I had most of this happen in late February
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| hiohoaus Sep 18, 2006 1:50 AM EDT |
Some gremlin opened his car door — big time — as I cycled past, and put me into the road. The hospitals have removed part of my skull and I'll get a chunk of Titanium stitched in there in a couple of weeks. Even though my case is considered to be miraculous (in many ways), there remains a long-term price to pay. Or to be honest, "prices". Not so much one large piece of damage, as dozens & scores of little pieces, all of which add up & many of which will stay with me for life. I don't envy Rob his outcome, either way. |
| dcparris Sep 18, 2006 10:49 AM EDT |
Sorry to hear about that. A local high school girl was killed by a truck while riding her bike in a fundraiser event in Columbia, SC. Her brother, who was riding tandem with her, survives, along with her mother who was also injured (riding behind her). The whole family was participating. My heart really goes out to all of you. |
| jimf Sep 18, 2006 11:09 AM EDT |
Both of those events are very sad, but, hardly suprising. Bicycle riding is a dangerous pursuit in the US. Between those talking on cell phones, the guys in big trucks with unlimited ego and not enough sense to blow their nose, and, little old ladies in big buicks, it's a wonder any cyclist can survive for more than 10 minutes. I still remember the caddy driver who rolled down his (power) window at a stop light to yell 'why don't you be a man and get a car'. I almost fell off the bike laughing. He wouldn't have lasted a minute on a bicycle in Chicago traffic... |
| hiohoaus Sep 19, 2006 5:09 PM EDT |
Cycling ain't that bad. Compare the figures for car-vs-car accidents if you want a big shock. Or look at the suicides hurtling around on motorbikes. At the time, I was cycling at least daily & simply didn't allow for Mr Roadside Turkey's ambush. I have a friend who turned the turtle on an ambusher like that; he was riding his motorbike down Perth's main freeway when someone ambushed him from a parked utility truck adjacent crowded lanes; friend made a split-second decision to not die & jumped up from his motorbike, relying on his helmet & leathers for protection at about 80km/h. It worked, mostly. The motorbike struck the ute's door below flying friend & vectored inside the ute (where friend went over), with the bike slicing off the ambusher's legs at the knees. Ambusher was dead from blood-loss before friend scraped himself off the road & staggered back to the ute. Friend was very upset (as you would be) but counted ambusher's death as self-inflicted & was able to recover from his own sprains and scrapes after a few weeks. The police accepted friend's POV. My own ambusher, said the police, had hit three other people recently & they expected him to get 3-5 years of "holiday" time from my case alone. He also lost all of his licences (driving, vehicle, other) so won't be officially equipped to hurt anyone else like that until after he explains to a court (with this on his record in front of them) why he needs his licences back. |
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