Unlucky...Lucky Day

[baltiace1]

Had an accident around 7am this morning with my ebike and a S10 pickup truck... Guess who won? The bike is pretty much totalled. Front wheel bent, front disc brake warpped/locked, handlebars 90 degrees from wheel, derailleur/chain toast, and battery busted...that's just from a glance. Myself, I ended up with mostly scapes, bruises, and what I hope to just be a really swollen bowling ball sized knee (X-rays negative ). Can't put any weight on it at the moment so I think my commuting is going by car for a while.

The scary thing is I'm not sure if this accident could of been avoided. I was traveling down a pretty low traffic main through street at 15 to 20mph and the truck came from another side street from my left. I saw him stopping at the stop sign and turned my head to look on the right for other cars. He must of gunned it to get across the road. NEVER SAW ME..that's what he said and I believe him. Only thing in I could do in that second was slam the brakes. I probably still hit him going at least 10mph going over the handlebars and eventually landing on my side and knee. Lucky for me I hit the side of his truck and didn't get ran over from the side (brakes saved me that at least).
It was totally light outside with good visibility. I had green flourent reflective vest/gloves/belt/leg straps and two bright 350 lum Cygolites flashing. The cop told me the guy was a 65 year old grandfather going to his daughters house to babysit her kids. He called 911 and seemed pretty shaken up...kind of feel sorry for him. He had insurance and was cited at fault so we'll see how that goes with the medical bills and bike repairs.

Lucky part was I was near town and the fire truck took 5 minutes to get there. The police and ambulance were less than 5 minutes later. A good Samaritan stopped and helped me get out of the road. She even took my banged up dirty bike to her house in her brand new Mini Cooper (not sure how it fit). I already ordered her a thank you basket for being so awesome.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. As this event shows no matter what you do you can still be invisible to drivers! Wear a helmet as well....didn't get a scratch or bruise on my head as the helmet skidded on the road.

 

[Ykick]

The average cage driver doesn't see anything that isn't a threat to themselves. It's a selfish world out there and you can never, ever assume a cager has seen you and/or will grant your right of way. Good thing you're still with us and heads' not much worse for wear/tear.

'hope the knee heals quickly and you learned an important lesson that you never let your guard down or assume anything from idiots behind the wheel of hurtling machinery!

 

[rojitor]

I'm sorry to read this baltiace1 but as you posted at the topic you have been relatively lucky. We need all senses to ride, i have always my fingers on the brakes, that scared kitten attitude saved me twice so far from a crash, they looked at me and crossed as i never existed i guess most of the car drivers asume you can stop in time.
Take care pal

 

[oatnet]

Lucky Day, Glad you are OK.

The scary thing is I'm not sure if this accident could of been avoided...
I saw him stopping at the stop sign and turned my head to look on the right for other cars.

In this case, you dismissed the threat because he was stopping, and you ASSUMED he would not pull out because you expected him to see you.

no matter what you do you can still be invisible to drivers

In MSF's BRC, they teach 'ride like you are invisible.' I did that for a while, until I realized that slogan underestimates the problem, because I am only thinking about the hazards I see.

Now my slogan is "Ride like they are out to get me". I imagine a coordinated team of combat drivers that are hiding, waiting to jump out when I am distracted, and knock me down. This gets me thinking about the hazards I DON'T see. It takes a fair amount of additional concentration, but it makes the ride sort of a video game, and riding paranoid like that has saved my ass a few times already.

 

[baltiace1]

I'm sorry to read this baltiace1 but as you posted at the topic you have been relatively lucky. We need all senses to ride, i have always my fingers on the brakes, that scared kitten attitude saved me twice so far from a crash, they looked at me and crossed as i never existed i guess most of the car drivers asume you can stop in time.
Take care pal

Thanks, yeah I normally have my fingers resting on the brakes as habit. Funny thing is I just got new Avid BB7s that was going to use to replace the stock Promax discs this weekend. The Promax aren't terrible but they don't give you lock the wheel / fling you off the bike type of braking power. I don't think the Avids would of prevented the accident but they probably would of slowed me down at point of impact.

 

[neptronix]

Oatnet, +1!!

I ride that way always.. and it pains me to see anyone ride different. In 11 years of bicycle riding, that has been always my motto. Assume they never see you and that they are going to hit you.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, baltiace1. It's good news when you are more worried about the guy in the truck

 

[Zoot Katz]

What was your lane position?
Drivers look only where they expect to see traffic, ie. not the gutter or bike lane.

