mitchvon
Mini Bike
Monday 02/07/11
I'm coming home from work I turn left on the final avenue before the turn off to my home. The streets are wet from rain but only raining lightly now. The daylight is fading as the evening begins to gather. I am the 3rd vehicle in the left lane of a 4 lane avenue. As I approach to within 30 feet of a SUV waiting the turn left across the driver suddenly turns left in front of me. I drop an F bomb as I brake and begin to slide. The sliding of my bike as both it and I go down alerts the SUV driver and she stops. It is too late and the sequence of events unfold.
I hit the pavement at 30 mph and slide watching my bike separate from me. It slowly comes to a stop at the edge of a driveway to the shopping center on my right that the SUV was trying to enter. I pick myself up and look to ensure there are no other oncoming vehicles behind me. I approach my bike, engine still running and turn her off. As I pick up my gps and tank bag off the pavement witnesses rush up to me blocking my view of the SUV.
A woman in an excited voice tells me that I am in shock and that I must sit down. I ask "Where is the other driver?" The woman point to the SUV in the parking lot and again tells me I must sit down because I am in shock and that she has taken CPA.
I remove my helmet and ear plugs so that I can better communicate. My right thumb is numb and as I take off my glove to inspect the damage another woman shoves a cell phone into my face proclaiming "911 wants to speak to you!" The first lady continue that I must sit and I tell her that I don't want to sit on the wet pavement. She signals the second lady to bring up their car so I have a place to sit.
Inspecting my thumb, now a sort of eggplant purple and distorted I speak to the 911 operator. "Are you injured? She asks. Yes, I reply, my thumb is broken. The operator tells me help is on the way. A muscular man gets out of a tow truck and hands me his card. "I was behind the SUV and saw the whole thing. Give me a call if you need anything" he states matter-of-factly. I ask if he can stick around for the accident report. He tells me no problem.
The first woman tells me to sit down again and I tell her I need to get the driver information from the SUV. She tells me she will take care of it if I sit down. The second lady arrives with her car at that moment and the first lady shoves me into the passenger seat. I ask what about the other driver. The lady asks if I have a pen.
Now mind you all of this takes place less than 200 yards from my home where my wife is awaiting my arrival so I can follow her in my car so she can take her car to the repair shop. I pull my droid from my tank bag and also a pen. I hand the pen to the first lady and call my wife.
I've had an accident and I'm over at the Bartell’s parking lot. Can you come over and give me hand please? She asks some questions centered on my well being and said she would be right over.
A 3rd lady approaches me with tears in her eyes and tells me she is so sorry am I alright. I tell her I think my thumb is broken along with my bike. She asks “Why didn't you make an evasive maneuver?" I looked at her a moment, fighting the urge to throttle her and replied “I did, I hit the brakes” She asked why I didn't go around her. I said "Ma’am, I have no idea of what was going on in your head. I didn't know if you were going to continue your turn or what you were going to do. I did my best to avoid hitting you.
The fire rescue squad arrived. They were quite mature for firemen and one of them remarked "It's a Kawasaki Concours” I asked the fireman if he rode. He said he had a 93 and a 97 concours. I asked if he was a member of COG and he said now but was thinking about joining.
As one of his associated began dressing my thumb I extolled the virtue of COG membership and what swell bunk COGgers are. I told him about the upcoming 20th Anniversary Bun Cooler at the foot of Lolo Pass. The other firemen all commented on what a great road Lolo pass was. While they asked if I needed a lift to the ER I saw my wife pull up. I thanked them all and said see you on the road.
My wife arrives, assesses the situation and asks about the location of the other driver. I motion to the SUV and ask if she can get the driver’s information as well as the tow trucker driver/witness. She goes into action and I move to sit in our car.
The police office arrives and gets out of his patrol car. He quickly separates the drivers and witness from the rest of the crowd and goes about taking down the facts, just the facts.
I hear the other driver plead that I was hard to see. I am still wearing my high vis reflective vest scrotchbrite reflective strip. I explained to the officer that I drive with HID driving lights on and wear a white helmet for increased visibility. The officer tells me that he has just rotated out of 6 years as a motorcycle officer. He said “I’ll go you one better, I was one riding a police bike with red and blue lights flashing and siren blaring when a driver turned left in front of me. People just don’t look” he said then asked if I was OK. I told him about my thumb. He said we would complete is investigation as quickly as possible so I could get to the hospital.
