Kai Winters

5 times and hopefully no more...last one nearly killed me and my team mate...

mattm

Oct 2008, right at this intersection.. damn BMW cut a left in front of a round-about, and I basically t-boned the car at 20 mph, while they were doing 20 or so. Cracked windshield, dented car, bent front wheel (would no longer spin), bent Pacer fork (LBS bent it back), landed on the ground with a thud..

I wasn't hurt enough to go to the doc so I walked away, lucky for me it was close to home. Was in some pain for the next few days but nothing too bad.

It could have been avoided if:
a) the bushes in the round-about weren't so high that I couldn't see the car coming
b) the car had gone around the circle and then taken a left like they're supposed to.....
c) I was riding on Broadway instead of that damn side-road..

Randochap

No ... by a truck. It's hard to avoid being run down from behind.

7bmwm3gtr

Not planning to. Only a year of riding, but it scares me. I've had an incident where the mirror of a white pick-up truck touched me, and i was in the bike lane too. I've also been nearly clipped by the rear of a benz, who was making a right turn too early. The benz probably didn't know i was going like -3 mph than it...

tuxbailey

Two close calls.

On my commute home I was going about 20+ mph on a lane road with wide shoulders. I was hugging the white line and approach an apartment complex, a woman driving a sedan with her kids in the back seat stop at the parking lot entrance, looked to her right and saw me approaching. I thought we had eye contact but she proceeded to pull out... at an incredibly slow speed and I barely avoided her. I cursed and actually followed her for a bit. I was going to chase up to her and vent but decided to go straight when she turned left at the next intersection.

Second time, I guess it is partially my fault. I was making through the crosswalk with my bike (I know, I know.) I waited until the pedestrian crossing sign is on, go on the bike and going about walking speed through the intersection. A car decided to run the left turn green light (left turn arrow was off) at about 30 mph with cars from oncoming direction ready to go. The car cleared my front wheel with maybe 3 inches of space. I remember all the pedestrians, drivers in cars ready to make right hand turn looked at me in shocking faces. They probably thought that I was going to be hit (me too.) After that I decided no to go through cross walk with bikes.

valygrl

Yeah, hit from behind in the middle turning lane of a divided highway. I was stopped, she was going about 5mph (making same turn as me). noon, bright sunny day, she didn't see me.

I got a helicopter ride, but I don't remember much about it. Bike was totalled.

I was wearing all black at the time (although my tour bike had a big bright red bag on the back) - so i guess I could have been wearing a bright colored jersey, that might have helped. maybe.

Dilberto

Been T-boned by a car who tried to BEAT ME past an intersection at a green light. Got a $13k settlement due the the ladies' road arrogance...which paid for a new bike, kit and a few other niceties to make me whole again.

RacerOne

+1 on the link, actually some good info there.

My favorite part:

kuf

No.

stevegor

Yep, been there.... apparently my t12 vert snapped because of being hyper-extended as I flew unconsciously through the air, but I reckon it was when I landed on my pump in my back pocket.

rollin

3 times. Twice on my road bike once on my motor bike.

Once side swiped from behind, the driver thought her car was narrower than it actually was.
Second time from behind, I ended up on the bonnet, which was better than ending up under the car.

I also rear ended a car once. Ended up on the boot of the car kissing the back window. That one was my fault.

sced

Similar to my experience, except a car passed me on a narrow crowded road, and then made a quick right turn with me back by the right rear fender. I was in the hospital for a week....life changing.

umd

Your favorite part is stealing other people's images?

rumrunn6

LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE - what does that mean? how did it affect you? did you change anything in your life?

entukay

I was hit pretty bad. Now I have arthritis in my hand and i'm only 25.

