Hit an animal last night!

Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Messages
113
Location
Dorset uk
Hi folks,

I had the scare of my life last night. I was riding down an old railway line on my way home from a mates. Its paved, fairly narrow and pitch black. My small front light wasn't really cutting it. I hear a rustling in the bushes on the left, saw a flash of white or grey then my front wheel was taken out left to right. Didn't make it to the brake levers. IT FELT LIKE I HIT A HORSE! The wheel went right, I went left, Managed to step over the bike and land on my feet. Stood for a second (bike on floor) and heard whatever it was scampering off into the bushes on the right. I was adrenalined up, felt like I just necked a couple of redbulls!

I think it was a badger (plenty of em here in the UK) I was running through what animals it could have been.. Fox, Cat, Dog, Horse (lol), Cow (lol) but the white/grey flash makes me think badger.

The bike: My front wheel is ever so slightly buckled and ive got a new dent on my left bar end.

Me: Twisted left ankle and knee and a hell of a reality check.

I will be going slower on narrow dark paths from now on.

I revisited the site today but no sign of badger..

Im sorry mistah badger I didn't mean to hurt you..

Anyone else had a moment with an animal?

Thanks.
A very shaken up Matt.
 
I was out on my Stealth Bomber one night going down the river side cycle paths near the city centre, the rabbits where out in force and several times I had to brake because they ran across my path, one was not so lucky, I road killed a bunny on my bike! straight across its neck bump bump, fortunately I stayed on the bike!

Many years ago riding a moped, 1978!! :shock: I swerved to miss a cat and hit the dog that was chasing it! straight over the handle bars, it stopped the moped dead! the dog was fine!!

I bet being taken by surprise by a badger was a hell of a shock!!
 
I hit an animal once.. When I still was driving that antique thingee. Animal involved appeared to be of the human variety. Turns out he was drunk enough to not feel his broken ankle, and was running across the road to catch a bus (Bus was northbound, me/my vehicle both southbound. This was in the dark, he wearing dark clothing.) Technically, it was HE that ran into the side of MY car. Cops told me at the time just to go home. It was only much later that I got a telephone call from an ambulance chaser (aka "lawyer").
L
 
Scare of my life, Wastings and Pain in V-Town, BC...yup the gutter. Walking n chilling near Oppenheimer Park and some big buff ripped black dude cracked out on the stoop with his shirt off comes running and aiming his fist to my head, thankfully I am tall, he is short, I duck and he hits my shoulder, next thing I know his crack head tarional thinking buddy pulls him back, I take a few steps out into the street and look back, everything is cool. I walk away, looking back every now and then and see the cracker walking my way, but towards some other people across the street. Next the cop shows up.

Another scare was biking down a ski resort mountain in the summer, came across a black bear and her cubs. Now that scared me, a little more then any small animal would, but I hear their are cougars in Hollywood. :wink:
 
I've had close encounters with rattle snakes and yesterday a couple of coyotes crossed the road a couple hundred feet in front of me. I swear one time I saw a mountain lion walking off the road and into the brush a few years ago. Needless to say I turned around and decided I'd ridden long enough for one day.
 
Matt, good thing you were going slowly, but how can you go slower than a crash where you land on your feet?
 
Sorry about your leg, and I would bet mister badger (or what ever it is) is probably ok as well. Unless he is dead in the brush and hasn't started stinking yet. :shock:

I have hit a couple of dogs on pedal bikes in the past. Both were dogs that ran into the street and into my path before I could stop. Both dogs were OK, but one hit did send me to the pavement. I ended up with scrapes and bruises and an apology from the dogs owner. :roll:

One early morning after a major earthquake all the street lights in my area of Los Angeles off and while I was driving to my mothers to see that she was ok, I accidentally ran over a mourning dove that was obviously scared and disoriented by the large quake. I guess I may have been also because I didn't see it in time. I heard it thump around under the car. I stopped to see if I had killed it but I never found it. I guess it was able to fly away.

Then there was the night a couple of buddy's and me were trail riding across the Santa Monica mountains from North Santa Monica to the valley. We were riding our motorcycles along the fire roads and hiking trails that existed there at the time. (it wasn't legal exactly but nobody was around to catch us. :lol: ) As we approached the old city dump along the Sepulveda pass frogs started streaming across the trail by the thousands. It was like thousands of leaves blowing across a trail in a stiff fall wind. There was no way to avoid them. We were all swerving like crazy to avoid them but we didn't miss all of them and being the third bike in line left me with a 1/2 mile or so of frog guts all over me and my bike. :oops:

I guess my worst with hitting-an-animal story was when I hit a dog on the open highway between Los Angeles and Phoenix Arizona. My girlfriend's father had died and she and her brothers had flown to Phoenix to be with their mother. I was charged with driving her pick-up truck to have a truck there for moving stuff out of her dads house. I had gotten a later start then I wanted and found myself at the California / Arizona border at dusk. I was traveling at about 75 mph when suddenly a very large dog suddenly darted out of the brush along the side of the road and right into my path. I slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve but I hit the dog. BOOM!!! The dog went flying through the air off to the right. There happened to be an exit about a 1/4 mile up the road and I used that to circle back to see if the dog was alive but by the time I got to the dog it was dead. Probably died on impact. That is when I noticed the damage to my girlfriends truck. The finder and bumper were thoroughly smashed. I felt terrible but there was nothing I could do but drive away. And, I was so shaken up by the ordeal that I wasn't watching my speed and got pulled over by the Arizona Highway Patrol a few miles into Arizona and given a ticket for speeding. That whole trip to Phoenix was a bad. I cost me money to pay the speeding fine, money to fix my girlfriends truck, and the dog it's life.

