draxine

So I was going down a one-way street today when a car (BMW Z4) pulled out of a side street and hit me. I knew he was there and assumed that he'd seen me when I saw him looking my way. Obviously, he either hadn't seen me or thought that I wasn't going that fast. As I neared him, he suddenly pulled out in front of me to go straight across the street. I must've been doing about 17-18mph at the time, but as I didn't expect him to suddenly cut me up I didn't have a chance of braking except shouting "OI!!!" before we collided.

Luckily, he'd gotten far enough into the road so that I hit the side of his bonnet rather than him sideswiping me. I went flying over his bonnet, landing backwards on my head (thank god for my monza or my brain's would've been everywhere).

Anyway, he was ****ting himself and didn't drive off or anything, so that was a relief. Eventually the ambulance and police came. They checked me over, took a report from us and eye-witnesses, and gave me the incident report number, his details and insurance company...etc.

OK, so this being my first serious (and hopefully last) incident, what do I do now? I was planning to take my bike (bent wheels, not sure if the frame's ok though) to the LBS where I work and have them do an insurance quote. Should I then contact the guy's insurance company? The policeman said it might be a lengthy process until I get compensation, so should I shell out and fix the bike in the mean time??

wfin2004

Sorry to hear this. Sounds by your post you are not hurt to bad. Is a bonnet the 'front' or 'back' of the car? I think it is the back of the car or I would have thought you would say something about hitting the windshield. [windscreen?]
Good thing there were witnesses. That will help you tremendously. Good luck.

draxine

oh, the bonnet is the front of the car. Luckily, he'd stopped just as we hit, so I only flew over the front of the car and not into the windshield!

Banzai

Police report? Check.

Eyewitnesses? Check.

Insurance would then be the next step. It may be a while...but unless you have a spare bike, you're going to have to shell out anyway. May as well get up and running.

Given the potential fatality, I think he and his insurance will be more than eager to pay and make you go away...the sooner they can get you to sign off on being "even" the more relieved they'll be.

Oh, by the way...I'm glad you're ok!

draxine

Thanks!
Yeah it could have been a helluva lot worse, as I only walked away with a couple of bruises, road rash and a slight headache. When I first landed I'd thought that my leg was broken. I was pretty shocked by the huge dent in the side of the car though!

Artkansas 

Get a checkup, and watch and photograph those bruises. Bruises tend to take a couple of days to show themselves entirely. The headache could be more than it seems.

draxine

Yeah the medics asked if I wanted to go to hospital and I said yes, just to make sure everything's ok. They did a thorough checkup and told me to go home and have someone keep an eye out for me, like if I start to become really lethargic, vomitting and stuff.
I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I definitely won't be taking my road bike into college instead! For some reason I've suddenly found public transport not so unbearable anymore!

Helmet Head

Out of curiousity, about where were you riding, laterally? Near the curb, or out in the lane about where a motorcyclist would be riding?

fordfasterr

Well, in England everyone is a wrong-way rider ! LOL

trombone

Glad to hear you are OK. Getting hit by a car shakes you up more then you realise at first - take it easy for a while.

You'll also probably stiffen up over the coming days too - I was involved in a simlar incident about 6 months ago, and although at the time I didn't think I'd done much damage, once the bruises and stiffness came out a day or two later I felt pretty lousy, and it took a good 6 weeks for the stiffness in my ribs to fade completely.

Contact his insurance company sooner rather than later. Also don't completely settle / close the case until you are properly recovered - you don't want to settle, and then realise a few weeks later you need physio on a stiff leg that's not healing...

2manybikes

You never know what's going to happen. He may try to get out of paying. Even though it's his fault he may say it's your fault and sue you. Be ready. If you can get a legal opinion of what to do next from a local lawyer it would be better than an opinion of someone far away on the internet, everything may be different where they live. It's really not a bike question as much as it is a legal question.

Document every little detail. Photograph everything, your bruises the broken parts on the bike even the intersection. Write an account of what happened from your point of view. Sign it and date it. You may need it later, the date will be a big help. If you see any of the witnesses I would try and get a statment from them.

porq

I'm in the middle of a very similar accident except I went through the windshield. Do yourself a favour and

A) talk to a lawyer - the first consultation is usually free;
B) see a doctor;
C) see a physiotherapist;
D) keep a journal of pains/aches;
E) write down all the damage you encurred - bike, helmet, shirt, ambulance ride, etc;
F) make sure your adjuster knows that you are thinking about getting a lawyer

Road_Biker

Was his name Clark Griswold? Seriously though, here in the states his insurance would be sweating bullets due to the potential costs. In the UK, it seems that's not so much of an issue.

