Hit and Run

Quoted message said:

When I went to get my bike to ride home, I had pangs of
irrational panic.

This stuff passes. After bike spills, I'm always freaked by
every patch of sand for awhile. It happens with car-driving,
too. After 30 years of driving accident-free, I got T-boned
in an intersection a month or so ago, and I was freaked
every time I got behind the wheel for a week or so. As I
say, it passes....

Quoted message said:

As I say, it

passes....

Happenned to me last July and broke a couple bones
(fractures) Took 2 months to get the car's ID I often
worry about being rammed by a 60 mph car from behind Has
not happenned yet and if it ever does I probably wont
remember, haha

This sure does sound like a lot of people getting whacked by
cars. Let's here the others. Bring your tales. I was
thinking about getting a road bike but I definitely can't
aford a huge accident( 3 children).

Chris

"John Allen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Bv8vc.51958$Np3.2256056@ursa-
nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As I say, it

passes....

Happenned to me last July and broke a couple bones
(fractures) Took 2 months to get the car's ID I often
worry about being rammed by a 60 mph car from behind Has
not happenned yet and if it ever does I probably wont
remember, haha

Chris said:

This sure does sound like a lot of people getting whacked
by cars. Let's here the others. Bring your tales.

Let's also hear the "NOT getting whacked by cars" tales.
There are two sides to the story, no?

Do I need to go first? ;-)

--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot
com. Substitute cc dot ysu dot edu]

Claire Petersky said:

I was coming down Dearborn at about 20 mph in to work this
morning, 8:45 AM, full morning daylight, and was right
hooked by someone turning in to Chinatown. He didn't use a
turn signal. I could see him angling in to make the turn,
so I was braking hard.

I nearly managed to miss him. I hit the back of the guy's
car at a pretty low speed considering, then hit the
ground. Me, I'm fine, just a scrape on the elbow. Bike
appears fine. Water bottle is totaled, though -- rolled
out into the street and got run over by a truck.

The driver didn't bother to stop to find out what might
have gone thump on the back of his car. Instead, he high-
tailed it out of there. I filed a hit-and-run police
report this morning: license number 275 LUM. Police seemed
to take it pretty seriously.

There was a witness, another cyclist right behind me on
Dearborn. He was a young fellow, long hair and beard, pant
legs rolled up with bright red socks, beater bike. I was
ahead of him, then he passed me, then I passed him. I was
thinking that if he had been in front, maybe he would have
been more likely to have gotten seriously whacked -- a
beater bike might not have the same braking power; he
might not have noticed the car starting to make the turn.
Better my scraped elbow than his brain like jelly on the
pavement. A construction worker was another witness, and
confirmed my license plate
ID. The police have the witnesses' names and phone
numbers.

When I went to get my bike to ride home, I had pangs of
irrational panic. I had no problem completing the ride in
to work after the accident, but I was still on adrenaline.
By the afternoon, all that wore off, and I approached the
bike with a very weird feeling. But my life is structured
on using the bike to get home, so I got on. Then, I was
sure to ride through the same intersection as the
accident, just to affirm that I was not going to be all
freaked out, and it was okay.

I rode in sort of a "letting it all go" mode in the
afternoon, feeling very easy-going about traffic and cars.
Maybe that's the head space I really need to be commuting
in these days.

Yup, the Right Hook turned me off from riding for a long
time. I almost slid under the wheel of a monster truck.
Figuring I'd rather have a broken arm than a crushed thorax,
I just launched into the truck's fender instead. I guess it
fended me off successfully!

My boss one day expressed her concern for my safety as a
bicyclist because most drivers, in her opinion, are not
paying attention (including herself!). In a way, this firmed
my resolve to commute even more, because I am not about to
stoop to the lowest common denominator of stupidity.

I really like the hightened level of attention required to
bike around. Driving (or, if you live in Chicago, parking
your way to your destination) is pretty darn boring.

I think slowing down a little bit is a great tactic to keep
yourself on the bike. Just cruise along, and soon enough
you'll be pounding the pedals again. I did that after a
broken collarbone and it worked great.