 

[dogman dan]

Lucky a car contact wasn't worse for sure. I am one wary rider, but I could have done the same thing. He stopped, so then you took your eyes off him to look for the other hazard that could have been there, a speeding car not stopping at the sign to your right.

Just goes to show, like Oatnet said, ride like they are out to kill you. I do.

One thing does jump out at me on your story. You say you saw the truck stop, but you don't mention eye contact with the driver. Look at their eyes if you can, I bet you could have seen him decide to go. But likely still too late. You can tell by the face if they don't see you. It gives you a sporting chance.

Stopping is not your only option in this situation, and possibly the least likely to work, Learn how to lock the rear brake, and steer the skid into a hockey stop. Stopping distance is shortened by at least the length of your bike. Then kick a huge dent in the guys door to complete your stop.( even if you don't need it) Very satisfying, I've done it twice. Even more fun if the guy gets out of the car and wants you to pay for the door.

It can also be possible to simply steer a skid around behind the car, and thread the needle between any other traffic present. A straight stop is not going to work unless you are crawling at 10 mph.

 

[baltiace1]

What was your lane position?
Drivers look only where they expect to see traffic, ie. not the gutter or bike lane.

I was about 3 to 4 feet from the curb, but its a wide lane probably like 12 ft. I was definitely on the edge of typical car traffic.

One thing does jump out at me on your story. You say you saw the truck stop, but you don't mention eye contact with the driver. Look at their eyes if you can, I bet you could have seen him decide to go. But likely still too late. You can tell by the face if they don't see you. It gives you a sporting chance.

Ski Helmet and Ski Goggles (yellow) being that its winter. I doubt he could see my eyes through my Goggles...I don't think he saw me period.

Lots of hard lessons learned here. I'll have at least a few weeks to think about what I could do better. I agree the most important thing is the mindset that they're trying to kill me.

 

[ohzee]

Glad you are here to post bud.. Yea Id chalk that up as lucky and also like life a learning experience.

keep us updated on your progress.

 

[oatnet]

Its amazing how drivers don't see us, I've made eye contact with drivers, riding down the center of the road on my moto, and STILL had them pull out in front of me. What we really need something to make the invisible, visible.

One thing that always grabs my attention is boobs. It's instinctual, hormonal and hardwired, heck, I bet you started this post with the last sentence just because it said 'boobs'. Anyhow, has anyone tried strapping a pair of fake giant boobs over their jacket? Unless you already have REAL giant boobs, and have never been a man, then feel free to skip the jacket.

I bet SUVs would be driving into trees instead of us. :lol:

-JD

 

[amberwolf]

Remember those helmets with pictures on them?

 

[Ypedal]

Accidents happen every single say, cars, trucks, pedestrians, cyclists, it's a fact of life..

It's best to put the odds in your favour tho, helmet +1, gloves always, and i agree with oatnet, i ride like i'm in a video game and the objective of everyone else is to run me down and i have to survive, i ride on the defensive at all times...

I have monthly close calls but thankfully i rarely crashed these last few years, broke 2 rear wheels in december, kept it upright both times thanks to good gear and lady luck.

I hate pain, it hurts me..

 

[LI-ghtcycle]

Glad you're still with us! My father's last major accident happened much the same way, but he didn't see the car since he had just happened to look down at his cycle computer when she pulled across both lanes of the major road, didn't see him, just felt a bump as he piled into the back fender.

The helmet was smashed, but dad was ok, just banged up.

I had a close call tonight in the rain coming home from the LBS with a front wheel on the back, and I was going down a road, and in the rain it was impossible to see the driver's eyes, but it's likely he didn't see me either until he started to pull away from the stop, fortunately he saw me as soon as he started going and stopped.

I have one of the most visible bikes around, with lights on the front, rear and sides, so it's really true, just ride like they are out to get you, in many years of motorcycle riding I learned these lessons too fortunately, only one really close call (while riding a scooter that was legally a "motorcycle" since it was 80CC) and I was able to avoid a car taking my lane by braking hard, and that was the day I decided I needed to be able to go faster to be safe and got a real motorcycle.

That's why I don't ride my E-Bike much faster than a typical bicycle, people just aren't expecting 30 MPH from a bicycle.

 

[veloman]

What was your lane position?
Drivers look only where they expect to see traffic, ie. not the gutter or bike lane.

