I was hit yesterday by a wreckless driver…

I still can’t believe it. Yesterday I was cycling to work going East on Irving Street heading towards Michigan Avenue when I got hit by a reckless driver. Irving Street is 3 lanes wide but opens up into 4 lanes whenever an exit lane approaches. So as I started to approach the last turnoff lane which begins about 50 feet before the N Capital St Exit, I moved into the right side of the lane going straight. This puts me in between the turning lane and the lane going straight… just where I ought to be. All of a sudden I hear a car on my tail honking long and hard. I’m thinking it must be a nervous driver who wants to pass on my right as I know there is already plenty of room to pass on my left if she wanted. So in a gesture to give her a little more room and let her know that I knew she was behind me, I shifted about 4″, literally no more than that, to my left, still in the lane going straight and still reasonably close to the right. I continued to hear long loud honking and she was still on my tail. WTF? So I shifted back to my original spot , hugging the right edge of the lane going straight. Maybe she wants to pass me on the left? I had no idea at this point what was goin on behind me. I continued to hear the honking, long and hard and I could tell this person wasn’t slowing down. It sounded like a truck barrelling towards me. As we approached the exit, it happened. I was hit from behind and the next thing I knew, I was scraping down the asphalt for approximatele 6’ listening to the sound of my helmet scratching the ground and just praying. I landed about 5’ in front of her car and thank goodness the driver following her stopped right behind her car so she couldn’t get away without hitting me again or backing up into that other women;s car. She had nowhere to go. If she went forward she would me again. She can;t back up b/c another driver has stopped immediately behind her. Thank goodness because I’m sure she would have tried to get away.

The driver got out of her car and started yelling at me. Shouting expletives and asking me what I was doing biking in the middle of the road. I could barely get up. I remembered my phone. I was shaking, my adrenaline was rushing. I dialed 911 (not she) and had difficulty talking to the operator b/c the connection was bad. The operator kept asking me over and over again for info. After I read her the licence plate number and told her my location her response was “what state are you in?” It was totally f****ed up. As I’m dealing with this a Metro Transit Officer drives up and calls an ambulance and the police. Across the street a man has stopped his car and is watching the whole thing. The woman who has stopped behind the driver who hit me is also watching. I give up trying to talk with the 911 operator and hang up. Before long an ambulance and fire truck arrive. The woman who stopped to help has to leave. She assures me she has given the Transit Officer her contact info and wishes me well. They strap me onto a board, neck brace and all and I am shaking and crying hysterically. I want to stay to talk to the police. They haven’t arrived yet and I am assured by the Transit Police Officer that he will give them the witness’ contact information, etc. I want to stay but the EMTs insist I have to get to the hospital immediately and the police will meet me there for questioning. What could I do? I couldn’t move and they had already wheeled me into the ambulance.

I never saw the police at the hospital. I learned today that they didn’t feel like hanging around waiting for me to finish my tests. What I don’t get is that they did show up but instead of talking to me they asked the hospital personnel to ask me for my contact number. When this happened I was nowhere near having my tests taken. I was in a holding room. Why couldn’t they have questioned me then? Maybe because they knew that they weren;t going to waste their time actually listening to what I was going to say. Maybe it was already a done deal in their eyes.

Last night when I arrived home, I called the Police Department and was told that the officer handling my case was off duty. That there was a case number but that the report hadn’t yet been filed. Presumably because the cops hadn’t spoken with me yet. At 12:00 this afternoon after the painkillers wore off, I called the precinct and asked for the officer that was handling my case. They said he was on the street. That they would call him and he would get back to me. No response. I awake just before 3:00. I call the precinct again and the administrator tells me my cop is already off duty. After I make a stink I’m told that they were able to finally contact him (how lucky am I?)and he would call me back shortly. He calls back informing me that he is driving the patrol car and he’s not really supposed to be driving while talking but wants to know my side of the story. I ask if he spoke with the driver of the car. He said yes. I asked if he ticketed her. He responded incredulously as if my question was naive “of course not. It was an accident”. It’s her word against yours. So he then proceeds to ask my side of the story. As I’m talking he says, well I’m not supposed to be driving and talking at the same time. Oh really? How the hell are you going to write the report then? Is this the undivided attention that the driver got when she told you her story? I tell him what happened and his response was “that’s not what she told me” Duh. Of course it’s not. What do you think she’s going to say? You moron? “Did she tell you how long she was honking at me for? Did she tell you how she was on my tail and never even attempted to slow down? Did she tell you how she got out of her car and started screaming at me? Did she tell you that she never even asked “are you OK” or said “I am so sorry”. She had no remorse at all. Did she tell you that?” I asked. Yeah. Right. Of course she didn’t. Then I asked if he spoke to the witness he said yes. I proceeded to ask if she was able to corroborate my story. He said he needed to give her a call tonight and that my report would be ready for pickup tomorrow afternoon. So did he or didn’t he talk with her? Then he said he had to go and that he wasn’t supposed to be on the phone while driving. Click. That was it. I didn;t even have a chance to ask if he got any information from the Transit Officer who also witnessed her screaming at me and my recounting of the incident….not to mention her bad form.

I am livid and am hoping someone on this forum can give me some good advice. This was clearly a case of reckless driving and I’m sure this driver is going to do it again, espoecially if she gets off scot free. What does this say about our rights as cyclists? Are we really just sitting ducks at the mercy of the automobiles on the road? I’m also really upset with the flippant attitude of the police who my tax dollars are paying for. I’m seriously considering going public with this.

I am pretty bruised up. My right hip and buttocks are very bruised and I am feeling pain in my neck, shoulder and back and also in my right leg. I’ve been x-rayed, cat scanned and ultrasounded and all the tests luckily came out negative. I just hope I’m going to experience a full recovery.