Hello everybody!

I've a simple hybrid I use to commute to work and school. A few days ago, I got knocked over by a car pulling out of a parking lot (bicycle fell on carriage side). I was just fine and the only damage I could see was that the front wheel was a rather out of true to the point where the rim was scraping the break pads.

I've trued my wheel before and was confident, and but upon closer inspection, I'm really confused! There are a few very loose spokes (3/4 inch of give either way). The strange part is that the rim bends towards the loose spokes instead of towards the taught ones on other side. Tightening the loose spokes only exacerbated the problem and I made negative progress.

The wheel did not hit anything hard or get trampled, the bike merely fell over. It seems to me that the shock just loosened the spokes just like when one might hit a very large pot hole. Did the rim end up getting bent without me noticing? Or is there some trick with when things are very badly out of true that I don't know about?

If this is too confusing to imagine, I can dig up the camera and attach a photo if it would be beneficial.

Thanks a lot in advance!
-Monty