Smacked a car today... probably my fault
 

this is merely a thread to say BE CAREFUL! Beautiful day today, went out for some errands in the loop, riding fast, got hit in an intersection. Following a cab through a yellow light, he made it and I didn't. Cars across the intersection got the green arrow and I bounced off the side of the front car (who gunned it when the light turned green). Broke out his window, bike landed 20 feet away. He was really nice and didn't give me too much **** - I admitted fault and gave him my contact info. He was mainly just concerned that I was ok. Apparently it must have been a spectacular impact because a crowd developed even though I got right up and picked up my U-Lock/sunglasses/bike off the street.
That **** happens so fast - I'm seeing the side of a car up close, then seeing the sky, then seeing the ground. It made a big ****ing noise too. I think I might have broken my wrist or sprained it bad, got glass cuts on my left hand from where my hand went through the window, and I have some nice blood stains on my bike. Regarding the bike, no frame damage.. and the velocity/nashbar wheels I'm borrowing from tristan (sorry tristan) were so strong that instead of the front rim breaking or at least going out of true on impact - one side of the axle just pushed it's way out of the dropout.
I was wearing a helmet, riding brakeless. I'd say that a brake definitely would not have helped, but riding fixed contributed to my riding style, which in turn caused me to go through a yellow light. Had I been riding geared I likely would have gone through it still. Lesson: Be careful. Stopping for 2 minutes at a red light is way better than hitting a car full speed. Coulda been worse. BE CAREFUL ya'll, contrary to popular belief we aren't invincible. (damn)

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sh*t man.im glad youre ok.

glad youre ok dude.

ouch. glad you're ok! *knocks on wood desk before venturing home*

damn. that could have turned out so much worse.
good to hear you're not too banged up.
heal fast!

[troll]
I thought that riding brakeless makes you more "aware of your surroundings" and prevents you from getting into these kinds of situations :D
[/troll]

Yeah it could have been way worse. I ride like a dumbass anyway so the troll remark doesn't apply no matter what bike I ride. I think I Learned my lesson.

+1

yikes! glad you're not dead! i'll bandage you up when I get home. smooch smooch

are those still your loner wheels?

Get yourself checked out if you can. Hot shower tonight, cause it is gonna hurt like hell tomorrow. Be safe.

your blood totally doesnt match your deep-vs

Karma? For not returning Jeff's lockring wrench?

Make sure Jeff doesn't have ChicagoDave doll that he is putting needles through...



... seriously though, that could have been worse. You got lucky.

And follow Shishi's advice, get checked out. You will feel it tomorrow.

glad you're ok. i wouldn't have admitted fault, though. as nice as he was at the scene, things can get nasty when they go legal. you could be liable for damage to the car, lost wages, etc.

not everyone can be a cheat

He was nice - very concerned. I wouldn't have but he downplayed it all alot. he actually just stopped by with a receipt for the window (already fixed) for 50 bucks and I have him 50. I believe in some form of karma, and I'd probably already ruined this guys day. Anyother case you are right, I could have claimed that he went before the green or whatever.

The laws in Chicago pretty much put the biker at fault in any instance so it wouldnt matter if he said it or not if it went legal.

Glad you got out in the shape you did though man. Get the wrist checked out ASAP. You dont want to take a chance of that being broken and not getting attention.

Ouch! Sorry! Been there.

Most laws regarding intersections require that the intersection be clear before proceeding into it. Green or no. You weren't at fault. (if 'skimmed' the above correctly)

oh man, add another one of us to that list I guess.....glad to hear you are alright Dave, heal up, take it easy. Give me a ring if you need anything.

Dave -- nice to see you posted blood.

Glad you're alright and kudos to you for handling that tactfully and with respect.

Nice to know there are genuine people out there still. Mostly I see asshats everywhere.

agreed!
and +1 for you resisting washing your hands before you took a picture of them :)

Hey Dave, glad to hear you're OK. People who peel into an intersection like they just got the green on a nitro funny car race worry me a lot. Get well, get well soon, we hope you do get well...

Also, I liked your set of the Pilsen Passion Parade.

yo Dave
hold back a little. you just graduated.

see you at the velo, which is car-free. call it utopia.
be safe
j.

I have a rule of thumb, brakeless or not, that when following cars through a yellow I try to have them to my left. If you are 8-10 feet back, the car you are following blocks the cars that are going to get the green arrow from seeing you. They think they're turning behind the car, and then you appear out of nowhere...

Fixed, geared, brakes, brakeless, it doesn't make a difference. You are ABSOLUTELY invisible in that situation. You can probably see the cars waiting to turn left, but they won't see you.

Really sucks you got hit - glad you and the bike are mostly OK. I hope you heal soon.

But keep the line of site of the car in front of you in mind. It's part of the whole brakeless awareness thing...

CD, Good to see you are OK. I got doored yesterday by a female getting out of a cab .

Smashed my left hand pretty badly. It is still numb on the left side but no longer as purple as yesterday and damaged front wheel.

She asked was I ok and I freaked out and i was in mad pain when I looked up she left.

Got cabbie's info. Guy behind cabbie gave it to me beside cabbie stopped when I got to him.

Watch out if you can guys people just don't look til it is too late.

S/F,
CEYA!