cmolway

Well wouldn't you know it, the day that I passed 1K miles on the road for 2010 I got taken out by an idiot driver.

A SUV tried to beat me to an exit at the Wakefield Rt-129 rotary in Wakefield, MA. I took the lane and she stupidly thought it was not worth the 1/10 of a second for me to continue on. I was doing probably 23+mph, which apparently wasn’t fast enough, when she gunned the engine and crossed in front of me from inside the rotary, bouncing me off her passenger door as she exited.

To add insult to injury, she got out of her car (while I was literally bleeding in the street) to berate me for being on her road before getting back in her SUV and taking off. Luckily a good Samaritan got her plate number before she did (she was criminally charged and her car seized later that day). I was backboarded in the street by EMS and spent the next few hours getting checked out at the local hospital. Not sure when I'll get back on the bike again. Not because I am shaken up, but b/c I can barely get around at this point without a little help from Mr. Vicadin.

The most ironic point of this story? May is bicycle awareness month. I just hope I can get back on the bike before it's over.

Amoxicillin

Wow! Thank god you didn't end up under the SUV :s All the best for your recovery!
Some fool bumped my rear wheel last year...

Baftap

Sorry about your accident. And today was such a great day for riding in this area too!

But, its great that someone got her plate number and even better that you're feeling well enough to post!
Rest up and be well soon.

FrankieV

Heal quick and make the ***** pay!!!!

sherbornpeddler

Accidents happen, humans make bad decisions now and then but why did the driver berate you and think about leaving? What makes someone so low?

Brontide

I don't think sherbornpeddler meant it that way. The fact that the driver not only had the accident, but then had the nerve to accost the victim and then drive off is lower than low.

tomg

good to hear that you are healing!
stay strong, get a good lawyer, and don't go out and ride while on +/- 5 days with mr Vicadin.
i've been in simular shoes, but was not able to ride for about 1.5 year after bicycle vs buick tango....
keep your positive views and hope you're back out there riding soon!
t

CPFITNESS

fortunately your okay. Take your time, I got wiped out a couple months ago and thought I was pretty much fine. Of course the next day my neck and back were stiff as all hell and i could barely move. It lingered on for a week or two but fortunately I was alright.

Honestly, as a new cyclist thats only been riding since February, I'm convinced that many people think Bikes aren't allowed on streets or to "take the lane" I can't tell you how many times i'm in a similar situation, going 25 mph in NYC where the speed limit in the city is 30 everywhere and I get someone honking at me as if idon't belong there. Most of the time I don't ride in the middle of the lane, there is usually a reason like close to the lane is all beat up or I can see that the car in front of me is about to make a turn that will cut me off. regardless Its been an eyeopening experience to see peoples lack of regard for cyclists. We do have some bike messengers here that ride a bit crazy but other than that, most cyclists are obeying the law.

cmolway

yeah no idea why the woman got out and simply yelled at me. Glad she did in the end though. Otherwise she would have driven off before someone got her plate number. Leaving the scene just show a lack of basic decency towards another person. I'm just not sure why she thought that getting back in her car and driving away was the best option, or that her decision to do so was not going to make thing much, much worse for her.

Six days later and I was able to swing my legs out of bed w/o having to psych myself up over the pain of doing so. So there's hope that there won't being any lingering pain to keep me off the road. I'm in fairly good shape but I don't bounce back the way I did when I was in my 20's. All I want is to get my bike fixed and be able to get back out there. I was planning on riding the CRW spring century this Sunday but that's pretty much out of the question now.

sherbornpeddler

Cmolway, I admire your focus on getting back on the road. Positive vision is healthier and faster than revenge. Perpetrators do deserve justice and examples can deter others. Is your pain and the even worse bus-bicycle death part of a bigger picture, a trend to something better or worse or more of the same?
Our Mayor and Bike Czar hold meetings on bike safety. The Globe is investing attention in the news. These are good things. Cars and bikes learning to co-exist is a slow, tedious, slow and long-time-coming process to a bike friendly city. Knowing the cause may speed up the process and avoid some painful accidents. Cmolway's story and other stories in these forums and in the news helps.
Speaking generically, I doubt most accidents like this are intentional. What goes on in the driver's head to cause the poor judgment? What goes on in their heads to react that way afterwards?
What are we thinking when we are in large pelotons and don’t move to single file? We stack up cars behind us and act like pros in the Tour de France on cordoned off roads when we’re really weekend spandex-ers treating cars like the enemy. I don’t know what goes on in our heads either.
What can we do to accelerate mutual awareness and acceptance without poor cmolway getting wacked again?

professorbob

I sincerely hope that I never hit anyone with my car. But it could happen. The big problem is not that she hit you-made a split second wrong decision-but her attitude afterward and especially leaving the scene. That is what she should be punished for.