Can I rant for a minute?

Yesterday evening I picked up a new bicycle (Bianchi L'Una) from the shop. It took a loooooong time to find the frame in my size because Bianchi USA ran out of them a while ago - and of course it took a few more weeks to order all the right components and build it.
Well, as I said, yesteday evening I finally got to bring it home. Well, this afternoon a woman on a truck decided to run a stop sign right when I was in the middle of the intersection, and just hit me cold turkey. Apparently she did not see me (seriously, that is what she said to me and to the police officers that came by).
So now I'm here with a leg turned blue and purple all over, some road rash, but luckily nothing broken.
Thanks God the frameset is not damaged - but we have to replace a bunch of parts, including a wheel, part of the crankset, the saddle, cages, pedals... not even ONE FULL DAY out of the shop!!!
I am so mad I cannot even believe it!
Well, sorry ladies but I guess I just needed to vent out 'cos I am really ticked off!

that sounds like an insurance claim and she is at fault. sorry. but you know the best things are worth the wait.

Please tell me she was ticketed! Talk about utterly ridiculous, whether she saw someone or no one in the intersection - SHE RAN THE STOP SIGN.... had she just stopped at it no one would have been harmed.

I had some yo-yo try to do the same to me in an intersection today (I was going straight he was turning left - I had arrived at the stop before him and was proceeding through when he decided to turn nearly into me). I yelled and had to swerve and told him to watch it... he said he was watching... I missed my opportunity to ask him if that was an admission to attempting to assault me with his car...

Wow! Sorry about that, but really glad you're okay.

Ditto on the "glad you're okay". Your description of the accident makes it seem like a miracle that you escaped with bruises. Whew! Too many stories on TE that didn't end so well. Go ahead and rant away.

Wow that's really crappy!! I can understand your frustration. I'm gald you're OK tho.:o

That deserves way more than a minute of ranting. Seriously. I hope your leg & you are feeling better soon.

Make sure you get some insurance money for pain & suffering. Be nice to the claims adjuster & they'll work with you. You and your bike deserve to be made whole. Did she seem to think it's okay to run a stop sign if a quick glance indicates the intersection is clear? She does realize she's supposed to always stop, doesn't she. What an idiot.

The frame is carbon, right? Please get it inspected very well & have your shop see if they can get a new one--from Italy if need by. And I'd frankly just want everything new if it can be done.

I'm so sorry this happened and I know you must feel horrible. And just plain disgusted.

Sounds like you might be sore for a while but glad you're otherwise okay.

I think truck-driving lady needs to get her vision checked AND buy you a new bike.

YIKES! I'm glad you're raging and ranting rather than quaking from shock. And I'm even more glad you weren't more badly hurt!! Now that you're done checking for broken bones and concussions and such, and also have an overview over the bike damage (and yes, with a carbon frame I would be wary after a collision even if it looks ok) ... I say go get her in the wallet where it hurts! Get your LBS to write up a letter stating the obvious damage and the possibility of hidden damage, recommending new parts for now and a new frame as soon as it can be shipped over. Also take photos of the bruises at their most colorful. Add on ... what? Lost work time? ER visit? PT follow-ups? And don't forget to mention pain, shock, lost sleep. Submit all this to her insurer, and if they dither about paying then sic a lawyer on 'em. And don't forget to follow up with the cops too. Ask if she's been cited. Ask if they need you to witness. If this lady can't see the stop sign and can't see a cyclist right in front of her on a shiny new Bianchi, then what the H€ll is she doing at the wheel of a truck???

Yeah you can rant. At least you're ok but I understand the frustration...that and it's scary.

If there's any good side to this (and there really isn't), at least she was honest. I bet that is the last time she makes that mistake.

Please continue to make sure that you had no further damage and I second the fact your bike should be inspected. I hope she at least got a ticket but her insurance should be paying for your medical costs and bike replacement/repairs.

Oh man that s*cks. Really glad you're pretty much okay though - take it easy and heal up quick.

Don't take the adjuster's first offer.

Be "glad" the stop sign was there. "I didn't see her" is usually de facto exculpatory when a car runs down a bicyclist, pedestrian or motorcyclist in the open road.

And definitely get that frame checked over VERY carefully. Not only for your own safety, but because if you wait and it turns out it was damaged, it'll be much harder to get her insurance to cover it.

:eek: I'm sorry you were dealt a bad deck of cards today :(

Take care of yourself & you'll be back on your bike soon enough!

mmm..a Bianchi..mmmm

TxDoc - hope you get to feeling better soon. Geeeze. That big red sign means "stop" even 4 year old know that! Hope dumb broad got ticketed, and her insurance will be paying your bills.

A very nasty thing to do to you and your new bike on your first ride. What a way to ruin the glow of "new bike!"

Thanks ladies, sometimes a good rant makes you feel better...

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Originally Posted by Eden

Please tell me she was ticketed!

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Of course not - if you or I had ran a stop sign we would have, but the lucky woman works for the police department... so as soon as she admitted fault and agreed to covering all bills the officers were more than satisfied and suggested resolving everything with insurance. Not that I care about people getting tickets, really - but I do care about someone learning the lesson. And I think she has: she got so scared that I'm quite sure next time she will look back and forth a few times before driving off a stop sign.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ilima

The frame is carbon, right? Please get it inspected very well & have your shop see if they can get a new one--from Italy if need by. And I'd frankly just want everything new if it can be done.

