My First Cycling Accident
Had first accident on my bike on the drive home tonight. Minor... and no, not related to my prior post ;). A driver turned right and bashed into me as I passed them. No time to avoid them. Bashed up my left knee a bit, but at the time it felt fine. I felt fine. Adrenaline, I guess.
There were two bikers behind me and they yelled at the driver, telling her she was an idiot and should watch where she was going... which just was not at all helpful. Then they rode off. So much for witnesses! I was glad they left though.
Not that it mattered. I looked in the window and saw that she was horrified and scared. She had two passengers. Front and back windows opened and all three of them were apologizing at once.
Thing is, I think it's the city's fault. This is a section where we cyclists are redirected onto a sidewalk for a stretch and then merge off the sidewalk and back onto the road at a corner. That's the problem, the merge coming off a sidewalk at a corner... and no sign to warn cars. Sure, she should have looked before she turned, but it was peak-time and cars were stopped and bumper to bumper. Easy mistake to make.
So I told them I was fine. I felt fine at the time. Nothing hurt yet and it was just a bump, not a whack. I think I'd have hurt myself more if I had a regular wipeout. I told them that it was more the city's fault than anything else. They thanked me for my calmness and understanding. The youngest of the three women had climbed out of the back seat. She shook her head in bemusement and shook my hand.
Then they drove off, but stopped up the street a ways, maybe to make sure I was okay, maybe to calm down. My bike seemed fine, but the chain had popped off. I slipped it back on and pedaled off.
I stopped up the way a bit and waited at the pedestrian crossing for the light. My hand had started to hurt. I think it got pinched between the handle and the car. I was shaking it to ease the pain when they drove past me. They had apparently turned around and re-merged with traffic. I caught a glimpse of the passenger in the front seat. She was wincing at my pain.
My hand feels mostly fine and it took over an hour before my knee started to hurt. Not terribly painful, just feels like I got punched in the knee. Luckily I still have some good muscle relaxants and pain pills left from when I fell off the ladder! I hope it's okay by morning as I have a hike planned for tomorrow. I'll play it by ear. It is a reminder that even if you feel fine you should still get the other person's details if you're in an accident. Ah well. I'm sure I'll be fine. Bike seems okay too.
Even so, I feel really good about the way I handled myself. Calm, collected and nice... hell, reassuring even. Under the circumstances, pretty good, I think.
There were two bikers behind me and they yelled at the driver, telling her she was an idiot and should watch where she was going... which just was not at all helpful. Then they rode off. So much for witnesses! I was glad they left though.
Not that it mattered. I looked in the window and saw that she was horrified and scared. She had two passengers. Front and back windows opened and all three of them were apologizing at once.
Thing is, I think it's the city's fault. This is a section where we cyclists are redirected onto a sidewalk for a stretch and then merge off the sidewalk and back onto the road at a corner. That's the problem, the merge coming off a sidewalk at a corner... and no sign to warn cars. Sure, she should have looked before she turned, but it was peak-time and cars were stopped and bumper to bumper. Easy mistake to make.
So I told them I was fine. I felt fine at the time. Nothing hurt yet and it was just a bump, not a whack. I think I'd have hurt myself more if I had a regular wipeout. I told them that it was more the city's fault than anything else. They thanked me for my calmness and understanding. The youngest of the three women had climbed out of the back seat. She shook her head in bemusement and shook my hand.
Then they drove off, but stopped up the street a ways, maybe to make sure I was okay, maybe to calm down. My bike seemed fine, but the chain had popped off. I slipped it back on and pedaled off.
I stopped up the way a bit and waited at the pedestrian crossing for the light. My hand had started to hurt. I think it got pinched between the handle and the car. I was shaking it to ease the pain when they drove past me. They had apparently turned around and re-merged with traffic. I caught a glimpse of the passenger in the front seat. She was wincing at my pain.
My hand feels mostly fine and it took over an hour before my knee started to hurt. Not terribly painful, just feels like I got punched in the knee. Luckily I still have some good muscle relaxants and pain pills left from when I fell off the ladder! I hope it's okay by morning as I have a hike planned for tomorrow. I'll play it by ear. It is a reminder that even if you feel fine you should still get the other person's details if you're in an accident. Ah well. I'm sure I'll be fine. Bike seems okay too.
Even so, I feel really good about the way I handled myself. Calm, collected and nice... hell, reassuring even. Under the circumstances, pretty good, I think.