Hit & Run Numero Uno

Well, hi everyone, as you can this is my first thread here. Just wanted to vent. I'm a newbie bike commuter (considering eternity anyway) and have been commuting by bike off and on since last August. Never been in an accident before, (though I did have the compulsory cliplless pedal fall over incident when I forgot that my feet were attached to the bike :eek:!).

Last Saturday I was leaving my bike shop, where I had JUST picked up my bike from a nice little tune up and riding down to the local trail for a little 10mile ride on my way to work. It was raining, and since I don't have a car anymore (got rid of it after I got my bike!) I had to ride in the rain (which was a blast!!!) Going down a hill eastbound on a main artery and some #&@%@ in a white sportscar headed westbound decides he wants to turn left into some side street, right in front of me. GRR. So, raining, going about 15mph, down a hill (in a 40 mph zone), with my headlamp ON, I see this guy turning and am just like OH @#(@$%%. And, squeels and CRASH right into the side of his car where windsheild meets hood. Thankfully, it was basically like hitting a stationary object, and not one driving AT me. Unfrotunately it was like hitting a stationary object...;) and I ended up smacking into him like I hit a wall. Bounced against his car and then got thrown to the ground with my nice newly tuned up bike, right on top of me. :mad:

Slightly dazed I lay on the ground for a minute, 2 very very nice people come running up to help me, and the #!$^%&# driver who is quite possibly very drunk gets out of his car comes around and yells, Oh my Gosh dude, are you okay? In a 'hey I might be way drunk or stoned' tone of voice...:rolleyes: Then he's like, I didnt even see you, you shouldnt be going so fast!!! AAAHHHH. The funny part is that the lady who was helping to peel me off the pavement stood up and started yelling at him about how I had the right of way and I wasn't going to fast, uh, cause IM ON A FREAKING BIKE!!!! LOL. The bad part is, that when I stood up and we started to move out of the middle of the very busy road, said @#%@%&@%& driver jumped back in his car and peeled off. No one got his license... :(

Good news is, bike is fine (i think, been too injured to do any serious checking). Me, I am fine except for some serious bruising and major achy pains in just about every joint in my body. Ugh. And my feet are killing me for some strange reason... :confused: Police took report, hit and run someone says is a felony, but no one will ever catch this guy becuase no license plate, nothing except a vague description of the car and what he looked like. At least I wasn't more seriously injured. So I thank God for that!

Okay...done venting!!!

Pax

Wow! Glad you're okay and I hope they catch the guy. You never know.

Oh wow, that really sucks. I'm happy you don't have anything broken though...

this is so maddening!!! :(

so glad you are ok. Hope they catch the guy.

Obviously the *&^ car wil have front end damage to it. Even if you got no plates or partial plates you can put out announcements to watch for a car with damage there via local bike clubs, bike shops, Craigslist, newpapers, etc. Your local police who would love to solve an easy felony case and they can blanket the body shops in your area with that information. When he come in, bingo.

Recently in the Bay Area a driver hit a truck driver who'd stopped by the side of the freeway to attend to his trailer. The driver ran. With not much more than a vaugue description of the vehicle and where the damage would be, I'd heard the news on the radio when I first woke up and I think about the time I had coffee and left for work they'd caught they guy when he called and asked for a tow the tow truck driver had gotten the decription from the police and called it in.

Good luck catching your guy