May 12th, 2016, riding through Chelmsford, MA I was hit by a car, well, I struck the car, is what the police report says, and that's true. I hit the passenger door as he was taking a left turn. There was a line of stopped traffic in the direction I was traveling in, and a truck and car (looking back I actually remember the big truck not moving to let the car pass through, I'm not sure how I remember) parted just enough so that he could get through the intersection, so I didn't see him and he didn't see me, probably because of the big truck. I had a green light, I'm not sure if he did. I don't think either of us hit the brakes until after the collision, well I would have if I could reach them.
I should have suffered more injuries, I'm extremely lucky. I flipped through the air, and I'm still not sure how I landed. I just remember that my feet were over my head at one point and I ended up sitting on the pavement looking back at the direction I was riding from. As I was sitting there I saw my bike fly through the air, vertically, and crash down in front of me with the back wheel pointing towards me. I just stood up walked to the sidewalk and took my helmet off.
The driver was very considerate. He pulled over and we exchanged information, and someone else called the police to send an officer. So we both waited for him. He basically just documented what happened, took our info, and made sure we exchanged information. He asked me for my license, called it into the station over the radio and handed back to me and started to take some notes. It didn't seem like he was going to take the driver's license information until I asked him if he was. No tickets were issued. The officer also asked if I needed an ambulance and I said "I'm not sure yet." Then it came up that an ambulance ride would be expensive, and I said that the driver's insurance would cover that. The officer then said that it would only be covered by the driver's insurance if he was found at fault, and he said he didn't think this was the driver's fault. That actually made me mad. First of all, all Massachusetts drivers have PIP (personal injury protection) that would cover an ambulance ride at no fault to either party, so the officer didn't know this. Also I don't think he should be saying anything about fault at the scene of an accident, the police report seemed a bit biased. Also, fuck you for insinuating to a cyclist that he might be at fault for an accident where he just flew 15 ft through the air.
Luckily another co-worker was driving by and one of my fellow riders flagged him down and he gave me a ride to the nearest commuter rail station to get a ride from another friend on the other end.
Everyone kept asking me "Are you ok?!" And I wasn't sure. I just checked to make sure I wasn't in pain, bleeding, no bones sticking out. I didn't respond, I still wasn't sure. I walked around and people kept asking "Are you ok?!" I still wasn't sure, but I felt fine. I just remember other people's stories where they are involved in a crash, feel fine at first, and then notice an injury later. I straightened the handle bars, checked the front wheel (still not sure how it still has air, it was brand new and now bent slightly), and actually rode the bike for a couple seconds to see how I felt. Squeezing the left brake lever caused a little soreness in my left hand now. I didn't hit my head, my back, or my butt, I felt like I needed time to just see what injuries are setting in. I didn't want to leave without being sure I didn't injure myself and then have the insurance company ask my "Why wasn't this in the report?"
It just seemed like "Are you ok?!" wasn't the question to be asked in that situation. "Are you bleeding?", "did you hit your head?", "can you see straight?" seem more appropriate. My hand didn't hurt until a couple hours later, when it swelled up, and I thought it was broken. The x-ray came back and showed no fractures or broken bones, but it still hurt a couple days later and was slightly swollen. Other than that, the injuries are very minor, just some bruises and scrapes. I didn't want to say I was ok when I wasn't sure.
The toughest part about this was getting the doctor's office visit (x-ray) covered and the repairs to my bike, too. I actually waited until the next morning to get the x-ray done because the emergency room was the only place I could have gone and I didn't want to chance paying exorbitant prices for an x-ray; the doctor on call said I probably didn't break my hand (without having an x-ray done yet, but she turned out to be right, even though it was my call not to go to the emergency room).
Josh Zisson, the bike lawyer, really helped me out though, he took care of everything communicating with the insurance company, how I should get my bike repaired to make sure it was covered, and made sure the auto insurance covered everything.
It was a pretty crazy experience all-around, but I know most crashes are much worse than mine. So I am thankful it wasn't worse.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Peace flags
Shenendoah was a great little town to ride through. The them there was "Peace, Love, Bikes." They painted little bikes and wheels and hung them from the light posts, these peace flags were down in the center of town, I really enjoyed the theme there. There was a car filled with flowers and I got my face painted with flowers.
It was the only place I was able to get a free shower (with a hose, and a suggested donation). It was all I needed though, wash the shorts off at the same time.
There was also a double rainbow while we were listening to a band play Purple Rain. It was a really great night there.
There was also a train in the middle of the night.
Outhouses
We were lucky enough to have these outhouses available on the route! More privacy than a corn field, and soy bean field! A lot of people were signing their names. There were a few places to sign your name in different towns on quilts, maps, poster board, signs. It was pretty cool to be able to leave your mark.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Loading up in Muscatine
At the high school in Muscatine, Iowa. Got here a little early, but we'll be able to sleep on the bus. The airbnb was great, no trains in the middle of the night this time. It's hot... And muggy. It will still be fun though. We'll take the bus to Glenwood and see the madness that ensues there!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Journey to Iowa 7/21
We're still on the road, in Illinois on I-80. The bikes on the back of the car make me a little nervous, but they're hanging in there. The closer we get to Iowa, the more corn we see, and also soy beans? Landscape is really flattening out here now too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)