Bike vs truck

[jessmarimba]

That must've been awful to watch as a parent, knowing you couldn't do anything to stop it. I'm so glad she will be ok.

I just hope the driver learned something from the experience and feels bad about it, rather than feeling defensive and "in the right."

(And the helmet thing - I used to be pretty lazy about it for slow casual dirt path rides. Now I have a hard time not lecturing every cyclist I see without one, regardless of where or what they're riding!)

[Owlie]

Holy cow. Good vibes your way, to both of you.

[badgercat]

How scary that must have been for both of you. I'm glad she'll be ok.

[indysteel]

OMG; that sounds awful. I hope Nell recovers quickly and completely and that you recover from the shock of seeing your child injured right in front of you. Did you or the cops talk to the driver? Was there some confusion on the driver's part or was she/he just intent on not sharing the road?

This scenario hits home for me because we have to turn left from most of our rides into our driveway and live on a street where motorists seem REALLY intent on ignoring the 20 mph speed limit. Even when I'm not on my bike, I get incredibly angry about it. The local park is on the same street so there are usually a fair number of kids in the area.

[OakLeaf]

I am NOT NOT NOT saying this was in any way, shape or form your fault or Nell's.

But when I'm turning left on a road with traffic, I signal for a LONG time, and I usually point my finger and waggle my wrist up and down (point to the sky while leaving my elbow extended, then point left, repeat several times). Figuring that the movement will make my signal more visible. Plus I'm always wearing either hi-viz yellow, or a couple of my older winter things are bright red.

Just my practice ... and if it helps someone avoid this situation in the future, that's all I mean by sharing it here.

[Cataboo]

Oh Mel, I'm so sorry I hope your daughter recovers quickly.

[hebe]

oh no. I hope that Nell makes a full and fast recovery, and that you are ok too, I think I would be in pieces. Please be gentle on yourself for a little while, won't you? I can't imagine that the shock will fade quickly and you'll need to give yourself a little time.

[Biciclista]

wow, amazing... heh, you sound SO CALM here. I'm so sorry your daughter got so scratched up and i'm glad it's "only" a skull fracture too.

what i want to know is why is the truck in a ditch? what wasthe driver doing that ended up off the road?