I hit someone today.

[inatree]

one of my worst fears was realized today on my usual 2 1/2 hr ride. i hit a pedestrian. a kid!!!! we are both ok. not sure about the bike. don't have much of an internet connection right now, but i need to get this off my chest.

it was about 15 mins into my ride. i was on a bike path that is used by pedestrians as well. i have a bell, and my policy is to ring twice when i am far back, to give people time to look behind them and react, and then decide which side of the road they want to move to, and then ring about 2 to 4 times more as i approach. i always slow down, but how much i slow down depends on who i am passing and how aware they are of me.
today, as i just went over a small bridge, i saw 2 young men and a boy walking ahead. i did my usual ring ring, and the two older ones moved off the path altogether. (there are little walking trails all along the sides of the paved trail that ppl walk on) the young one, about 11 or 12, quickly jumped to one side, then another. i slowed way down and kept ringing the bell even though he was watching me, and he froze right in the middle of the path. i'm not sure how fast i was going, maybe 5 mph? but as i went to pass him, he for some reason started darting from one side to the other and then froze right in front of me. i barely had enough time to turn the wheel away when i hit him, and because i was already on the edge of the path, me and bike fell into the grass and dirt.

the boy was ok. i asked him over and over and he kept saying that yes he really was ok. i can't believe i did that. you should have seen his sweet little shocked face. i don't know if he is a nervous kid or had a lot on his mind or whatever was going on with him but i don't think he intentionally stepped in front of me, i think it was some sort of nervous reaction. if i had been going faster though, i could have really hurt him. that poor boy.

surprisingly that fall didn't hurt at all. not even a little. but my bike got hurt.

well, i think it could have been worse, though. after that happened, i rode for about a minute more and then stopped because i felt guilty and weird. i've never hit anyone or anything with my bike before. i looked over the bike again and didn't see anything wrong other than the handlebars are bent. on the right side, just the top part where the shifter is. everything still works ok though. at least it didn't hit the cement. after calling some people and confessing my sin, i turned around and went home.

should i have the bike checked over? it just got a tune-up. how much do you think it will cost the get the handlebars fixed....and is it safe to ride with them like that in the meantime? am i going to cyclist hell when i die? i hope you all don't hate me after this.

[alpinerabbit]

The good news: you won't go to hell - the kid was old enough to react appropriately, and he clearly saw you - and did something stupid.
Next time maybe come to a stop but you can't be made to - after all it was a MUP. I always say they wouldn't be that stupid if it was a car, but somehow they think they can with a cyclist.

The bad: at the very worst you're infor a new handlebar. Get the bike checked if you don't feel safe.

[Eden]

Are your handlebars actually bent - or did the shifter just twist a bit on the bars? The shifter isn't actually a part of the bar, so it can rotate, in fact if the person who installed them was savvy they didn't crank down too hard on them as it is better for the shifter to twist in a fall - then it doesn't break the shifter or the handlebars and you can just rotate it back into place.

As far as the kid goes - don't beat yourself up too much. You gave him ample warning and he sounds quite old enough to have been in control of himself.

[malkin]

I'm sorry this happened to you. Your strategy for alerting and passing pedestrians sounds good, and the event will probably help the kid develop a better strategy for getting out of the way.

[roadie gal]

Kids scare me on the MUPs more than dogs. They're completely unpredictable. Don't beat yourself up. As AlpineRabit said, he was old enough to make the right choice but didn't. And what about the adults with him? It's also their responsibility to watch out. I think you did all you could. Thankfully neither of you were hurt.

[witeowl]

Maybe it's because I teach in middle school (me? jaded? nah, they're all darlings), but it seems to me that he was intentionally messing with you and found out he took it too far. He misjudged his prankster ability. Yes, a fifth/sixth grader (11/12 years old) is perfectly capable of that sort of "doofusness". Don't beat yourself up, and I'm glad everyone's OK.