BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

That sucks man, sorry to hear it. Take it easy. I guess consider yourself lucky. Were there any witnesses? Helmet cam?

Sorry. Hope they catch the turd. Glad you're mostly ok.

Crapola. Glad you're in one piece, Pierce.

It sucks. Get better.

Stinks. Please don't hesitate to get checked out if your soreness doesn't improve.

I'm curious about the "kind of" run part of the title. Glad you are okay, Pierce. Drivers have been *really* pissing me off lately.

I was riding along Second Ave towards Greenfield after a long day of work… my last day of work, after many years of safely navigating down this very road. I thought about my family and continued pedaling as normal (Just kidding about last day of work/family, would have been good for some retirony though.) It was now about 10:30pm. I decided against going on the SS trail because I didn’t feel like walking through snow and wasn’t sure of the condition of the trail. The streets were quiet and there were hardly any cars on the road. I don’t even think I was passed by any cars from the Glenwood Bridge up until the accident happened…

So I was merrily cycling along Second Ave, close to home, and an oncoming car slowed down to make a left turn onto Hazelwood. With a blazing green light and the seeming recognition that I existed, I continued on through the intersection, only to discover that the oncoming car wasn’t in fact going to stop, which I didn’t realize until the car was about a foot away from me, at what seemed to be a nearly perpendicular collision course. A split second later, there was a loud bang (according to a witness) and we had collided.

I’m not quite sure what happened at that moment. My front wheel was bent up, my left knee acquired abrasions, my right pelvis area was pretty damn sore, and my right ring finger got this weird blood thing under the skin too and is also sore. Luckily, I didn’t seem to hit my head and I’m guessing the guy slammed on the brakes.

At that point I think I’m like “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” kind of like when you stub your toe or something and refrain from using profanity. The guy gets out of the car and is like “Are you okay!” At this point, some cars kind of congregate around us, but manage to get around. He moves my bike over to the light pole and I ask if I can sit in his car for a moment, which I’m pretty sure he says, okay, and so I do. (I think I was also wary of him running off, which being in his car would help alleviate.) He had a female passenger, but she didn’t say anything. I was in the back seat. At this point he drove up a little bit further up Hazelwood to park his car out of the intersection. I also picked up a piece of his bumper, a kind of grille next to the fog light and put it in his back seat. I think I talk about calling an ambulance for statistical purposes/bike infrastructure funding.

So we get out again and go over and look at my bike and he asks me again if I’m okay. I say yeah, just kind of sore. We kind of look at my bike and we think just the front wheel is bent. (I think my back wheel got out of true also to a lesser degree, but I’ll have to take a closer look later) He offers to give me a hundred dollars for the wheel, which is a pretty decent price considering I think I traded two freeride hours for it. So I agree. I then go back to the car and look around the front to see if there is any other damage to his car. He gets back into the car and rolls down his window and asks if everything is okay with the car. At this point I tell him about the grille and said I put the part in his back seat and he says something like “And you put it in the back seat?” I say yes and then he drives up Hazelwood.

Like a scene from Alias, I try to remember the plate as it’s getting quickly and increasingly smaller and then run over to my bike to pull out my notepad and write it down. (<

The car was an Audi four door sedan, driver in his mid to late 30’s, plate partial JDJ-6263. I’m not sure whether or not I’m going to bother looking for this guy, but if he was heading home, he probably lives on some side street of Hazelwood. $100 might be too much. $50 might be more reasonable. Maybe I can haggle with him.

http://bike-pgh.org/bbpress/topic/anyone-with-a-smartphone-and-wire-hanger-can-record-their-rides

^this: "b) don't feel like having another thing to mess around with when leaving/arriving ..."

Every "thing" I have to dick around with adds more drag to the act of getting out and riding.

Glad you're OK Pierce.

I don't know that it was a con, exactly, but I think the whole time that Pierce is looking at the car for damage (silly boy, that was the driver's responsibility), the driver and his girlfriend were trying to figure out how to make this all go away. So, with Pierce out of the car (and all the pieces of their car IN the car), they simply put the car in gear and left the scene.

Techincally, they did not share contact or insurance information. The victim (Pierce) MAY have mentioned something about requesting an ambulance, and if he did, the driver did nothing to a) call, b) ask his silent girlfriend to call c) get Pierce's phone from the pannier and let Pierce call, or d) ask a bystander to call. Failing in all those responsibilities, I think there is no "kind of" here. I think it qualifies as a hit and run, albeit one that perhaps happened in a weird time warp, or by degrees.

"What you do in the immediate aftermath of the accident may have a big impact on how much you recover for your injuries and damage to your bike. It may also affect the outcome of any lawsuits resulting from the accident.

