EE_Phred

I don't get it.

I was enjoying a nice ride when some "gentlemen" in a Ford-150 extended cab decided I should not be on the road and deliberately sideswiped me. I went down - cracked sternum, broken rib, separated AC joint, and a world-class collection of road rash - not to mention the complete evaporation of the funds in my HSA account... Ka-ching!

I seemed to protect the Bike pretty well, but further inspection is warranted.

Police reports were filed...

There was no prior interaction, and I was riding to the RIGHT of the fog line so as not to impede or annoy the traffic behind me.

What has happened to our society?https://www.bikeforums.net/vb/cache/ds.jpg

Any estimates as to when this will all stop hurting to the point I can get back on the bike?

Mountain Mitch

6-8 weeks for the physical (basic recovery). I’ve found New Skin helps the road rash.
Psychological - who knows? One reason I ride most mountain bike trails these days. Too many sickos behind the wheel.

Bmach

Was it a hit and run?

EE_Phred

Yep, hit and run.

I *think* the mental part might be ok...all I can think about is getting on the bike again. But I won't know for sure til I actually do it.

I was just wondering how long to plan for (roughly) for the physical repair...

Patriot1

Sorry to hear this. I hope you recovery quickly and get back out and ride again.

KraneXL

Like dog and cats it seems to be something primal? The slack jawed yokel in the F-150 (any pickup really) vs the unsuspecting cyclist. Full size SUVs a close second.

dabac

Out of the injuries you list, I've only had the abrasions and broken ribs.
Abrasions differ. It's a matter of depth, area and location. The bigger, deeper and the stretchier part of skin they're at, the longer they cause trouble.


Initially horribly looking patches on thighs and back can scab over and be virtually trouble free in days. Smaller, deeper injuries on knees and elbows will take longer.
Skin can get a lot of healing done in 7-10 days.


Ribs - well, I messed up my recovery. Didn't eat the painkillers.
Compensated by locking my torso up in a cramped - but initially pain-free - posture.
By the time the ribs healed, the trouble really started.
If you need painkillers to breathe, walk and sit naturally - take them.
Expect two weeks or so before you can do normal things like reaching for high shelves w/o stabs of pain.
Full healing will take longer.


I've had a guy crossing over from the oncoming lane in a deliberate effort to scare me into the ditch.
He nearly lost it on the gravel of the hard shoulder and nearly ended up in the ditch himself.
In a way I'm almost grateful that he didn't. It would have posed something of a moral dilemma if I'd had to decide whether to help him or not.

CliffordK

It is possible you were just "invisible" on the road to him, and he wasn't paying attention.

It is my experience that people may choose to threaten or annoy another person (thinking of it as a joke), but it is rare that they'll actually deliberately do physical harm to another (at least in their point of view).

Of course, in some twisted sense, perhaps the driver didn't realize how dangerous causing a bike wreck could be.

A couple of months ago, I did have someone deliberately throw some trash out the window at/just in front of me. And a week or so ago, I had someone driving an old diesel apparently hammer the fuel on a small hill, apparently trying to smoke me out.

Anyway, I hope the police are able to locate the malicious driver in your case, and take him off the road.

KraneXL

Had that happen to me just crossing the road. Some yokel in a dropped suspension sports car pointing his car at me as I'm crossing the street. I just stopped.

Ten feet away he swerved and lost control of the car, spun completely around, and ended up on the center divider pointed in the opposite direction. He had missed the light post by 1 ft. I thought, if he had crashed his car post it would have served him right.

Sadly, a few months later I was at that same corner and notice candles burning on the sidewalk in the exact same spot I was nearly run over.

SHBR

Hit & run, and I'm guessing it was a pretty large hit, very unlikely that any motorist could get away with the "I didn't see them" defense.

Biker395 

My suspicion as well. I think Napoleon was right to say "Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetence."

All the same, it's hard to imagine anyone so clueless as to not realize when they've hit someone. And if they're driving such that they didn't realize it, they need to be permanently excised from the roll of people permitted to drive.

I'll say this too ... although I abhor such generalizations ... I get more crap and grief from males driving full sized pickups than I do from all other vehicle types put together. I have no idea why.

Anyway ... OP ... I hope you feel better soon. It sounds like it could have been much worse.

work4bike

My first time being hit by a car was a hit and run, the other three times were from inattentive drivers. Also, I've had countless near-misses, both by inattentive drivers and some I believe were deliberate.

Every time this happens it strengthens my resolve to exercise my right to the road as a cyclist. I'm not militant by it, in that I don't take the lane and some may even call me a gutter bunny, but I will take the lane when needed and always take the lane when coming up to a stop sign/light, but after the speeds build up I move back to the right.

