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What are the closest calls you've had that could've been deadly?

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What are the closest calls you've had that could've been deadly?

Old 12-13-19, 02:37 PM
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rumrunn6
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when I was 10, I crossed stopped traffic, using a cross walk, on my bike & as I approached the curb a car came up that last lane, which was empty. he didn't see me crossing the other lanes cuz the cars were blocking his view. as I approached the curb I slowed to pop a wheelie over & onto it. but before my wheel met the curb I saw the car & hopped off the bike. the car crushed the bike a little. would I have died? don't know, no one wore helmets back in the late 60s, so maybe? anyway, I was fine & the driver was relieved. he gave me $60 cash & I carried my bike to our LBS where they straightened the frame. loved that bike. never told my parents
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Old 12-14-19, 06:02 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
My best friend's dad told us when we were 12 that if we ever saw the side of a right turning truck in front of up, we would very soon be dead. 45 years later, I saw that truck side. I knew instantly "this is it". The only reason I am writing this now is that the truck straightened out and I rode past it on the right edge of the road.

That truck driver never saw me. The woman in the passenger seat did and yelled. (I was on "remote" and never heard her even though my ear was maybe 7 feet from her mouth.) That day she was my angel.

That fall, two Portland cyclists got that same view, Both died, a college coed and an experienced bike mechanic.

Ben
I don't know if this is exactly what you're referring to, but I have been on the inside of a right turning truck when it turned the corner I was trapped partially under/between the middle of it's rear axles, as it turned that middle section basically engulfed me; fortunately road conditions were good and the vintage bianchi I was riding handled a pretty severe leaning while increasing speed; frame was a little small for me; don't think could've leaned that far with a larger frame. I was literally like 1/4 under the semi's trailer around that turn.
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Old 12-14-19, 06:31 AM
  #28  
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What are the closest calls you've had that could've been deadly?
Originally Posted by alpharalpha
Cycling can be far more dangerous than a lot of people may think; there are so many random things that can happen to us that are outside the sphere of motorists and pedestrians.
Originally Posted by San Rensho
Fell twice in traffic with cars pretty close in back of me. Both times, the cars swerved and saved my butt.
This post reminded me of probably my closest call, though I have been seriously hit.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
"Any close calls recently?"

This past Tuesday I was riding on a dark two lane, but lightly traveled suburban road, as the car commuters were starting to come out. In my winter dress swaddling my head and neck, my head mobility and peripheral vision is restricted though I use a rearview eyeglass mounted mirror.

I came to afour-way intersection for a left turn, and though the coast was clear,instead of taking the far left of my lane and turning, I decided to cross the lane since it was clear, stop at a median, look for oncoming cars, and then proceed (perpendicular to the road) through my turn.

Well I didn’t notice the edge of the brick curb (not a light-colored concrete one), even with my headlight, because there was little contrast between the curb edge and the blacktop road surface, and down I went into the middle of the oncoming lane.

I couldn’t get up quicklybecause my left foot was still engaged on the clipless pedal and as I was lying on my side on the ground, I couldn’t get enough leverage to disengage.Of course by now a car was coming up in my direction. Fortunately the driver stopped, got out and relieved me of my bike. I quickly went to the side of the road and re-claimed myself, and rode on to work.

Eventually the left knee grew more sore and I stayed overnight at work to rest it. Today (Thursday) it’s notably better. In decades of cycling, I have had a couple of accidents,hitting obscure obstacles when I abandon my standard riding practices in an attempt to be more safe.
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
Duuuuude!
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Hey rumrunn6,

Thanks for that reply. The situation was not as scary as might be imaqined, and after falling events preceded at a reasonable pace. The road was low volume and low speed.

