Me and a few friends hosted a free maintenance workshop on the university campus here the other day and I just so happened to strike up a conversation with a guy who had been commuting to school/work recently and some homies in a pickup came up behind him and smacked him over the head with a bat and this was entirely unprovoked.

Another fellow I know last night was run down by a some random fellows in a Grand Marquis when he was heading home from the bar.

My girlfriend works at a LBS and one of her co-worker's girlfriend was riding to his place and was broadsided by a woman who ran a red light, who at this point, got out of her car and screamed at the poor girl for being a ****ing idiot.

Another fellow I know was apparently hit by a car yesterday. The car was at fault. I havn't heard the extent of the damage.

None of these people were wearing helmets but fortunately only half of them received concussions/stitches.

Spring fever sucks. People are getting crazier as the heat gets to them in their little death boxes. Glad to hear the OP got away relatively unscathed. Experience is sometimes hard earned. I've personally found going out of your way in any sort of incident to apologize in a positive fashion, regardless of fault, garners the best response from the perpetrator. It seems silly, but for some reason taking a stance like that completely dissolves any sort of aggressive defensive mindset and replaces it with sympathy and guilt.