Woman I work with (and convinced to start riding) got hit Thursday
03-28-11, 06:39 PM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 444
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
5 Posts
She drives a 1977 Ford pick'em up...yeah, I know.
She seems to be accustom to people realizing very quickly that she is not normal. I can't say she's dumb, but she does random things for even more random reasons. She leaves for boot camp in October and explained to me that she wanted to be a Navy Seal. I offered to help her with what I remembered for my BUD quals (before I washed) and work on her running with her. One run, 4 miles, she damaged her foot in a way that confused me. She bruised the bone on the bottom of her foot. I tried to figure this out for a few months, then she finally explained that she liked the inserts in her cowboy boots more than the running shoes...so she switched them. Hence, she was running with cowboy boot inserts inside a pair of cheap running shoes.
My guilt is that I think she's a very good person, and not necessarily stupid - but even my boss has suggested I'm trying to kill her (in jest). We all wonder if she'll get on an aircraft career, and if so, how soon we'll get the AP report that it sank.
I've never actually witnessed this combination of clutz, idiocy before
She seems to be accustom to people realizing very quickly that she is not normal. I can't say she's dumb, but she does random things for even more random reasons. She leaves for boot camp in October and explained to me that she wanted to be a Navy Seal. I offered to help her with what I remembered for my BUD quals (before I washed) and work on her running with her. One run, 4 miles, she damaged her foot in a way that confused me. She bruised the bone on the bottom of her foot. I tried to figure this out for a few months, then she finally explained that she liked the inserts in her cowboy boots more than the running shoes...so she switched them. Hence, she was running with cowboy boot inserts inside a pair of cheap running shoes.
My guilt is that I think she's a very good person, and not necessarily stupid - but even my boss has suggested I'm trying to kill her (in jest). We all wonder if she'll get on an aircraft career, and if so, how soon we'll get the AP report that it sank.
I've never actually witnessed this combination of clutz, idiocy before
03-28-11, 06:52 PM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
Posts: 306
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
The answer to this requires some sorta seriously good writing.
I'm sitting at my desk when, we'll call her Jenny, walks in. She's walking like a zombie. It's a little difficult on some level not to bust out laughing hysterically because when she sits down, she immediately takes out a tube of icy hot, lifts the back of her shirt and starts applying it to her lower back. Then reaches above, with her one good arm, and puts it on her neck.
My first question: You hurting that bad?
Her reply: Nope, not at all. This is just in case.
Just in case...what?
So I continue the conversation (I feel brain cells screaming from the flames):
"How did you get hurt now, I'm confused," I inquire. "You said you were in the bike lane, regardless of direction, how did a truck hit you in it."
Jenny eyes me, with a straight face and says "well, you see, I saw Pizza Hut, and got hungry - so I cut across the four lanes of traffic because I didn't notice anybody nearby."
I'm looking at her with complete fear now. This girl is insane.
She continues "I got hit by the truck in the fourth lane! - but I almost made it completely across! That's good right?"
I had to step outside because the combination of hysterical laughter I felt building and the urge to cry started to overwhelm me.
I may have inadvertently created a casualty by introducing her to this lifestyle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do have to add some back story here.
In the last 3 weeks, this girl has - in order:
Locked herself out of her aunt's house because the cat wanted out, while cooking tortillas on a stove. The fire department told her that it looked like only minor smoke damage to the kitchen. She said her aunt made her pay back the $390 for her front door when they had to kick it in to put out the "fire." No report on the water damage costs yet.
She went fishing in SPI, and somehow caught a seagull. Said seagull didn't take kindly to her removing the hook from its mouth with her bare hands, and pecked a hole in her hand requiring 4 stitches. Earlier that day, she used a rather sharp pocket knife to cut some line, and ended up cutting a 4 inch gash into her pointer finger. SO for the last two weeks she had that finger bandaged and looked remarkably like Arsenio Hall's spokesfinger.
She decided that she wanted to try some swing-style dancing, and the gentleman who she was dancing with seemed only "slightly drunk" until they got to a move that required him to swing her up by his side, where she would flip and slide down his hip onto the ground. Everything was fine until he got her up, and then leg wiped her back into the ground on accident giving her a visit to the hospital, 8 stitches to her head and a concussion.
