Hit by a car....

I was hit from behind on my way home from Fremont yesterday afternoon. It was probably my fault - I had been in the left lane to turn left, but there was a LOT of oncoming traffic and I panicked and tried to move back into the right hand lane. There was a car behind me that I didn't see. We were both moving towards a red light so nobody was going terribly fast, but it was still enough to knock me right out of my left shoe.

Several bystanders called for help, and the fire and police department were there very quickly. I was on my feet by the time they got there. I was hurt enough that I was taken to the hospital to be checked out anyways. Because it was bike vs. car they put me into a collar and backboard and took me to the ER. I was checked over and my left knee was X-rayed; nothing broken, x-rays looked normal. I'm just a little banged up. I broke or badly sprained a knuckle on my off hand, and have some impressive bruises, and the spot where they gave me a tetanus shot booster is sore, and that left knee is pretty stiff.

My bike wasn't as lucky. I'm not sure how bad the damage is, since the rear wheel was taco-ed pretty badly. The fire department still has the bike, and my mom is picking it up for me this afternoon. It didn't LOOK bad beyond that, but I wasn't really in a position to examine it too closely at the time.

Unfortunately, this has been the last in a series of kind of rough occurrences for me; I'm unemployed right now and drained my savings account a couple months ago to pay for treatment for a sick pet. It's going to be a long time before I can afford to repair or replace my bike. But I will, eventually. This hasn't put me off riding, though having my crunched bike sitting around my apartment probably will not be great for my already low emotional state.

For the record, I was wearing a helmet and gloves and am VERY glad that I was - otherwise I would have been hurt much worse!

That is awful - very glad to hear you are not seriously injured.

Very sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you feel better soon.

Wish I lived closer and could lend you a bike for a while.

I'm sorry about your accident, but super glad that you're OK!
Take good care of yourself (emotionally and physically) while you're trying to recover!!!!

Hugs! :)

glad to hear your ok and that people were concerned and called the fire dept for you.

sorry about your bike. things will work themselves out. keep your chin up.

I am really sorry to hear about your accident. I am sure that you will be better in no time. As for the bike, I certainly wish you good luck and don't worry about the time for the repair. It will happen.

All the best to you!

I know how crazy traffic is in that area! I'm glad you werent hurt worse.

I hope you get to feeling better soon... and maybe someone will loan you a bike.

take care of that knuckle and that knee too!

Glad you are okay.

And sorry about your bike. Hang in there. Things have a way of turning around when we least expect it.

I'm really sorry to hear about this. Though I am glad to hear you are more or less ok physically.

I was hit by a truck about 3 1/2 weeks ago, and like you, wasn't hurt too too bad - a sprain, cracked rib, roadrash, etc - trip to the hospital on the ambulance, and so forth.

It was pretty darn harrowing though, emotionally and mentally. Replaying the events internally, what could have been, what I would have done differently, etc.

All in all I got back into riding fairly quickly and I suspect you will too. Nonetheless, I'm far, far more cautious and perhaps a little unnerved by cars - especially when they pass close by. Maybe you'll experience something similar.

I hope you get better soon and are happily riding before too long :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HipGnosis6

I was hit from behind on my way home from Fremont yesterday afternoon. It was probably my fault - I had been in the left lane to turn left, but there was a LOT of oncoming traffic and I panicked and tried to move back into the right hand lane. There was a car behind me that I didn't see. We were both moving towards a red light so nobody was going terribly fast, but it was still enough to knock me right out of my left shoe.

Several bystanders called for help, and the fire and police department were there very quickly. I was on my feet by the time they got there. I was hurt enough that I was taken to the hospital to be checked out anyways. Because it was bike vs. car they put me into a collar and backboard and took me to the ER. I was checked over and my left knee was X-rayed; nothing broken, x-rays looked normal. I'm just a little banged up. I broke or badly sprained a knuckle on my off hand, and have some impressive bruises, and the spot where they gave me a tetanus shot booster is sore, and that left knee is pretty stiff.

My bike wasn't as lucky. I'm not sure how bad the damage is, since the rear wheel was taco-ed pretty badly. The fire department still has the bike, and my mom is picking it up for me this afternoon. It didn't LOOK bad beyond that, but I wasn't really in a position to examine it too closely at the time.

Unfortunately, this has been the last in a series of kind of rough occurrences for me; I'm unemployed right now and drained my savings account a couple months ago to pay for treatment for a sick pet. It's going to be a long time before I can afford to repair or replace my bike. But I will, eventually. This hasn't put me off riding, though having my crunched bike sitting around my apartment probably will not be great for my already low emotional state.

