Minor accident today

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  • October 25, 2011 at 2:37 pm #910512
    WillStewart
    Participant

    Heading east on the WO&D this morning in Falls Church, a woman and her dog heading West entered the crosswalk after all the cars stopped, so I entered the crosswalk as well. Unfortunately, the car on the East side commenced forward motion as I was just about in front of her. No time to stop, so as she hit me, I rolled up on the hood and rolled off the front-right of the car and down roughly on the pavement. Bike helmets (properly adjusted and secured) are a very good thing…

    No obvious injury besides a scraped elbow, everyone who stopped recommended I sit down. I was shook up, not unlike getting body-slammed hard.

    The bike (Rans V-Rex) is a little crooked in the seat/rack, though I saw no obvious frame bends or weld issues. The rear derailleur will need adjustment.

    Have to run to a meeting now, more later.

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  • October 25, 2011 at 3:42 pm #931401
    jrenaut
    Participant

    Glad you’re okay. Hope your bike is, too.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:10 pm #931404
    JustinW
    Participant

    Happy to hear that you are (mostly) ok. What did the driver say?

    October 25, 2011 at 4:14 pm #931406
    WillStewart
    Participant

    To continue, I waited a good ten minutes to see if I had any aftereffects, which didn’t seem to transpire. A couple of the other cyclists helped check my bike out. It’s workable, though some adjustments will be required.

    I had a blinking front light, an LED of approx. 80 lumens (and a 5 LED tail light with a eyecatching blinking pattern). I had ordered a NiteRider Minewt 600 (lumen) over the weekend as an additional light (helmet mount), so that may have been helpful this morning if I’d had it.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:18 pm #931409
    WillStewart
    Participant

    @JustinW 9543 wrote:

    Happy to hear that you are (mostly) ok. What did the driver say?

    The driver is a young woman who was very apologetic and very concerned, tearing up at times. I’m going to do all the repairs I can to the bike myself first, before taking it to a bike shop. I consider this a learning experience for all involved, even the witnesses (who I have all the contact info for).

    October 25, 2011 at 4:21 pm #931410
    americancyclo
    Participant

    I’m assuming you got her insurance information?
    Which crossing was this at? All the smaller streets have giant neon signs that tell drivers to yield.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:33 pm #931412
    WillStewart
    Participant

    @americancyclo 9549 wrote:

    I’m assuming you got her insurance information?
    Which crossing was this at? All the smaller streets have giant neon signs that tell drivers to yield.

    I have her contact info and license number. This took place at the Great Falls St intersection with the WO&D.

    Interestingly enough, the driver in the lane closest to me had waved me on. I’m going to have to make adjustments to my assumption model with regards to obtaining eye contact or at least some level of awareness of all drivers involved.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:40 pm #931413
    rcannon100
    Participant

    Yikes!

    Had a similar 2 years ago. Around the Lincoln, at a cross walk, with three lanes of traffic stopped. I was the fifth bike in a pack of 5. A block away on Independence a traffic light turned green. The center car took that as her cue, released her brakes, and went straight into me.

    I had a dayglo jacket, flashing LED lights, and a dayglo orange helmet. The cop, who was very nice, said “yeah, in motorcycle training, they train us that drivers never see you. Even when they are looking at you, they are actually just looking through you.”

    My lesson was – you can do absolutely everything right. Lights. Jacket. Ride with a pack. Cross at a cross walk. Confirm all cars were stopped. And still get hit. That actually depressed me quite a bit. It took a while before I regained my confidence in the saddle. I changed my route to reduce street crossings; when I cross I am now hyper careful.

    If you get the 600 lumen light, please remember that while it may help cars see you, it also blinds your fellow bikers. After dark and when on the bike path, please set the light to steady, not flash.

    October 25, 2011 at 4:43 pm #931414
    jrenaut
    Participant

    @WillStewart 9551 wrote:

    Interestingly enough, the driver in the lane closest to me had waved me on. I’m going to have to make adjustments to my assumption model with regards to obtaining eye contact or at least some level of awareness of all drivers involved.

    That’s something my mom drilled into my head as I was learning to drive – watch out for courtesy accidents. When someone waves you on, it means THEY aren’t going to kill you. They aren’t speaking for everyone else. I joke about how cautious my mom is on the road, but I can’t count how many times something she told me years ago has kept me out of an accident.

    October 25, 2011 at 5:20 pm #931417
    americancyclo
    Participant

    motorist “courtesy” angers me like nothing else. on a bike or in a car. Don’t break the rules to be ‘nice’. Rules of the road are meant to be followed!

    October 25, 2011 at 5:29 pm #931420
    zanna_leigh
    Participant

    @americancyclo 9556 wrote:

    Don’t break the rules to be ‘nice’. Rules of the road are meant to be followed!

    I couldn’t agree more!! Had this conversation with Chris last week when we were crossing the George Wash Pkwy on the Mt Vernon Trail as the car closest to us waived us on and the car in the lane furthest hesitated to stop.

    Glad to hear you’re ok WillStewart!!

    October 25, 2011 at 5:56 pm #931424
    Dirt
    Participant

    I’m glad you’re okay. Also happy that there’s no visible damage to the bike.

    Keep in mind as you look at rear shifting adjustments that your derailleur hanger may be bent. If it is an aluminum, replaceable model, those are never the same after they’ve been bent and should be replaced.

    Hang in there! You may be sore tomorrow. Resist the temptation to be completely sedentary. Move around a bit. It is your best defense from stiffening up and becoming mroe sore.

    Pete

    Pete

    October 25, 2011 at 6:04 pm #931427
    acc
    Participant

    I am so sorry. Thank goodness you are generally ok. I learned the hard way too not to trust the driver in the second lane to stop. I know you will get right back on the bike, but that was the hard part for me. But reading your description it seems you’ve already ridden.

    Best wishes, please let us know how you are doing,
    ann

    October 25, 2011 at 6:12 pm #931430
    eminva
    Participant

    I passed by there shortly after the accident. There were already so many people gathered around you (including other cyclists), I didn’t stop because I wasn’t sure what I could add. In retrospect, I could have offered to get witness names/contact info (glad you got that) — so much for my great thinking on the spot.

    Glad it appears there are not serious injuries. Another reminder that we can’t be too careful.

    Liz

    October 25, 2011 at 6:16 pm #931432
    WillStewart
    Participant

    @americancyclo 9556 wrote:

    motorist “courtesy” angers me like nothing else. on a bike or in a car. Don’t break the rules to be ‘nice’. Rules of the road are meant to be followed!

    Since all cars were stopped before and after I entered the crosswalk, I didn’t think of this as a ‘courtesy accident’ scenario. I think of courtesy accidents as those where a driver in one lane (normally where cars are stopped) waving a person to cross the lane, followed by a car barreling down the adjacent lane plows into the person crossing.

    I don’t believe I broke any rules, if that’s what you are suggesting. I was in the crosswalk with all cars fully stopped.

    October 25, 2011 at 6:19 pm #931434
    zanna_leigh
    Participant

    @WillStewart 9572 wrote:

    I don’t believe I broke any rules, if that’s what you are suggesting. I was in the crosswalk with all cars fully stopped.

    I was referring to drivers – I’ll encounter drivers that waive me to go if I’m turning left at an intersection even though I don’t have the right of way, and of course traffic in the other lanes are barreling straight ahead. That is a courtesy driver breaking the rules to be nice and creating a dangerous scenario for the biker.

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