I was hit yesterday by a wreckless driver…

[americancyclo]

That sounds awful. I hope you are healing and take time to rest and recover properly. WABA has some good info on what to do in a crash, and even though it is after the fact, I’m sure they could offer some advice. There is a phone number to contact them on this link:

http://www.waba.org/resources/crash_faq.php

[pfunkallstar]

I’m glad to hear that you are okay. From what you have described this definitely sounds like a case of aggressive/reckless driving. My first piece of advice would be to find a competent lawyer to bounce a few things off of. In the meantime you need to:

1. Have your statement taken in person at the precinct headquarters – no exceptions.
2. Secure a printed copy of your statement.
3. Ensure that you have access to or copies of all pertinent medical findings.
4. Collect relevant contact information either from the case officer or others.

From there any legal professional should be able to start pressing the right buttons to get this investigated and pursue any personal injury claims.

Feel better.

[Greenbelt]

Was the driver arrested? That doesn’t sound like an “I didn’t see the cyclist” case. That sounds like deliberate assault, battery, possible worse. Deliberately crashing into another vehicle is a serious crime.

[jrenaut]

Wishing you a speedy recovery. Were you taking the route on the north side of the hospital? That stretch of road could certainly use some traffic calming. I know, because they put in a speed camera on the road on the south side, so I stopped using the south side when I’m driving.

I’ve never seen much traffic on that road – seems like a good opportunity to take out a car lane and put in some bike infrastructure.

[guacamole62]

@pfunkallstar 11410 wrote:

I’m glad to hear that you are okay. From what you have described this definitely sounds like a case of aggressive/reckless driving. My first piece of advice would be to find a competent lawyer to bounce a few things off of. In the meantime you need to:

1. Have your statement taken in person at the precinct headquarters – no exceptions.
2. Secure a printed copy of your statement.
3. Ensure that you have access to or copies of all pertinent medical findings.
4. Collect relevant contact information either from the case officer or others.

From there any legal professional should be able to start pressing the right buttons to get this investigated and pursue any personal injury claims.

Feel better.

Thanks. I will definitely go to the precinct to have them take my statement in person. My worry is that if they already filed the report, can it be ammended? You bet I want to have his investigated but in respect to bouncing this off a lawyer, I’ve been told by an attorney friend that they are skeptical any attorney would want to take the case because there were no broken bones.

[guacamole62]

@Greenbelt 11412 wrote:

Was the driver arrested? That doesn’t sound like an “I didn’t see the cyclist” case. That sounds like deliberate assault, battery, possible worse. Deliberately crashing into another vehicle is a serious crime.

No arrests. Not even a ticket. I asked the officer if he wrote up a ticket when I spoke to him on the phone. That’s when he replied, well it’s her word against yours. What does that matter?, I thought. She hit ME. I was visible to her while she was driving for at least half a minute!

[guacamole62]

@americancyclo 11409 wrote:

That sounds awful. I hope you are healing and take time to rest and recover properly. WABA has some good info on what to do in a crash, and even though it is after the fact, I’m sure they could offer some advice. There is a phone number to contact them on this link:

http://www.waba.org/resources/crash_faq.php

Thanks to everyone for all your support. Yes. I left a message with Shane yesterday. Hoping to hear back from him.

[vvill]

Really sorry to hear about this horrible story. The non-response of the police is sad. I hope there’s someone here that can give you some good advice – that driver needs to be prosecuted.

Best of luck in your recovery.

[Justin Antos]

Wow. Geez, this is terrible, serious stuff. Good luck with your recovery, and trying to make it right.

[eminva]

First, glad that you are recovering and that your injuries were not more serious. I hope your recovery continues apace.

Second, please take a look at this thread:

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?1383-Crash!!-You-ve-had-an-accident-with-a-car.-What-do-you-do-now&highlight=deming

Please, whether you go through a lawyer or on your own, continue to pursue this with the police. You can go up the chain of command if you have to. Do not hesitate to do so. There are lawyers who specialize in helping cyclists in your situation; ask WABA for a referral. According to your account, there are witnesses and this sounds like assault.

Finally, sorry to go all lawyerly, but be cautious about how much you say and how you characterize it on a public forum like this — even a characterization as “reckless” has certain legal implications, where the conduct you are describing is intentional, NOT reckless. We all want to help and are always looking for information about the dangers lurking out there for us cyclists, but we want to protect your interests, too.

Best wishes.

Liz

[guacamole62]

Thanks Liz,

You are so right and I appreciate your concern. It’s hard for someone not familiar with the legalese to know how to describe the scene accurately enough to get good advice and not make mistakes in the telling of the story. I really have nothing to hide here, but I hear you. I’ve alreadu spoken with a lawyer and he has the accident report.

[WillStewart]

This story really raises my hackles about roadhog drivers with hateful attitudes. Did the driver behind her see the crash? Even if you were taking up the right side of the lane, you had the right of way.
http://waba.org/resources/laws.php

You should have access to her insurance information, and they MUST pay for all of your medical expenses. And who knows what latent injuries will surface in the coming days/weeks.

[baiskeli]

Sorry to hear that, and I hope you feel better and get justice too.

Is it too early to note the irony of your misspelled thread headline?

[guacamole62]

@baiskeli 11460 wrote:

Sorry to hear that, and I hope you feel better and get justice too.

Is it too early to note the irony of your misspelled thread headline?

Actually, It’s too late I saw it the second I hit the “post” button and noticed the irony at once. Therein lies the ugliness and beauty of electronic transmission.

[WillStewart]

Any updates you can share?

[Author]

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