I'm sitting at my desk when, we'll call her Jenny, walks in. She's walking like a zombie. It's a little difficult on some level not to bust out laughing hysterically because when she sits down, she immediately takes out a tube of icy hot, lifts the back of her shirt and starts applying it to her lower back. Then reaches above, with her one good arm, and puts it on her neck.
My first question: You hurting that bad?
Her reply: Nope, not at all. This is just in case.
Just in case...what?
So I continue the conversation (I feel brain cells screaming from the flames):
"How did you get hurt now, I'm confused," I inquire. "You said you were in the bike lane, regardless of direction, how did a truck hit you in it."
Jenny eyes me, with a straight face and says "well, you see, I saw Pizza Hut, and got hungry - so I cut across the four lanes of traffic because I didn't notice anybody nearby."
I'm looking at her with complete fear now. This girl is insane.
She continues "I got hit by the truck in the fourth lane! - but I almost made it completely across! That's good right?"
I had to step outside because the combination of hysterical laughter I felt building and the urge to cry started to overwhelm me.
I may have inadvertently created a casualty by introducing her to this lifestyle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do have to add some back story here.
In the last 3 weeks, this girl has - in order:
Locked herself out of her aunt's house because the cat wanted out, while cooking tortillas on a stove. The fire department told her that it looked like only minor smoke damage to the kitchen. She said her aunt made her pay back the $390 for her front door when they had to kick it in to put out the "fire." No report on the water damage costs yet.
She went fishing in SPI, and somehow caught a seagull. Said seagull didn't take kindly to her removing the hook from its mouth with her bare hands, and pecked a hole in her hand requiring 4 stitches. Earlier that day, she used a rather sharp pocket knife to cut some line, and ended up cutting a 4 inch gash into her pointer finger. SO for the last two weeks she had that finger bandaged and looked remarkably like Arsenio Hall's spokesfinger.
She decided that she wanted to try some swing-style dancing, and the gentleman who she was dancing with seemed only "slightly drunk" until they got to a move that required him to swing her up by his side, where she would flip and slide down his hip onto the ground. Everything was fine until he got her up, and then leg wiped her back into the ground on accident giving her a visit to the hospital, 8 stitches to her head and a concussion.
03-28-11, 07:38 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 253
Bikes: 2006 Novara Randonee, 2009 Fuji Cross Pro, 2013 Specialized Roubaix Pro, 2013 Allez Smartweld A5 Frankenbike, 2021 Diverge Comp Carbon
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
2 Posts
03-29-11, 10:47 AM
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Green Valley AZ
Posts: 3,770
Bikes: Trice Q; Volae Century; TT 3.4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I agree that you could'a and probably should'a offered some quick safety tips but hope this incident does not make you hesitate to help prospective riders.
03-29-11, 11:08 AM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Chicago
Posts: 248
Bikes: 09 Jamis Aurora, 4 Giant ATX 870, 64 Schwin Traveler
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
wow. every once in awhile i see in the news someone die because they ran/biked across a 4 -6 lane road, thinking "oh those cars are far away i can make it." We seem to be poor at judging speed of cars moving that fast. She is lucky she is alive.
you don't have to feel bad, i mean, while it s bad enough to ride down the wrong side, it is completely another to ride out into traffic on a very fast road because you think you have more time than you do.
edit: oh i read more, omg. she is going to join the Navy?
you don't have to feel bad, i mean, while it s bad enough to ride down the wrong side, it is completely another to ride out into traffic on a very fast road because you think you have more time than you do.
edit: oh i read more, omg. she is going to join the Navy?
Last edited by chrisb71; 03-29-11 at 11:14 AM.
03-29-11, 12:45 PM
#32
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Brownsville, TX
Posts: 2,174
Bikes: Surly CC
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Navy enlisted, check.
And for the record: That's 4 people this year I've convinced to take up riding. I'm only 1 person away from my yearly goal of creating 5 new cyclists a year.
And for the record: That's 4 people this year I've convinced to take up riding. I'm only 1 person away from my yearly goal of creating 5 new cyclists a year.
03-29-11, 02:58 PM
#34
LCI #1853
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Scott. Arkansas
Posts: 663
Bikes: Trek Madone 5.2, Fisher Caliber 29er, Orbea Onix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'm not entirely sure about which argument I'd take.
