He lost his driving privileges.
We were quite visible, dressed in bright orange jerseys (it was Halloween) and driver said he tried to drive between the lines and did not see us!
Both drivers were ticketed and we won . . . because we're still alive and riding!
Our motto: If you don't do nothing, you die anyway!
Pedal on!

Dane, I don't want to highjack your thread but:

Welcome to the Survivor's Club!!! I joined on August 19, 2004. I got rear ended by a guy in an Eagle minivan. It was about 3:15 on a sunny afternoon. My Greenspeed GTO has 3 flashing rear taillights and two flags for visiblity, but it didn't help. I also was going about 15 mph when he hit me from behind. My left front wheel and fender got shattered. The hub/drum brake assembly was shattered, the spokes broken and the rim in three pieces. Judging by the bent frame and the fact that this was on a rural highway, he had to be going 55 mph. His right front wheel hit my left elbow and rubbed (and blistered) my left forearm all the way to the wrist. Thankfully, I stayed with the trike and rode it down an embankment and into the ditch still upright on three wheels. Also, no head injuries due to a helmet, but the neck was a bit stiff. I still have nerve damage to the last two fingers on the left hand. Just some numbness in the fingers and a little scarring on the arm to add some character. The guy said that he saw me, but didn't get over far enough. His insurance agent didn't see how he could miss seeing me.

Good: His insurance paid all my medical claims.
Good: Added a little money over and above my medical expenses (to get me to go away?).
Good: They paid for a brand new (special order) trike, not the cost of the old one.

Bad: All the medical claims don't come in at the same time - it can drag on and on! They didn't pay each bill, but wrote one check to cover all of them.
Bad: No citation was issued as far a I can tell.
Bad: Prepare the get letters threatening you with a collection agency from just about everybody involved with the medical end of it (hospital, ER doctor, your own MD or dentist, in your case).

I didn't want to screw around with a suit (the lawyers get too much). Get as much as you can!!!

If you decide to order Survivor Club t-shirts (a tire tread up the back?), put me down for a large! Make a will if you don't have one!

Ron

I was going about 15 mph when he slammed into me from behind. ...he was going at least 40 mph when he hit me.
Glad to here that you're relatively OK. Once again the laws of physics help someone out. Imagine how bad it would have been had you been a "wrong way" cyclist

Glad you're OK. Even gladder you were wearing a lid. Hope it never happens again.... Be well.

I'm glad you weren't hurt worse.

Good luck getting a nice new bike, teeth and some "pain and suffering" you can bank on!!!

You've been through a lot! Glad you were able to tell the tale.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Dane!

Glad you're ok. Be sure to go right to the hospital with any sign of trouble...head injuries can take awhile to show up...good luck

Good luck on your recovery. I was hit by a driver interntionally a few months back. Same here... bad road rash, sprained knee and hand, cracked helmet, mild concussion...

I have had to jump down imbankments 2 times to avoid drunk drivers in the past. It should be a felony the first time... 2 years... and 2 years revoked licence.

It is great to hear that you will be okay. That sort of impact could easily have been fatal.

Be aggressive with the police to make sure all appropriate charges are filed. Get the name of the officer in charge of the case and phone him or her every couple of days. After charges are filed, be equally aggressive with the prosecutor. Make sure the prosecutor fully checks out this guy's background in ALL states...he could have DWI convictions in several states, not only yours.

And, make sure the prosecutor gets copies of all of your medical bills, and bike repair bills. Some states have a crime victim's compensation fund that could pay some of your bills. If the driver gets probation, he can be ordered to pay your bills.

And, if he has insurance (many "career" drunks drive with NO insurance) get a good lawyer and sue the heck out of this guy. Not just to be compensated. But, to force his insurance company to take a closer look at this guy, and adjust his rates appropriately.

If it turns out he was NOT drunk or high, your description of his behavior can only be explained as a deliberate attempt to run you down. That deserves prosecution more than if his striking you was a drunken "accident".