This is very true.

I have a VERY hard time believing you are not incredibly visable wearing that neon green jacket and with high power headlights. Those jackets are blinding.


I wouldn't get all worked up - to anyone who feels hopeless now about being seen. I wear a solid red jacket (not crazy visible like those neon ones) and I very rarely ever have anyone pulling in front of me. I think this was just a case of bad luck/timing with a driver who didn't actually look and likely could have visual impairments.

But yeah, if you are going a decent speed and don't have to be waaay to the right, try to ride closer to the center of the lane if traffic allows.

 

[Zoot Katz]

What was your lane position?
Drivers look only where they expect to see traffic, ie. not the gutter or bike lane.

This is very true.

I have a VERY hard time believing you are not incredibly visable wearing that neon green jacket and with high power headlights. Those jackets are blinding.


I wouldn't get all worked up - to anyone who feels hopeless now about being seen. I wear a solid red jacket (not crazy visible like those neon ones) and I very rarely ever have anyone pulling in front of me. I think this was just a case of bad luck/timing with a driver who didn't actually look and likely could have visual impairments.

But yeah, if you are going a decent speed and don't have to be waaay to the right, try to ride closer to the center of the lane if traffic allows.

Standing up to pedal is another way to improve your chance of being seen when you're in that situation. It reinforces the idea that you're moving.
Drivers can look but that doesn't mean they're seeing you. They're watching for cars so their brains aren't trained to spot bicycles.
The bright headlight and neon colour might get their attention if it's where they're looking.
There are times of day too when the sun's angle renders cagers blind.

I prefer dayglo fluorescent hot-pink. It's a pleasant colour so holds the observers' eye longer than the other neons.
People give me lots of room figuring I'm addled.

 

[dogman dan]

I can usually see it in the face of the driver when they see you. That's why the eye contact thing matters. You can see decisions being made sometimes too. The face may say, I see you, Now I'm going to go before you When I see that aggro driver face, I know damn well he's going to try to kill me.

Other times, they look right at you, but never see you. I did it once 35 years ago with a cement truck. How the hell did I look and not see a cement truck barreling at me? Brain was asleep at that moment.

Anyway, that catatonic look on the drivers face is another red flag to watch out for! It doesn't matter if he sees your eyes. I mean look at thier faces. All turn signals should be considered a lie btw. Which way the wheels point is a better indicator.

 

[Ykick]

And then you have extra ignorant drivers who don't know or care about target fixation and when they see something new, different or odd they fixate on it and steer directly towards it. 'hope it's not a bike rider?

I'm a HUGE proponent of MSF teachings but based on 300k miles on street bikes the "high visibility" thing is a little over rated IMHO. I only want to be seen and/or heard on my terms because you never know when Oscar Grope will make an appearance and stare right for you!

 

[dogman dan]

More than a few Mr Magoo drivers here, in retirementland, that's for sure.

 

[docnjoj]

Yep! The most dangerous driver that I know are the blue hairs who can barely see over the steering wheel driving '75 Buicks. I was also almost hit by a teen driver running a stop sign. He just missed me as I stood on my trkes nose stopping. He was trying to keep up with his friend in front who also ran the stop sign. This in my neighborhood. At least he apologised to my wife who was behind me on her trike.
otherDoc

 

[baltiace1]

Well recovering is going well but a bit slow for my liking. First session of PT today was painful but strangely in kind of a good way. Everyday the knee feels stronger but still a bit swollen which I think is the main limitation to my range of motion. It can bear about half my weight without pain....steps are a bit@# though. Hopefully, by the end of the week I can ditch the crutches and just limp on with a crane. Orthopedic Doc I'm seeing is rather conservative and wants to try PT for a few weeks before ordering up a MRI.. I'm hoping is he's right and I haven't torn anything or other internal damage (ER Xray is all I got).

Anyways, no word from the drivers insurance on the bike damage since I sent pictures and list of damaged stuff early last week. They wanted me to take it to a bike shop to get a written estimate from a professional. I'm not going to do that until I can physically lift the bike in my truck which may be a couple of weeks.

So now I'm searching for a bike shop that can also do minor electric kit work (battery and controller destoried). Pain in the butt in my opinion since a new replacement bike is less than $1300 (Prodeco Phantom X) which I think should be easily exceeded with labor a new front shock, front wheel, front brakes, frame, and battery. Anyone live in Baltimore / Washington DC area that can recommend one?