[Ronin]

We landed on the statistic list again today.

Linda and I were in the last six miles of a glorious 25 mile ride. In the town of Rockaway, NJ we had just climbed Hogland Avenue and were stopped at the "T" intersection with Wall Street. Then a town truck made a left turn, only he cut it across the center line, knocked us down and ran over the front wheel. Linda is not injured, but I got some nasty cuts on my left index and middle fingers where the truck hit me (and it’s hard to type with the bandaged fingers). I’ve also got a big bruise forming on my left thigh where it hit the top tube.

Of course the driver had the famous excuse of "I couldn't see you because..." A single bike perhaps, but a Tandem? Give me a break.

The tandem is okay but The wheel is toast and due to the accident I declare the fork to be “suspect” as it is carbon fiber and may well be cracked.

FWIW: I do have a thought about an appropriate punishment for the driver – he must ride a bicycle on the roads for the next six months, when not working. I think he will learn how to “see” bicycles after that. Yeah, he is already claiming that we were obscured by the rear view mirror on the truck – the same old “I didn’t/couldn't see the bicycle your honor” plea. I'll bet his lawyer will say that would be "cruel and unusual punishment." Unusual, yes. Cruel? Nah -- a just punishment in my book! I’ll bet that punishment would scare him more than any fine or points.

[Kim_in_TN]

Oh my gosh! You two could have been seriously injured or worse!!! I'm so glad that you made it out as well as you did! Please do be careful and I would certainly pursue punishment for the driver!!!

[jerryn]

If it was a town truck then you must report it to the town. Tell them you want them to pay for bike repairs, and have the driver
of that truck go for truck driving lessons! It could have been a lot worse, and you don't want him killing anyone right?

[RLK]

Oh no! I hope that you're both ok!

Did you call the police to file an accident report? Like others have said, I would pursue it with the town, especially if you have a police report.

Oh, and please get the bike checked, especially the fork! Just to be safe....

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and quick bike repairs!

[Ronin]

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for the kind messaes. The police were called by the driver of the truck. I'm sure that the town will pay for all the repairs, particularly considering that I could sue the bejesus out of them. However, my goal is simply to be "made whole" -- fix the bike and cover my expenses.

It could have been a lot worse. The strange thing is that I have my regularly scheduled visit with my primary care Nurse-Practitioner from the VA tomorrow, so I will get a professional evaluation of the finger cuts. The funny part was that the EMT's said that they would need sutures, but there isn't any skin left to suture -- OUCH!

With any luck I'll be back out on the road tomorrow either on my single or on our old (read heavier and slower) tandem. Much depends on how my fingers feel as they are pretty sore right now.

[mzteacher]

ronin,
my first thought is thank God you and linda are okay...some times it seems right to just stop after the first thought : )
susan

[princesslinda]

Ronin, i'm so glad you and your wife weren't seriously injured. I'm constantly amazed at the carelessness of other drivers. Hope your fingers heal quickly and without problems.

[lisa821]

Oh. C-r-a-p. Glad you're okay. At least you don't live in Tennessee--they throw beer cans at cyclists down here, or at least they used to. Coincidentally, a friend sent me this the other day. I wonder how many flunk this test?

DOTHETEST


~Lisa

[Jan B]

George,

How scary, especially thinking what could have been . . . thank God you and Linda are ok. Whew. I used to ride a motorcycle, and I still pay close attention to them. My mom almost hit one when I was her passenger once, and it's true they can get in a person's "blind" spot. But she didn't turn her head . . . just used her mirrors. And motorcycles are loud for a little extra protection.

It's possible that guy was telling the truth about not seeing you. If his mind was only thinking about cars/trucks, he really could have missed seeing you. But, then again, tons of people don't own up to the truth if it makes them look bad.

I'm really glad you are ok -- watch out for those not watching!!

[davef]

Ronin,

Glad you are both okay, well okay as you can be with skin missing! Hope you get your costs covered, when you get back on the road remember what they used to say on Hill Street Blues - "hey, hey, hey, let's be careful out there!"

[Lulika]

I am relieved that you and your wife are alright..relatively speaking, and hope you get back to normal and that your cuts and bruises heal quickly.
It just reminded me about how dangerous it is out there. I ride a bike here to work along with 9 million others every day and it can be a pretty hair raising experience! The Chinese taxi drivers open their doors right in your path, red lights are only a hint that you might like to stop and people frequently carry huge loads on their bikes (I will try to post some pics of this, its fascinating!!) along with dogs, children and plants...crazy!
Stay safe

[Scratch]

At least you got through fairly unscathed.

Yeah, I think that's one of the most worrisome things in using public roads for things like running and cycling. When you're out there, you've got to be alert and aware of your surroundings because if you think about it, in a very serious sense it doesn't matter whether you are in the right -- in the one-on-one resolution of physical space between a vehicle and your human body, the vehicle wins and the human body loses out.

[fgummett]

Ouch! Glad you are relatively unscathed. As a pedestrian I always try to make eye-contact with drivers at intersections and agree 100% that often their focus is only on other cars/trucks rather than the people-powered

[vegasvic]

You’re right its dangerous out there and your location may determine what the dangers are. Living in South Dakota some of you might say all I have to worry about is a stray cow wondering onto the bike path. Ya, but its more like deer on the bike path.

Anyway I tend to do my riding in the evening to lower my post dinner levels. We have a wonderful bike path that follows the creek all the way across town. I was about to cross a street and get back on the path when I almost get clipped by someone in a pickup. I don’t know if they were bored, reaching down for a beer, or what they were doing exactly but they bounced off the curb 4 inches from my front tire. That’s an eye opener! I considered chasing them but the way they took off after that I couldn’t have caught them.

The last few years we’ve had a problem with mountain lions coming into town. The state has started a hunting season for lions which is quite controversial. Anyway I’ve been out riding a few times this year already but last week we had another snow so I didn’t make it. That evening the city cops were notified of a lion sighting on the bike trail. When they showed up the lion took off and headed back into the trees.

Am I worried about an attack? No. But then I don’t worry about almost getting hit by a vehicle while on the bike trail.

vic