1st bike accident of 2003
 

Had my first accident for this year. On my commute to work a driver of a SUV pulled out in front of me while I was doing about 18-20 mph. I saw the SUV stopped at stop sign from about 50 yds back, so I assumed she saw me; the SUV had tinted windows.
At about 15 ft she pulled out in front me. I hit the side of the SUV
and put a huge dent on it.
The bike suffered some minor scratches and the rear wheel was out of true.
Doctor says i might have a rotator cuff injury; I won't find out until an MRI. No head injury!

well, hope it turns out to be minor. but for 18-20mph sounds like you and the bike came out pretty well.

don't you just love the tinted windows? then you can't tell if the driver is looking at you or talking on the cell phone or tending to the kids in the back seat!

so any kind of citation or is it just going through her auto insurance? how did she react? "oh, sorry i didn't see you!" or "you just came out of nowhere!" or what?

Glad your mostly ok.... how did she react?

So, the SUV hit you, or the driver of an SUV? I just don't understand the resentment to a specific type of vehicle, and not to BAD DRIVERS. Heck, there are a LOT more Pick-ups and Semi's that cause me more grief than SUV's.

O.k., enough of a tangent, glad you're not more seriously injured. Wish I could say the same for the young kid I saw this morning. He was hit by a Sports Car. They were strapping him to a backboard when I passed. Luckily, he seemed conscious.

L8R

Glad your getting the MRI and other medical consultations -- even if you basically feel OK, it's smart to be careful and thorough.

I'm sorry your bike was [hint] so badly damaged. You said it was [hint] totalled, right? I mean seriously, how could you put that huge dent in the SUV [hint] without wrecking your expensive, delicate, finely-tuned precision bicycle?

RichC

The driver was calm and asked if i was ok. I don't think she apologized though.
I told the police i did not need a report. The police and I were surprised when the driver came back to ask for a report because of the damages to her vehicle.
The police obliged her with a report and a citation.

Just make sure you make a hefty claim for every damaged item, bike, clothing, equipment and for transport expenses as a result of your injury. Dont spare the driver any expense; that seems to be the only way to communicate through tinted windows.

Just curious, -why- didn't you want to make a report?

Paul

Only reason I could see not wanting a report, would be since then it might go on you're driving record. So could potentioly drive up your insurance, I know insurance companies say your rates don't go up if you are not at fault, but that is not always true.

If damage is over $500 you legaly have to have a police report filed.

Loki glad to hear you and you're bike were not more seriously hurt. I agree with the others go after the lady's insurance company have them pay for all the repairs to you're bike etc and have a bike shop check out the bike completely. Never know if there is a hairly line crack somewhere in you're frame or fork and be sure to document EVERYTHING keep all you're medical records from this etc...

A similiar thing happened to me the other day enroute to work, but this was mostly my fault. After going over an overpass and through a light I pulled up on the right side of a panel van. The van proceeded to turn to the right into a gas station, right in front of me.

Should he have checked his mirrors before turning? Maybe. Since he was in the right lane, I caught up with him vice him passing me, and there was nowhere for anybody to enter the road, he had no reason to believe anybody was there and really had no reason to check. But I should have known he would, or at least could, turn in front of me.

I wasn't hurt, I didn't even fall. But I did lean against the van as it turned.

This is the second time this has happened to me. The first one was the drivers fault and I came very close to getting hurt bad.

I guess the bottom line to all this rambling is that I just assume that every car I see doesn't me, doesn't care that I'm there, is more involved in something other than driving and I plan escape routes as I go along.

I hope everything works out for you. I would press to have the insurance pay for your repairs too. Take the bike to your LBS and have them check it over, cracks are sometimes hard to spot.

Dave

loki

glad you are ok... sounds strangely familar!

definately get everything documented. even if the MRI is ok make sure you get it written down in records that you're suffering from the shoulder injury. and any other pain that you are going through. I had pain and memory loss that weren't documented. I told the doctor but they just didn't write it down. So when it came time to settle with insurance it wasn't in the record and they weren't going to pay me for something that wasn't in the record.

I think keeping a diary would be good too.

Glad you're doing ok, things could have definately been worse. Just reminds you how defensive you have to be all the time, and it shouldn't be that way.

Glad to hear you're ok. I would have definitely asked for a report to be writen. In accidents I've been involved in (not directly), it was a lot easier for the cyclist to make insurance and legal claims with a police report. Recently, on a ride a buddy was struck by a driver that turned out not to have any insurance. Luckily the cyclists own car insurance company covered him under his uninsured drivers protection, but they asked to a police report. Anyway, good luck with everything.

Glad you are fine. I'm also glad that you left a good size dent in her tank on wheels. Next time she might actually try to think while driving and take her head out of her a#$

This happened to a friend of mine in '95. Ended up costing her $15K in shoulder surgery, Document everything, get the police report, file a claim under the PIP coverage of your own auto insurance policy if you have such a policy. You DEFINITELY want an insurance adjuster from your insurance co. on you side when resolving this; don't try to do it on your own -- you will be stonewalled by the motorist's insurance co., and they will turn it around and try to blame you, the victim, for the incident, I don't care how 'nice' the driver was to you at the time of the crash.