This morning I was out on a training ride along a major street. I was in the bike lane when a man turned right into me. I was flipped on to his hood and slid off. I have some scratches and bumps and bruises but nothing major. I started yelling at him and he got out of his car and immediately apologized and offered to pay to fix my bike which was mostly fine (the rims are bent out of true and I haven’t had time to check whether I will have to buy new ones yet). At that point I couldn’t keep yelling so I said it was fineand that I was fine but I would be looking for him to pay any fixes that may be needed. I just got his information, got the information of a witness and we went our separate ways.
So I am curious, has any one else been hit by a car with no serious injuries? Would you have handled it differently?
Yes. As much as I hate to say it, you have to get a report written up to protect yourself from post-accident injuries. Sometimes, an injury won’t show up right away. I have heard of folks who were in your situation and didn’t think they were injured and then they went swimming and couldn’t pull their arm through the water. Hard to prove it was as a result of the accident unless it is in a police report.
Mark
Sorry you were hit, but glad you are OK. Have been hit three times and hurt bad three times. Two were hit and runs. Be thankful you walked away and don’t worry about how you handled it. Get a wheel and go riding.
I was hit about 14 weeks ago by someone making a left turn in front of me. Unfortunately I did not escape as easily as yourself and was transported via ambulance to the hospital for a seperated shoulder. After what I have been through since then I think that you can never be to cautious. I probably would have called the Police and made a report. At least it would be on record. Chances are that the person that hit you has no idea how much he may wind up paying. “Regular” people are continously surprised when I tell them what my bike is worth and how much I put into it. Are you sure that the info that you got is correct? What happens if you get the bill and make the call and it’s the number for the local pizza place=O DOH!! Just my opinion FWIW
I worried afterward that I should have gotten a police report. I had the same reaction that I have had on the few other crashes I have gotten into. Namely, an intense desire to get out of there as fast as I can. Several years ago I crashed on a downhill, I got back on my bike and took off as fast as I could and my only desire was to get off the mountain. About three miles later I realized that everything was blurry, turns out my glasses had flown off during the crash and I forgot to look for them because I was in such a hurry. I rode back up and eventually found them, but I should learn my lesson to take my time and think after an crash.
You can go to the local police or sheriff’s dept. and fill out a report post-accident. you have your info. the driver’s info and the witness info. at least you will have an official record. the driver can also go fill one out if he wants. i would notify him that you have filed the report. if you think you will be filing a claim you will need to contact his insurance co. if you think it is just a wheel and he will pay out of his pocket then you just need to let him know the damages. some times people are very nice and appear generous at the time of the accident but later they change their tune. especially if they think they can get away with it. hopefully this guy will accept his responsibity in this matter and take care of you. and i hope you are ok and the bike can be fixed. glad it was not any worse.
I’m impressed you were able to start yelling after ending up on his hood. I was in shock when I got hit last year. As much as I understand the immediate anger that sometimes lashes out, maybe its best to settle things with the other driver before you call them about damages.
Someone else called for the police/ambulance and both told me it was best that I had a report written up. Even though I was able to walk (albeit wobly) and didn’t hit my head, the cops told me should anything affect my ability to work, the police report would be the first thing insurance companies would rely on. So…
*Sorry to here that but I’m glad you’re doing ok. *
Now down to biz, I was hit 3 years ago and the day I was hit I thought I was ok, i was a hit and run but I had a witness with his license plate (he was 83 years old and I really don’t think he saw me RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM!)
*But the next day I ended up in the EMG room with back spasms so bad I could not stand up. Turns out I have soft tissue and ligament damage and a bulging disk from twisting so hard to stay up and get out of his way. *
*So you may feel fine now but be very careful! Tomorrow may be different. *
I got hit a few years ago where I was slowing down for a red light and a woman coming the other way sped up to beat the light as it turned red and then whipped across the road and in front of me to pull into a gas station. Luckily I was going slow but still didn’t have much time to react as she cut right across in front of me, and I went into her front fender and wound up on the hood. No major injuries, just some minor scrapes and my shoulder was a bit stiff. I stupidly didn’t think to get her information though since I was bit dazed and surprised to be sitting on a car hood and not seriously hurt. Of course, once she verified that I was OK and drove off, I noticed that the fork of my bike was bent from the impact, so I had to pay for a new fork out of my own pocket. I did go to the doc to get checked out though just in case. My only regret was not getting her info or having the cops show up to file a report, since I was more thankful and amazed to not be hurt that it didn’t cross my mind until after she left and I noticed the bike damage.
First, I am glad you are OK. You are very fortunate.
