Sideswipped, rolled & bowled by a car !!!!
 

On my extented loop home from work to-day (remembering we ride on the left here) I was riding along in the rain quite happely ,feeling confident that although it was over-cast ,I was hi- viz. as I had my red rear LED on flash & a red floro rain flap hanging off my bum-bag when I noticed the car overtaking me was slowing down, "whats he up to", think I, "s#1t, I know the, buggers turning left", too late :eek: . I tried to turn with him which was partly succesfull but the rear door & fender hit me & the bike went out from under me ,in the wet,the bike & me went sliding across the road on our right sides:( . the car stopped & the driver got out to see if I was ok ,telling me he didnt see me & that he was a cyclist too ! very re-assuring:rolleyes: i initialy noticed i had a large road road rash on my right elbow, forearm & ankle bone . the bike checked out OK gears wheels ect. Told the guy what a f*<$witt he was , he agreed & we parted on fairly amicable terms , re- mounting & riding on ,when the adreline wore off I noticed my neck, right shoulder & side were starting to stiffen up so I decided to call in at the police station & report the accident , wich I did. Altho I didnt have the guys name I did remember his rego. number ,I felt a bit of a s#it reporting the guy but i dont know how my old bones will feel in the morning :mad: & I might heve to get checked out, I checked my side when I got home & a large bruise had come out . It could have been a lot worse tho :)

Thank goodness you whern't hurt badly!:eek:

I hope you have no lasting dammage from this episode. My coworker has had 2 hits from autos and broke his back the first time and his shoulder the second time!

BTW he still rides!:)

This is almost always the case with accidents. You don't realize the damage at first.

Always take down the license plate number of the automobile involved so you have it for insurance purposes - even if you resolve things amicably and even though the drive is apologetic, sympathetic, and sincere.

I hope that you are OK, Greywolf, and glad to see you are still posting on the forums after trauma like that. I bet that you felt pretty sore the next day.

Glad you're OK, Greywolf! You did the right thing reporting him, although it's good to hear that he at least realised what a f***wit he is.

I know this is a lawyerly thing to say, but if there is damage to you or the bike- sue. Youwon't get much but the hassle will make him think in the future.

i've never had a major crash with a car (thankfully), but what i have done in my only crash where there was actual damage, although minor:

(only if you have no injuries) in a friendly way, say that the damage doesn't look bad and you just want your bike repaired so suggest going to a shop and getting an estimate and then handling it not through insurance and just paying the bill directly. in this case i had the right of way and a guy at a stop sign was craning his head looking for fast-moving cars and rolled forward. i was watching and so stopped and dismounted but he ran over my front wheel. anyway wrote down his info told him i would get it chekced at a shop and then i went to a bike shop and picked out a new wheel and then and we met and he gave me like $150 (it was a while ago so maybe it was less i was a poor college student so i was just happy to have a new wheel - i think i added like $10 for my time and hassle which i felt was reasonable (i could have picked out an expensive wheel but i didn't) ) - anyway, probably saved him from having his insurance premiums raised much more than $150 in the next few years. if it turns out to be more substantial damage or the person thinks the bill is too high or whatever then just go through the regular insurance claim process. if this works, a good thing is 1) it's easy and fast as there's no paperwork and you get your bike fixed ASAP 2) if the person is reasonable and doesn't want their premium to go up you get all covered. if it actually goes through insurance they will look for any technicality (my friend had only a rear light and no front during dusk and the insurance only paid 40%)

i agree about always getting the driver info in a crash - swelling and many other injuries often don't show up until a few hours later. i always get the info although i have rarely done anything with it --- but it would suck to find out you have a bone fracture or a major neck/spine problem and not be able to file it through the guilty party's insurance

I'm glad you're ok greywolf. Let us know how you feel tomorrow.

Let this be a lesson to all of us.

:eek: Glad to here your safe,Looks like your bike handling skills saved you from something very bad happening.Like getting caught under the back wheel of the car during that left hook.Nice riding Greywolf!!!

The guy hits you with his car. He could've killed you, and you feel bad about reporting him. What's wrong with this picture?

Greywolf, I hope you are okay. Getting dumped like that can do a lot of damage that may not be readily apparent. It might not be a bad idea to get to the emergency room and get checked out.

Take care of yourself!

Hey at least he stopped. It is common place around here for drivers not to stop. In fact I can't think of a single incident where the motorist actually stuck around after hitting a cyclist.

>>>>" I noticed the car overtaking me was slowing down," After the accident, "the car stopped & the driver got out to see if I was ok ,telling me he didnt see me"<<<<<<<<

The driver DID see you but decided to make a risky turn that put YOU at danger. Make no doubt about it. He saw you and thought he pull off that turn in time but it could have killed you.

Your injuries including pain and suffering are worth much more than you think. I don't now what the court system is where you live but in the US, I was a awarded $1,100 USD by the insurance company for a single scratch when I was doored in 1987. I took his insurance company to small claims court asking for $500 USD but they settled it for more since it was cheaper than having to be represented by an attorney.

