Have you ever been hit by a car?

bikeguy

I have been hit my a car once that pulled off the curb, very slow, struck me in the thigh and I was fine. I have hit an opened car door but was ok. I struck a motorcycle that pulled out of a laneway in front of me. He lost control of his motorcycle and fell over and I stayed upright but was in a bit of shock because his handlebar hit me in the ribcage. I hopped onto the hood and landed on my feet (and was uninjured) off an SUV that pulled a U in front of me on a road most certainly not made for U turns.
I have struck and knocked out a pedestrian whom the paramedics I ran to thought had fallen asleep on the road because he had a little bottle of alcohol on him. After I yelled again that I had hit him after he decided to run out in front of me they finally got the picture although made little effort to properly check him (I have a basic first aid now so I know what should be done at the basic level). I have narrowly missed striking 2 other pedestrians who have just run across the street in front of me. I have avoided collisions with cars by swerving or braking hard that undoubtedly would have resulted in severe injury. My worst accident just occurred recently where I braked to avoid striking a cyclist in front of me and head planted into asphalt knocking myself out and hurting my left shoulder and neck. No broken bones and my head is okay, but my shoulder still hurts a lot sometimes and I can't really use my left arm for lifting anything..aahhh.. cycling.. gotta love it.

deejbah

I was involved in two accidents on the same day on the same road a year apart. The first accident involved an elderly driver who decided that making a right-hand turn just as I got in front of her was a really good idea. There was no malice involved, just complete NFI. She saw me, but for some bizarre reason thought that I, the person with the right of way, would stop for her to enter the road. Her front bumper bar cut a nice gash in my leg and I got some nice bruising and other cuts from being taken over and off the bonnet, where I ended up on the road with traffic coming torwards me. Thankfully she wasn't going to fast and I wasn't concussed, or I would not have had the reflexes to get up almost straight away and not get run over. My bike ended up about 30-50m down the road from me. The driver was very shaken (probably as much, if not more so than me) and fortunately, I got her details and she later agreed to pay for my bike repairs without any hassles. I got some money for injury from the government insurer, as it took me a while to recover and I still have a nice 5cm scar on my leg.

The second accident happened because someone wanted to get somewhere quick and accelerated hard across a crossroads where a main road met a sidestreet. I was blacked in by a bus, so I had nowhere to go when they ran right in front of me. I hit the car about midway, and somersaulted out of the pedals, over the car and landed on my back. Again, I was lucky that I suffered no major head injury and that nothing was broken.

I've also been clipped by mirrors a couple of times, but nothing real serious happened.

gdiza

i haven't been hit by a car yet or taken a serious fall... yet

when i'm cycling i'm very concious, if i feel uncomfortable or anything, i start to drop speed and stuff.

prevention is better than cure.

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adamallstar

as i was riding home from school down a 4 lane rode with an island in the middle i was passing side street and i noticed a lady was in the middle of the intersection turning onto the side street i was about to cross. i slowed a bit, thinking she saw me, it was in the middle of the day and i had bright colored clothes on and a bright red bicycle. i then realize the bitch isnt gonna yeild to me (even though i had the right-away) so i slam on my brakes and end up falling over and sliding into her car as she runs over the back part of my frame and rear tire... i see her car bounce from the hit as i make sure that i was still in one piece, the lady then slows to a stop gets out and says "did i hit you" and i said "yeah what the heck are you gonna do about my bike" and the ever famous reply i got from her was "that ain't my problem" then the ho jumps back in her hoopdie and drives off, mind you i'm in the 3rd ward of houston, tx (tha' getto)

fortunately i got her license plate number and the phone number of two pepole that saw the whole thing... after contacting the police department she received several tickets and i got nice chunk o' change to put towards my next bike purchase

oh... she totally messed up my rear wheel, broke my derailleur hanger off and bent up the back of my frame, totaling the bike... centurion ironman with shimano 600, i loved that bike

kf5nd

that'll learn ya - don't go ridin' in the 'hood no mo'

later

writing to you from Galleria area, Houston

Beastt

Tongue in cheek?

adamallstar

word, i gots to be watchin' my back in da hood... shoulda had my 9

i woulda busted a cap

awolfey@optonli

Got side-swiped yesterday by a car that crossed two lanes to turn right in front of me. I didn't have time to avoid it. I hit it and flipped onto my back. My neck and lower left back (where I landed) is sore, but not bruised yet. Helmet saved me from head injuries. There was a police van right behind us, so they made a report. My bike seems to be fine, but I need to check it out further. I think I'll be sore for a while, but that's not too bad, considering.

cdawnreed

I am new to riding and was out on my 3rd ride, yesterday. Was on the last mile of a 26 mile ride, with an experienced rider. He was about 300-400 ahead of me, and we were approachign a two way stop, with the other direction having to stop. There was a truck stopped there, he went through and I thought I saw the driver look my way and see me approaching, but he didn't. He pulled right out in front of me, I through on brakes, and screamed. I rammed right into the right side of his pickup truck. I just buckled and fell to the ground, after my head shoulder and leg took the impact. I laid on the ground for several minutes before being able to stand up. Went to the ER and they ran X-rays and Ct scan. Nothing is broken and I dont' have a concussion, but I am black and blue all over and I hury soooo bad! It's a shame because I was more worried about my new TREK 2100 than I was about myself. My bike is probably totaled, and I am scared to death to ride in traffic. I hope I can find enough courage to get back on the saddle?

tmccall

Do it! Get back out there and ride! I've been hit three times in the past twenty some years (once by an on duty police officer), lost two bikes in the process and a fair bit of my legs, back and back side. I won't quit!

aeek

once - rear ended giving way at a micro roundabout, in the middle of the lane since I was about to turn 270degrees.

um, clashed mirrors a couple of times & once dreamed into the back of a VW bug.

Frihed89

All my problems have been driving in Copenhagen. I have been knocked off my cycle twice, but never seriously injured. American motorists are generally much more cautious and coutreous than european motorists with regard to giving room to cycles. Motorists in Copenhagen have to contend with traffic, pedestrians and cyclists in the bike lanes when they turn across the traffic. Many cyclists in Copenhagen are absolutely crazy. Many more bad accidents in the cycle lanes are caused by other cyclists, overtaking wildly, than cars turning across traffic.

yrbjr

My favorite was when I came down a winding canyon road just outside of Denver. A woman had been following me for nearly 2 miles as I was holding the speed limit (I have experiance on this canyon, and there is no possibility of dogs or small children, just bucking yourself over a gaurd rail.) We got out of the canyon and into a small community where she turned right in front of me-no turn signal, no looking over her shoulder, no looking in the rearview mirror. I knew it was coming, but it happened so fast that all I could do was try to turn with her, but my back wheel clipped the curb as I was jumping up. I highsided, and buried my helmet into her rear fender. It was a gas station, so of course she stopped and came around and asked if I was ok. I was so I got up and rode on. She drove on with a helmet imprint in her fender.

FreeHueco

Yesterday I was riding through downtown, hauling ass and obeying the rules..

Anyway, as I was approaching my right turn, this car cuts me off, so I swerve to avoid it and see a door opening on a parked car in front of me.. I slammed on my brakes, hitting the open door at about 5 mph. The guy in the car apologized. I said, "It's not your fault, someone else cut me off". And chased down the person who cut me off and gave her a piece of my mind.

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