So, I figured this is a story you all probably will get a kick out of. Sunday evening, I was biking around the University of Virginia campus during the Freshman orientation and later to the block party (I'm not a student anymore, but like to scope out a little, see where everything's happening - which is pretty much the same places it's been for the last 4 years). Anyway, I was going down a hill and through an intersection (I had a green light). Well a driver (yes...she happens to be a female Asian so she fits the stereotype perfectly) decided she didn't need to yield to a cyclist and cut right in front of me at the last second. Anyway, I ended up smacking into the front passenger side of her ~'01 Honda Civic, flipping on top of the car, slid off and flipped again onto the pavement.
I stood up, figured her side fender was bent a little from the bike and assumed my bike's front wheel was jacked. Well, turns out, I was wrong...by a long shot. First thing, my bike is perfectly fine. The rim didn't bend, the tires didn't pop...I was definitely surprised (I was moving at about 35 mph on a mountain bike downhill). Her car however...is a completely different story.
First off, apparently my bike wheel just put a little tire mark on her side fender, my ankle and calf crushed the rest of it literally to a pulp. My back hit and bent (that's right...it bent) the a pillar. For those of you who have no idea what an A pillar is, I've embedded the nice picture below to help you out so you don't have to quickly open Google Images. My back also crushed her windshield - the whole spider-crack thing was going on and it spanned across the entire windshield from left to right. Her hood was also inverted beyond repair. To give you all an idea of my body size/type. I'm 6' tall and 155lbs - I've worked out constantly for the last year so I'm skinny, but not too skinny (if that makes sense). Pretty much, I got in a fight with a Civic and won (sorta).
I turned down the ambulance ride (It's a phobia of mine - I hate ambulances) and biked to the Emergency Room from the accident. I have no broken bones, no internal injuries, nothing other than 3 bruises (one of my left elbow, one on my back and one on my right ankle. So...I biked home from the ER (about 3 miles). Anyway, the cops were telling me some accidents where the cyclist was killed didn't look nearly as bad as this one. When they drove up and saw the car, they already assumed I was either dead, or pretty close to it. Most of the people standing around who witnessed the accident were shocked that I was still able to stand up, move, etc and that I had no serious injuries.
Anyway, I was pretty lucky. I don't wear a helmet when biking through the campus because of the generally cooperative traffic... I'm thinking I should start wearing one now heh. Anyway, remember car's are dumb and they don't pay attention so be careful!
-Rich
I stood up, figured her side fender was bent a little from the bike and assumed my bike's front wheel was jacked. Well, turns out, I was wrong...by a long shot. First thing, my bike is perfectly fine. The rim didn't bend, the tires didn't pop...I was definitely surprised (I was moving at about 35 mph on a mountain bike downhill). Her car however...is a completely different story.
First off, apparently my bike wheel just put a little tire mark on her side fender, my ankle and calf crushed the rest of it literally to a pulp. My back hit and bent (that's right...it bent) the a pillar. For those of you who have no idea what an A pillar is, I've embedded the nice picture below to help you out so you don't have to quickly open Google Images. My back also crushed her windshield - the whole spider-crack thing was going on and it spanned across the entire windshield from left to right. Her hood was also inverted beyond repair. To give you all an idea of my body size/type. I'm 6' tall and 155lbs - I've worked out constantly for the last year so I'm skinny, but not too skinny (if that makes sense). Pretty much, I got in a fight with a Civic and won (sorta).
I turned down the ambulance ride (It's a phobia of mine - I hate ambulances) and biked to the Emergency Room from the accident. I have no broken bones, no internal injuries, nothing other than 3 bruises (one of my left elbow, one on my back and one on my right ankle. So...I biked home from the ER (about 3 miles). Anyway, the cops were telling me some accidents where the cyclist was killed didn't look nearly as bad as this one. When they drove up and saw the car, they already assumed I was either dead, or pretty close to it. Most of the people standing around who witnessed the accident were shocked that I was still able to stand up, move, etc and that I had no serious injuries.
Anyway, I was pretty lucky. I don't wear a helmet when biking through the campus because of the generally cooperative traffic... I'm thinking I should start wearing one now heh. Anyway, remember car's are dumb and they don't pay attention so be careful!
-Rich
