Ever Been hit by a Car?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Khlash
Ok so who's been hit or hit a car while riding. ("car" includes trucks, buses, rv's, motorcycles, go carts, etc..)

On different rides.. most of the above are applicable so I'm
not voting.

hippy

yes, been hit two times over the last year

First time was no big problem, just bent the frame on one of my trashy bikes I use to go to the pub (I was on my way there so honestly, not my fault🙂 ). Car was pulling out but forgot to look my way. The driver admitted it was his fault and compensated for the damages (50 euros, which was probably too much).

Second time was on my roadbike, riding two abreast with my father (perfectly legal around here) when a car with a trailer tries to pass us just ahead of a blind turn. The driver's self preservation instinct forced him back to the right side of the road ahead of the turn, but sadly his trailer hadn't quite cleared us by that moment. The trailer came uncomfortably close until it clipped my pedal/shoe and sent me flying towards the road surface in a graceful arc. Cracked my helmet instead of my skull and ruined my STI's, bar tape etc... We then had a long and very unpleasant argument with the driver who claimed I had swerved into his trailer, that it was therefore my fault... All in all it cost him about 400 euros and I was off the bike for three weeks (bike was in repair, I was largely OK).

Lessons learned:
- helmets are cool
- even when it's not your fault it still hurts

Two times for me. First one the car going in the opposite direction turned left in front of me. I slammed into the right side fender and window and bounced off into the middle of the street. Luckily, my bike took most of the impact and I walked away with scrapes and bruises. My bike was totaled and the driver paid for it.

Second time a car going in the same direction and coming from behind, passed me and turned right, right in front of me. I was able to slow down somewhat, but not enough to miss the car. I hit the right side and fell off. The driver panicked and sped away. I tried to go after her, but my front wheel was toast. I realized she was a high school student going to school and would most likely come back. Sure enough, I spotted the car going into another parking lot. I caught her and let her know how I felt about the hit-and-run. She paid for all the damages.

A few close calls since then, but managed to avoid disaster.

cycled into a parked car once 🙂 weather was driving rain and really windy, had my head down pushing up a long straight hill and cycled straight into the back of a car someone had thoughtlessly parked on the side of the road. never even saw it coming, first thing i knew i was kissing the rear windscreen. face got a bit mashed but bike survived ok.

Well I was walkin across the street in philly, well jay-walking in the middle of oncoming traffic. And I figured the car would stop before it hit me like they do in Atlanta and it just didn't happen. I got hit I went flying I hit the floor.

mostly while merging bcause both people r looking ahead. It happened 3 times w/ me

Riding along minding my own business, car pulled out of side road and drove straight into the back of me.

In the days before clipless pedals and was therefore well tied in.

Woke up around five minutes later with head around 6 inches from front wheel of car.

Bike totalled, evening in casualty, new bike and £250 compensation for my troubles.

Driver prosecuted for driving without due care etc.

Always wear a helmet now!!!!

Riding along on the Usk road, two cars coming towards me in the opposite lane. As the front car draws level, the car behind decides that this would be a good time to overtake...

See the "What bones have you broken while riding?" thread for an inventory of injuries sustained.

Add another one to the list from tonight's commute home..

Some [censored] decides that it's optional to indicate and moves over in the lane, trying to turn left down a slip lane that he has no chance of actually getting to due to cars in his way.

I swerve around him and clip his door with my shoe. I continue on to the lights, exhaling various insults, while he sits in traffic.

I hope I took some paint off his car

hippy

Khlash said:

Ok so who's been hit or hit a car while riding. ("car" includes trucks, buses, rv's, motorcycles, go carts, etc..)

I was a courier in Wash DC back in the day. Maybe a better question than "have you been hit" is "how many times have you been hit"

Not on my bicycle, no, but I was nailed pretty good while on my motorcycle. Got me from behind while I was waiting at a redlight.

It's happened twice with me. The first time was completely my fault. It was a summer that I was a lifeguard and would bike the 7 miles of hills from my house to the lake and pool and then back again (I would do the swim team practices also, I got in great shape fast). I was getting faster and faster every day and would sprint a long flat straight near the end harder and harder. One bad day I looked up at the start of the long straight noting a car moving off the side of the road into the main lane. I put my head down and pedaled hard and looked up again about half way through the straight. I was a foot off the back of the car and moving pretty fast. They had been delivering newspapers. I hit the back bumper about a foot from the left side of the car. My toe clips and straps (clipless were brand new) put my body into a roll. I literally did a flying forward roll down the length of the car and landed on my feet still holding onto the bike about 5 feet in front of the car. Forward momentum knocked me onto the bike sustaining my only injury, a puncture wound on the front of my leg from a grommet that held the brake cable (it ran across the top of the top tube on my Panasonic). The woman in the car had no clue what had happened because there was a loud bang at the back of her car and by the time she turned to look there, I was in front of the car. Before that day I hadn't ridden with a helmet. I bought one that night and I havn't ridden without every since. Figured I had my "bye" chance and I won't get that lucky again! My second incident was a bit less dramatic and this time, not my fault. I was again at the end of a ride and riding hard on a straight rode. This time, an elderly woman turned from the opposite lane in front of me to enter a parking lot. I am a singer/voice instructor and can be very loud so by the time my bike made contact with her car everyone for a block around except for her knew it was going to happen. Because I watched what she was doing the entire time I managed to pull off enough speed and turn just enough so that when I hit her car just behind her right front wheel I rolled mildly across the hood of her car and landed with a plop on the other side. My bike (less than a month in my possession) did a lovely vault through the air and landed with a bang on it's back in front of her car. Thinking she had to clear the intersection, she started to roll forward (towards my bike!) until I yelled loudly again. Despite her prostestations that my bike was "fine" she had to pay over $450 for a bent front fork, new seat and new rear Campy derrailier. Oh, she also got a ticket for unattentive driving and the policeman was kind in giving me and my poor bike a lift home.

