Originally Posted by bbonnn

Dude. After this morning, I can vouch for driver obliviousness to having hit something at all.

I'll write a full post on this later, but I got hit today in the classic right-hook. While I was trying to evade the car turning across my path, I put out my hand and pushed off the vehicle, and I think my hip also may have brushed the vehicle, and possibly my front wheel was also turned askew by the back panel. Anyway, the contact was enough to make me fly off my bike.

The driver insisted that I'd fallen off by myself. She said she didn't feel anything, and her car wasn't scratched, so therefore, she didn't hit me. No major damage to my bike, either. I guess the soft flesh of my body absorbing the impact didn't count in her book.

Yes, the cops came and filed a report. I'm pissed because the officer asked me repeatedly if any part of my bike had hit the car, and I said "I honestly can't tell, but my hand definitely did." Now I'm feeling paranoid that it doesn't count as a crash for liability reasons unless the actual vehicle (bike) made an impact. I guess I should have just slammed into her instead of trying to not get hit. Yay, free bike, right? (never mind the neck brace, it will heal in a few months)

But the point is, I definitely got hit. And she honestly thought she was just being a good samaritan by stopping to help the cyclist who had magically been thrown off a bike for no reason. And she was surprised when I informed her that, yes, she had hit me. Hello, big vehicle? You're not necessarily gonna feel a 150lb shock-absorbent payload when it hits you at the same angle you're turning.

Just a personal anecdote, there.