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From: Tom
Subject: Getting run the fuck over…
Since there seems to be a rash of folks sharing bad bike stories, might as well add mine.3 weeks ago, nice fall early evening, sun is still out. Gone out for a short ride before some Friday festivities. I’m coming over a small rise, and heading down the backside, running the bike at around 25 MPH. I see a Ford Focus up ahead, no turn signal showing, so I keep on pedaling. Last second: BAM! She turns right in front of me.
Somehow, I have enough presence of mind to move my head out of the way, and lower my shoulder. I take out the side view mirror of the car, and leave a nice Tom sized dent in the door, and then bounce off the car, and land hard on the pavement. Bike goes flying, and flying into pieces. I get up, quickly do the status check. Left leg? OK. Right leg? OK. Left arm? OK. Collarbones? OK. Right arm? Right arm? Hello? I said right arm? Yeah, it’s not moving, at all.
The girl who hit me (she was 18 and ON THE CELL PHONE!!) gets out, and she gets a cussing. Meanwhile, I yell at her to call 911 or something, because I’m fucked up. Now the pain starts. The meat wagon gets there, I get the backboard, neck brace, and they bring me to the hospital. Many x-rays later, and many docs coming in and out of the room moving my right arm around later, and one expensive CT scan, they finally determine that the scapula has been shattered into a few pieces.
Doc decides that probably operating is going to have to be required. They open me up, install some titanium, and he tells me later, “Man it looked like kibbles and bits in there.” Apparently one chunk of bone came loose, and spun around 180 degrees, and then there were about 7-8 larger pieces, and then there were many fragments which got suctioned away.
Now I’m looking at about 3-4 months of therapy, and tons o’ bills.Keep an eye out boys and girls, it seems to be getting more dangerous.
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Ah, but what happened to the cellphone-chatting ditz? Was justice done?
It’s working through the legal system as we speak, namely, my lawyers, her insurance company.
damn bro – been there, in a way. do more than your share of physio when you get the go-ahead from the docs, it’s the difference between functional appendage and gimp.
how many more of these stories in ’07 – and too many fatalities. fair thee well Tom, sad to note that she can only be dealt with as an insurance claim, and not as a proper criminal case – reckless endangerment, negligence, vehicular assault and battery, etc.
the system is broken, more so than your arm, not to belittle your circumstances.
It’s a shame AZ doesn’t have the citizen citation that OR has. Check out bikeportland’s blog for what they’re doing against the fucktards that are right crossing people in bike lanes at the cost of several lives and bodies.
Opus
…nothing but lip service…until people “regularly” start getting probation or going to jail for manslaughter or if alcohol is involved, then a bump up to murder, it ain’t nothing but lip service…
…it’s a scary proposition because accidents do happen & it could be one of us driving in the wrong situation, but it would sure wake up the public…
…lets face it, as it stands, cyclists are definitely regarded as second class citizens by most of the driving public & by most law enforcement agencies…