This is the same girl that the first day she went out on a mountain bike she bought at a pawn shop (I didn't have a hand in that one - thank god) she crashed and damaged her ... well ... pelvic region. How'd she do that? She rode up to the curb, at 15 miles per hour, and somehow thought we jumped curbs via simple momentum. Needless to say, she slide forward on the instant stop, and took the headtube to her groin. Then flipped and popped her face on the same curb. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest the helmet is safer, potentially wearing it 24/7
This is the same girl that the first day she went out on a mountain bike she bought at a pawn shop (I didn't have a hand in that one - thank god) she crashed and damaged her ... well ... pelvic region. How'd she do that? She rode up to the curb, at 15 miles per hour, and somehow thought we jumped curbs via simple momentum. Needless to say, she slide forward on the instant stop, and took the headtube to her groin. Then flipped and popped her face on the same curb. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest the helmet is safer, potentially wearing it 24/7
The third layer is positioning yourself on the roadway so that you're visible/noticeable to others, and in places where drivers expect to see other traffic. Drivers for the most part aren't pscyopaths, if they can see and detect you they won't hit you.
Learn some avoidance drills (quick turn, quick stop, doging obstacles) that will help you avoid getting entangled in the mistakes of others... such as the fellow in another thread who was hit when an unwitting driver did left cross into his path.
Lastly, if any or all of the four measures above fail, it's a derned good idea to have on a helmet and gloves to mitigate any injuries should you hit the ground.
03-29-11, 06:06 PM
#35
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lincoln Ne
Posts: 9,924
Bikes: RANS Stratus TerraTrike Tour II
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3352 Post(s)
Liked 1,056 Times
in
635 Posts
This might be a unique legal question. If she was indeed in a bike lane no matter what direction she was going, why was she hit by the dirver????
03-29-11, 06:41 PM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 225
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
OP clarified that she wasn't in the lane when hit--she was trying to cut across many lanes of traffic after leaving the bike lane (while going against traffic)
03-29-11, 06:59 PM
#37
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 83
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
03-29-11, 08:23 PM
#38
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
Posts: 9,352
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock Mountain (Stolen); Giant Seek 2 (Stolen); Diamondback Ascent mid 1980 - 1997
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Uh, any chance we can send her to work with the enemy troops? That way we'd know that she wouldn't be the cause of any lost life due to "friendly fire.
"
03-30-11, 05:46 AM
#39
Senior Member
I would guess that there's a little more than meets the eye, here. Her self-destructive tendencies hint at a bit of a mental health problem.
And quit obsessing over the damn helmet. Helmets don't protect against anything useful, much less stupid.
And quit obsessing over the damn helmet. Helmets don't protect against anything useful, much less stupid.
03-30-11, 07:43 PM
#40
Cycle Year Round
03-31-11, 12:38 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Port Townsend, WA
Posts: 982
Bikes: xtracycle, electric recumbent, downtube folder and more
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
This woman doesn't need a helmet. A helmet is there to protect your brain. It seems she must have a lot of natural padding up there because it is obvious she has little gray matter. She needs an adult safety bicycling class and she'll need a helmet to take the course.
04-04-11, 04:15 PM
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NOWHERE
Posts: 612
Bikes: noyb
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Disclosure: I ride a motorcycle as well and have done so for over 10 years now.
A few years ago a co-worker who I liked really, really wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. She seemed together enough, if a little spacey. I made some suggestions that she take the formal motorcycle riding course to be sure before she bought one. A few months into her thinking about this I got into a car with her so she could drive me home from work. After that short 7 mile trip, I never, ever once brought up motorcycling again with her and actively discouraged it. Some people should not do certain things...I found out a few weeks ago that this same person tried bike commuting to work on one of the easiest commutes in the city. Needless to say she said it was too scary and never did it again.
It's amazing how some people can get a license to drive a car when they can't figure out left from right and up from down in the first place.
A few years ago a co-worker who I liked really, really wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. She seemed together enough, if a little spacey. I made some suggestions that she take the formal motorcycle riding course to be sure before she bought one. A few months into her thinking about this I got into a car with her so she could drive me home from work. After that short 7 mile trip, I never, ever once brought up motorcycling again with her and actively discouraged it. Some people should not do certain things...I found out a few weeks ago that this same person tried bike commuting to work on one of the easiest commutes in the city. Needless to say she said it was too scary and never did it again.
It's amazing how some people can get a license to drive a car when they can't figure out left from right and up from down in the first place.
