Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Owww - FL Style

So I'm cruising along solo at about 25 mph in the Blackwater State Forest near Pensacola on a ride I've done dozens of times...just getting some miles in on a beautiful day before the cold snap hits. I approach a house that I know to be home to a dog that likes to chase so I get out of the saddle and start pumping...the dog shoots out from some bushes straight under my wheel, no time to react, and both bike and I go airborne...trashed wheel, trashed Campy ti seatpost, trashed helmet (glad I wore it!), 3 hrs waiting in ER, and have a level 2 separated shoulder. I think the dog lived as he/she/it was nowhere to be seen when I got up from the pavement. Had been getting tons of miles in over the last 3 months and was feeling strong like bull but now looks like a few weeks off the bike...even have a ticket to Palm Springs as I was going to do the Tour de Palm Springs on my track bike on Feb 5th...dang it!

Glad to hear you are not dead...not to mention the bike, Ouch! Get well soon

man, that's rough. glad the frame (and you!) are ok. dogs can be, um...impulsive sometimes, huh?

that blows about the shoulder, seatpost, wheel, but at least you only need a new rim on the back and a seatpost to get rolling again.
taco's anyone?
beautiful frame....
get well soon

Well, hopefully the dog learned its lesson. Get well soon.

Next time carry a morning star or a ball and chain. Get well.

oweee....

never seen a seatpost do that.

got any pictures of the bruises?

fsnl
sparky

Perhaps the dog's owner would like to pay hospital bills and replace broken bike bits.

Perhaps the dog's owner would like to pay hospital bills and replace broken bike bits.
Yeah, what happens in a case like that? Did you speak to the owner?

Any results?

ouch. sorry dude, i feel yer pain.

The owner gave me a ride back to my jeep, so yeah we talked...I won't bill her for anything...may sound strange to some but I knew about the dog, know the risks, and don't care to contribute to yet more litagation in this lawsuit-crazy time...if I didn't have insurance then I'd certainly feel differently.

The owner gave me a ride back to my jeep, so yeah we talked...I won't bill her for anything...may sound strange to some but I knew about the dog, know the risks, and don't care to contribute to yet more litagation in this lawsuit-crazy time...if I didn't have insurance then I'd certainly feel differently.

How positively Canadian of you.

m.

Glad you're mostly OK. Take care of that shoulder. I don't know about FL but here in CA, dogs aren't allowed to be off leash or tie-out. I certainly hope the dog learn it's lesson.

Getting T-boned by a dog is a bad experience. Had it happen once to me. I actually stayed up. Not near the experience you had. Get well soon. :)

get well soon, and have the frame alignment checked as well.
looks like the right chain stay's bent a bit...

I have a scar on my right butt cheek from a dog I tried to outrun when I was twelve.

Can you send the frame back to Rock Lobster to have it checked for cracks or whatever and have the paint touched up if it's scratched?

Actually, there's not a single scratch on the frame...and the stays were made "bent" for heel clearance. I'll definitely go over it with a magnifying glass and good light but I'm pretty sure I won't find anything. I suppose bars, wheels, saddle, fork, and pedals take all the impact when bikes go flying...

The owner gave me a ride back to my jeep, so yeah we talked...I won't bill her for anything...may sound strange to some but I knew about the dog, know the risks, and don't care to contribute to yet more litagation in this lawsuit-crazy time...if I didn't have insurance then I'd certainly feel differently.


I couldn't agree more about litigation. However, I would encourage you to contact the owner to get their homeowner's insurance information and file a claim for the damages to your bicycle and any out of pocket expense. You don't need a lawyer to handle your claim you can simply exercise your own good judgment in dealing with the claims rep.

Of course given your injury they should be more than happy to just pay those bills as I am sure they would also be willing to pay you something for your injury if that is what you want. Then there is also the satisfaction of knowing that the insurance company will probably drop them due to the increased risk from these dogs. I certainly have no sympathy for the homeowner given their irresponsible behavior.

I ride this route frequently and these dogs are a nuisance. I have often thought about contacting the county sheriff but just never do. I would hope there is a leash law but who knows.

We passed you moments before your accident on Pleasant Home Rd. We encountered
the same dogs just before you arrived. I am not sure that this is the only accident that
has been caused at this location. The home owner is aware of the problem because he is
sometimes observing from the yard. I have had words with him myself about the menace the dogs
present. Apparently there is no leash law in force in that area. > JPS

You need a lawyer that specializes in bike cases.
He/She will be well versed in dog attacks and can advise you of your options.
If the owner is not held liable then the dog will continue to terrorize that trail.
Do it for the rest of us....

Your comments are correct. If some action is not taken then the next rider
may be permantly injured or worse. The home owners are aware of the problem but
will not take corrective action. jps

On our street there is a homeowner with two large unleashed dogs that scare children and chase cats. Leash laws are in effect. I talked to him a while back. His reaction was to state that children and cats should be leashed. Apparantly the dog police will not act until someone complains that a dog tried to attack their child. I lived in trepidation as there are 16 children on our street. One day one of there dogs ran out from behind the owners parked pickup chasing a cat just as a teenage son raced home in his pickup truck.
The poor dog has never walked right since and they have spent hundreds on vet bills that they cannot afford.
His wife has since left him and he refuses to sell to give her her half.
Laywers are involved.
Karma?

Loved the story ici.
My neighbors had a dog that wouldn't stop barking. I tried using the polite approach to no avail. I had enough when the barking woke me up at 7am on Easter Sunday so I called the cops. Dog was gone a week later. Pet owners love their animals until they have to pay a nuisance fine.
Enjoy

Since when did this turn into the Advocacy and Safety Fourm?

SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE! SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!Always wear your helmet!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!S UE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!SUE!

C'mon someone has to come forward now and say it was all dabern's fault and get things really going. :D

In all seriousness though, I am sorry to hear about your shoulder and your bike. Get well!

I know this dog if it is the one with short light-brown hair. His pal has dark long hair and wants to feed on your foot, but he seldom comes out.

Back to the offender... This is not a mean dog and does not want to hurt you. He comes out and gets right in front of you as a challange to race. I often oblige him and we have a go. But he does get really close and you have to dodge him. Well, that makes him dangerous, but if you wanna race, there are risks.
If you do not want to play his dangerous game, just stop and he will leave you alone.

I suspect that dabern accepted the race challange, and so was just a wee bit culpable himself, thus he did not pursue charging the owner.

What say you, dabern ?

That's exactly how I view it - I knew he lived there, have raced him several times, and was going to smoke him until he went under my wheels. I can still see his haunches trying to swap places with his head in an effort to stop... Anyway like I said much earlier I won't be pursuing legal action...if I lived that far out in the boonies then I'd probably let my dog run loose for warning/protection, too. Now this thread can die with dignity...I just wanted to post pics of that seatpost and wheel!