The other driver insisted to the officer that it wasn’t her fault because the motorcycle was at least 10-15 way when she began to make her turn. I heard the officer reply “Ma’am, the speed limit on this street is 35 mph. At that speed a vehicle will cover 50 in 1 second.” The officer and the driver walked up and down the pavement where the accident occurred. The officer then spoke to the tow truck driver and took down his statement.
The officer issued the driver a citation for causing the accident while she continued to feel it wasn’t her fault. The officer looked at her standing next to her teenage daughter and coolly said the following:
“ Let’s take you out of the accident for a moment. A vehicle suddenly turns in front of a motorcycle. The motorcyclist hits the brakes to avoid collision and goes down. The motorcycle continues to slide down the street. Now lets put your daughter crossing the street at the same time. The motorcycle slides into her and causes your daughter to be injured. Wouldn’t you want the driver to started the chain of events that injured your daughter to be held responsible?” The woman replied “Yes.” The officer then said “Now lets take your daughter out of the scene and put you back in the car that started the sequence of events.”
She looked over at me and apologized. I told her I accepted her apology and didn’t believe she did it on purpose. I told her that it could have been worse. “I could be lying on the pavement with a sheet over me. The bike can be replaced. The important thing is that we are both here and able to talk about it.”
The bike had to be towed home and I and currently wearing a cast on my right hand. The X-rays at the ER revealed my right thumb to be shattered and my right index finger to be fractured. Shattered is a word I never imaged to be used to describe the condition of one of my appendages. The bike is totaled. Her insurance claims adjuster said he rides. Don’t know if he was just trying to make a visceral connection or if he actually rides.
Still sore from a contused left hip and, mostly annoyed but working with the adjuster on my medical bills and value of the bike. The adjuster said he would take care of everything. Time will tell.
A few days after the accident the guys at the firehouse sent me a post card they all signed wishing me well. Think I’ll swing by and drop off a copy of the newsletter. They seem like a bunch of OK guys.
I'm coming home from work I turn left on the final avenue before the turn off to my home. The streets are wet from rain but only raining lightly now. The daylight is fading as the evening begins to gather. I am the 3rd vehicle in the left lane of a 4 lane avenue. As I approach to within 30 feet of a SUV waiting the turn left across the driver suddenly turns left in front of me. I drop an F bomb as I brake and begin to slide. The sliding of my bike as both it and I go down alerts the SUV driver and she stops. It is too late and the sequence of events unfold.
I hit the pavement at 30 mph and slide watching my bike separate from me. It slowly comes to a stop at the edge of a driveway to the shopping center on my right that the SUV was trying to enter. I pick myself up and look to ensure there are no other oncoming vehicles behind me. I approach my bike, engine still running and turn her off. As I pick up my gps and tank bag off the pavement witnesses rush up to me blocking my view of the SUV.
A woman in an excited voice tells me that I am in shock and that I must sit down. I ask "Where is the other driver?" The woman point to the SUV in the parking lot and again tells me I must sit down because I am in shock and that she has taken CPA.
I remove my helmet and ear plugs so that I can better communicate. My right thumb is numb and as I take off my glove to inspect the damage another woman shoves a cell phone into my face proclaiming "911 wants to speak to you!" The first lady continue that I must sit and I tell her that I don't want to sit on the wet pavement. She signals the second lady to bring up their car so I have a place to sit.
Inspecting my thumb, now a sort of eggplant purple and distorted I speak to the 911 operator. "Are you injured? She asks. Yes, I reply, my thumb is broken. The operator tells me help is on the way. A muscular man gets out of a tow truck and hands me his card. "I was behind the SUV and saw the whole thing. Give me a call if you need anything" he states matter-of-factly. I ask if he can stick around for the accident report. He tells me no problem.
The first woman tells me to sit down again and I tell her I need to get the driver information from the SUV. She tells me she will take care of it if I sit down. The second lady arrives with her car at that moment and the first lady shoves me into the passenger seat. I ask what about the other driver. The lady asks if I have a pen.
