Originally Posted by Recess

Yeah, a few hours after, I did consider that very fact. However, it's the next day now, and nothing else has started to hurt - and though there could still be something wrong somewhere - I'm hoping I lucked out and came out relatively unscathed.

Apart from not getting the info, I'm still ok with how it went between me and the driver. The thing I think about is that that guy made a mistake. He didn't do it on purpose, he simply didn't see me - possibly as I was hammering along, possibly because he isn't the most attentive guy in the world, possibly because he just got distracted - but the key thing is, he didn't do it on purpose.

(well, I hope)

And I think that this is what the blame/sueing culture has brought us - that if something bad happens, it's no longer just an unfortunate accident that can be dealt with and moved on from - it's all guns blazing, anger, hate, blame, laywers... yada yada.

I know that's a general sweeping statement - and terribly inaccurate for a lot of things that happen - but also terribly accurate too. I'm sure when that guy drove off, he was still hearing the jungle from one of those 'Have you had an accident in the workplace or at home?' adverts.

Who knows, maybe I could have sued - maybe I could have got a new bike out of it - who knows. But I'm sorry folks - I'm just not that guy. I'm scratched, he's scratched - he made a mistake - (and it's now up to him to learn from that - (which he won't after a couple of weeks, lets face it) - but it's just not something I'm going to plow through angrily as though he was trying to kill me.

If I was writing this to you from a hospital bed, or even if I'd suffered any breaks to me or the bike - then sure, I'd have made damn well sure to get all the info I needed. But I'm OK - and I'm more thankful I've not got half a road jammed down my throat than I am the type of person who'd see this as an opportunity to get angry and blame someone for something they didn't mean to do.

John