tugrul

I think we just become numb to the risks of riding in traffic with time. It frees us up to concentrate on doing what we can to stay safe.

I also add to the wishes of a speedy recovery.

lostarchitect 

Glad to hear you're in one piece. Try not to dwell on it too much, it happens to almost everyone sooner or later.

fender1

Hope you get better quickly. Are they talking about physical therapy and that stuff yet?

lostarchitect 

You know, I hurt my back last fall and have, for the most part, been off the bike since then. I'm just now starting to ride again. It sucked--but you know what made me feel better? Building more bikes! It annoyed my GF, but I built 3 bikes while I couldn't ride, just to have something bike related to do. Maybe it's time for you to start looking at ebay!

4Rings6Stars

Or time to treat yourself with a nice custom... Give you something to look forward to while you are recovering.

bikemore 

Bummer Aaron.

Slightly off topic, but one of the things that set off the n+1 problem is hitting a car that was taking a left turn into my right of way. Bent the tube top. May you have many more n+1s!

mainstreetexile 

Sorry to hear about this, just sending some more good vibes and wishes for a quick recovery!

KonAaron Snake 

I'm not going to say the custom thought didn't cross my mind, but my wife is going to be getting me through this and I know she'd love a new kitchen!

cuda2k

Sorry I'm late to the party, if you can call it a party, but wanted to chime in and say while it could be a lot worse, it's still a bummer that you're injured and off the bike. Another vote for "Listen to the doctors" when it comes to recovery and reduced activity while it heals.

The Thin Man 

Aaron, I'm really sorry to hear about your accident. I can honestly say that I do feel your pain. I'm not sure if you remember, but back in November, I too went through a crash of some seriousness. It was not that long ago and in fact, I still have fresh chain ring scars on my ankle (which is a kinda neat "right of passage", which you also have now been through).
Either way, I learned a lot while maneuvering through the legal and insurance process and feel like I can give some insight.

First off, remember that you have rights and are the victim. I hope the driver has insurance with a major carrier because you obviously have some bills that will need to be paid.
Second, if your vintage bike is totaled, your right is to find a bike that is comprabable to that bike unless of course, you have a receipt of the original purchase. Don't waste your time trying to go to your LBS to price out replacement parts. I went that route first and was insulted by two shops. In the end, I felt my '90 Voyageur was comparable to a new Surley Long Haul Trucker. The insurance company agreed and we settled that part.
Third, I made the insurance company move quickly by telling them that I wanted a loaner bike. They realized it was cheaper for them to rent me a car than to rent me a bike (go figure) so they processed my paperwork ASAP. Obviously, you can't ride at the moment, but it's something to keep in mind for the future.
Fourth, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Start a manilla folder with documents that are sent to you, signatures you must give, scan everything you can (to email instead of mail) and take good notes (also keep these, paper clipped together, in the folder) as you will need to refer to all of these documents again and again and again. Also, take digital photos as soon as you can of not only your cuts, bruises, scrapes, etc but of your bike and any items that were damaged. I had my camera in my panniers at the time of the accident and after, I gave it a quick look over the night of the accident but didn't see anything wrong so I tossed it back into its case. A month later, I got it out again and noticed that it had a puncture mark under the body that I didn't notice so I had to go back to the insurance company for compensation. Luckily, it was painless but it could have been nasty.
Lastly, take all physical therapy that you can. I didn't have serious injuries but later discovered that my rotator cuff was giving me fits. It took almost 3 months of therapy to get it back in shape and at first I was annoyed that I had to waste my time going for something so miniscule but I came to really enjoy the therapy as I learned quite a bit lot about my body and habits I had been doing wrong for years. The insurance company paid 100% for the PT, plus, within my settlement, I was given full medical coverage for any (PT included) issues I had regarding related to the accident for an entire year after the date of when the settlement documents were signed, which I felt was very fair.

Most of this is summarized within the threads of my post above. It may not be a bad idea to read through it to see the "journey" I had to take. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me or I could even give you my phone number.

I hope you feel better and land the job. Trust me, Aaron, this too shall pass.

Mercian Rider

Sorry about the accident. Heal up soon! Glad you have a positive attitude, it'll help. I'm also impressed you aren't ranting about the driver--she deserves a few choice words, but getting past this is more important than venting.

rccardr 

Aaron- What everyone here has already said. The bike can be replaced...you cannot.

Having said that, let me give you two words, repeated three times:
Police report
Police report
Police report

And four more words, but said only once:
Qualified Personal Injury Attorney.

Get yourself well, with the understanding that you may have associated pains, aches and possibly other injuries that will only come to light over the next few weeks or months.
Glad to hear that the driver of the car is a responsible person. That's why we buy insurance.

RobbieTunes

Start keeping track of EVERYTHING, and glad you're not hurt worse.
You know the drill, but let us know if you need any thing.

stausty

That's a real bummer about the accident and the injury. Don't try to come back faster than the doctors say to - a re-injury will just make it worse. I hope you heal quickly and are back to normal soon!

David Newton

Take care, and heal well.

-holiday76

Accident? Comcast?

Sorry to hear about your accident Aaron. Heal up quick. PM me what's going on at Comcast and let me know if I can help in anyway. It's obviously a large company but I have several connections there.

KonAaron Snake 

Thanks all. I have two lawyers in the family and work for lawyers...that should be ok. She has all state...not sure on the policy, but hoping for the best. I'm documenting everything...costs, pain, etc.

The girl made a stupid mistake and i'm trying to remember that everyone makes mistakes. That's why they're called accidents. She stopped, she's insured. I was a bad driver too.

Thinman - great advice and thanks for sharing!

Orrery

Sorry to hear about this; best wishes and heal up soon!

Chris_in_Miami

Very sorry to hear about your ordeal Aaron, I hope you have a swift and complete recovery! Best of luck with the interview, any chance you can get them to delay it by a few days?

badger_biker 

Aaron I want to wish you a speedy recovery and good luck with the job. Thank you for posting this because it is an excellent reminder to be extra vigilant when on 2 wheels. It is easy to forget how exposed we are and although you had little option to avoid your accident this reminder may help one or more of us when we can prevent it.

Pars 

To add to what has been said, sorry to hear about this, and best wishes for your recovery.

You too, gomango!

20grit

Sorry, I'm late to the thread, but I hate to hear about any accident in this forum. I hope the recovery and claims process goes smoothly.

Browsing here might just have to be your bike related comfort for a while.

squirtdad

Aaron..... bummer. Can we lobby comcast for you?

and as to bike.....at least it was not the De rosa primato

and if surgery or something is needed... the rehab is critical...... find a very detail oriented (aka mean) physical therapist.

and @gomango...... bummer for your also even more belated

devinfan

Best wishes Aaron, that's a bad experience, I know I've been there. Terrible time of year to have a knee injury with cycling season starting, but hopefully it's just strained and it will heal. I'm embarrassed to say the last time I was hit by a car, I was literally crawling across the road to see if my bike was okay, ignoring all the people that were rushing up to help. Priorities!

aixaix 

Thinking about you, Aaron. Isis is wafting good karma your way...
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!