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Old 04-12-12 | 10:06 AM
  #60  
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The Thin Man
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Joined: Sep 2009
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From: Corvallis, OR
Aaron, I'm really sorry to hear about your accident. I can honestly say that I do feel your pain. I'm not sure if you remember, but back in November, I too went through a crash of some seriousness. It was not that long ago and in fact, I still have fresh chain ring scars on my ankle (which is a kinda neat "right of passage", which you also have now been through).
Either way, I learned a lot while maneuvering through the legal and insurance process and feel like I can give some insight.

First off, remember that you have rights and are the victim. I hope the driver has insurance with a major carrier because you obviously have some bills that will need to be paid.
Second, if your vintage bike is totaled, your right is to find a bike that is comprabable to that bike unless of course, you have a receipt of the original purchase. Don't waste your time trying to go to your LBS to price out replacement parts. I went that route first and was insulted by two shops. In the end, I felt my '90 Voyageur was comparable to a new Surley Long Haul Trucker. The insurance company agreed and we settled that part.
Third, I made the insurance company move quickly by telling them that I wanted a loaner bike. They realized it was cheaper for them to rent me a car than to rent me a bike (go figure) so they processed my paperwork ASAP. Obviously, you can't ride at the moment, but it's something to keep in mind for the future.
Fourth, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Start a manilla folder with documents that are sent to you, signatures you must give, scan everything you can (to email instead of mail) and take good notes (also keep these, paper clipped together, in the folder) as you will need to refer to all of these documents again and again and again. Also, take digital photos as soon as you can of not only your cuts, bruises, scrapes, etc but of your bike and any items that were damaged. I had my camera in my panniers at the time of the accident and after, I gave it a quick look over the night of the accident but didn't see anything wrong so I tossed it back into its case. A month later, I got it out again and noticed that it had a puncture mark under the body that I didn't notice so I had to go back to the insurance company for compensation. Luckily, it was painless but it could have been nasty.
Lastly, take all physical therapy that you can. I didn't have serious injuries but later discovered that my rotator cuff was giving me fits. It took almost 3 months of therapy to get it back in shape and at first I was annoyed that I had to waste my time going for something so miniscule but I came to really enjoy the therapy as I learned quite a bit lot about my body and habits I had been doing wrong for years. The insurance company paid 100% for the PT, plus, within my settlement, I was given full medical coverage for any (PT included) issues I had regarding related to the accident for an entire year after the date of when the settlement documents were signed, which I felt was very fair.

Most of this is summarized within the threads of my post above. It may not be a bad idea to read through it to see the "journey" I had to take. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me or I could even give you my phone number.

I hope you feel better and land the job. Trust me, Aaron, this too shall pass.
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