I was on my way home from work today in the nation's capital when I was hit by a car. I never, ever ride on sidewalks since I think it is more dangerous, and my point was proven. I wanted to cross a major road - Wisconsin Avenue - but there were too many cars. I took the sidewalk up towards the next intersection with a light. As I neared the first cross block I slowed to a roll. I let one car go, another car, then went to cross. I had my eyes on the next car in line, sure that the woman would turn and look. Okay, turn. Okay, now turn and look. She went right through the stop sign, through the cross walk and all without ever turning and looking right as she pulled from two cars lengths back. Nice! She was of course trying to beat other cars onto the clogged road. I screamed at her to stop as she closed in, hoping she'd stop.

She hit me, I flew onto the hood of her car, I slid off and stopped. It all happened so quickly I don't know what happened. Somehow I was fine. I swung a leg over my handlebars and somehow my bike was fine. I yelled at her and asked her if she made it a habit to drive through stop signs and crosswalks.

I guess she hit me in my left calf and somehow flipped me up onto her car. Maybe it actually helped that she was accelerating into the turn, serving to pop me up. I told her to pull over, checked my bike out, yelled at her for awhile. She was crying and apologizing but never got out of her car. The woman behind got out to see if I was alright.

I guess I was in such shock from 1) not dying 2) not getting hurt 3) not hurting my bike that I just yelled at her and was so annoyed with the state of drivers in general that I just wanted to leave. In hindsight I know I should have called the police and gotten her off the road. Then again, I've heard so many horror stories from friends being laughed at by cops.

Anyway, next time I shall turn her in. Hopefully there won't be a next time. I wish there was video so I could see how I got hit by a car and didn't even so much as bruise my shoulder/elbow that I fell onto the hood with.

Beware those metallic hearses!

ryan

Awesome Dukes of Hazzard move.

i was thinking its more a mentos move.. and that he'd pop off the hood pretend to be hurt but then just show he was kidding and give the lady a mentos and make a new friend

You guys should start carrying a pack of Mentos around. That'd be hilarious.

calling the cops might not be the best thing, is it legal to ride on the sidewalk and over ped crossings? I know here the cops will most likely bust you for that and let the driver go if you're not hurt. Point proven I suppose like you said, stick to the roads.

damn, I've been workin in dc the last two weeks, seen some awesome bikes (with great riders), but I've also nearly seen three riders get hit by cars, one was almost hit by a cop...

DC is littered with camera's, if you develope some pains, or for what ever reason you'd like to see yourself getting hit, check the surrounding buildings security camera tapes...

by apologizing does that mean you are admitting fault

why yes it does. but you can only use that against them if someone other than yourself hears the apology also.

I got hit once while I was riding in the bike lane, where a dude cut through the bike lane to enter a parking lot. As is usally the case, I had about 3 minutes to get in to a consulate...he pulled right in front of me, and hit is fender and went flying over the hood of his car...after checking out my bike, which was undamaged, I noticed that his hood was WRECKED dented, scratched from my bare-metal u-lock....I didn't even take the time to chew him out...

I almost got smoked by a cop getting out of her car today. I figure the first time I get hit will be by a door that someone opens without looking into their mirror.

Hmm, it has been a couple of hours, or around eight since I was struck by a moving mound of metal. It feels excellent to be alive but I have a feeling as if I'm not really inside "me" but watching through me. I've almost died a few other times in various events and have experienced the same interpretation of reality.

I'll take this event as a gentle reminder to enjoy the moment, love the pedal stroke and not rush on a bicycle. I'm still getting anywhere many times faster than by automobile or public transportation, so smile and be happy.

Which brings me to the divisiness I've witness visually on this site. I've been on here a year or so, I'd suppose, and it has become more and more shattered. I used to be infuriated by drivers and now I'm maddened by cyclists outing other cyclists over tire rotation, unicrown forks, spoke cards, pant-leg rolling. Holy, holy. Just stop and think for a minute. I definitely don't want enemies in the crowd of non-drivers.

And as for drivers, maybe I wasn't angry today because a part of my flipped body understood that drivers are not humans, that they are not cyclists, but animals programmed to drive heavy machines with little attention to detail, or other human life. Maybe in that moment of near death, agony or bike destruction, I found what I've been after, which is a bit of understanding.

I love this site because people who know far more about fixes than I give me excellent advice when I pop a tube or hear a grind. But more and more I'm disillusioned by the fractures within even this small community, lines drawn over spoke cards, unicrown forks and other baloney. If near death has made me reflective, I feel an abiding certainty that it is better to enjoy the passion and companionship of fellow fix riders than welcome divisions based on minutiae.

Enjoy your ride, know that cars are possessed in a way that draws them to run into you, enjoy the silence of your bike and do your darn best to avoid those wild bumpers!

It struck me as to what today really emphasized for me in my existence. When you ride a bicycle, especially within an urban vortex, your life is quite ephemeral. Drivers talk of dented bumpers and annoying calls to insurance. Cyclists talk of other cyclist friends we've lost.

Push it as much as is fun, treasure your steed and elminate any lingering, or festering, hate. Isn't pedaling constantly about finding dynamic peace? Or, at least torture?

Very eloquently stated, nayr497.

it's legal to ride on sidewalks in DC except on Capitol Hill where it's prohibited.

not calling the police because you've heard tales of the cops "laughing" is absolutely ridiculous.... you should never let a driver get away from the scene if you can prevent it. always report your accident. often times when you get hit by a car you might think you are fine minutes later, but then the next day you might wake up and feel like you are Seriously injured.... it's just plain stupid not to get their info... they hit you, they were at fault. drivers must be held responsible, they operate deadly machines.

... unless you're illegally riding in the crosswalk or any other way that's against the law.