Chris said:

Quoted message said:

This sure does sound like a lot of people getting
whacked by cars.

Let's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

here the others. Bring your tales.

Frank Krygowski wrote

Quoted message said:

Let's also hear the "NOT getting whacked by cars" tales.
There are two sides to the story, no?

Do I need to go first? ;-)

No, let me go first. I have put between 2 and 5 thousand
miles a year on the road bike for the last 20 years or so,
which is a lot of hours, and have not come close to being
hit by a car. I wish I could say the same for my time in the
car and on the motorcycle. Got busted up with both of them.
The clear conclusion is that bicycling is safer than any
other mode of transportation.

Sorry to hear about your accident. I have had 2 near misses
in the past 3 weeks. Both were in broad daylight where I
was riding in an obvious, predictable way. In one instance,
I was signaling that I was taking the left fork in the
road. Without warning, some jamoke accelerated around me to
the left and made a sharp right turn in front of me. I
jammed on my brakes and was balancing on my front wheel on
about a 30 degree angle with my back wheel off the ground.
Somehow I held it together. I still don't know how I didn't
get killed.

My favorite recent experience was last Tuesday afternoon. I
was riding along a 2 block stretch of busy road that I
needed to transit to connect a couple of less traveled
roads. A woman in a Mercedes slowed down, rolled down her
window and shouted "Get a car!" She turned onto the road
that I was turning on to. As fate would have it, she got
stuck at a red light at the next corner. I rode up along
side of her and replied "Get a life, Cow!" This woman spent
the next half mile driving alongside of me, honking her horn
and screaming about "How dare you speak that way to me with
a child in the car." I thought that her kid didn't need
anyone else to learn bad behavior from.

Ride through it, Claire. Be careful, but ride through it.

Best,

Joel Solomon

Joel Solomon said:

Sorry to hear about your accident. I have had 2 near
misses in the past 3 weeks. Both were in broad daylight
where I was riding in an obvious, predictable way. In one
instance, I was signaling that I was taking the left fork
in the road. Without warning, some jamoke accelerated
around me to the left and made a sharp right turn in front
of me. I jammed on my brakes and was balancing on my front
wheel on about a 30 degree angle with my back wheel off
the ground. Somehow I held it together. I still don't know
how I didn't get killed.

My favorite recent experience was last Tuesday afternoon.
I was riding along a 2 block stretch of busy road that I
needed to transit to connect a couple of less traveled
roads. A woman in a Mercedes slowed down, rolled down her
window and shouted "Get a car!" She turned onto the road
that I was turning on to. As fate would have it, she got
stuck at a red light at the next corner. I rode up along
side of her and replied "Get a life, Cow!" This woman
spent the next half mile driving alongside of me, honking
her horn and screaming about "How dare you speak that way
to me with a child in the car." I thought that her kid
didn't need anyone else to learn bad behavior from.

Ride through it, Claire. Be careful, but ride through it.

Best,

Joel Solomon

See what I mean? Driving is so boring that the cow has to
hassle you for something to keep her mind occupied. Her
pathetic life has driven her to being a butthead.

Claire Petersky said:

I was coming down Dearborn at about 20 mph in to work this
morning, 8:45 AM, full morning daylight, and was right
hooked by someone turning in to Chinatown. He didn't use a
turn signal. I could see him angling in to make the turn,
so I was braking hard.

I nearly managed to miss him. I hit the back of the guy's
car at a pretty low speed considering, then hit the ground.
Me, I'm fine, just a scrape on the elbow. Bike appears
fine. Water bottle is totaled, though -- rolled out into
the street and got run over by a truck.

The driver didn't bother to stop to find out what might
have gone thump on the back of his car. Instead, he high-
tailed it out of there. I filed a hit-and-run police report
this morning: license number 275 LUM. Police seemed to take
it pretty seriously.

More than anything, I'm glad you're still well enough to
post tonight. Hope they catch the jerk!

Pat

Email address works as is.