Being one of those obnoxious Christian types, I'll just pray for you!

koko_t

i'm seconding what 2manybikes and porq are saying.

in addition, my friend was involved in an accident very similar to this one in San Francisco, CA. He hit a vintage jaguar in pretty much the exact same location you mention, flipped over the hood, and landed on his feet on the other side of the car. i was amazed at our luck, because he seemed to be just fine. the car was dented pretty badly. at the time, it was unclear whose fault it was...my friend was coming down a hill pretty fast and thought he had the right of way, thought he had made eye contact, yet the jaguar popped into the intersection at the last minute...

long story short, they exchanged information, but did not file any claims. i think both parties were just relieved to leave the scene without an ambulance, injury, and bloodshed. a week or so later, my friend's wrist was in bad shape, and the owner of the jaguar was irate to find out the cost of his repairs. the phone calls turned into heated arguements, but, in the end they decided to part ways without any costs...

if at the time, one or both parties spoke with insurance, fault and expenses may have been taken care of.

glad to hear you are ok, and good luck!! here's to a speedy recovery for you and your bike.

Cyclaholic

I'm glad you're OK, I hope you're fairly compensated. All that's missing now is for the VC crowd to do their usual knitpicking routine and assign the blame to you, and I see the process has already started.

workingbike

This sounds very like a motorcycle accident I had, you probably impacted the part of the front fender(wing in the UK). between the front wheel and door, Yes? (its pretty soft in that area.)
When I did it on the motorcycle i left the bike embedded in the car. In my case the damage amounted to a scratched mudguard. As in your case, I suspect, the damage to the car was much more expensive than the bike. Which may be a comfort to you.

It sounds like the police gave him a ticket? I would proceed with repairs, don't go nuts, just get what is reasonable. Contact his insurance, I doubt they will give you to much hassle if its just a few hundred, No guarantees though.

eubi

Glad you are OK.

Good advice on getting yourself checked out completely...some injuries may take longer to become apparent.

For example: I was the first car in a multi-car rear end collision. Even though my car wasn't damaged, I was sore for close to a year.

Insurance companies like to try to force you to settle early, so they aren't liable for a long-term injury.

In the USA, anyway...

mulchie

+1 on the checkup. And the follow ups.
DOn't play macho. It's crucial with any head injury, helmet or no. The other stuff will probably heal after the aches and pains.
Glad you were able to walk away.
(and sure, get a new bike now)

Mr. Underbridge

Yeah, I have a different "VC" rule: the BMW *will* cut you off. Every time. Guraranteed. Screw lane position, horn, whatever. Doesn't matter. He'll make eye contact *while* he's cutting you off. OP failed to obey the rule of the road, namely that the BMW owns it.

Similar rule for Porsches, but at least that idiot will be revving the engine in neutral before he pops the clutch, so you know he's about to do it and have time for evasive maneuvers.

I jest (somewhat), but glad OP's OK. I'd add one other thing to the OP - don't let some nitwit make you quit riding. I didn't let that happen when I had a wreck last month - even though the nitwit was me! Only other thing, learning to read a car's "body language" is really helpful - I can usually tell when somebody's about to do something stupid and give them room to do it.

Python

Glad to hear you're still in one piece Draxine.

You won't feel the full effects for a day or two and as others have said, see a solicitor for compensation. The driver is at fault and you have independent witnesses. One of the things you can claim for is that the driver has caused you "Pain and Suffering".

Some years ago my ex-husband was involved in a car collision. He was driving home from work and another car was speeding on a hairpin bend, lost control, crossed into the lane my ex was in and hit him head on. The police estimated the impact speed was 80mph. My husband had a hairline ankle fracture but was out of plaster within a week, plus whiplash. The driver who caused the accident spent a week in hospital. He had a Golf GTI, had had it for less than a week, was showing off to his girlfriend and completely lost it. He spent a week in hospital with a head injury. Ironically he was a trainee doctor and should have known better than to drive like an absolute moron. My husband successfully sued him for £6000 (a lot of money at that time) for "Pain and Suffering", plus the damage to our car.

Don't let him off with it. Sometimes hitting idiots in the pocket hard is the only way to teach them a lesson.

littlewaywelt

Glad you're ok. Sounds like it could have been quite a bit worse.

Hoshnasi

It really can be scary out there. After my first crash last week I'll be alot more cautious. I'm glad you got a witness and a report made. At the very least it keeps people from getting sue-happy later and turning things into a he-said she-said game.

When it comes to anything involving your head and potential long-term damage contact an attorney, now. Get them to take case and pay for all your out-of-pocket expenses, bike, medical, so-on. It'll take a huge load off your back and will reduce the anxiety of going through a lengthy process. I've been hit now in both car and on bike so I can tell you, the anxiety after the fact is the hardest part (at least for me).

Jeprox

Lucky for the BMW driver, this didn't happen in California. Otherwise, he'd be sued every penny he's worth.

rhm

+1

mupedalpusher

Glad you are okay...made me shake a bit to read your post. I had the exact same scenerio this morning but I was able to do a quick turn and just barely avoided the rear bumper. I made eye contact with this woman and at the last minute she tromped it and pulled out so uncontrollably that she went across her lane and nearly hit the oncoming car. What an idiot. Thank goodness the quick turn worked and I didn't crash. A few blocks later had a idiot cut me off and tell me to get off the road. I go for weeks with no incidents then two in one morning. I was stupid and yelled back at the guy, most of the time I try to not respond but this morning was more than I could take.
Again..I'm sure glad you are okay.