Bike vs truck

[Melalvai]

17 year old kid, 55 mph speed limit. (The neighbors have already said they're going to city council to get the speed limit lowered.) He drove off the road because he swerved to miss Nell, then lost control. He actually went back across the road and ended up in the ditch on the other side. He ran up to us saying "I'm sorry I'm sorry" and he said she turned in front of him. I wonder if perhaps he saw me signaling and was looking at me thinking "Why is she pointing left?" and maybe didn't see Nell at all. Turns out he is the nephew of someone I work with.

As far as Nell's cycling, she has had Bike Pro and although she has not had the formal Traffic Cycling 101 class, she knows all the material and has extensive cycling experience with me. Therefore I know her common faults and I know how she contributed to this wreck.

1. She didn't scan again before that left turn. Making the turn means you scan, scan, and scan again. She was tired & hungry at that point, and she is not very good about scanning. I think she relies on me to scan for her and alert her. Since I had said "Wait for this white car," I think she thought I meant that after the white car it was clear. In fact, I scanned and saw the truck in the distance and thought we had plenty of time. I would have been able to make the turn ok, but she takes her turns more slowly than I do. Even though he was going faster than I realized, I think I would have been able to make the turn--or I would have scanned that last time and not committed to the turn.

2. She didn't signal her turn. Again, I think she relies on me to do her signaling for her.

It's possible if she'd been biking by herself that she would have done those things instead of relying on me.

What I learned from this is that I think children are safer BEHIND the parent instead of in front of us. We like to keep them in front of us so we can see them. Well, I saw her all right. I saw it all happen right in front of me and nothing I could do about it but scream and scream. Which I did. But it happened so fast the first scream didn't come out until it was all over!

I think the driver is a good kid and as far as 17 yr old boys go, he is not a reckless driver. I think he was within the speed limit, but he should have slowed down to let us finish the turn.

Yeah, this might be a little traumatic for the parents!! Certainly has made for a memorable week.

They're keeping her here another night. The skull fracture is not a concern but there is a hematoma and some swelling.

[kimikaw]

Wishes to Nell for a speedy recovery!

Same to you...seeing your child get in an accident like that has to be terrifying/horrifying. So glad it sounds like the injuries aren't too bad, and that she'll be home soon.

[jessmarimba]

Seeing the age of the driver...he was probably just clueless as far as how to deal with bikes on the road. How to read them, what to look for, what you're doing when you take the lane, and even what a signal looks like from a cyclist. He's also probably not a good judge of speed yet - yours or his own. I'm sure he'll take a big lesson away from this. I just hope his parents or his insurance don't try to turn it against you guys.

I hope you and Nell are doing better!

[crazycanuck]

Holy Sheep!

I wish your daughter a speedy(yet careful) recovery.

[jelee1311]

My heart goes out to you,I read your post and cried. I ride with my 9 yr old daughter and I cannot imagine seeing her hit I'm sorry. You seem very calm and forgiving I'm not sure I could feel the same way so soon afterwards. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your daughter

[Catrin]

OH MY, I am not a parent and can only imagine what this must have been like to have to watch. I hope Nell has a quick recovery and there are no problems with bruising - the fracture sounds bad enough. Sending healing thoughts to both of you!

[Crankin]

I hope Nell is feeling better.
You probably have a good feel for what actually happened. But, an accident is an accident... it sounds like the young, inexperienced driver contributed a good deal to this, no matter what you or your daughter did. Most adults don't know what to do where a bike is concerned.
Oak, I do the same thing when I am turning left! My friend calls it the "mean schoolteacher finger." I signal forever and wag and shake, pointing my finger, to emphasize my intent to turn. Sometimes I am actually shaking my whole arm.