Cycling on roadways gives one a very good insight into what it is to be a minority. We are an extreme minority group.

maddmaxx 

This sort of thing is going to make a dash cam (bike cam) mandatory in the future just to ensure that the perps get caught. Prices have come down so that this is becoming a viable practice.

Biker395 

I had a run-in with a pickup about a month ago (dangerous pass than moved over to force me into the door zone, then turned his truck into me when I complained at the stop sign).

Hereabouts, we have a cyclist harassment ordinance. $1000 statutory damages (no need to prove damages, just the harassment). So on my short ride to and from the bike path on this route, I'm doing video.

If he does it again, it will be expensive.

Iride01 

Good that you are alive and hopefully will recover fully...... as well, your HSA! Maybe they'll find the driver. Whether it was distracted driving or malice, I'd think the driver will have to be liable for costs.

I drive an F-150. Do you really think of me that way?

genec

I too on occasion drive an old F-150... and wear a ball cap, but I guarantee I give cyclists 3+ feet, when and if I pass. I also keep my eye out for all vehicles, when I bike... there can be a "joker" or distracted driver in any of 'em.

Maelochs

I get more grief from punk kids in two-doors. Pick-ups used to worry me but I have crossed path with a fair number of "good ol' boy" types without any grief at all.

Funniest one (in a away was a silver sedan came by and a high-pitched voice screeched at me out the back window. Turned out it was a little kid excited to see a cyclist. He screamed "Hi!" as they passed.

Could have wrecked me were I more easily startled, but I managed a big smile and wave. Watch else could I do?

Kontact 

If it is intentional and the driver can be identified, I don't see how that wouldn't bring a charge of attempted homicide.

rumrunn6

oh gee what a surprise, another driver with no self control.

& I've got no patience for punk kids in Chrysler 300s! jump to :48






get well soon

KraneXL

LOL, fellow cyclist excepted.

rseeker

Sorry to hear about all that, what a shock that must have been. Really, best wishes for recovery.

I'm still recovering from a non-separated AC sprain from a bike fall involving a brush-by pass (and a pick-up truck, not that that means anything with my sample size of one). It's been about 90 days, but I'm riding again as of two weeks ago, starting around day 75, and the rides are good. Sorry to say I'd guess your recovery will be longer. But there are brighter days ahead, just be patient and let your body and your doctor tell you when you're ready for more.

burnthesheep

All I can think of is "your results may vary", depending on where you live.

The concentration of "brodozer" trucks to stancebro racer boy cars or donks is going to be heavily leaning towards the truck side in the rural areas. Just the concentration of folks who live there. It's probably not fair to stereotype road riding incidents to rednecks, but when most people in rural areas drive trucks.......the chances go up.

The ONLY instigation I've ever had was by people on foot. Both times, it was probably a 5 to 7 year old male with their no-good parent in a more ramshakle part of town yelling out "gimme that bike, gimme that bike yo....that mine". In some kind of victim "steal my way through life" mentality. Raise 'em right momma. So sad.

To answer the thread topic:

The reason is because America doesn't take seriously the "everyman's crime". God forbid you peddle a little bit of pot and get caught, a little too much and serious prison time. But, "oh, I didn't see that guy" and killing a pedestrian or cyclists gets you mostly nothing.

Once we put away people in prison for some period of time who kill on roads, people will take note. Especially when you send people to prison who could stand in as family in Modern Family.

CliffordK

Hmmm... I don't do a camera, in part because I ride several bikes, and they all get locked, so I don't want to be constantly mounting and stripping the camera. Perhaps a helmet cam?

I hadn't thought of a no harassment law... there is probably an anti road-rage law that at least would apply to all.

I was thinking more along the lines of "no visible smoke" for the truck that smoked me, or "no littering" for the one that threw trash at me.

Back to the OP... I don't know if it is possible to hit someone and not notice it. Assuming they hadn't noticed the cyclist. Perhaps the driver was intoxicated, which, can fog judgement. And, of course, they may be with it enough to know that driving intoxicated and an accident, even minor could have serious consequences for themselves (without thinking of others).

whitecat

The soceity as a whole is going swiftly down the drain. There are p rics all around us, and they seem to multiply in numbers. Deep breaths, relax and move on. They also forget that a lot of cyclists also drive.

Skipjacks

Let's not overlook the giant silver lining of this story...

HE SAVED THE BIKE!!!

I mean that's some darn good riding to be nearly run over and manage to have the focus to protect the bike!

Props to the OP! Hope the healing goes well! Hope they arrested the driver and file from pretty serious charges against him. But if nothing else, I'm impressed by you saving the bike!