The injuries you incurred are worth far more than mine. You need to report this insurance company right away.

Go to an emergency room and get a police report ASAP!!!

Once his insurance rate goes up, he'll be a more careful driver. I'm serious. My nephew was involved in several motor accidents in a period of several months. Once his insurance sky-rocketed to $4,500 USD a year, he began driving defensively and the accidents stopped.

If you're knocked down by a car, have the police and an ambulance called. All too often the injured party is embarrassed and wants to get away from the scene quickly. Only after they get away do they learn of the real damage and injuries. Better to be on the safe side and let the appropriate authorities deal with the issue at the scene of the accident rather than trying to point fingers later.

A co-worker of mine was hurt at a local HXXX Depot store and hurredly left, only to find out that his injuries were really quite serious. The store successfully fought off the suit becuase it wasn't reported to them when it happened. He ended up going through a couple of surgeries and will probably never fully recover the full use of his ankle.

Sad to say but you have to protect your rights.

Was he from South Africa, he was probably pissed off that NZ beat them in the world Cup.:D

Seriously, you did the right thing in reporting him. If he slowed his car down enough to be next to you for a few seconds, then he saw you and should be made to pay any bills that need paying.

It will also give him a wake up call when the cops go around to his house and give him the "you shouldn't drive like an arsehole chat". I would like to witness that conversation.

It's good you were still able to ride, but not the wisest thing to do. I have been guilty of the same thing. Adrenalin kicks in and you feel little pain then 1 hour later the pain starts.

I hope everything heals OK.

CHEERS

Mark

I'm not sure if you still have ACC in New Zealand. Some years ago, New Zealanders gave up their right to sue in case of accidents. There is a government based organization (ACC) that pays whatever the costs you had from your accident. Thus, if you need physio or to go to the doctor, and that was caused by an accident, ACC should pay for that.

IMHO it is a better way to deal with the problem, reduce a lot the amount of litigation in society, the person suffering the accident get paid what is fair, and you can keep "high risk" businesses running (for example, bungy jumping, sky diving, cycling), without the problem of not being able to get insurance and closing down.

I hope you are 100% pretty soon!

'nuff said by others, but glad you're OK and still riding!

Hi, I,m still alive & kicking , many thanks for your supportive & positive posts, a great spirit lifter :) . I got up this morning for work & didnt feel too bad, I left for work a bit early to miss the worst of the traffic , by the time i got to work i seemed to have loose,nd up quite a bit . the only problem i had at work was my overalls & work boots rubbing on the road rash & a slight stiff neck ! before I came home I had an extra long hot shower which eased the stiffness so I rode two short loops before riding home making my total 57ks for the day.
When I got home my wife told me there was a message on the answer mach. from the cops saying the rego. number I gave them didnt match the make of car I gave them :mad: I more than likely got some of the numbers cocked up or it may explain his hurry to get away :rolleyes:
The bike seems OK altho there are some heavy gouges on the rear changer & the right peddle dust cap is squashed flat ! but it all operates OK .
Once again thanks for your concern , the Fellowship of the Spoked Wheel is alive & well :beer:

:thumbup: Glad to know you aren't too bunged up. My favorite cure for a stiff neck involves the medicinal use of single malt. Something to consider. :)

A good general purpose cure :beer: definatly improves my disposition, altho I subbed rum for the scotch but the results are nearly idential, maybe we should conduct a test !:D :D

Hey grey wolf, I had an accident on Cameron Rd in TGA during a stay down there in january.....was moving across to turn right and was springting to keep up with traffic and my left shoe unclipped....lol was doin 40kmh at the time. Got a nice tyre burn on my left shin! this was right outside HedgeHog bikes. was fine until about an hour later and yes the pain does start to arrive!

P.S. I was on the bike again the next day, bruised tailbone and all :p

Brendon
:beer:

Yes, indeed.

http://www.science.uva.nl/research/a...t2/regbike.avi

Recover well.

Greywolf,

'Glad to hear you are doing well. These can be really traumatic, and in many different ways. Last May, when I had my run-in with a car, I have no memory of the event. I woke up an hour later in the Emergency Room of the hospital; took me several months to fully recover. You are right, it could have been so much worse. I was also happy to hear that you were back on your bike the next day; that took me over a month last year.

John

Im over the incident now & seem none the worst for wear;) Although a bit nervious of cars coming up slow behind me:( .The last of the scabs on the roadrash have dropped off :D so that s the end of it ! Many thanks again for your messages of concern.:beer:

Glad you're ok dude...

I notice that after a quick report about a bit of road rash you were quick to put us at ease and tell us that your bike was OK.

After several idiots passing me at speed and very closely I have been wondering about the possibility of fitting a squeeze bottle filled with something like brake fluid that would squirt out a tube fitted to the underside of the handlebar...A car comes close all ya gotta do is squeeze the bottle and leave a calling card on tha idiots paintwork, only prob I can see with this is that it'd be likely to blow back on my leg... It has possibilitise tho:D

Hey, Glad you're OK now. Do you have any spanky scars to show for it?