I was concerned about my left knee though it is improving. 2019 is a re-building year for me after a disastrous 2018, so I don't want it jeopardized.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 12-14-19 at 06:59 AM.
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Old 12-16-19, 06:45 AM
  #29  
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My closest call was, like many have said, my own fault. When I was much younger I had a bike stolen so in a pinch made a trade for a road bike which for whatever reason only had a front brake; FL being fairly flat it didn't seem a problem; until one day coming down a bridge, could see up ahead a large section of the walkway removed (at least 10ft) exposing big blue metal piping and valves about 6-8ft down, couldn't slow down because when trying to use the front brake could tell the bike would flip; and that walkway was a good 3-4ft drop to the road with only the maybe 1ft between the dropoff and traffic. I had practiced bunny hopping my road bikes so opted to hop off the walkway onto the small space instead of running full speed into a mess of pipes; landed ok, car next to where I landed looked surprised.
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Old 12-19-19, 10:10 AM
  #30  
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Closest deadly encounters I have had (so far) were from cars in the opposite lane passing slower traffic. Speed limit of 55 on those roads. I was prepared to head into the ditch, and would have had time if needed, but it's still unnerving. I have had drivers blast by at my elbow this past year when there was no oncoming traffic for them to avoid. Jerks.
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Old 12-20-19, 05:42 PM
  #31  
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Most of my closest calls were when a truck or bus made a close pass by me. Sometimes it's mirror of a wide truck/van almost hitting me.
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Old 12-22-19, 11:37 AM
  #32  
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2 close calls over the past couple of months. One was definitely the driver's fault. He was driving with fogged up windows and trying to enter the flow of traffic without seeing me. That one was close enough to where I was deciding if I should bounce over his hood or risk swerving into traffic. He saw me at the very last minute. The second time was when a tanker truck was making a right turn into a gas station. We both left the light at the same time but he appeared to think I was required to wait for him while he turned, I didn't and his front tire missed me by about 1 foot. This was actually my fault, I'm smart enough to know not to get into this kind of situation and I wasn't judging it properly. My wife does not know about these.
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Old 12-22-19, 12:27 PM
  #33  
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What are the closest calls you've had that could've been deadly?
Originally Posted by TakingMyTime
2 close calls over the past couple of months. One was definitely the driver's fault. He was driving with fogged up windows and trying to enter the flow of traffic without seeing me.

That one was close enough to where I was deciding if I should bounce over his hood or risk swerving into traffic. He saw me at the very last minute.

The second time was when a tanker truck was making a right turn into a gas station. We both left the light at the same time but he appeared to think I was required to wait for him while he turned, I didn't and his front tire missed me by about 1 foot.

This was actually my fault, I'm smart enough to know not to get into this kind of situation and I wasn't judging it properly.


My wife does not know about these.
These incidents remind me of two recent threads to which I subscribed:
Originally Posted by Hiro11
"Giving up riding on the road"

After about 30 years of riding on the road, I'm seriously considering giving it up. Several things have given me pause:

  • Getting hit by a car two years ago
  • Increasingly dealing with narrow misses due to oblivious / distracted driving on most rides
  • Jerks deliberately driving dangerously on most every ride
  • The availability of good alternatives: extensive limestone paths around my house, single track, gravel roads etc. I enjoy running, I enjoy swimming.
  • General responsibilities of being a father/husband/main earner.
I live in an area not very conducive to riding anyway: terrible weather, lots of traffic, limited route options
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...Personally, I happily resumed cycling five months after a serious hit by a car, with six weeks acute and rehab hospital, and three months off work.

Perhaps I may sound devil-may-care, but I even touted to this recent thread:...
and
Originally Posted by Geekage
"Hiding the stuff that happens"

Today I got right hooked riding home from work….

Still, there are so many things others do (drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians) that could end up horribly bad, and some of us see those things on almost a daily basis. We have become so used to it that it doesn't surprise us and for me there's usually no shot of adrenaline anymore when a car tries to occupy the same space as I'm in.


I like to think it's because I'm ready for it. Ready, but still disappointed. It's just another roll of the eyes.

So, do any of you bring these kinds of things up around your significant others? Or do you do as I do and usually don't say a thing, unless I'm trying to one-up a friend.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
I don’t mention these things, but there have been times my wife has had to come to my aid.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
…BTW, my wife is a nurse, and she tended me well during my three month convalescence from my cycling accident.

Our relationship was early on very bicycle-centered, including a cross-country cycling honeymoon, so she does not give me a hard time about continuing cycling.

