New to the forum – crap first post though

WABA has some information for when you get in a crash that will help to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything, and to know what to do next.
It’s at this link.

Glad to hear it was nowhere near as serious as it could have been, and welcome to the forum. Hopefully post #2 will be for a happier occasion.

You’re incredibly lucky there was any citation at all–there often isn’t, even if someone is killed.

@RayDC 31096 wrote:

When a biker gets hit by a car, it’s a human body that takes the direct hit. No doubt I was very very lucky, but it is still a traumatic experience that could have ended up very differently with any change of variables. I guess my point (or confusion) is hitting a biker and getting the same citation as hitting another car doesn’t seem to be in the same category…

You are unfortunately correct. The laws and view of cyclists are still behind the times. The reaction of police officers to a given situation can vary greatly from officer to officer as well. Bikes and cyclists are still not taken seriously as part of the transportation infrastructure and not as merely a toy. Things are changing, but slowly. I think continuing to follow up with WABA is your best bet because they will be able to offer the best advice as to how to pursue this further. Having the police report and witness statements I think will be important. And certainly let your insurance company(ies) know about what happened so they can earn their keep and support you.

Again, glad your OK, relatively speaking. Take it easy over the next few days and really monitor yourself and give yourself time to heal. Injuries that may not have been discovered on the first pass at the hospital may appear later on when the body tries to relax more. You could even have micro fractures that don’t show up on x-rays. Not to try to scare you, just be aware. Lastly, props for mangling his windshield.

G.

I’m so sorry this happened to you! I hope you’ll be alright long term. As far as having this driver in your area, I might worry more about the other folks. This one must know that it could have been much worse.

RayDC, if you have car insurance you have coverage of your own, in the event that the driver does not or if his insurance company becomes problematic. Seems weird that car insurance covers you as a pedestrian or cyclist, but it does.

Ray, wow, glad you’re ok.

@Rootchopper 31129 wrote:

RayDC, if you have car insurance you have coverage of your own, in the event that the driver does not or if his insurance company becomes problematic. Seems weird that car insurance covers you as a pedestrian or cyclist, but it does.

This is interesting and something I’ve been meaning to clarify with my current insurance. I’m glad to hear it — it’s the uninsured motorist that covers it?

A couple years ago, I sideswiped a parked car while on my bike. (shut up). Totally, 100% my fault. Put a little scratch on the car. Gave the girl my number so I could take care of repairs but she (or her parents) never called me, so I guess they either didn’t bother repairing or their own insurance covered. But it prompted me to call my car insurance at the time to see if I was covered, and they said no– suggested I try my homeowner’s. That of course would have been liability not uninsured motorist. I also asked if I could *buy* a policy that would cover me on the bike and they said no that doesn’t exist. I now have an umbrella policy which (I think) should cover any liability on my part, but I’ve been meaning to ask what happens if someone hits me and runs or doesn’t have adequate insurance.