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Yep, everything carbon, frame, fork, post, bars, stem, cages... I had two bike mechanics (the ones that work on my bikes all the time) inspected frame, fork, and all the parts for hours. They inspectd and tested the frame and then the frameset alone, and then they placed some different components on it to make sure that everything was in perfect working order.
Their conclusion is that the frame did not report any damage mainly because it was (I'm serious) "protected" by my legs. So basically my legs and one wheel took most of the hit from the truck and the ground - instead of the frame. How nice...
So, the evidence does not support a new frame - but definitely a bunch of new parts. They are putting them on order today, and honestly suggested to replace everything that was even just scratched with a new part. Not my intention to rip people off or anything, but a deep scratch in a small carbon part can mean a broken part very soon - and I am not going to take chances.
Oh well, it could have ended up worse!

((((TxDoc))))

((((Bianchi L'Una))))

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Originally Posted by crazycanuck

mmm..a Bianchi..mmmm

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yes, and a VERY HOT one!!!
That makes me even more mad!
This is what it looked like when I took it home the other night. I always take photos of new equipment as soon as I hit the house, for insurance purposes - and I guess this time it may turn out to be a good habit!

(((TxDoc)))

I am glad you are ok.... you are not replaceable!

GORGEOUS bike!!

TxDoc, I'd be swearing if I were you. You deserve to do more than rant. I hope that her insurance covers everything and her rates go up.

Unbelievable!!! I'm so glad you weren't hurt more seriously. You have every right to be fuming mad. She certainly deserves worse than she got. What an idiot...

I'm glad she's paying for your stuff. I hope you get your bike back soon and heal quickly as well!

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Originally Posted by Ann G

TxDoc, I'd be swearing if I were you. You deserve to do more than rant. I hope that her insurance covers everything and her rates go up.

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+1

Grrrr... :mad:

That is so wrong, I cannot believe she didn't get ticketed for running a stop sign, AND after she hit you no less. Unreal. Guess it is who you know.

Glad you and your bike are okay. Well mostly ok anyway!

Glad you are okay; but I hope they filed a police report even if they did not ticket her cause you will have a hard time collecting later from insurance if they did not. And, if she refused to pay later, it just makes it that much more difficult.

spoke

Ya need to send these guys after her:
http://foolstown.com/sm/kar.gifhttp://foolstown.com/sm/susel.gifhttp://foolstown.com/sm/gun.gifhttp://foolstown.com/sm/box2.gif

Thank goodness you're (mostly) okay, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TxDoc

Not my intention to rip people off or anything, but a deep scratch in a small carbon part can mean a broken part very soon - and I am not going to take chances.
Oh well, it could have ended up worse!

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I would happily nail her for every little scratch! You're not ripping her off, the bike was less than 24hrs old. It's not like you have an older bike with previous scratches or damage. I would be furious!

Hope you heal fully and quickly and are back to riding your beautiful Bianchi soon.

Lora

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Originally Posted by Smilie

That is so wrong, I cannot believe she didn't get ticketed for running a stop sign, AND after she hit you no less. Unreal. Guess it is who you know.

Glad you and your bike are okay. Well mostly ok anyway!

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+1
simply ridiculous :mad:


I'm glad that you weren't injured more severely, and that the bike is OK. Dadgum nutjobs.

it sounds like you live in a rather inbred little town, but is there a possibility that you could get a lawyer?

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

it sounds like you live in a rather inbred little town, but is there a possibility that you could get a lawyer?

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Yep, that sounds like an accurate description of this place - and imagine my disgust, since I'm coming from wonderful L.A. aka paradise on earth!!!
:mad:
Anyway, apparently there is no need to lawyer up: the woman called my bike mechanic today to give him her information and confirm that she will pick up all repair expenses - so that I do not even need to see an invoice. Hopefully this unpleasant incident will be resolved soon.
We will see... :(

TxDoc
That is one sweet bike that you took one for. I'm sure your bike now will always be there for you. I am glad you're ok.

Sounds like this woman is remorseful..I'm not sure if she was apologetic or not at the time of the incident..I can only hope she was. I think that people like that should be made to be part of community bike awareness campaigns. Perhaps she should be riding a bike, take away her vehicle...

I'd wait until she sees the bill...... someone I knew was hit and had his carbon Look frame trashed. The driver was apologetic and also offered to have the bike replaced. He went to the shop with my friend, but when he found out how much it was going to cost he skipped..... the guy figured it was going to be $200-$300 instead of $2000-$3000......

It's a shame she got off because of who she knows.... hopefully she is truly changed as a driver by this experience and will always be more careful in the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jocelynlf

Sounds like you might be sore for a while but glad you're otherwise okay.

I think truck-driving lady needs to get her vision checked AND buy you a new bike.

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I'm with you...at LEAST pay for the replacement parts....

Do we have Bicycle insurance???????

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Originally Posted by elk

I'm with you...at LEAST pay for the replacement parts....
Do we have Bicycle insurance???????

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Yep, I do - I just added the bikes to the coverage with my car and home. Considering the replacement value - it's worth it. Especially on carbon frames - and since two of my bikes are carbon, I gladly pay a few more pennies a day for insurance!

I guess I just have to wait and see. The shop is planning to order the remaining parts on Thursday, so if everything goes well in 2-3 weeks my Bianchi should be back on the road :)