So not too long ago I was ranting about *potential* accidents. This week I get to report my first
actual accident. whee.
So I'm heading home after work along Eastgate way (yes the same place one of the previously
mentioned incidents took place). I'm moving at a decent pace, but I'm in no rush. I'm just enjoying
a nice ride home after a moderately long day of developing my cathode ray tube tan.
It's been raining today off and on, but it's clear out now. The sun set about an hour ago, but
traffic is unusually light. I'm all kitted out with a 16 watt headlight, dual rear blinkies, nice
hi-viz jacket, etc. So I'm quite possibly the most visible thing on the street. I've just passed the
street right before Bank of America and am about to pass their entrance. I notice someone stopped in
the median waiting to turn into the bank, he doesn't seem to be moving. I look at the entrance on my
right, someone is there, but I can see them looking at me, and they seem to be stopped.
I'm about 10 yards from the entrance when the person to my left, who was stopped in the median
starts turning very quickly into the entrance. I grab my brakes and try to turn left behind him. But
there is not nearly enough room left for this. I basically have time to scream "What are you doing
you stupid" *THUD*.
I slam into his front quarter panel, coming off my bike onto his hood. My hip impacts the side of
his car, I end up taking most of the impact on my back as I slam into his windshield. I don't have
quite enough momentum to go over his hood. So I end up rolling off, back onto the side my bike is
lying. I get up fairly quickly and assess the damage to myself. I don't seem to have broken anything
and seem to be mostly intact.
The fellow getting out of his car looks to be middle aged. He basically said a lot of "Are you
all right", "I'm sorry", etc. We ended up pulling ourselves into the parking lot and gathering
each other's information. A kind soul gave me her name and phone number if I needed a witness.
The real irony is that guy who caused the accident works for an insurance company and was driving
a company car.
Oh and later I found out he said "I didn't see him". Bloody typical.
Examining my bike, the fork is *rather* bent, the wheel is moderately tacoed. Bugger. I walk back to
work carrying my bike. Eventually my wife comes and picks me up and I go home to drown my sorrows in
cold theobromine rich substances.
I've heard back from the (third-party) insurance adjustor. Between my account and the witnesses,
they concede that I was entirely in the right. I just got back my estimate from the shop. The bike
is toast (fork, front wheel, stem, handlebar, frame bent (Al)). The insurance company is
compensating me plus a bit, so it's time to get a new bike.
My old bike was a Giant OCR2, which served me reasonably well. I have to admit I was planning on
putting more than 12,000 miles on it. But such will not be the case. My main points of
dissatisfaction with it were the short chainstays (preventing me using panniers), and the lack of
room for tires and room for fenders.
I'm looking at the Fuji Touring or possibly some cross bikes. Time to hit the bike shops.
--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g "No doubt Jack the Ripper excused himself
on the grounds that it was human nature." -A. A. Milne