Happy endings after a crash

[JorgeGortex]

All I can say is that I’m glad it came out OK in the end and you are here to talk about! I admit, your story sounds like a fairy tail ending compared to most. Cheers.

ps- cool photos are, well, always cool!

[wilesto]

Here’s a few pictures of the damage to my bike. The bent steel in the pics is the easiest damage to see, but my brifters/handlebars/front wheel were bent up as well.

The impact was almost directly head-on and I was probably going about 15mph, maybe more.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1573[/ATTACH] The downtube folded underneath as the headtube was pushed back. Yikes!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1574[/ATTACH] It’s a little out of focus, but the headtube was dented around the top tube as well.

Any other stories? I know it’s a little grim, but I do like to hear other crash stories so I have a better chance of avoiding them myself.

[Timur]

Glad your crash worked out well for you, although the injuries sound rather painful.

I was hit by an SUV just two weeks ago (posted here about it already), but my accident was rather minor compare to yours. But, I still got a new full carbon fuji 2 professional (and a cheapo mountain bike) out of the deal. I don’t know about you, but I avoid the road where I was hit from now on, and I am extremely cautious when riding in general. Seeing a big SUV heading your way when you are locked into the pedals of a 25 pound frame that you balance with your own body is quite scary…

P.S. “happy endings” may be poor phrasing. I for once through that GEICO truly went above AND beyond when responding to your claim…

[DismalScientist]

My last, and only, car/bike crash was similar to yours. Happened about 35 years ago. I got left hooked. Left turns were illegal at that intersection. Can’t say I remembered it, even at the time. I went to the emergency room and had a mild concussion. I got my front wheel trued for the effort. Those old Le Tours are tanks: there was no other damage. I probably put a good dent in the lady’s rear quarter panel. As expected, no problems with insurance.

Left hooks are the hardest crashes to avoid. You just need to make yourself seen.
(Right hooks are easier to avoid: just don’t put yourself in situations when it can happen.)

[krazygl00]

I was lured to this thread by the phrase “Happy Endings”. I am sorely disappointed.

[eminva]

Well, since you live in the Columbia Heights/Petworth area, and that is where I had my one and only dooring, here goes if it can help you or anyone else.

This happened just a few weeks into my fledgling bike commuting career. I was riding north on 14th Street NW in the bike lane, on one of those four block long uphill stretches (I think it was north of Spring Street a couple of blocks). I was scanning the row of parked cars to be alert for possible doorings. However, as a new commuter on a heavy hybrid on a long hill, I was probably going about 6 mph. That should have given me plenty of time to see cars arriving into spaces and anticipate a driver exiting the vehicle. You can imagine my surprise when, near the summit of the alpine climb (well, that’s what it felt like at the time), a door was suddenly flung into my path. I guess the guy had parked a while earlier and had been sitting in the car on the phone or doing paperwork or something. Because of my slow speed, no harm was done to me or my bike, although a pannier bungee broke and the pannier went flying. The driver was super apologetic and friendly.

Since then, I may ride in the bike lane, but I’m usually a little farther to the left if cars are parked to my right. I try to stay out of the door zone.

Liz

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I don’t believe any of that story. It’s like some sappy, impossibly optimistic Disney movie. Like the Apple Dumpling Gang.

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