Joel Solomon wrote in part:

<< Mercedes slowed down, rolled down her window and shouted
"Get a car!" She turned onto the road that I was turning on
to. As fate would have it, she got stuck at a red light at
the next corner. I rode up along side of her and replied
"Get a life, Cow!" This woman spent the next half mile
driving alongside of me, honking her horn and screaming
about "How dare you speak that way to me with a child in the
car." I thought that her kid didn't need anyone else to
learn bad behavior from. ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

May I ask: where did the incident with the cow occur?

Robert

Quoted message said:

My favorite recent experience was last Tuesday afternoon.
I was riding

along a

Quoted message said:

2 block stretch of busy road that I needed to transit to
connect a couple

of

Quoted message said:

less traveled roads. A woman in a Mercedes slowed down,
rolled down her

window

Quoted message said:

and shouted "Get a car!" She turned onto the road that I
was turning on

to.

Quoted message said:

As fate would have it, she got stuck at a red light at the
next corner. I

rode

Quoted message said:

up along side of her and replied "Get a life, Cow!" This
woman spent the

next

Quoted message said:

half mile driving alongside of me, honking her horn and
screaming about

"How

Quoted message said:

dare you speak that way to me with a child in the car." I
thought that

her kid

Quoted message said:

didn't need anyone else to learn bad behavior from.

Ride through it, Claire. Be careful, but ride through it.

Best,

Joel Solomon

I must say, I wouldn't have been so nice.

Curt

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris said:

This sure does sound like a lot of people getting
whacked by cars.

Let's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

here the others. Bring your tales.

Let's also hear the "NOT getting whacked by cars" tales.
There are two sides to the story, no?

Hey, I've been riding for 35 years (not continuously, you
comedians) or so, and this is the first time I've had a
bike/car collision.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato
and .net for .com Home of the meditative cyclist:
home.earthlink.netWelcome.htmOpen ↗ See the
books I've set free at:
bookcrossing.comCpeterskyOpen ↗

"Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:3g8vc.28341$3x.5282@attbi_s54...

Quoted message said:

I was coming down Dearborn at about 20 mph in to work this
morning, 8:45 AM, full morning daylight, and was right
hooked by someone turning in to Chinatown. He didn't use a
turn signal. I could see him angling in to make the turn,
so I was braking hard.

I nearly managed to miss him. I hit the back of the guy's
car at a pretty low speed considering, then hit the
ground. Me, I'm fine, just a scrape on the elbow. Bike
appears fine. Water bottle is totaled, though -- rolled
out into the street and got run over by a truck.

The driver didn't bother to stop to find out what might
have gone thump on the back of his car. Instead, he high-
tailed it out of there. I filed a hit-and-run police
report this morning: license number 275 LUM. Police seemed
to take it pretty seriously.

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope there is some
repercussion for the driver, sounds like the police have all
the info if they want to pursue it.

Some years ago I was riding down Ballard Avenue at around
20 mph when a guy in a shiny new BMW came up to a stop sign
on a crossing street. He looked me right in the eye and
pulled out in front of me. I don't know how fast he thought
I was going, but there was no way to miss him. I was
braking with the rear wheel in the air and still hit him
pretty hard, square in the middle of the driver's door. The
stem was not too tight so the handlebars got twisted off
center. I was about a few feet from his car straightening
the bars when he got out to inspect the damage, with an
expression of dismay. The bike was OK. He, on the other
hand, was looking at a sizable bill to fix his stove-in
door. I said: "You're lucky I'm not injured, you should be
more careful." And I rode away...

Joel Solomon said:

My favorite recent experience was last Tuesday afternoon.
I was riding along a 2 block stretch of busy road that I
needed to transit to connect a couple of less traveled
roads. A woman in a Mercedes slowed down, rolled down her
window and shouted "Get a car!" She turned onto the road
that I was turning on to. As fate would have it, she got
stuck at a red light at the next corner. I rode up along
side of her and replied "Get a life, Cow!" This woman
spent the next half mile driving alongside of me, honking
her horn and screaming about "How dare you speak that way
to me with a child in the car." I thought that her kid
didn't need anyone else to learn bad behavior from.

Please use proper terminology.

Her offspring is obviously a CALF.

