The phone call you don't want to get

[trickytiger]

I was at work last Friday night, and my cell phone went off- with my boyfriend's ring- thinking he got home safely (we work at the same place and bike commute when possible- he got me into riding), I picked up, only to hear him say " Can you come downtown? I don't want to freak you out, but I just got hit by a car". :eek: When my stomach finished jumping around enough to let me remember how to drive (was working way past dark that night), I found him and two very freaked out young women, plus one mangled bike on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in Seattle.

It turns out that he was riding in the bike lane next to her SUV (with full lights and helmet/etc) when she decided to suddenly take a right-hand turn without looking or signaling, thus hitting him on the left side of his body and knocking him off the bike and under her car. His only thought at that point was fear that she might run him over. Fortunately, she wasn't going that fast, and managed to stop- and fortunately his worst injuries are some big bruises and significant loss of skin. He hit his head on the curb, but his helmet took the impact. The cop who showed up clearly cited it as her fault, but left it up to my boyfriend whether to ticket her. She did agree to pay for the bike repair, plus a new helmet, but it's not clear how or when.

This really scared all of us- driver included. Hopefully she'll be more attentive, and hopefully we'll get over this incident, but for the meantime we're driving to work, and will stick to riding for fun on less busy roads instead of bike commuting. :( And I was just getting more confident! It goes to show that even doing everything right doesn't mean trouble won't happen.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I'm sending healing wishes to you and your boyfriend. It sounds like he was really lucky.

It's OK to follow your instincts and switch to driving to work for a while. I believe that the fear of riding on your commute roads will ease after a bit, but you certainly do need to listen to yourself. I can tell you from experience that it is possible to get back on your bike again and to ride without fear. It may not seem like it now, but give yourself time.

--- Denise

[trickytiger]

Good advice- I guess we don't stop using cars even though we all know people who have gotten in accidents, so I don't think we'll stop riding, either. I think sticking to "fun" rides where we can choose how much car traffic to deal with and without the time restriction of trying to get to work might be best for us right now. I know we will pick up bike commuting again, but maybe a brief break is good, so that we don't make decisions out of fear. Thanks for the support!

[Trekhawk]

I was at work last Friday night, and my cell phone went off- with my boyfriend's ring- thinking he got home safely (we work at the same place and bike commute when possible- he got me into riding), I picked up, only to hear him say " Can you come downtown? I don't want to freak you out, but I just got hit by a car". :eek: When my stomach finished jumping around enough to let me remember how to drive (was working way past dark that night), I found him and two very freaked out young women, plus one mangled bike on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in Seattle.


Glad to hear that your boyfriend is ok. I can understand you both feeling shaken and driving your car for a little while. My husband got knocked off his motorbike a few years ago and when he called he said something very similar dont freak out but I have been knocked off my bike and need you to come get me. He was ok (motorbike not so lucky) but it did shake him up for a while and he said it took a few months back on his motorbike before he felt comfortable again.

Hope your Boyfriend is feeling like new again soon.

Trekhawk

:)

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Tricky
Scarey story but glad everything has turned out ok...
Absolutely trust to your instincts and ride togogether where you both feel safe
We all try and stay clear of town/cities for this reason... cars are too untrustworthy... I have nearly clipped a couple of cyclists even though I am a driver and KNOW and DO watch out for them
I always say to my sons that they must assume they are invisible and always think for the drivers, dont ever believe that drivers will include bikes in their thoughts and never assume you can/will or have been seen
Thinking of you both

[Nanci]

I bet the driver will be super-attentive to bikes from now on.

I will never forget an incident that happened to me maybe 30 years ago. I was a teenager, driving on a four lane very busy road. A cyclist was going the same direction on the sidewalk. With no warning, the bike tipped over and fell into the road in front of me. I had time to stop. It impressed on me how unpredictable bikes and pedestrians can be, and how they have to be watched, and watched out for, and given as much clearance as possible, at all times.

Glad to hear BF is ok. Great opportunity for a helmet upgrade!

Nanci

[doc]

With no warning, the bike tipped over and fell into the road in front of me.

OMG. Your life would be completely different if you didn't have time to stop. It is such a scary thought. Almost scarier than ones own injury is injuring/killing another person even though it is no fault of your own.

[HipGnosis6]

I read this and was impressed by just exactly how lucky this person was. Seattle drivers have the worst case of entitlement I've ever seen; they SEE us on our bikes but usually simply don't care. They don't yield to pedestrians, either.

Not terribly long ago a friend of mine was hit by a police car that ran a red light. When I heard I was totally shocked - and the next day I commuted traffic was inexplicably terrifying. I ride my bike across the Ballard bridge every day, and between the south end of the bridge and the Magnolia bridge, I really believed I was going to die....

[Duck on Wheels]

There are a couple even worse calls you don't want to get. Mine was from the hospital telling me my husband had just been brought in after hitting a car. Similar accident. Stupid driver pulled a left turn right in front of two bikers. My husband had 5 broken ribs (4 on the side he hit the car with after skidding to stop, 1 on the far side), broken collar bone, split kidney, split liver, bruised lung that filled with fluids, ripped chest lining membrane, and a concussion. But thanks to a helmet, he survived. (I tell this to my students when I see them riding helmetless.) Just a bit limited mobility in his right arm (can't lift it as high as the left). And he's been back on his bike since just a couple months after the accident. Plans to do a bike tour of China, but when he signed up last Easter there were too few others so he went hiking along the Great Wall instead. Hope your boyfriend is back in shape and back on his bike real soon! Life does get better than this.

[trickytiger]

I read this and was impressed by just exactly how lucky this person was. Seattle drivers have the worst case of entitlement I've ever seen; they SEE us on our bikes but usually simply don't care. They don't yield to pedestrians, either.

Not terribly long ago a friend of mine was hit by a police car that ran a red light. When I heard I was totally shocked - and the next day I commuted traffic was inexplicably terrifying. I ride my bike across the Ballard bridge every day, and between the south end of the bridge and the Magnolia bridge, I really believed I was going to die....


Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about- my commute involves going over the connector bridge from Magnolia just before the Ballard bridge (no bike lanes AT ALL, not to mention no pedestrian access), and then down Nickerson until the bike lanes start at Dexter. Yikes!

And for an update on the BF and his bike- it's still in the shop, waiting for resolution on this case- turns out this girl decided the estimate from REI's bike shop was "unreasonable" (we're talking $300 on a $1500 bike, including a new helmet), and that she wasn't responsible AT ALL, per advice from her "attorney" Who gets an attorney for quibbling over $300? Hmmm, family friend? She lives in Bellevue, so I'm not convinced she's too destitute to help us get the bike fixed. Spoiled brat, more likely.

Fortunately, my BF has done volunteer work with the Bicycle Alliance, and they were more than happy to suggest an excellent lawyer, who happens to be a bike commuter! He's willing to help us out, mostly because people who behave like this are one of his pet peeves. Now, I hate our "sueing society", but in this case we simply want this girl to realize that if you drive a giant SUV, you are indeed responsible for ensuring you don't kill anyone, and that any damage you cause is indeed YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. So, this young lady recently received a letter from "our" lawyer, stating that she had two options: 1). Pay for the damage to the bike and helmet or 2) Show up in court, in which case she would be responsible for his fees, for the time and money I lost by having to leave work early that night, and for the entire cost of the bike (as the lawyer pointed out, he'd been hit also and didn't notice a weld break until later).

So, $300 vs $5000. We're hoping she sees reason, and doesn't try to use her family friend attorney to intimidate people she's wronged in the future. We really were hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but I see that other bikers have had similar cases.