:|
 
John in CR said:
Matt, good thing you were going slowly, but how can you go slower than a crash where you land on your feet?


Thats just it! I only crashed at 3x walking pace and still twisted myself right up.

Badgers, rabbits, pigeons, dogs, and coyotes; THEIR ALL OUT TO GET US!

I keep thinking a brighter light would have lit up the path better and maybe I wouldnt have hit it but then freak accidents arent called freak for nothing. I can only try and be more aware whilst riding and look for the next hazzard to jump out. We are at the mercy of many things on two wheels.

If only there was a way of encasing the rider with a big heavy metal box.... :wink:

Keep safe everyone.
 
What I would like to see is a cow catcher type device...
Or in your case, a badger catcher :lol:
 
muffinman said:
What I would like to see is a cow catcher type device...
Or in your case, a badger catcher :lol:

Dang. No funky fur hat, coat collar, etc? (grumble grumble)
L
 
See lots of wildlife, near misses only so far; except for a mammoth moth that hit me in the face one night, sending me into the curb and onto the soft, wet grass of the parkway. :oops:
Coyotes, skunks, snakes, squirrels, owls, racoons, hawks, pelicans, gulls, rats, possums, lizards, ducks, geese, bees and gnats: to name a few.
A good headlight helps to spot and avoid road kill at night, as well as keeping one from becoming road kill. :evil:
 
Wascally rabbits! I’ve yet hit one, but there’s been many a close shave in the dark, or sitting right on the edge of the path – darting out at the last moment. I don’t want to think of what would happen at 35 mph, although I doubt my wheel would take much damage. I’ve hit curbs at about half that speed and didn’t bend the rim, so I image a furry soft rabbit would likely be summarily crushed, though I hates the thought of it nonetheless.

Really what I need to do is replace the headlights with brighter/wider coverage and flush the little guys out sooner. My present setup appears to be dimming. Have the replacement lights; they’re 3X brighter each, however they’re not direct screw-on replacements and as such do not adapt well to the existing hardware. <sigh> It’s another project in progress.

Riding without a fricasseeing rabbit license, KF
 
BTW... Anybuddy? I have almost enough pelts to make the gal pal that coat she's always talking about. (Also, if mailing to me, pls label package "Fresh meat", as the postman gets upset when they get too stunky.)

EDIT: Sorry! Should have said *skunky*, or *stinky*.

THANKS!
 
Velomobile = Peoples Attention = Cops Attention = Legal Limit on motor watts = no fun!!!!!
 
calab said:
Velomobile = Peoples Attention = Cops Attention = Legal Limit on motor watts = no fun!!!!!

Gotta work on that water positive flotation for that Velomobile...
L
 
LockH said:
BTW... Anybuddy? I have almost enough pelts to make the gal pal that coat she's always talking about. (Also, if mailing to me, pls label package "Fresh meat", as the postman gets upset when they get too stunky.)

EDIT: Sorry! Should have said *skunky*, or *stinky*.

THANKS!

Sorry folks! Should have added, I wish to add a tag "No ebikers were harmed or used in the making of this garment."
L
 
Tying in another thread for reference: E-bike Roadkill? No, just Roadstunned

I hit a raccoon tonight on the way home; not at all thrilled :(

I was on a short stretch of road that divides the urban part of Redmond from the rural part, and there's a moderately large stream ("Bear Creek") in close proximity. I have rarely seen critters cross here before, although once I saw deer on the leeward side where wildlife should be.

This is really dreadful to explain:
At least two raccoons bolted out from the shadows directly in front of me. I had installed the new headlights earlier this evening (thread starts here) which enabled me to see well ahead. There was just enough time to tap brakes to avoid hitting the larger raccoon (perhaps male?), but the second one in line got the full force of my 127 lb. ebike smack down about the head and neck, stopping that critter's forward motion, and the rear tire caught it too. I did not feel any "crunch"; it was more like lumpy hard dirt... and the force of the impact did little to alter my forward motion which was at least 35 mph.

I tried to look back though could not tell if the creature became roadkill. That section of road has a middle median w/o opportunity to pull a U and go back... which would bring up a new set of issues: I have trapped raccoons before when I had the tree farm. They were intruding on my domain and taking over at a time when I needed to protect my domestic critters (a fancy way of saying I gots house pets). Raccoons are dirty nasty creatures, and they smell terribly. They do not fear humans, and you don't want to get bit.

Much as I dislike raccoons though, no critter deserves to get hit. There might have been more family in tow - but I never saw them.

Mixed-up and sad; it's my first critter hit in a long time, though maybe not my first on the ebike... I'd have to think about that.

I fear that somewhere there's a furry guy w/o his mate, and I am the cause. KF
 
I came very close to hitting a squirrel on my emoto this morning, at 35mph. He must have been inches away. Squirrels aim for you, I swear.
 
3 weeks ago i was riding at night when all of a sudden a cat ran straight across the path as i was doing 35kmh and ran straight into my rear wheel. I felt the hit but the bike hardly moved at all, I didnt bother to stop because i dont like cats out at night as all they are doing is catching birds and other animals. I would stop for a dog though.

What i see alot of when im riding through the paperbark trees on my local lake path at night are Owls or even Tawny frogmouths (Owl like). They tend to fly down past my head using my bike light to catch moths that they can see when i pass them bye. The 1st time this happened i nearly jumped out of my skin as it passed my head within a foot or so swooping at the moths.
 
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