I kid her that's because we have one family car, and it's hers (and our son's) since I cycle commute and do errands.

When I do ride in nasty weather though she does chide me, "You just want to ride today so you can write about it on BikeForums."
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
On Bike Forums, we frequently and candidly post about our close calls and actual mishaps, not just to “one-up” each other but most considerately to advise..

I have previously posted about discussing the dangers of cycling with non-cyclists or casual cyclists concerned with my or their own safety:...

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 12-22-19 at 01:36 PM.
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Old 12-29-19, 04:35 PM
  #34  
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Growing up around Boston my life would flash before my eyes my than I can remember, I’ve also had more broken bones than any pro cyclist but I’ve been doing this for 35 years.the one that I’ll never shake was five years ago.
while riding through a bizarrely set up intersection at a good clip and being more concerned with moving traffic somehow I failed to see the teenage girl stepping into the crosswalk. I failed to notice this because I was wondering why the police cruiser on the opposite side of the road was stopped in the street (stopped for the girl in the crosswalk) sure enough I slammed into her she also never me all I remember is seeing her , locking up the breaks ( to no avail) and her legs flying over me ( kinda three stooges like). Buy the time I could stop to figure out what had just happened and see if she was ok she ran off down a side street with the police chasing after her . Not knowing what to do now and shaking to bad to continue riding I preceded to walk, two blocks later the officer pulled up alongside me to gather my information. As it turned out she was busy texting when she walked out in front of me and that’s why she ran, refused to give him any info and didn’t want her parents to find out . The officer took my info Incase her parents wanted to file charges stating that he was a witness and that I had done nothing wrong and it was all on camera. As far as I could tell I had been totally in the wrong. I guess that’s a little more than a close call but that was the only time I got out of the saddle and walked the rest of my trip because I was so shaken up. Many lessons learned from that 30 seconds of my life.
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Old 12-29-19, 05:21 PM
  #35  
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I had a similar episode a couple of days ago with, believe it or not, a dog. The dog was not texting. But the owner had one of those leashes that lets out more and more leash unless you depress a button or something. I dunno. Anyway, he was unaware of the fact that his admittedly adorable dog was slowly-and then, suddenly, quite rapidly--making his way across the crosswalk. Totally clueless owner, looking at a big ship docking along the river. Space cadet. Dog was just bein' a dog., taking what he gave him. I locked up front and back instinctively and wound up stopped about 18 inches from this Corgi, staring up at me. Scared me to death. Everyone stayed upright. Owner apologized, but lot of good that would have done had I killed the dog and broken my collarbone. I wonder if the Corgi is insured?
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Old 12-30-19, 07:54 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by bpcyclist
I had a similar episode a couple of days ago with, believe it or not, a dog. The dog was not texting. But the owner had one of those leashes that lets out more and more leash unless you depress a button or something. I dunno. Anyway, he was unaware of the fact that his admittedly adorable dog was slowly-and then, suddenly, quite rapidly--making his way across the crosswalk. Totally clueless owner, looking at a big ship docking along the river. Space cadet. Dog was just bein' a dog., taking what he gave him. I locked up front and back instinctively and wound up stopped about 18 inches from this Corgi, staring up at me. Scared me to death. Everyone stayed upright. Owner apologized, but lot of good that would have done had I killed the dog and broken my collarbone. I wonder if the Corgi is insured?

had a guy let his dog out of his car a few years ago across the street from me without a leash next thing I know the dogs tearing across the street at me in oncoming traffic which made me have to stop and save the dogs life all while he’s trying to maul me had to stop traffic the whole nine , such a disaster and I can say from experience neither of my corgis had insurance...
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Old 12-31-19, 07:53 AM
  #37  
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When I was living on my sailboat I had many bicycles stolen, having to lock them up ashore--plus money often was tight. So, bike had just got stolen, no money to speak of when I saw this bashed up homeless guy with a yellow ten speed w' no brakes (that story tells itself) he sold me the bike for $5 and I proceeded to ride it doing ok; was over at a friend's house at night, left bike unlocked in his backyard when we heard the twang of his clothesline (also self explanatory) went out, someone had stolen the no brake bike and left a cruiser bike--just needed the hub tightened:-) I went riding around downtown half expecting to see him wiped out somewhere; don't know how that ride ended for him, but I figure after stealing a bike probably would ride off fast + no brakes = karma? Dunno, but think that might've ended close call for the thief.


