tonka.toy

Well it finally happened to me about three weeks ago. That motorist that does not look or fails to see a cyclist. Wham!

I'm about 1 mile from home, enjoying the bike and the new TA chainrings I've just fitted. I come to a cross road with lights and unusualy the lights are green so I get to go straight through following behind a line of 2-3 cars. As I enter the box of the junction I see a car on the opposite side waiting to turn right ( this is England so it means thery are waiting to turn across the oncoming line of traffic) its wheels start to move.

I give a load shout, I can't stop in time, I can't make a sharp turn to go with the car because I'm going about 15-20mph. Slowing down would have meant getting T boned by the car. I carried on into the junction, trying to avoid the car and trying to get eye contact. The car hit me glancing blow, caught my leg and body on the side of the car and hit the back of the bike hard.

I was still upright but perhaps I should have jumped off the bike, the knock had pushed me off line and heading for metal railings. I hit head on and came to a very sudden stop, I landed on my back and let out the sort of screams that you hear in the first 10 minutes of Saving Private Ryan.

The drivers that came to my aid were really good, a paramedic car was on the scene in a few minutes and the Ambulance followed alomg quite soon afterwards.

I spent 8 hours in A&E before being sent upto the ward. I needed two surgeries and spent 9 days in hospital. Bruises and cuts here and there, broken left wrist and the head of my right right humorus. I'm going to need new front teeth, my left wrist is in a cast for another month and has wires in it, my right shoulder has plates and screws and rehab will take about 1 year to get full movement back.

Other than the obvious inconvenience, I'm recovering well and starting to get things back together. Most importantly I'm alive and will ride to work again.

cw

CliftonGK1

Yowcha! Sorry to hear it, but glad to know that you're still around to type it all out. Heal quickly.
You've got the positive attitude, and that's one of the best things for a speedy recovery.

Artkansas 

Glad to hear you are on the mend. That's quite a whacking you got.

Eggplant Jeff

Pfft. I just glanced back at the other replies and realized I'd written almost exactly the same thing as CliftonGK1.

Anyway, get well soon!

ontheroadid

Wow, that is awful. Glad that you are in decent spirits and ready for the long rehab road ahead of you. You will not enjoy the rehab (my wife's a physical therapist).

I'm guessing the motorist got a citation and a fine. Did he/she stay at the scene?

Best wishes for a full recovery.

briank

I hope tonkatoy isn't typing this with his tongue or a pen in his mouth!! Sorry about the dunb joke! Man, I am sorry to hear about your injuries and the close call you had. I am also thankful your still with us in the land of the living.. Hang in there and hope your recovery continues to a full recovery.

lil brown bat

Jeez, that's scary. Sorry about your injuries, best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, and here's hoping for comeuppance for the tool who hit you.

tonka.toy

One finger typing... The right arm is not in plaster, I'm having difficulty moving the shoulder but the rest of the arm works fine.

I'm waiting to hear what happens from the Police. The lady motorist stopped but I was unable to see or speak to her. I hope that the police do prosecute, I don't mean this out of malice, more to do with dealing with insurance companies for damages claims. It's easier if she's found guilty of a motoring offence.

cw

aMull

Glad you're alive, hope you recover quick

Python

Tonka.toy. Glad you're going to be OK. What a nasty thing to happen

At the very least the idiot in the car should be charged with Driving Without Due Care and Attention if not Dangerous Driving

I just wish drivers would THINK BIKE

CaptainTandem

Holy cats! Talk about a day gone bad in a blink of the eye!

alicestrong

Sorry to hear this...terrifying. You have a very courageous attitude. My best to you...

rykoala

I lost two front teeth in a non cycling accident a couple of years ago. Implants. The only way to go.

I am terribly sorry to hear what happened to you. I had a near miss last year that left me with a new smell in my saddle. If I had not *sped up* with everything I had, I'd have been t-boned also. They missed my rear wheel by mere inches. They were turning left doing around 30mph (probably drunk) and did not see my bright lights. My instinct told me to stop but I kept going. These days I listen to my instinct. Saved me yesterday.

Zeuser

Damn... sounds like a nasty crash. Hope you get well with no permanent effects. Some car drivers just aren't careful enough.

Bob J

glad you're okay.

get well soon.

CigTech

Sorry to here about the mishap. But glad to hear about the positive attitude. And have a speedy recovery.

briank

Hang in there Tonka...

Think its a bout time the States revise their DMV manuals and empahasize bicycle safety further and make it more of a priority. Really spell out the responsiblity to the drivers Crystal clear.

gbcb

That sounds like a frightening crash. Glad to hear you're on the mend and thinking about getting back in the saddle, but don't rush things too much! Make sure you take care of yourself.

workingbike

Ouch! Sorry to hear about this. Don't take this the wrong way, the driver was definitely at fault but everybody should know, the situation you described above is a classic. Car drivers tend to only see other cars, yes, the fault is theirs, but its your life on the line. If I am coming into a junction behind a line of cars I always assume the guy turning hasn't seen me till I get eye contact or observe behavior which indicates they have seen me.

One way of attracting attention, if I know there is no-one behind, is to jink "outwards" away from the center line. This makes your image in their sight frame to "expand" and draws attention and gives the impression of an increase in speed. Dragonflies use something similar as a hunting technique. Do that before they turn though, it has a tendency to "freeze" the other driver and you don't want them freezing in front of you.

Again, not getting at you, she was at fault and should pay for it. But, the truth is, most people are dumber than a sack of hammers, gotta remember that on the road.

Ginny

WOW. That sucks.
I'm so sorry this happened to ya and I hope she pays everything.
Medi bills can go through the roof in no time.
And get a nicer bike out of it.

But, for now, just mend. Just mend.

pgoat

Glad u r okay and thank you for sharing - careful out there, everybody!

Si.

It's the UK. so free Health care

Heal quick Tonka.toy

substructure

Sorry to hear. I hope you heal well and everything works out for the better.

jyossarian

Walk it off! You'll be fine. How's the bike? Heal fast!

Bklyn

Heal well. I'll swear at a car in your honor this afternoon.