Here's what to do.

Wait for the Police to Arrive

It is vital that you wait for police to arrive at the accident scene so that they can take and file a police report -- even if you think you are not injured. Some cyclists don't realize they've been injured until several hours after the accident. And sometimes seemingly minor injuries later develop into serious and permanent problems. If you leave the accident scene, you may never be able to identify the at-fault driver.

Don't attempt to negotiate with the driver. Many drivers initially apologize and accept blame, only to later deny their negligence or even deny they were present at the accident. Instead, wait for the police to come so they can document everything in the police report. Another advantage of waiting for the police: They may ticket the driver, which may be useful in settling the case with the insurance company.

Get Your Version of Events into the Accident Report

Sometimes, the police officer will take a statement from the motorist and not bother to talk to the cyclist. Do everything you can to get your side of the story into the police report. And by all means, report all of your injuries, no matter how minor. Remember, those minor injuries may later become more serious.

If, despite your efforts, the police refuse to include your statement in the accident report, you can later have the report amended.

Obtain Driver and Witness Contact Information

If possible, get the name of the automobile driver, as well as his or her address, phone number, driver's license number, vehicle license number, and insurance information. In addition, try to get names and contact information for everyone who witnessed the accident. Don't assume the police report will include all of this information -- it might not. If you are injured and cannot get this information yourself, ask a bystander to do it for you.

Document What Happened

If you can, make mental notes about the accident: what happened; how it happened; where it occurred; when it occurred; and road, traffic, and weather conditions. Then, as soon as you are able, write all this information down. (To learn more about preserving evidence, see the article Take Notes After an Accident or Injury.)

Document Your Injuries

Seek immediate medical attention for your injuries, even if they are minor. The fact that you sought medical attention will serve as proof that you were injured, and medical records will document the extent of those injuries. Have several photos taken of your injuries as soon as possible after the accident. Start a journal of your physical symptoms and make entries every few days.

Preserve Evidence

Leave your bike and other damaged property in the same state as after the accident -- don't attempt to fix anything or have anything inspected. Don't wash your clothing. And don't send your bike, helmet, or any other equipment to anyone other than your attorney. Take photos of your damaged equipment. (To learn more, see the article Personal Injury Accidents: Preserve Evidence.)

Seek Advice from a Professional

Many accidents between bikes and cars involve complex legal issues. You may want to consult a personal injury attorney who understands bicycling or has handled bike accident cases. (To learn more about finding an attorney, see Finding a Personal Injury Lawyeror go straight to Nolo's lawyer directory.) Such an attorney can:

•advise you on how to proceed

•negotiate with the insurance companies, or

•represent you in a lawsuit.

Don't communicate with the insurance companies before consulting an attorney. Anything you say to the insurance company could be used against you later. Sometimes a letter from an attorney to the insurance company will resolve issues while avoiding legal pitfalls. In fact, most injury cases are settled without ever going to trial."

I'm trying to figure out how to handle the situation Pierce was in, with a possibly flighty driver. It might be a good idea to ask to sit inside the guy's car and fake injury until the police get there (oh, man, I don't feel so good. Could you call the police, please?) I think it would be less likely that the driver would throw you out of his car and then take off if he thought you were really injured. As far as the phone goes, usually there's other people standing around so you could ask one of them to call the police. The key thing being if you think the driver is going to vamoose do something to keep them there until the police arrive.

Also, my phone, wallet, and keys never leave my person, except for showers and other nakedness, in the event of an accident, if I get separated from the bike, knocked unconscious, bike-jacked, whatever. Just saying, something to think about.

I have contact and emergency information in a little neon-yellow holder on my helmet. Sort of like this http://www.vitalid.ca/product-category/motorcycle-id/ so that I am never separated from that. That is, unless I no longer have the helmet on. Or I've been decapitated.

if youve been decapitated, would you say "me and my head" or "me and my body"? what right does your body have to call itself "you"?

that was probably a little tasteless given the circumstances, but it is a favorite (paraphrased) quote of mine. its from a polanski film, which i never saw. i heard it as a sample in a skinny puppy song.

glad youre ok, pierce

if youve been decapitated, would you say "me and my head" or "me and my body"? what right does your body have to call itself "you"?

The bit that still has ID is you. The other bit can't prove who it is.

Glad it wasn't worse, Pierce.

The bit that still has ID is you. The other bit can't prove who it is.

And if you've have been decapitated naked?

That's why you should always wear a helmet with your ID in it when you're going to be decapitated naked.

@Mikhail And if you've have been decapitated naked?

I HATE when that happens.