"Question is, what could I have done to avoid this?"

probably nothing. My motto is if any car/ped can do something moronic they will. ;-) Just glad that you're ok.

"should I have wasted 15 minutes arguing with the numbskull about using the crosswalk properly, looking both ways before crossing a busy street?"

Probably not. Was it Oscar Wilde who said "I refuse to have a battle of wits with the unarmed"?

"....or even stopping to make sure his leg was OK?"

glad you did that!!

"What's the point?"

S*** happens with jay walkers all the time. At minimum they see bike and think "toy" and do not comprehend we are car speed so they plow into us.

Or these are not athletes, no spatial sense/coordination or....it's what happens when cousins marry. ;-) Sorry bout the catty remark.

=^..^=

Like Thursday ride home I turn a corner fast and a gal is jaywalking (not 10 feet from the crosswalk of course) I motion for her to stop and she keeps right on a goin', she's got a "lights on nobody home" look I took a chance and sped up but wondered cause she looks clueless. I felt bad about it but yelled as I passed "I am going 20 mph, like a car, don't jaywalk" but don't know if she heard or understood me.

Gonna muse and be philosophical here. This community is full of wise, wacky, wonderful, witty, SMART women. One of the things about being above average inteligence whether slightly like me or waaaaay above and I'd venture to say all here are "smarter than the average bear" is that most people we will encounter in life are, well, at minimum equal to or less smart than you. It's simple math.

We all do dumb things right? I drove my bike into the car port! Why did I even date my ex in the first place? Red wine with fish? Sheesh.

So we just have to watch out for the other folks. Glad you are ok.