Now mind you all of this takes place less than 200 yards from my home where my wife is awaiting my arrival so I can follow her in my car so she can take her car to the repair shop. I pull my droid from my tank bag and also a pen. I hand the pen to the first lady and call my wife.
I've had an accident and I'm over at the Bartell’s parking lot. Can you come over and give me hand please? She asks some questions centered on my well being and said she would be right over.
A 3rd lady approaches me with tears in her eyes and tells me she is so sorry am I alright. I tell her I think my thumb is broken along with my bike. She asks “Why didn't you make an evasive maneuver?" I looked at her a moment, fighting the urge to throttle her and replied “I did, I hit the brakes” She asked why I didn't go around her. I said "Ma’am, I have no idea of what was going on in your head. I didn't know if you were going to continue your turn or what you were going to do. I did my best to avoid hitting you.
The fire rescue squad arrived. They were quite mature for firemen and one of them remarked "It's a Kawasaki Concours” I asked the fireman if he rode. He said he had a 93 and a 97 concours. I asked if he was a member of COG and he said now but was thinking about joining.
As one of his associated began dressing my thumb I extolled the virtue of COG membership and what swell bunk COGgers are. I told him about the upcoming 20th Anniversary Bun Cooler at the foot of Lolo Pass. The other firemen all commented on what a great road Lolo pass was. While they asked if I needed a lift to the ER I saw my wife pull up. I thanked them all and said see you on the road.
My wife arrives, assesses the situation and asks about the location of the other driver. I motion to the SUV and ask if she can get the driver’s information as well as the tow trucker driver/witness. She goes into action and I move to sit in our car.
The police office arrives and gets out of his patrol car. He quickly separates the drivers and witness from the rest of the crowd and goes about taking down the facts, just the facts.
I hear the other driver plead that I was hard to see. I am still wearing my high vis reflective vest scrotchbrite reflective strip. I explained to the officer that I drive with HID driving lights on and wear a white helmet for increased visibility. The officer tells me that he has just rotated out of 6 years as a motorcycle officer. He said “I’ll go you one better, I was one riding a police bike with red and blue lights flashing and siren blaring when a driver turned left in front of me. People just don’t look” he said then asked if I was OK. I told him about my thumb. He said we would complete is investigation as quickly as possible so I could get to the hospital.
The other driver insisted to the officer that it wasn’t her fault because the motorcycle was at least 10-15 way when she began to make her turn. I heard the officer reply “Ma’am, the speed limit on this street is 35 mph. At that speed a vehicle will cover 50 in 1 second.” The officer and the driver walked up and down the pavement where the accident occurred. The officer then spoke to the tow truck driver and took down his statement.
The officer issued the driver a citation for causing the accident while she continued to feel it wasn’t her fault. The officer looked at her standing next to her teenage daughter and coolly said the following:
“ Let’s take you out of the accident for a moment. A vehicle suddenly turns in front of a motorcycle. The motorcyclist hits the brakes to avoid collision and goes down. The motorcycle continues to slide down the street. Now lets put your daughter crossing the street at the same time. The motorcycle slides into her and causes your daughter to be injured. Wouldn’t you want the driver to started the chain of events that injured your daughter to be held responsible?” The woman replied “Yes.” The officer then said “Now lets take your daughter out of the scene and put you back in the car that started the sequence of events.”
She looked over at me and apologized. I told her I accepted her apology and didn’t believe she did it on purpose. I told her that it could have been worse. “I could be lying on the pavement with a sheet over me. The bike can be replaced. The important thing is that we are both here and able to talk about it.”
The bike had to be towed home and I and currently wearing a cast on my right hand. The X-rays at the ER revealed my right thumb to be shattered and my right index finger to be fractured. Shattered is a word I never imaged to be used to describe the condition of one of my appendages. The bike is totaled. Her insurance claims adjuster said he rides. Don’t know if he was just trying to make a visceral connection or if he actually rides.
Still sore from a contused left hip and, mostly annoyed but working with the adjuster on my medical bills and value of the bike. The adjuster said he would take care of everything. Time will tell.
A few days after the accident the guys at the firehouse sent me a post card they all signed wishing me well. Think I’ll swing by and drop off a copy of the newsletter. They seem like a bunch of OK guys.