Also, I've had 2 close calls that I don't think would've been deadly but are close runner ups: one while racing a friend around the park--same park we had our boats anchored at---coming around the final stretch I won but went off the pavement a bit where there was elbow of a tree ducked last second before getting it in the face at 20+ mph. Fortunately I was familiar where the elbow was at because it's right where I kept my rowboat.

The other was kinda funny since I didn't get hurt: used to cut thru this church parking lot on my way home but one night I guess I was a bit later and turns out they put a cable up closing off the parking lot at night, I never saw it, caught bike's headtube; don't even remember getting thrown off bike; just hitting ground, rolling.
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Old 12-31-19, 09:52 PM
  #38  
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I got hit by a nearly blind guy with no nose. He said he didn't see me. Clear day, straight rode, no hills. His passenger side mirror clipped the last inch of my flat bars at about 40 mph. Separated my shoulder, fractured a wrist bone, but walked away. He had no valid DL and no insurance. He said he was on his way to the pharmacy to get his prescriptions. I could have sued him, but he had nothing, it would have only ruined him and my insurance covered everything. Besides, I walked away! I was off the bike for a month or so.
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Old 01-01-20, 10:26 AM
  #39  
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My closest call was back around 1994 or so. I was commuting in to work early enough that I was willing to use the 3 lanes each way road (heading south on 355 in rockville, md). I don't think I was super alert and I probably should've gone in later. I managed to crash on my own when I hit a pot hole that I didn't see. The problem was there was a pickup truck behind me. He managed to stop in time to not kill me but I was under his bumper and had some tire marks on my shirt. I just had a little road rash.

I also went over the hood of a car that pulled out in front of me on a downhill (this was on a route that kept me off the 3 lanes each way road mentioned above). I was doing ~35mph at the time. I had to get the guy's insurance company involved as he thought $100 to replace my forks was too much "for an obviously used bike". Both of these incidents were on my old Raleigh Technium Tri-Lite, my first decent bike.
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Old 01-04-20, 09:01 PM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by smudgy
I got hit by a nearly blind guy with no nose. He said he didn't see me. Clear day, straight rode, no hills. His passenger side mirror clipped the last inch of my flat bars at about 40 mph. Separated my shoulder, fractured a wrist bone, but walked away. He had no valid DL and no insurance. He said he was on his way to the pharmacy to get his prescriptions. I could have sued him, but he had nothing, it would have only ruined him and my insurance covered everything. Besides, I walked away! I was off the bike for a month or so.
I don't know whether to praise you for your altruism and empathy or criticize you for your inaction.

That blind guy ought to be taken off the road before he causes worse damage to the next vulnerable road-user.

Glad you had survived that incidence.
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Old 01-08-20, 07:53 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Marylander
My closest call was back around 1994 or so. I was commuting in to work early enough that I was willing to use the 3 lanes each way road (heading south on 355 in rockville, md). I don't think I was super alert and I probably should've gone in later. I managed to crash on my own when I hit a pot hole that I didn't see. The problem was there was a pickup truck behind me. He managed to stop in time to not kill me but I was under his bumper and had some tire marks on my shirt. I just had a little road rash.

I also went over the hood of a car that pulled out in front of me on a downhill (this was on a route that kept me off the 3 lanes each way road mentioned above). I was doing ~35mph at the time. I had to get the guy's insurance company involved as he thought $100 to replace my forks was too much "for an obviously used bike". Both of these incidents were on my old Raleigh Technium Tri-Lite, my first decent bike.
Yikes, those potholes edge of road can be so dangerous; I've thought the same thing could happen if I hit one while a car was nearby. You're lucky the driver was alert. I've considered filling them in myself with pool epoxy mixed with gravel in places I ride.
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