Another rare RL post about stupid drivers

[ghost2]

Nothing too unusual happened to me today. I went to the bank, stopped by the mall, bought lunch at McDonald's, got hit by a truck...

Yeah, I actually did get hit by a truck. Luckily, it was basically just a nudge but it easily could have been a lot worse.



Nice morning, decided to take my bike out. I ran some errands, and on my way home it started to rain heavily. Ahead of me, construction was taking place and the road was narrowed to one lane. I decided it was safer to go onto the sidewalk for that stretch rather than try to squeeze onto the street, so I turned in at the corner and rode along on the pavement fairly slowly for a little while. Then something, maybe a flash of movement I didn't clearly register, made me jerk my handlebars to the side and a second later, a big black truck backing out of a driveway hit me in the leg and bumped my bike.

It didn't knock me down but it came close. I ended up swerving into the road, in front of oncoming traffic. Fortunately, I was able to safely get out of the way and onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street. The truck driver, who had stopped when he hit me, jumped out of his vehicle and ran to the rear of it... to check for damage. He didn't spare ME a glance.

I waited for a break in traffic, then rode back across the road and yelled, "You hit me!" The driver replied, "It was YOUR fault. How did you expect me to see you? The bushes were in my way."

That's right, folks. Asshole driver had 12-foot shrubbery lining the side of his driveway and completely obscuring his vision. Instead of trimming the bushes to eliminate the safety hazard, he had left them in place and chose to blindly back down his driveway in the expectation that any innocent passersby would leap for their lives if need be. (Or, on the off chance that he didn't own the property in question but was merely a visitor not responsible for its upkeep, he still should have been more careful in exiting.)

The driver didn't apologize or ask if I was okay. He just glared at me and insisted the incident had been my fault. Not knowing what else to do as I sat there getting soaked from the downpour, I told him he was an idiot and proceeded home. Presumably, his truck was fine. I'm sure if it had been at all scraped, he would have demanded compensation. The impact of my 120 pounds plus the weight of my bike seemed to be enough to make him aware he'd hit something, but not enough to cause actual damage.

My leg is a little tender where the truck hit it but it's bearing weight fine. I think at most I'll have some bruises for a few days. I still don't have medical insurance so no doctor's visits for me unless absolutely necessary; can't afford them. My bike emerged with no visible damage and no change in performance--good thing, because it was a recent gift and I love it. Whatever instinct made me turn to the side right before the collision probably saved me from a more serious injury. If I hadn't swerved, I would have been hit broadside and likely knocked down, possibly run over.

I'm pissed off that the driver was such an asshole. I wondered what he would have done if he'd struck a kid. Or an animal. I think it's entirely possible that he might someday.

Mainly, though, I'm just relieved that I wasn't really injured.

Comments

[purple_bug.livejournal.com]

Wow, what an ass. Cycling around bigger traffic sucks, especially in the rain. I used to bike to work before I lost the energy for it, and it was alright in the morning, cos there's little traffic at 6am so you can take your time with getting across junctions uphill before the lights change back :o) But downhill in traffic at midday is scary. In the rain, even more so. The one time it rained heavily, I was terrified I'd skid into the path of a car, or I'd get rain in my face and wouldn't be able to see...

Luckily I never got an injury on my bike worse than a leg bruise - from practising turning left going downhill before braving proper big roads. I don't know if it's standard, but right was front wheel brake and left was back, so when I was indicating left I couldn't brake at the back. The first time, my hand got twitchy from the downhill momentum and jerked at the front brake - I went half-over and the bike twisted round on my leg. I soon learned to let the bike coast :o)

Anyway, glad you're not hurt too badly *hugs*

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Ironically, my brother got a broken leg last year while on his bike. He had the right of way and a driver turned directly into him.

The only reason I was even up on the sidewalk today was because of the road construction. I guess I would have been safer staying in the street after all! I kind of still feel like strangling that rude driver, though.

[purple_bug.livejournal.com]

As they say, hindsight's 20/20 :o) And yep, cyclists are treated like shit on the roads. There's plenty of stories about actual injuries, but the attitude's just as bad. I got honked at twice by a white van driver once, the first time because I was slow to push off at the roundabout, the second as I took one exit and he carried on round. I have no idea what the second one was for. Maybe I was just such a nice bright shade of yellow that he felt the need to let me know he approved :o) Unfortunately, it didn't translate.

I also had a ned girl swear at me because she tried to cross a road without looking from behind a parked ice-cream van, as I was passing. I'd already given myself plenty of leeway from the van for just this eventuality, but she felt I'd been careless. That incident finally gave me the chance to yell back, "What, am I not bright enough or something?" :oD Bearing in mind I was wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket on a sunny day.

