DX-MAN

Two things:
AirZound horn, 115db.
T-ball bat.

ONE of them will get the attention of even the densest idiot.

Totaled108

Simple answer, move out of the backwards south. I have never met more selfish people then in the south, or most republicans. I'd be ditching the bike if I were in your shoes too. Sounds like a bad place to bike.

Sirrus Rider

You obviously never been to Texas.

texasdiver

Hey....Texas was a slave state and part of the confederacy. What makes it not part of the south? Or are you claiming that Texas is the exception to southern idiocy?

Because I can assure you that this part of Texas is not even remotely close to being bike friendly.

Juggler2

What a jackhole thing to say.

Exit.

U-lock in tucked in belt > bat.

There's a lot of dented Mercedes and BMWs around here...

jewelthief

My sentiments exactly. Take photographs of the area. Get your witness statements. A diagram should be able to show exactly where and how the accident took place. It will probably show that the driver did NOT see you or yield to you in the lane. The police officers accusation that you "probably" ran the stop sign because he saw it before will not be admissible in court (if it were true he had an obligation to ticket you when he did).

GET A LAWYER! And good luck!

Kimmitt 

Get a lawyer, srsly.

Kimmitt 

Oh, and I would never personally move to the South, too many bad experience there. But people's homes are their homes, and it's never gonna get better if all the good people leave.

CCrew

I thought they did it bigger and better in Texas

lambo_vt

Yes, surely things like this can be easily categorized into such specific geographic categories as "The South" and "Not the South". This is definitely not something that would have happened north of the Mason-Dixon line.

lil brown bat

Did I say sue the cop?

Again, I'm not sure what your original response was based on. It sounded, frankly, like a sweeping unqualified statement whose basis is emotional rather than factual. The guy got hit. The motorist was in the wrong. There are witnesses. The cop mis-handled the situation and failed in his duty, but he's not the main problem here, just a speedbump. I'd be astonished if OP truly had no remedy under those circumstances.

datlas 

This comment is just silly and/or immature. I myself am a northerner liberal democrat, but please...there are careless and/or ignorant people scattered everywhere.

I am not a mod but please keep these types of inflammatory remarks to yourself.

To the OP, I hope you heal up and reconsider riding again in the future.

dynodonn 

wgaynor, sometimes the same thing happens multiple times in short period of time then never happens for years afterwards. Maybe this is the case for you, the wife and I were nearly run into the curb by different drivers two days apart in the same spot. We've taken measures to eliminate having that type of incident from happening again, so far, it has worked.

You could take measures like we did, if you are not wearing bright colored clothing, get some, use of a strobe headlight at intersections you may have had constant issues with motorist turning/pulling out in front of you, or just ride like you're invisible, and all motorist's are crazy and unpredictable.

I've been fortunate, all the years I've been riding a bicycle, I've never been hit by a car, and it wasn't all due to luck.

fredgarvin7

"I have never met more selfish people then in the south, or most republicans."

To hear Democrats tell it, only conservative Republicans indulge in condemning people based on stereotypes. Glad to have PROOF that it just isn't so!

Tom Stormcrowe

Truly odd, but some of the best riding I've done was across Tx. Generous people, and even though the road I was on had huge shoulders, I'd often as not get full lane away passes. Admittedly, it was rural, though. I did have some "Bubbah with the pickup truck" experiences, but often as not, if I happened to run into Bubbah at the convenience store down the road, he was fascinated with my touring stories. Usually the conversation would go like this:

Bubbah: "Hey, where ya riding from?"

Me: "Well, I started out in San Diego."

Bubbah: "Well holy.......!, I could never do that n all my born days!"

He would usually offer me a beer at this point.

MNBikeguy

Tom, sounds like the 'Southern Tour'?
I truly have not met friendlier people all across the southern coast to coast route.
In fact, I was usually the 'rude' northener who politely tried to get moving and get some miles in while many people were very interested in talking to me about my travels.

Sirrus Rider

My experience has been that Democrats condemn and go as far as get violent. Republicans (I prefer the more descriptive term conservatives) may get a little mouthy, but they won't do you physical harm. As this is a bicycling forum this is as far into politics as I care to go. As others have said Texans are as friendly and generous as you're ever going to find in this country. To tar them and stereotype them due to party affiliation is wrong.

The truth of the matter is not matter where you are you can find a population where the Drivers' Ed instructors have glossed over the sections stating that under the MV code bicycles are vehicles and the population at large has interbred.

jscotkey

I'm really liking the idea of a old, heavy U-lock attached to the end of a belt. Swinging that bad boy around would definitely clear a path. And I've got just the circa-1995, ultra-heavy Kryptonite to do the job to go all Bernard Goetz on some folks.

anthegreat1

the south isn't all bad, but for the most part not bike friendly. I usually don't have any issues but i also don't live in a tiny city.

southerners can be very friendly and generous . . . . . . . but unfortunately for some they won't extend this friendliness to people who may not share their ethnicity. this is not always the case thankfully.

CliftonGK1

It's not just the South. I had to deal with all manners of craziness for 10 hours a day when I rode courier in Cleveland. (Check a map, you can't go any further north in Ohio without a boat.) I live in Washington now, and it's further north than Cleveland... and we still have idiots who try and pinch me into parked cars, and who shoot riders with blowdarts. (yes. 4" long blowdarts!)

I've been hit 6 times (over 20 or so years). Never bad enough to end up in a hospital for more than some stitches and a cast, but bad enough to crack 2 helmets and total 3 bikes.
Get a lawyer, get this idiot bimbo to replace your bike, any additional broken items, and pay your medical bills. Then rub some dirt on it and get back out there.

grolby

Um, okay, you're welcome to believe that. If you're talking about suing the woman who hit him - great, fine, there might be a shot at that. My impression was that the suggestion was to get the cop in trouble for failing to adequately perform his duty. And you have to incredibly privileged and/or naive to honestly believe that there's a realistic chance of getting a police officer for something like this. Protection for incompetent, dangerous or just dishonest police is institutional everywhere you go in the U.S. That was my point. I have no intent of making this a P&R discussion; one of my uncles is a police officer, I appreciate that it's a difficult job, but I think it's also clear that any belief that police officers receive legally appropriate repercussions when they fail to perform their duties correctly simply cannot hold up to the facts.

lshaped

you're entitled to feel like you want to quit- being hit is traumatic. i remember when i rolled my jeep a few years ago- it took me quite a long time to want to drive again-even when i did have to get behind the wheel i was so anxious it made things very stressful. take some time off and then
get back on the bike-

jdmitch

Cop might get off with nothing more than a reprimand (depends on the quality of your lawyer), driver won't.

tadawdy

don't stop commuting! like others have said, take a little time off to relax and get a little distance from the accident. it's really frustrating, i have had a few encounters in my first year of commuting in the city. They legally weren't my fault, but I could have done more to prevent them. I'm getting better at being a vehicle. Not that I'm blaming you, but when you're being careless, you have lapses of judgment and awareness, and when this happens in a car or on a bike, bad stuff happens.

i do agree that the car being in your lane obviously trumps anything else that may have happened.