Monday, August 13, 2007

Hit by a car!

Well it finally happened, I have now been intimately acquainted with a car on the streets of LA!

Incident:

I was traveling North bound on Canoga avenue and while passing through the Oxnard intersection I noticed a car staged in the exit of the Fry's parking lot making a right into the one way flow of traffic. I moved from my lane, lane #2, into the #1 lane (of fast lane) on the assumption that the car would pull out into the center lane, the one I was in. As I continued on my way I realized the car only paused in its progression to the center lane and was QUICKLY entering my lane! I swerved toward the center median and hit the gas hoping to pull myself out of danger. I got most the way out of harms way but was struck by the front left corner of the car, about the wheel well or so. The impact was over so suddenly I am still unsure what EXACTLY had happened. My foot peg (the thing I stand on) is gone, and the foot brake pedal is bent, badly. As close as I can figure the car hit my shin (based on the bruise and the melted hole on my riding paints) and that must have pushed my foot out of the way of the foot well and in-turn kept my foot attached to my leg.

I waved the driver over to the side and got off my bike, naturally a bit shaken!

The driver of the car and I exchanged accusations, he said I hit him because plainly I must have turned left from Oxnard and run (50-70 yards) and hit him! I was astonished! A witness pulled over and offered his contact info to me, the driver that hit me asked for the witness's description of events.

The witness said he was surprised I didn't go down, and told the driver that I had been riding in the #1 lane and he (the driver that hit me) changed lanes into me, almost killing me!

The driver that hit me quieted down and began apologizing.

Estimate:

1 foot peg = $100
1 Brake lever = $50
Labor = $140
New paints = $150

Still able to do a Scottish jig = Priceless!

1 comment:

L said...

will you PLEASE stop getting into accidents on your bike! ;) Does this make number three?? It makes me nervous. Is Heather going to make you give up the bike after you two tie the knot?