Bill "would have been tempted to show her my HOOF" S.

"cheg" wrote

Quoted message said:

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope there is some
repercussion for

the

Quoted message said:

driver, sounds like the police have all the info if they
want to pursue

it.

Quoted message said:

Some years ago I was riding down Ballard Avenue at around
20 mph when a

guy in a

Quoted message said:

shiny new BMW came up to a stop sign on a crossing street.
He looked me

right in

Quoted message said:

the eye and pulled out in front of me. I don't know how
fast he thought I

was

Quoted message said:

going, but there was no way to miss him. I was braking
with the rear wheel

in

Quoted message said:

the air and still hit him pretty hard, square in the
middle of the

driver's

Quoted message said:

door. The stem was not too tight so the handlebars got
twisted off center.

I was

Quoted message said:

about a few feet from his car straightening the bars when
he got out to

inspect

Quoted message said:

the damage, with an expression of dismay. The bike was OK.
He, on the

other

Quoted message said:

hand, was looking at a sizable bill to fix his stove-in
door. I said:

"You're

Quoted message said:

lucky I'm not injured, you should be more careful." And I
rode away...

You really should have told him to buy a sturdier car next
time, instead of that flimsy POS...
--
mark

Wed, 02 Jun 2004 03:00:01 GMT, <Robvc.34783$js4.2013@attbi_s51>,

Claire Petersky said:

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris said:

This sure does sound like a lot of people getting
whacked by cars.

Let's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

here the others. Bring your tales.

Let's also hear the "NOT getting whacked by cars" tales.
There are two sides to the story, no?

Hey, I've been riding for 35 years (not continuously, you
comedians) or so, and this is the first time I've had a
bike/car collision.

It's a well established rumour that a close call every six
months keeps you alive.

My one and only truck/bike collision happened within the
first two months of owning my first "ten speed" at age 21.

Last week on Georgia Street I was presented the perfect
opportunity to take out a brat in a SAAB. She right hooked
me but I saw setting up, weighed the options and made a
decision to not throw a hip check into her rear quarter
panel and start screaming for my lawyer.

She deserved it but I was on a different mission.
--
zk

Glad to hear you aren't seriously hurt, Claire. I hope plod
(UK slang for the police) has the idiot driver up in court
before too long.

Cheers, helen s

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam-- to get
correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel
is switched off--

Claire Petersky said:

I was coming down Dearborn at about 20 mph in to work this
morning, 8:45 AM, full morning daylight, and was right
hooked by someone turning in to Chinatown. He didn't use a
turn signal. I could see him angling in to make the turn,
so I was braking hard.

I'm sorry to hear about your accident. It sounds like you
handled it impeccably and avoided what could have been much
worse - alert, perfectly controled, reactive. And good for
you for getting the doofus' license number!

Quoted message said:

When I went to get my bike to ride home, I had pangs of
irrational panic.

Well, I wouldn't call it irrational!

Quoted message said:

But my life is structured on using the bike to get home,
so I got on.

Great spirit. Much more than your life being structured on
using a bike to get home, I have the impression that your
joy is physically intricated with the sensation of biking.
You even dream about it as the symbol of incarnate life
itself. There are plenty other ways to get home, but the
joy, that harmonious spirit-body link, is not so easily
replaced, and needs to be retained. When I fell off my bike
this winter (a far more trivial accident than yours), I had
panic for many weeks afterwards. But I was driven to carry
on by the memory of how much I had enjoyed biking in the
previous summer, and what a pity it would be to lose such a
source of endorphins in my life.

Quoted message said:

Then, I was sure to ride through the same intersection as
the accident, just to affirm that I was not going to be
all freaked out, and it was okay.

You're an example to us all.

EFR Ile de France

Oh, and something else - have you thought of getting one of
those really loud air horns? In a situation like this it
would make you harder to ignore. I bought one but am so
uncoordinated on my controls (have trouble even actioning
the ding-dong bell), that I think it would be a distraction
I wouldn't have the presence of mind to use. But I hear
stories of accomplished cyclists using blast-horns in
traffic to excellent effect.

EFR Ile de France