Oh Shit, I've Been Hit!
I've already told this to a lot of people, and it generally takes about 10 minutes to do over the phone, so in case you are invested in my well-being, health and safety as a cyclist in addition to being my friend in the digital world, this one's for y'all.
Today on my bicycle I was involved in a traffic collision with a car. A northbound Honda Civic ran a red light on Grand Avenue as I was traveling east on Hawthorne from the off-ramp leaving the Hawthorne Bridge. The light for Hawthorne turned green when I was halfway down the off-ramp, probably traveling at about 15-17 mph, and so was green for 3 seconds before I entered the intersection. As I entered the intersection, the Civic on Grand continued against the red in the center lane at probably 30 mph. I believe they only realize they were running the red at the point when they entered the intersection, and then applied their brakes when they saw me and realized we were going to hit. I put on my brakes, but hit the driver's side rear door straight on. I was thrown up onto the roof of the car, fell to the top of the trunk and again down to the pavement, landing on my left side.
Two pedestrians/citizens/good samaritans/people ran out into the intersection to help me. After we confirmed that my head, neck and back were okay, I got up and moved the the sidewalk. The driver of the car stopped and was in hysterics, though I didn't talk to her at the scene. There were a half dozen people who had witnessed the crash who came to see if I was okay. The original two stayed with me until after the police arrived and they gave their information as witnesses. A fire engine arrived, followed by an ambulance, and they checked me out determined I had no broken bones or injuries that would necessitate taking me to a hospital by ambulance. A motorcycle officer arrived and took the driver's statement first, who admitted being at fault. I gave him my information and statement about the crash and he provided me with the driver's insurance and contact information. The officer assured me that a police report would be filed, though I forgot to confirm whether or not that meant a citation was issued. My brother drove his truck from home and picked me up.
Physically I'm alright, mostly some bruises on my left side and hip. Probably no joint injuries, though I'm getting checked out at the chiropractor tomorrow to be sure. My bicycle won't be repaired until Tuesday or Wednesday, so I'll be on foot this weekend. The driver's insurance is not contesting anything and have acknowledged the driver's fault, so I'll be reimbursed for the damages.
For having been in a crash with a vehicle running a red light at Grand and Hawthorne, where four lanes of ~30 mph traffic meets three lanes of ~35 mph traffic, I feel pretty darn lucky that I'm not in the hospital right now.
[X-posted on Facebook]
Today on my bicycle I was involved in a traffic collision with a car. A northbound Honda Civic ran a red light on Grand Avenue as I was traveling east on Hawthorne from the off-ramp leaving the Hawthorne Bridge. The light for Hawthorne turned green when I was halfway down the off-ramp, probably traveling at about 15-17 mph, and so was green for 3 seconds before I entered the intersection. As I entered the intersection, the Civic on Grand continued against the red in the center lane at probably 30 mph. I believe they only realize they were running the red at the point when they entered the intersection, and then applied their brakes when they saw me and realized we were going to hit. I put on my brakes, but hit the driver's side rear door straight on. I was thrown up onto the roof of the car, fell to the top of the trunk and again down to the pavement, landing on my left side.
Two pedestrians/citizens/good samaritans/people ran out into the intersection to help me. After we confirmed that my head, neck and back were okay, I got up and moved the the sidewalk. The driver of the car stopped and was in hysterics, though I didn't talk to her at the scene. There were a half dozen people who had witnessed the crash who came to see if I was okay. The original two stayed with me until after the police arrived and they gave their information as witnesses. A fire engine arrived, followed by an ambulance, and they checked me out determined I had no broken bones or injuries that would necessitate taking me to a hospital by ambulance. A motorcycle officer arrived and took the driver's statement first, who admitted being at fault. I gave him my information and statement about the crash and he provided me with the driver's insurance and contact information. The officer assured me that a police report would be filed, though I forgot to confirm whether or not that meant a citation was issued. My brother drove his truck from home and picked me up.
Physically I'm alright, mostly some bruises on my left side and hip. Probably no joint injuries, though I'm getting checked out at the chiropractor tomorrow to be sure. My bicycle won't be repaired until Tuesday or Wednesday, so I'll be on foot this weekend. The driver's insurance is not contesting anything and have acknowledged the driver's fault, so I'll be reimbursed for the damages.
For having been in a crash with a vehicle running a red light at Grand and Hawthorne, where four lanes of ~30 mph traffic meets three lanes of ~35 mph traffic, I feel pretty darn lucky that I'm not in the hospital right now.
[X-posted on Facebook]