Hit the deck

Had my first run in with a car today.. wooo... not.

Riding down North Terrace approx 5:15, minding my own business in the cycle lane outside the Oaks apartments just before the church and Morphett Street bridge.

A woman in a blue camry decides to pull over and park, and obviously didn't see me - I braked hard, locked up the rear, her car came across into the front wheel/handlebars and I went down over the side of the bike onto the road.
Managed to unclip right leg before impact, unsure if that helped or not.

Edge 500 shows 43.9km/h then 36.8km/h then 0km/h right next to a jagged line on the GPS tracker where things went pear shaped.

Poor woman claimed she didnt even see me, and probably was a little shocked at some bloody cyclist coming up to her window to advise her she nearly killed him.

I was pretty lucky - my knee copped 90% of the road impact and is pretty swollen, but rest of me is OK. Going to get bike looked at, but at this stage will be up for at least the shifters, pedals and handlebars - possibly some rear derailuer damage too.
Shoes will need new cleats too as the pokey out bit in the corner got broken off.

Hopefully will be back in the saddle in no time, but if any problems with the frame I will be devo'd as this one took 3 months to come from USA via Fuji as is the special stealth black/carbon SST1 frame, only 2 in the country... not happy Jan.

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Permalink Reply by David B.o.R. on February 9, 2012 at 5:45
The garmin for my crash is fun to look at (now), i did expect a bigger effect on my heart rate though. Be prepared for a couple of months of hypervigilance when you return to riding. Good luck with everything!
Permalink Reply by Frank on February 9, 2012 at 6:24
That's quite a high speed for peak hour I would have thought even for downhill!
Best get frame properly checked, the bottom bracket is designed for the rotational forces but sudden impact does it no good, the head stem and bars are also at risk and check or have them checked even for hairline cracks which at high speed downhill can translate into failure.
It's carbons biggest downfall!
Whiplash is another injury that shows its ugly head only a few days after!

Take photos as said, police report and seek full compensation! Even if there are marks on the super Elliot's jersey, get back what you lost IMHO!

Take care
Permalink Reply by heather on February 9, 2012 at 7:39

Michael, sorry about eventful ride but unfortunately it seems to happen to cyclists sooner or later. These Australian drivers and the lax system of driver training, education and often no reinforcement of fine for hitting a cyclist.

Report to the police and get a report number. Follow up within a few weeks as to what action has been taken -- at times police do nothing when a cyclist is hit and injured. If the driver is fined, then will help with your property damage claim. I recommend that you get photos taken of your injuries and see a doctor NOW to collaborate. Check out other posts on the AC group of Look For Cyclists, pertinent to reporting, making a claim, etc.

Permalink Reply by Martin Turner on February 9, 2012 at 8:04

Report it....you might feel ok now but further down the track the knee could prove troublesome. The crash is going to cost you money for bike repairs...why should you pay, the accident was the result of someone else's negligent action.

Wouldn't hurt for the driver to receive a wake up call in the form of a phone call from the police.

Hope you heal up quickly.

Permalink Reply by Mike Brisco on February 9, 2012 at 13:19

Michael,  it sounds  as if the driver could be at fault.  The way the traffic rules are set up - crashes  cant happen unless someone breaks a  rules. Or to put it another way -   if everyone sticks to the rules all the time, crashes cant happen  - barring freak events.

You have a right to report it to the police if you wish . The cops are obliged to take a report  . But it is then up to them whether they act on it.  They  also  work out who caused the crash, ie who is formally held responsible.  E.g a very general example - if If I am  driving and I change lanes  - and go side on into  car in the lane I move into,   - the fault would probably be mine.  So you might want to check

Permalink Reply by Mike Brisco on February 9, 2012 at 13:52

That novel "Slow Man", about a cyclist whom a driver cleaned up on Magill Road, --- the  author portrays very accurately, the Adelaide driving technique, of treating crashes as chance. Rather than admitting error and fault. 

In the novel, the cyclist is in hospital.  the driver - a young kid - somes to see him.

Kid is awkward, his dad is lurking outside the door, the cyclist suspects they are there, not because they want to be, but because their lawyer advised it.

Kid says something like "Sorry about what happened to you - real bad luck, that".

Cyclist wants to answer back "No. It wasnt bad luck. Just real bad driving on your part.".

 But the cyclist is   injured, and hasnt the energy to pursue it. So he doesnt say it. The kid doesnt know what to say next, so departs. And thus has escaped,  still believing crashes are due to luck not error. And still taking zero respnosiblity for the damage he just caused to another's life and well being. 

 

JM Coetzee, "Slow Man".  

Permalink Reply by Specialised Roubaix on February 9, 2012 at 20:43

Glad you seem reasonably OK

Hope the recovery is quick

Permalink Reply by Domestique on February 9, 2012 at 23:02
Yep. Shudder and memories reading this. Hope all turns out ok for you and her.
Permalink Reply by Matt Sandercock on February 10, 2012 at 9:05

I am not having a go at you or defending the driver, but in my view its not a great idea to go that fast in the CBD in peak hour, you were probably going faster than most cars at the time. Yes the driver should have looked but when you are going that fast you have very little time to react even if you did see it coming, and 44kmh is a lot faster than most car drivers would expect a bike to be going in the city. Like I say, not saying its your fault, but its worth thinking about doing as little to contribute to accidents as we can. Hope your knee pulls up OK!

Permalink Reply by Lorraine C on February 10, 2012 at 13:21

As the roadworks man holding the stop/slow sign on Walkerville Tce said to me the other day, "It's all about staying safe"

Permalink Reply by Mike Andy on February 10, 2012 at 17:21
Definitely understand your point Matt - I'm a pretty defensive rider and tend to make a point of travelling with the flow of traffic. North terrace tends to move pretty well in a westerly direction in the afternoon and is usually only slowed when a red light stops traffic, and even then its normally isolated. It doesnt usually start to bank up until you get to the coke factory.
In this situation I was travelling approximately the same speed as the cars, occasionally slightly faster, occasionally slower - it depends on what I think visibility is.. The last thing I want is to be in someone's blind spot, or in a situation where I will be sandwiched into the gutter.
Yes, 40km/h is definitely fast, however not unsafely so in the conditions specific to the time. Although in hindsight had I been riding slower I probably would have been able to wash off more speed and possibly avoid the collision, however that same mentality would mean that all cars all the time should drive at as low a speed as humanly possible... 5km/h speed limits for all!!!! :D
Permalink Reply by Matt Sandercock on February 10, 2012 at 20:40
Yep fair enough. I had pictured you speeding through barely moving traffic at 40kmh!

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