First collision
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 9,948
Likes: 400
From: PHL
Bikes: Litespeed Catalyst, IRO Rob Roy, All City Big Block
First collision
I had my first collision with a motor vehicle on my commute yesterday. While riding in the bike lane, a blue Mustang passed me and merged into my lane, coming to a near stop. Assuming that he was parking (I don't know what your roads are like, but this happens quite often in my city), I checked behind me for traffic and started moving left to pass him. Of course, he wasn't actually parking; he was making an illegal U-turn without checking his mirrors. So as he swung his Mustang directly in front of me and I tried my best to stop, I ended up in a sideways collision with his rear fender and got tossed over the trunk. Luckily, the bike and I walked away with no serious injuries and learned an important lesson about mindfulness.
What was your first collision like?
What was your first collision like?
#3
Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Boston, Ma
Bikes: 1985? Fat Chance .. in need of love, and a 2001 Trek 1000
Did he have Massachusetts plates? ... because my first collision with a car was also a blue Mustang.
hmm... maybe those BU kids can develop a product that reduces collisions with Mustangs... it would sell better than a fingerprint scanning U-Lock.
hmm... maybe those BU kids can develop a product that reduces collisions with Mustangs... it would sell better than a fingerprint scanning U-Lock.
#5
Raving looney
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,482
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From: Toronto, ON, Canada
Bikes: 70s Leader Precision w/Shimano 600 (road), IRO Rob Roy (Fixed)
Glad to read you're OK...
My first actual collision was my own fault: trying to take a cellphone picture of a handicap-friendly van that cut me off. The van was in the centre lane. I was approaching an intersection in the curblane, a cab ahead of me had already moved off and while looking down at the phone I didn't notice the cab had stopped his turn to allow pedestrians to cross, I was going straight but neglected to correct path for the cab and barrelled over the trunk. I landed partially on my phone, and kind of rolled out of it - bike was OK, I was OK - phone was surprisingly OK - and thus sealed my decision to not get an iPhone or anything similarly fancy
My first actual collision was my own fault: trying to take a cellphone picture of a handicap-friendly van that cut me off. The van was in the centre lane. I was approaching an intersection in the curblane, a cab ahead of me had already moved off and while looking down at the phone I didn't notice the cab had stopped his turn to allow pedestrians to cross, I was going straight but neglected to correct path for the cab and barrelled over the trunk. I landed partially on my phone, and kind of rolled out of it - bike was OK, I was OK - phone was surprisingly OK - and thus sealed my decision to not get an iPhone or anything similarly fancy
#6
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 9,948
Likes: 400
From: PHL
Bikes: Litespeed Catalyst, IRO Rob Roy, All City Big Block
The guy sped off at first, leaving me standing in the middle of the street yelling after him. While I was on the sidewalk straightening out my stem, several people approached me asking if I was okay and one actually got his license plate number for me. Just as I was about to pull away, an off-duty police officer pulls up next to me with the driver right behind him. He apologized his ass off and a few minutes later we went our separate ways.
I didn't get to see his car after the crash, but I like to think I left him a nice dent.
I didn't get to see his car after the crash, but I like to think I left him a nice dent.
#7
My first collision with a car? It happened in elementary school. We had some very long wooden bike racks, perhaps 50-75 feet long. I pulled my bike out of the bike racks, climbed on and started ripping along and ran smack dab into a Karmann Ghia that was parked just beyond the end of the racks. Fortunately no damage to either party.
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