Hit by blind driver

[Rocinante]

Well, for the first time in my 20 years on a bike I´ve been hit by a blind car driver. It happened yesterday as he was coming towards me in the opposite direction and in the last second decided to take a left across my lane. I panic-pulled the brakes and hit him in the front passenger door 1 second later (measured quite precise from the rubber marks and the speed which was about 50km/h). I was thrown off to the left into the (luckily) empty opposing lane.

I spent the night in the hospital, nursing a very painful shoulder and neck and to monitor any damage from the concussion (I was out a few seconds and don´t remember the actual hit or much of what happened the next hour). All checks turned out fine though, so I´m drinking beer(just one mind you) and feeling beaten up but happy it didn´t turn out worse.

According to the police it was an open and shut case with the blame placed on the car driver. This means, hopefully, that I will get a decent amount of money to repair the following damages:

* The front subframe has been pushed back about 5-7 cm, with the instruments pushing against the handlebars as a result. The fairing was compressed but came back out again, resulting in cracks and several bolts loosing grip.

* Handlebars seemed to have been bent, as well as the clutch handle, the shifter and several other minor stuff. Don´t know what damage has been done under the fairing yet.

* Fairing´s taken quite a beating in general, but looks to be in one piece.

* Windshield´s broken

* Don´t know how the forks have done yet, since the pushed back instruments prevents any closer check. From my own visual inspection in the insurance compound, they seem fine.

* Don´t know for sure about the main frame either, looks ok but time will show.

* Non bike stuff damaged: Complete riding gear, helmet, telephone, camera (minor damage), backpack, me

So, all in all it may turn out quite ok, and I´m already looking at how I can repair it myself. I am hoping I can simply pull back the fairing frame and pop things into place. I´m thinking about building my own simple rally windshield to replace the broken one, something like in the last photo below.

Anyone done it?

Anyway, remember that all car drivers are possible idiots. I mean we all are one time or another aren´t we? Bad luck I was there when this guy had his moment. Good luck I´m here now though...

Dag

[Geoff D]

Sorry to hear that, glad to hear you're ok though

[MtheTiger]

Hey man, you're lucky to get away with relative minor injuries! Glad to hear that !  Cagers don't look 'round and anticipate like we do....most are motherf@#$%&*ing monkeys behind the wheel.
Your subframe with the headlights on looks bent. If it ain't broken you can try to pull it back in shape. Instruments probably will be fine. I hope the collision didn't bend your spine frame cause that will be a lot harder to repair.
Anyway, get well soon both you and Tigger!

Grtz from the Netherlands
M

[Jaythro]

Hey Dag Glad to Hear another Biker survived a one on one with a cage!

Heal fast Bro!

[BruKen]

Nothing good to say about that other than glad you werent hurt more seriously. Real shame about the bike too, hope it mends ok and the insurance dont write it off.

[Rocinante]

... Real shame about the bike too, hope it mends ok and the insurance dont write it off.

Yeah, I´m crossing my fingers. Just heard that the blind idiot denies guilt in the matter. Surprise! Bad thing here is that this means delay and the main target of the year, OTC´s Bukkerittet (http://www.otc-mc.org) in three weeks will most likely have to be cancelled.

Damned!

Thanks folks
Dag

[MIMbox]

Sorry to hear you story, but glad your able to tell it!.
As a biker and car driver I am paranoid about bikes when driving, and I get really cross when I see this sort of thing.
If you need anything, just ask.
Regards
Phil

[aeronca]

WOW, just read this, glad your ok. thoughts are with you.    eric

[Rocinante]

I talked to the police today and they were still convinced of who where to blame, and were quite surprised when I told them the driver denied all guilt. From what I understood they were considering whether to fine him for neglect without any further investigation. Hope they do that.

I also have got the gps track log which shows an average speed of around the speed limit, so that´s comforting. I don´t know if it can be submitted as evidence, but that´s anyway just in case this goes on and on, which it probable won´t.

Dag

[Mustang]

that is good news
sucks you and tigger had to take a hit

us poor bike riders don't stand a chance they way people around the world drive now a days

Too many distractions and not enough common sense

RIDE LIKE THEY ALL DON"T SEE YOU !

[Rocinante]

RIDE LIKE THEY ALL DON"T SEE YOU !

Absolutely! That´s what I thought I did and the rule I live by. There is however a limit to our reaction times, and from what I remember and from what I´ve been told in this particular example, it took maybe 1 second from I saw him to the hit.

Maybe I should have seen him earlier, but I know I was watching the oncoming traffic as usual, and with those margins I just didn´t stand a chance, me think.

He might have been on the phone remembering the turn in the very last second, or he may have been looking for the shop and seen it very late. Either way he turned without a signal and without checking or noting the oncoming traffic.

I´m quite sure I´ve been in his situation, doing the same error. But I hope and believe that if, god forbid, I end up hitting someone like he did, I´ll raise my arms and admit it´s all my fault, and learn from it. His reaction is very counter productive and the correct reaction would be to take his license for a period of time. Imho!

Dag

[fepn26]

Glad to hear you OK.  

Come ride with me in Manhattan It is a thrill a minute.  A moving Slalom course is how I best descibe it.  

Never ride the side lanes here.  The cars will cut lanes to turn into streets and you with it!

I got taken down the first time here when a car side swiped me in the rain.  Fortunately only got a bent handle bar and some scratches.  

Glad to hear you are putting it back on the road!

[Nick Calne]

Damn the driver - he's taken down a legendary tiger and rider!

Let's hope you and the bike recover well.

Annoying that the driver's not man enough to take responsibility for the accident.  Maybe when he's walking about (and vulnerable) you should run him over and refute any blame.  See how he likes it!

[Rocinante]

Damn the driver - he's taken down a legendary tiger and rider!

Let's hope you and the bike recover well.

Annoying that the driver's not man enough to take responsibility for the accident.  Maybe when he's walking about (and vulnerable) you should run him over and refute any blame.  See how he likes it!

Well, thanks.:) I believe the bike will survive this. It´s built like a tank and the speed I had when I hit him must have been only about 30-35 km/h. Nothing much for a Steamer... :twisted:

A fellow biker volunteered to hold the blind one while I borrowed his bat and.....
Nah, leave it to justice...

Another issue is the salvation company. When I came to the compund, Rocinante was lying on its side in the gravel. Seeing it from the outside I was sure she was history. But when I was locked inside I saw they hadn´t bothered using the side stand, they just flung her off the tow truck.  

I lifted her up (with my wife´s help, my left shoulder wasn´t any good), and saw that on the left side the side panel was ground down where it must have been resting on the tow truck. It was probably not strapped down much, if at all, which must have let the bike move against the surface.

I´m quite sure the driver had already written the bike off as non-salvagable(the police took the license plate on the spot, not sure why), and didn´t care about it. When I talked to the office personell and repeated several times that this bike was to be salvaged, they finally agreed to put it in a locked container until the insurance matter was settled. That´s where it is now.

Nobody called me after the accident, not the police, not the driver, not the insurance company. I found the bike by guessing where it was, and saved it from being binned by being a pain in the ass. I just don´t understand or like that.

Dag

[CoolHandLuke]

You need a camera :)