My car crash....or, I am one lucky chick!

I put my bike on my van to head out to ride my favorite 17 mile loop this afternoon. I was headed south on hwy 219. It's fairly busy and there's some construction going on, which is why I didn't ride out in the first place (plus, there's a scary bridge that I don't like to ride over alone). There's a busy intersection that crosses 219. As I was approaching it, I noticed a kid on a bmx syle bike waiting at the stop sign to cross. Apparently, the car waiting to cross on my left (she had a stop sign, I didn't) didn't see me and t-boned right into me. I saw her start to come across, and knew I wouldn't be able to avoid her because I didn't want to hit the kid on the bike. She hit me right behind the drivers door and I got spun around so I was facing the oncoming traffic in the lane I was in. Thank goodness the kid was missed completely! I limped off to the side street to check the damage. Wow! One foot forward and I would have been in the hospital. One foot backwards and my bike would have been toast. Several people stopped to help and someone called 911. Thankfully there were no injuries to me or the other driver.

I'm so thankful that this wasn't as bad as it could have been! Here are some pictures I took with my phone. The green van is mine. The silver Chevy is hers. I kind of felt bad for her because she said her husband died a few days ago and she had been on auto-pilot since then.

http://www.footeco.com/ellen/crash/crash01.jpg

http://www.footeco.com/ellen/crash/crash02.jpg

http://www.footeco.com/ellen/crash/crash03.jpg

http://www.footeco.com/ellen/crash/crash04.jpg

http://www.footeco.com/ellen/crash/crash05.jpg

I ended up going on a short 15 mile ride around town with dh and some friends to de-stress. I'll probably de-stress the rest of the way with a good cry in bed tonight.

I'm so glad you weren't hurt, but do plan on being sore tomorrow...even if you don't feel anything now.

I was t-boned by a street sweeper in my Beetle and spun around like that, too. I had impact with the door and hurt my shoulder (not seriously), and I hurt like the dickens the next day.

I feel really sorry for the gal, having lost her husband and all. Maybe she shouldn't have been driving!

Karen

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

I'm so glad you weren't hurt, but do plan on being sore tomorrow...even if you don't feel anything now.

I was t-boned by a street sweeper in my Beetle and spun around like that, too. I had impact with the door and hurt my shoulder (not seriously), and I hurt like the dickens the next day.

I feel really sorry for the gal, having lost her husband and all. Maybe she shouldn't have been driving!

Karen

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After my shower just now, I'm already seeing some bruising on my shins and I know it wasn't from anything else I did. DH made the same comment about how she probably shouldn't have been driving. I'm just glad I was in my van instead of on my bike!

Go buy a lottery ticket! The pics say it all! Glad you and your bike are okay!

Whew- scary stuff! :eek: I'm glad that you're OK (not hospitalized at least). I'm glad the bike is OK, and soooooo glad the kid on the bike wasn't touched at all although I'm sure it scared the beejeebers out of him. Take care and rest up. :)

wow, how frightening! and how fortunate you were! Now let's hope she has insurance.

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Originally Posted by Tri Girl

Whew- scary stuff! :eek: I'm glad that you're OK (not hospitalized at least). I'm glad the bike is OK, and soooooo glad the kid on the bike wasn't touched at all although I'm sure it scared the beejeebers out of him. Take care and rest up. :)

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Thanks everyone! I didn't see when the kid crossed, but yeah...he had a front row seat to the whole thing. As I was facing the other way in the lane, he was looking at me with shock on his face and I motioned for him to back up a bit so I could get off the main road. I didn't see him after that, but I'm sure he got across ok. He had one of those shiny silver helmets that you can see from a mile away.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

wow, how frightening! and how fortunate you were! Now let's hope she has insurance.

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Yep, she has insurance. Called them yesterday when I got home. Hope to meet with an adjustor today after I get a quote from the body shop.

I am glad that you are okay. Are you sore?

I wish there was some way we could support her in the loss of her husband. How sad.

Whoa--you sure ARE lucky! I'm so glad you are OK, and that nobody hit the kid on his bike.

I see what you mean--a foot or two either way could've meant a much worse outcome. You sound like you have a great positive attitude toward the whole thing, though. That--plus your DH and your bike :) --will get you through!

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Originally Posted by Flybye

I am glad that you are okay. Are you sore?

I wish there was some way we could support her in the loss of her husband. How sad.

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I'm a bit sore...not too bad, though. I'm glad I'm ok, too!

I let her use my cell phone to call her son, so I'm sure she has family in the area for support. I'm torn between feeling bad for her and irritated that she plowed into me without making sure it was clear to cross. And now I have to get a new bike rack. The right side strap that connects to the side of the car was sheared off.

Wrecks are just a big inconvenience!

I'm glad you are unhurt! I'm amazed that your left rear tire didn't get destroyed.

Re: your rack: Call Saris; they should be able to replace the strap.

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Originally Posted by MDHillSlug

I'm glad you are unhurt! I'm amazed that your left rear tire didn't get destroyed.

Re: your rack: Call Saris; they should be able to replace the strap.

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I'm amazed that the van is even drivable!

Thanks for the Saris tip. I just called them and ended up only needing the strap that hooks from the metal tightener-thingy on to the left side of my car. They said they'll send it right out and it's only $3.00! I'm very pleased with their customer service. They made doubley sure that that was the part I needed, and they were patient with me when I asked questions about it (because I'm a doof and didn't understand what he was talking about!). Thank you, Saris!!

Wow! That was a stroke of good luck amidst the bad. I hope you're feeling ok soon. And I hope the other driver gets herself back in focus too. One problem with the US is there's almost nowhere you can manage without driving, even if you're on "autopilot" from grief and really shouldn't be at the controls of a car.