On Getting Hit By A Car

As the post below demonstrates, if you ride enough, it is likely to happen one day, That is, getting hit by a car. You try to minimize the chances as much as possible but, sadly, it is not entirely in your hands.

So, I ride with a rear flasher always, wear bright colors and reflector strips on my ankle, try to start my rides VERY early in the morning, and stay away, as much as possible, from dangerous roads.

Nevertheless.

My day came almost exactly five years ago, on July 29, 2005. And it was entirely my fault.

I was riding out to Point Lookout, about a 28 mile round trip from my house. I rode down Central Avenue rather than 878 to (ironically) avoid traffic. I was going around 20 mph when I approached the traffic light at Central and Rockaway Turnpike. The light was red so I slowed down, looked both ways, and continued riding, still against the light.

Except the road wasn't clear. I don't know how I missed it but I did. At the last second I saw it. A white car, about to hit me. He slammed on his brakes and swerved to his left. I slammed on mine and instinctively veered to the right. I braced for the impact.

Boom!

His passenger-side mirror rammed into my handle bars and were sheared right of his car. Remarkably, I didn't even fall. I was literally in the same upright position I would have been in had I simply stopped for the light (albeit facing north rather than west).

The driver, shaking, pulled over and came to see if I was ok. It didn't look like I had so much as a scratch! (It turned out that I, indeed, had a nasty welt on my side). I assured him that I was fine. I asked him if HE was ok and he said, yes, just very worried. I told him it was my fault and apologized for riding carelessly.

He picked up the mirror, hopped in the car, and drove off.

I then assessed the situation, My bike was a little mangled but much less than I would have thought. The handlebars were way out of allignment but I was able to fix them with a quick adjustment. Amazingly, the bike was usable.

Rather than go home like a normal person, I decided to finish my ride.

POSTSCRIPT.

The next day, I ran into an acquaintance who was driving on Rockaway Turnpike and saw the entire thing. He told me that he saw the car swerve to the left at the last second, and saw me get hit by the mirror, bounce off the car and land upright. He said it was the darndest thing he ever saw (and that I should be VERY grateful to G-d).

That episode had a profound effect in many ways, including, especially, how I ride. I can't believe how careless I was and how lucky I was to survive. I try never to forget that incident.