On the upside it paid for my Madone and is also going to be a down payment on a house.

jfmckenna

I was hit by a car twice. First time was just a bump the second one landed me in the ER. A guy pulled out of a parallel parking spot. Pretty much nothing I could have done about it. The cops determined it was my fault even though they didn't interview a single witness at the seen. They handed me a ticket while I was bleeding on an ER gurney. The judge blamed me as well but let it go if I had no driving infractions for 6 months. This why can't help but think cops are clueless pigs who would rather be at the donut shop or busting some one over the head rather then actually serving and protecting and why I think all judges are heartless, lifeless automatons. Yup the classic stereotype came true for me.

kini62

1993 riding on the white line of a two lane wide (same direction) road. The shoulders were not paved on this part of the road. A flatbed truck moves into the left lane to go around me, a guy speeding in the left lane cuts into the right lane to go around the truck, sees me, panics, slams on the breaks, locks up the tires and skids into me at about 55mph.

I was doing about 25-26mph. Knocked me out of my shoes, I roll up onto the hood, smash his windshield and the get spit down the road another 100ft or so as the car slows and I roll off the car.

No major injuries, lots of road rash though. Bike was totaled. I got $1500 for the bike. It was the last time I road a road bike since this past December. Hopefully lightening won't strike twice.
Gene

rumrunn6

jfmckenna ~ what was the city and location of your accident?

jfmckenna

Why do you ask?

lokerola

Sowe34 - I'm walking and riding again. I quit riding for a long time, but most other endurance sports hurt. Running, tennis, basically anything that causes impact on my right leg hurts. Oddly enough it's the bike where I can still get some exercise. Mentally I've never quite recovered. I'm nervous on the roads.

adclark

Unfortunately twice, both times while I was in the bike lane. First time, a lady turned left in front of me on a four lane highway. I was moving at a moderate pace and she apparently didn't see me. I saw it coming though and managed to lock up both my wheels before laying my bike down on its side rather than flipping over her hood. When I came to a stop, I was still on the bike, laying on the ground facing the opposite direction from when it all started. My back wheel was just touching the side of her wheel. No real damage to the bike, it just scratched up my brand new pedals that I put on just before that ride. The most damage in this case was damage to me. I was riding in sandals because I was commuting at the time, and got bad road rash on the side of my foot. I also dinged up the side of my helmet so I went ahead and replaced it.

Second time, a lady tried to floor it to get in front of me so she didn't have to wait before turning right. She didn't even close to make it past me though. As she turned right, I ended up getting pressed into the passenger side front door and just making the turn with her. She then got out and proceeded to tell me that she put her turn signal on so that I would stop for her. When I told her that she had never gotten far enough past me so that I could see it, she told me that's why I needed mirrors on my bike, so I could see her coming up to turn from behind me. I then proceeded to explain the concept of right of way to her and she realized that the accident was her fault. Again no real damage to the bike. The other pedal of the set that got scratched the first time got scratched and my handlebars and left shifter got pushed crooked, but not bent at all. Luckily in this case, no damage to me either.

Neither one of my accidents could have been avoided by me. In both cases, I was riding along in the bike lane, not running a light or anything, and an inattentive or impatient driver turned in front of/into me. My only real changes have been not wearing sandals when I ride anymore and trying to ride with the expectation that somebody in a car is going to do something stupid so I can react faster.

hurley.girl

This is one that worries me. Every ride, I cross a divided highway (50mph speed limit) on my way out and back, since it's 2 blocks from my house. The way out is easy - it's a grassy median which I roll over. The way back is harder. They put a U turn lane in, and in the process added a curb along the middle of the highway. It's too high to bunny hop, so I can either ride the wrong way on the highway to get to the same part of the grassy median I use on my way out, which means I'm also riding the wrong way after I cross the median. or I can use the U-turn lane. I choose to use the U-turn lane, but fear someone in a car will not be able to stop in time and I'll be hit.

But so far, I have been very, very lucky.

varminter

Yeah, you can bet your ass that they do see you sometimes.

varminter

I have been hit numerous times. Everything from being "doored" to being rammed in the rear from a car going 50 mph (according to police) and everything in between. Being a cyclist, It is simply unavoidable. Only a matter of time.

varminter

Cyclists are usually at fault, it is a big game