Pedaled briskly into a parked car, and went flying onto the hood. This was on a Schwinn Stingray at about 8 years of age. Minimal injuries to me and the car, but the Stingray did not fair as well.

Taught me to pay attention the where the f I'm goin'... no car-bicycle collisions since.

RC2 said:

Pedaled briskly into a parked car, and went flying onto the hood. This was on a Schwinn Stingray at about 8 years of age. Minimal injuries to me and the car, but the Stingray did not fair as well.

Taught me to pay attention the where the f I'm goin'... no car-bicycle collisions since.

A couple of times. Once was when a youngster made a hasty left turn without signalling. I nailed him dead square on his right front wheel. somersaulted over the hood and went sprawling in the street. Tacoed the front wheel and bent the front fork on my Raleigh Grand Prix. Another time I had a car make a rolling stop at a red light, then a right turn from a side street without looking (no turn signals either). I had the green light and was cruising. I hit the car at a shallow angle right by the front wheel. I jumped off of the bike and sat on the hood peering down through the windshield at the driver. I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack. I was able to grab the bike and pull it up to keep it from getting tangled in the car's wheel. No damage to me, bike, or car. This was back when I was young and a "roadie". I'm now "bent but not bent.

'bent Brian

Salsa Rider said:

I was a courier in Wash DC back in the day. Maybe a better question than "have you been hit" is "how many times have you been hit"

same job, different city, same situation!

bentbrian said:

A couple of times. Once was when a youngster made a hasty left turn without signalling. I nailed him dead square on his right front wheel. somersaulted over the hood and went sprawling in the street. Tacoed the front wheel and bent the front fork on my Raleigh Grand Prix. Another time I had a car make a rolling stop at a red light, then a right turn from a side street without looking (no turn signals either). I had the green light and was cruising. I hit the car at a shallow angle right by the front wheel. I jumped off of the bike and sat on the hood peering down through the windshield at the driver. I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack. I was able to grab the bike and pull it up to keep it from getting tangled in the car's wheel. No damage to me, bike, or car. This was back when I was young and a "roadie". I'm now "bent but not bent.

'bent Brian

I've never been hit by a car BUT I have hit a car once. I was doing approx 23mph on a partial decent. I saw a car looking to pull out but it was at a complete stop waiting for the opportunity to cross over and take a left. I was cautious but figured the driver saw me... anycase, even with my fingers on the brakes, the car pulled out not seeing me and I nailed the front side of the car and flew over the car and my bike came second over my head. I didn't get hurt and my wheel was whacked but I managed to put it back to true. As for the driver... she was really scared and I didn't pursue any legal action. I actually felt bad for her because she was really upset, apologetic and was misty eyed. Plus her car had a big dent in it.

Nicholas

Khlash said:

Ok so who's been hit or hit a car while riding. ("car" includes trucks, buses, rv's, motorcycles, go carts, etc..)

Best one was (fortunately) as I was dismounting the bike and a car ploughed straight into me, the bike was bent completely in half and I was thrown about 20 yds down the road. First thing I remember was the driver standing over me asking if I was dead .......pretty dumb question, I managed to get up as only had minor injuries the bike took the brunt of the impact, then as a typical Brit said everything was OK and tried to cycle home ........took me while to work out why my bike didn't work.....guess I was in shock. Been knocked down by a bus, that was a good one as it had a high front bumper so went completly under the bus, it was his fault for being to close behind me.

once for me. was going down a big hill, got up to about 30, was basically pacing a car, he didnt like it (it was a 4 lane road, 2 lanes both ways). so once he got next to me, he swerved to the right, and his rear bumper hit my back tire, and threw me off the bike at about 26 mph. lucky for me, my head landed on the grass on the other side of the curb, but i still skid to a stop and got cut up pretty badly. while sliding i was trying to get his plate, but couldnt really get it. total damage to bike= $500
total damage to me= arm and leg with really bad road rash. took off a lot of skin.

Khlash said:

Ok so who's been hit or hit a car while riding. ("car" includes trucks, buses, rv's, motorcycles, go carts, etc..)

Yes, night riding, lit up like a christmas tree, arm reflectors leg reflectors, reflector vest, rear flasher, front light.
Will never forget it, downhill run into Jarrestville, MD, posted speed 30 mph which I may have been exceeding. Car came up from behind. According to the driver that stopped, not the one that hit me, I did a flip and 180 spin. which would be consistent with what I did see. I was in the air and was looking down at the guard rail (I remember this part), which I landed on but not on top of, when I stopped I was looking back where I came from the bike was pointing the same way I was still cleated in on my right foot, and left leg was inside the diamond and under it. An ambulance was there within 5 minutes as I was less then a mile from the fire company. I was bleeding a bit, cuts on my left heel and left wrist, and arm, very little road rash but banged up a lot, over the objections of the paramedic if refused to go to the hospital, in hind sight I should have.The report said treated and released. My left shoulder that hit the guard rail hurt like hell for about 2 months. But after the trip to the fire house and interview with a state trooper I finished my trip only had 3 mile to go after 40. Helmet was split in the back. As far as I know I did not get knocked out, maybe briefly. I guess the car caught my left foot and and brushed my left side.
Next morning I could not put a tee shirt on.
Driver did not stop and was never caught.
I got lucky that night, I did not come down on top of the guard rail, I didn"t go over it, and I didn't get run over by the next car. Have not riden at night since.
I also remember seeing the door handle, it was shiny old style like a 60's car, sticks out not flush with the car body, funny what you remember when you get lucky and cheat death.
Sorry about the long post.
Wear a helmet, saved me.