Driver Saw Me, Then Hit Me

[bbyparit]

I was in Tulsa, OK for a MTB race last Sunday, March 30, 08.
Basically I was going south, driver was going north.. driver wanted to turn onto a side street which would make him cross my path.. I tapped my brakes and tried to make eye contact, there was a glare on the windshield so I didnt see his face.. but he stopped his car.. no blinker.. so I proceed.. then there he comes at me. I thought .. wow.. what is he doing?? As slow as we were going, I thought.. I'll just plop over onto his hood when we hit... no way... I flew straight up into the air and came down head first into his windshield.

He got a ticket. I got 122 stiches to my head.

I want to know what he was thinking.. but it really doesnt matter because nothing would be acceptable ya know?

http://jrmints.com/blog/?p=1
That link will take you to my memory of the incident... the photos are linked in from there... they are gory gory gory... so don't look if you can't handle blood.

The good news is nothing was broken.. but his windshield and my bike.

Paula

[BikeMomma]

Whoa, that's some owie! I hope it was an expensive ticket for the bxstard that hit you. Glad you're ok!

Take care & heal up,
~BikeMomma

[mimitabby]

I read your blog. What DID the driver say??

[SouthernBelle]

Oh that's so scary. Feel Better!

[redrhodie]

I shouldn't have looked at the pics. You poor thing.

Maybe it was the glare. I have to hope there was some bit of humanity in this person, and it was an accident. No one would do that to you on purpose (right?).

[redrhodie]

Oh, I just read that he saw you, so I'm a little depressed now. What was he thinking?!

When I was 14 years old, I was hit by a car door while riding. The person stopped for a minute, but left before the ambulance came. Fortunately, she had a vanity plate, which I easily remembered. I sued and won enough to pay my medical bills.

[Grog]

Very happy to hear you're alive and have no broken bones (although your skull does look interesting). Your attitude is great!

Annoying to read over and over about drivers underestimating cyclists' speed and overestimating cyclists' ability to stop. Probably he saw you and "thought" you'd stop for some stupid reason. Or just wasn't thinking.

Like you, I don't trust drivers to make the right decisions. My husband sometimes gets embarrassed riding with me because I'm a very assertive rider. I'm my own traffic cop: I motion cars coming from behind me when and when NOT to pass me, and cars coming from the opposite direction when to stop. I also send friendly waves, smile a lot and thank-you signs, and I hope that redeems me for bossing them around. I'm surprised most people "listen". But this is Vancouver, BC, where drivers are relatively accustomed to being around bicycles, and generally very "polite" (meaning: unassertive and hesitant). I think that wouldn't work as well in other cities... And who knows, one day maybe I'll be smashed into by a frustrated driver who decided he would not STOP when I motioned him to. Life is short. I'll start with my dessert tonight at dinner.

[kfergos]

! :-o

[bbyparit]

Today I got my stitches removed. I'm having a lot of dizziness and the headaches are starting to be pretty intense... but overall, I feel pretty good.
The doctor thinks I dislocated my shoulder and popped it back in during the accident. Check out the bruises on my left arm. Yuck. I can't use that arm very much yet.
Today's progress: http://jrmints.com/blog/?p=16


A dad of one of the racers took photos at the scene. (The car, the driver, me all bleeding.. )
You can see them here:
http://jrmints.com/blog/?p=17


I have hired a lawyer. I explained that I don't want to bleed anyone dry, I just want my bills covered and my equipment replaced... The plastic surgeon doesn't want to see me for six months... so we'll need to estimate that in as well... assuming the insurance company wants to settle before then.

That's all for now I think.

Thanks again for all your well wishes!!!

Paula

[NbyNW]

How scary . . . glad you're "okay" and hope you continue to heal. Hope the headaches & dizziness go away soon, and you start to feel like your old self!

[bmccasland]

(((((Paula)))))

Hope you're feeling better. Makes my minor post-ride discomfort look like nothing. Impressive sums it up. And you're poor bike. Hope the driver, or his insurance, coughs up the money so you can get a new one (+ your medical expenses). Maybe he ought to trade in his car for a bike.

[luv'nAustin]

Take care and hope you feel better soon!

[alpinerabbit]

I hope your concussion will subside; please watch out for lingering symptoms.

I do not usually like the american judicial systems (trigger happy ambulance chasers) but in this case:
sue his a$$.

My boyfriend just said he feels there's a total disregard for anything that does not fit normality in this country, and that the attitude is what is not normal is free game. [Notable exceptions apply.]

[mimitabby]

sue his a$$.

what she said

[DDH]

I am glad you are okay. From the looks of the pictures, I feel someone was looking out for you that day.

I don't believe that you have to settle when the insurance company wants to when you weren't at fault. They have to wait for all of your medical issues before they can force you to do anything. Plus you might have things come up later, with back problems or something.


Anyway, I hope you continue to well and recover quickly.


Do you know if he said anything about not seeing you or what his excuse was to continue when you were coming? Did he think he could beat you, or just didn't care? I know it shouldn't matter, but I would want something from him that acknowledged what he did and how bad he screwed up and that he could have killed you!!!

I don't mean to sound harsh towards him. I'm sure he did not mean or want to hit you, but if he shows no remorse then he has learned nothing from his mistake or impatience or whatever it was.