My own stupidity

[madscot13]

Thank you guys, I thought that calling her back would be another stupid move because I didn't take the right steps initially and that each decision I made left her less and less to work with. I did call her but it was too late and she didn't answer. I will call again before work and during my break tomorrow.

I usually keep things together. My bestfriend has never seen me cry. I just don't cry in front of people but the bike store got a lot today. They were really sympathetic and although I have never purchased anything before they have seen me in the store every now and then. If I ever get it together they will be seeing a lot of me.

Processing this has been really hard. The shock has worn off and I am feeling that knee that got whacked with the Cro- Moly pipe. But worse I don't want to bike. You know how you eagerly await the call from the bike shop saying your bike is done. I am not. That means I have to ride it home. I don't know how to do that. I figured this out when I was I was thinking of how I get to work in the morning and that is usually bike. Mine is in the shop but I do have a spare I cleaned up for a friend but she has not recieved yet. But then I realized I don't want to bike. I would rather walk 4 times slower and get up at 5:30 instead of 6:00 than bike.

[Mr. Bloom]

Hang in there mads. Don't let this single bad experience taint your perspective on things. The anger and apprehension you feel are normal...let them process...let them pass.

I'm very glad your injuries weren't worse.

[lph]

madscot, I know how you feel. Meeting bad people in traffic is such a confidence killer, and not wanting to ride really sucks...

If you can, try to make the next rides easy on yourself. Get up earlier (or go in later) to miss traffic, try to have plenty of time, try biking in with all the time in the world just to keep your pedals turning. Stop and have a coffee on the way. Have somebody ride with you.

Hope your knee and psyche heal well!

[Torrilin]

Mads, it's ok to walk, or even take the bus. You're hurting, both mentally and physically. It's reasonable to not want to ride with a busted knee. So give yourself a bit of time for your knee to heal. The backup bike will be there after work.

You're beating yourself up a *lot* over this. You weren't stupid. You trusted that the guy would do what he said he would do. That is a reasonable thing to trust in. The accident wasn't your fault either. You need to be gentler with yourself! You were doing the right kinds of things the whole way through the incident. Now you know for next time to just press charges, but really that's the only thing to change. Pressing charges will help you some, but more importantly, the driver will have the accident on their record. If they ever hit another cyclist or pedestrian, the criminal justice system will have more leverage.

It's also ok to cry. It's part of being human. You may want or need to cry a lot in the next few weeks. You're allowed. It's a way of dealing with stress.

[SouthernBelle]

1. Charge the guy.

2. Did you get his insurance information?

3. Contact your own lawyer.

4. Go to the doctor.

[rij73]

You are being WAY too hard on yourself! Even the thread title is unnecessarily self-deprecating. Just take it easy, and you'll be back into riding in no time. The guy was a total ***. You didn't do anything wrong at all. You were shaken up as you should have been, and were disgusted with him as you should have been, and that's that. Now that he's been such a jerk, he deserves charges brought against him. You should absolutely pursue it. I'm sure it's not too late. Teach him a lesson!

And, again, don't be mean to yourself. You rock!

[missymaya]

As what everyone else has said, it's good that you're ok but you need to make sure your knee is ok and call the officer. The guy was being a jerk and HE was in the wrong, NOT you. That being said, don't be hard on yourself, you were being a good person and taking his word for it, not knowing he wasn't gonna keep his end of the deal. You're not stupid, he is. And, it's ok to be apprehensive about riding after the accident, that's normal. Just don't let it run your life. If you love to ride, start back easy, on MUTs and in the early am or late pm. Hope everything works out.

[northstar]

Madscot...

So this guy ran a stop sign and hit you? Did he get a ticket? If not, something's wrong here! Was there a police report?

Also, this might be something his car insurance would cover (property damage). Then again, if it's only a $60 tire, he might just have to pay out of pocket...

Stop beating yourself up! Get on the phone and make this jerk pay!