Second, you need to go file a police report on the way home from work as it is not too late (but do it today). The guy offered to pay for damages as he does not want it hitting his insurance and that is fine (at least right now). YOU need to be covered by getting the police report and letting the police have the witness info. The guy will not get a ticket after the fact, but he should. But you have to file a police report in case there is a need to file a claim. I filed a police report when someone backed into my car in a parklng lot and just went myself to the station. There is no way I would not file a report if my person verses my car was hit!
File the report… it gives you the basis for just-in-case medical claims and if the driver should decide to change their mind because of “sticker shock” it will provide a basis property damage compensation.
Everyone is saying they would file a police report. I agree, but make sure you also go to the doctor. I read medical reports everyday about people who get hurt, think they are fine, and see injuries show up later. Back injuries especially can have a later onset, so go to teh doctor as soon as possible, but in the next few days. If you have the okay from the doc you will still have a basis to tie the injuries to the incident if you wake up in a week with a bad disc. Good luck.
I got hit by a car that turned in front of me to get to a shopping center. I was not hurt, I was not angry; rather I felt quite cheery at being okay. The young woman, a student, was horrified at what she did and promised to pay to get my handlebar fixed. I said it was awfully expensive. She said I should find out and she would send me a check. I did not ask her name or anything. I saw no reason not to trust her. I managed to get the bike home, took it to the bike shop, waited for her call, which came the next day and the check was dropped off same day. If you never trust anyone, how do you get to find out that almost everyone can be trusted?
You don’t need a police report to “prove” your case, but most insurance adjusters will demand one. It’s also helpful because under the right circumstances, it will document what both sides say about the accident immediately after the accident. Thus, if he admitted being at fault to the police, hopefully the officer’s report will reflect that statement.
Most police officers don’t like to fill out reports for anything other than a major accident. Why? Because they hate lawyers and they hate getting pulled into personal injury litigation. Instead, most of the time they will merely give you a form that has little more than each party’s insurance information on it with no attribution of fault.
What others have said about injuries is correct. Some injuries may take a few days for you to notice. Once you start feeling some unexplained pain, go to the doctor.
If the guy decides he doesn’t want to pay for your bike or any injuries that may arise, call his insurer. You did get his insurance information, right?
Thanks for all the replies, based on what you all have said, I am in the process of filing a police report in case I need to make a claim later. I sure hope I don’t have some awful pain tomorrow.
I was hit by a motorist while warming up for a local TT on 9/10. About 75 racers on the course - police at both ends of the course, “bike race in progress” signs everywhere, riding a neon green AEGIS ZAERO, wearing a bright blue jersey - the motorist who hit me claims she didn’t SEE me when she continued through her right hand turn directly in front of me. I slammed into the side of her Jeep (nicely dented) and hit the pavement, missing a guardrail by about 6 inches. Scraped and bruised, rather shaken up (but not stirred), I immediately checked the bike, which faired quite well considering - handlbars, wheels, rear derailleur all toast, but the frame was fine. I didn’t yell at the motorist, just told her not to go anywhere and politely (ok, not really) asked her what she was thinking? The police arrived, along with the ambulance. No major injuries, bruises, torn ligament in one finger, not able to ride for 4-6 weeks due to bruises and the finger brace. The police officer decided not to give the motorist a ticket, when I asked him why, he said “…she was really upset about what happened”. She was upset? I was the one bleeding and unable to race or ride my bike…jeez!! Insurance (hers) is covering everything. Your question is a good one. As cyclists, we need to represent all cyclists well, even when something like this happens - it’s hard, sometimes impossible not to get mad or violent when someone hits you. But reacting this way, when not warranted, can lead to a poor perception of cyclists as a whole. I would have in your case contacted the police, simply because the law was broken and a record of such needs to be made.
Yes. As much as I hate to say it, you have to get a report written up to protect yourself from post-accident injuries. Sometimes, an injury won’t show up right away. I have heard of folks who were in your situation and didn’t think they were injured and then they went swimming and couldn’t pull their arm through the water. Hard to prove it was as a result of the accident unless it is in a police report.
Mark
Couldn’t agree more. In June of 2005, I was in an accident in which a car pulled out in front of me as I was decending a pretty steep hill. I ran into the side of the car and flew clear over the car and landed in the street on the other side. THe Bike made impact and flew over the car and landed short of me… It is a miracle that I did not break anything, but had some serious cuts and bruises. Because the driver immediately took responsibility and I felt like I could move OK, I didn’t call the police – BUT everyone that I spoke with after the incident told me I should have called the police anyway. He did pay for all the bike damage – eventually costing nearly $1000! You might think that your wheels are slightly damaged, but there might actually be more damage than meets the eye. As another person remarked, physical injuries can crop up later. Get a police report filed… don’t ignore the details!
