Man, what a morning. Hello everyone, I'm Daniel and I've been commuting in the Washington, DC area for a couple of months now. This would be my first post here; I've just been lurking and getting as much good info as I can.

So, I'm on my morning commute today. It's a super-easy commute, just a couple miles, mostly going down East Capitol Street (near the US Capitol). It's probably one of the safest streets to bike on. It's a wide avenue, with bike lanes, and the traffic is usually fairly calm. So I'm heading East, approaching 3rd St SE, where cars are stopped at a light. It's around 7ish AM. I'm in the bike lane. And before I know it, a car door opens and I'm in the air, thrown into the middle of the street. I'm down for only a few seconds before I get back up, move back into the bike lane. The car owner is apologetic; it's an older Isuzu SUV with the hood open (which I didn't see upon approaching it). He's was trying to get it running again; the radiator was leaking. I can see how I would be a little preoccupied in that situation.

The right brake on my 2 month old Bianchi San Jose is a bit mangled. The driver wrote down his name and number and I told him I'd get an estimate. I was suprisingly calm and collected. I guess when those things happen I am just in survival mode and I don't get upset. So at work I am telling everyone I talk to -- please look around before you get out of your car on a street!

As I think about it, there are things I could have done better. I tend to ride exactly in the middle of the bike lane, thinking I'm being considerate to drivers (and enjoying a little space in between them). I should probably toe the white line more so I have some room to maneuver.

Ironically, if there had been one of those joggers (who insist on taking the bike lane even though there is an expansive brick sidewalk at their disposal), I might have been better off because I would have been further into the street.

My leg is skinned a bit and my right collar bone feels a little sore, but I'll be OK. What a morning. For the record, I was wearing my normal work clothes (I think my long sleeve thick oxford helped my arms not get scraped), with straps on my pant legs, and I was wearing a helmet, although the helmet never made contact with anything.

I'm just thinking, is there anything else, either in terms of avoidance or follow-up, that I should have done?