I have several anecdotes from my brief cycling stint, but I'll not bore you with them all today :o)

[syzygy-lj.livejournal.com]

This is why I never bike to work. The quickest route to work is along Grande Allée, which is a pretty busy road. I am petrified of being hit, because drivers just zoom along like it's the F1 or something.

My husband has been hit "five or six times". He's so lucky to be alive!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I'd be way too nervous to ride on busy streets. There aren't many of them around here anyway, though.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

*hugs* There's a reason why I don't bike in NYC (I was already a nervous cyclist in a small UK suburb. Plus, I'd probably be worried about my fellow-cyclists. Some of them seem to treat the traffic laws as guidelines). Sounds like you were lucky.

And yes, the driver was being distinctly unhelpful.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I rode back that way today and got the guy's address, which I didn't think of doing last week. I'm going to report him to the city. It must be illegal to have vision-obstructing shrubbery like he does. I expect he'll be told to trim it, and that'll make me feel better.

[finmagik.livejournal.com]

What an asshole. I'm glad your mostly okay though.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Thanks. My favorite part was probably when the jackass ran to check on his truck instead of the person he JUST HIT.

[livii.livejournal.com]

Oh, hon! That's awful, and I'm really sorry to hear it. And I'm so sorry that you can't go visit a doctor. COME TO CANADA.

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit paranoid about leg injuries ever since I developed a huge blood clot in my leg a few years ago. Theoretically, though it isn't likely, getting hit like I did could cause another clot. That's my main concern at the moment. Will see how I feel tomorrow. It'll probably be fine.

[pimpmytardis.livejournal.com]

Owww, what an ass. You're very lucky to be ok.

At UCSB, there aren't very many cars, but there's breakneck traffic of bicyclists and skateboarders, often on their cell phones-- no joke! In nine months here, I've been hit by them around six times. With about two apologies. Crossing bike lanes directly between classes is done at-your-peril!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Usually it's pretty quiet around here. That's one good thing about living in a smallish town.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Geez ! I'm glad that you weren't badly injured or killed.

The driver is an a**hole !!!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

His sheer idiocy still amazes me, even though I know it shouldn't. I love how he tried to make it MY fault that he couldn't see where he was going.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

That is pretty astounding...

[pink-soprano.livejournal.com]

If you don't mind receiving them from random internet friends - many *hugs* to you.

I'm glad that it looks like bruises are "all" you're going to have, but it's still awful that it happened! I have a lot of bike-riding friends, so I often hear horror stories of drivers who just don't care about cyclists, and it always makes me sad. I'm a committed pedestrian so I have to respect everything on the road because it's all bigger and faster than me.

And the truck driver really was a total bastard. :(

*hugs again*

PS Come to Australia. Our Doctors are often free :D

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Hugs are good. :)

Maybe that driver will grow a brain and trim his bushes to avoid a repeat incident. I'm not counting on it, though. He seemed pretty stupid.

And I would LOVE to get to Australia someday. I've always wanted to visit.

[pink-soprano.livejournal.com]

We are an awesome country. I want to say that we're a land of blue skies and sunlight...but at the moment we're really not. We have crazy hybrid animals, and fantastic food and the silliest national sport ever invented. We also have the wonders of vegemite.

Seriously...I should work for the Tourism Commission. I'm the best advertisement for Australia ever.

[ventruechick.livejournal.com]

If you wants, I have a large and scary uncle who's a trucker that I can sic on the bastard. Either that, or I'll track down the biggest bird I can find to go leave a friendly 'present' on his precious truck. *nods* Yikes, though, I hope that the bit of bruising is all that you got, and not anything more serious/subtle. Glad to hear that it wasn't worse!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

At the least, I can report him for having an obstructed driveway. From what I read in the online city ordinances, it's a violation. And I do have a nice bruise today, but apparently nothing worse. :)

[cersia5.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about your accident. Even in car accidents people are a--holes to one another when really that's the time people need to be understanding and kind to one another. I've never really cycled as an adult anywhere but I do respect everyone who uses the road. Take care of you! Big Hugs!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I feel okay today. :) And will feel even better when I report the idiot driver to the city for having an obstructed driveway. I'm thinking he'll soon have to trim those bushes to a safe level.

[elliptic-eye.livejournal.com]

Late reply for the fail, but that scares the shit out of me, and I'm glad your instincts kept you (relatively) safe. *hugs*

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I reported the guy's address to the city; will see if they have him cut the bushes. That would make me happy. :)