For the record, I was wearing a helmet and gloves and am VERY glad that I was - otherwise I would have been hurt much worse!

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OH NO!!! So sorry to hear!! Heal quickly...chin up!
Try not to be too down, come "talk" to us anytime to need to!!

Karen:)

I am so sorry to hear about your accident. I was hit by a truck in May. It was the driver's fault, but I did find out that my renter's insurance would have totally covered the replacement of my bike if it wasn't. If you have home owner's or renter's insurance, you may very well have your covered, too.

Be very careful about your injuries. My x-rays came back totally normal, but I had a lot of trouble with my knee. I finally saw a specialist and had an MRI 8 weeks after the accident. The MRI showed a fracture that was not visible in the x-rays as well as some cartilage damage. If you continue to have pain or swelling after a week or two, I would highly advise that you go see a specialist as well.

Take really good care of yourself and don't try to push it too hard.

Susie

Sorry to hear about your accident and all that is going on in your life. Hope things start to look up!

What a scary ordeal! I'm glad you are ok. I hope you don't have any long-term problems.

So glad you are mostly OK and hope your bike recovers too!

Wow, what an awful thing! I can picture the traffic you were in, it's bad down there. Glad you are relatively ok. Keep an eye on that knee and your hand. The car essentially rear-ended you, their insurance should cover everything if the accident is determined to be their fault.

Both Gregg's and Recycled Cycles are hiring right now. Wanna work in a bike shop?

If you need help replacing/repairing your bike try talking to Andrew at Recycled Cycles. (on Boat street next to the UW police)

I'm very sorry to hear about your accident :( !

It is good news that your initial evaluation at the hospital was good and that your x-rays are "normal". Please take care of yourself & be aware of any new symptoms such as pain, swelling, etc.... Your body has been through a shock -- it will take awhile to totally heal, physically & mentally.

Quote:

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Originally posted by HipGnosis6: Unfortunately, this has been the last in a series of kind of rough occurrences for me; I'm unemployed right now and drained my savings account a couple months ago to pay for treatment for a sick pet. It's going to be a long time before I can afford to repair or replace my bike. But I will, eventually. This hasn't put me off riding, though having my crunched bike sitting around my apartment probably will not be great for my already low emotional state.

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I'm sorry to hear about your situation -- I certainly understand about the expense in taking care of a sick furbaby! But, the unconditional love that they give is priceless :) .

Please feel free to PM me if you need a friend to talk with. We're here for you!

Peace, Love, Good Health & Happiness,

Denise

Ouch!
Sorry to hear about your accident.
I'm glad it wasn't worse.
Heal well, and I hope you're back on your feet...and your wheels...soon!

How dreadful. It must have been very terrifying. I certainly hope you heal quuickly.

heal well, I know it's Frustrarting, espiclyy when it (really) wasn't your fault. Hope you had insurance. I know the COBRA plans are ridiculously expensive

hope you recover quickly... just remember there will be a day where the bike (after fixing) calls out to you, and you just feel ready to go... no need to rush things until then tho!

I am so sorry to hear about your accident. I am glad you are okay physically. Please take care of yourself and don't push to hard.
I'm really sorry about your bike, and all the other stuff that is going on right now with you.
You are in my thoughts. Get well!

Sorry to hear about your accident. How scary. Glad you're ok. If it's just the wheel, a bike shop should be able to get you another fairly cheaply...

Nanci

You're experience is making us all think twice about safety when we ride! We have to constantly remember that we, on bikes, are sitting ducks to those steel monsters!

Others have suggested that you look into the driver's insurance covering your bike, and I think that is absolutely something you need to do! Years ago, I was rearended in my car on three occasions, and each time there was no question who the police considered responsible for the accident -- the guy in back. He is supposed to be aware of everything in front of him, and driving defensively so as to avoid collisions. If you're driving down the road and you see kids playing on the sidewalk, you're supposed to slow down and watch those kids, because if one of them runs in front of your car and you hit him, it's not his fault, it's the driver's.

In the meantime, maybe your crushed bike is God's way of making sure you let your body heal, because if you're like most of us, you would probably be trying to ride before your body was healed! Much luck to you, and speedy recovery!

hey there HipG
That really sucks
I join the chorus here in saying how pleased I am that you are ok

Stay safe
R