Commute Home Friday
The commute home from work Friday night took a nasty turn when a truck pulled out from a stop and hit me in the side. First off, I'm OK and the bike, well, pretty much OK.
I made eye contact with the driver of the truck before pulling in front on the sidewalk. He later said that he thought I was going to ride behind him. I was lucky and it made me more aware of the cagers and their lack of a thought process.
As I started to pass his truck I heard the acceleration and immediately I tensed up. I then felt a hood touch my left cheek and a bumper on my calf with a sort of bump. The acceleration continued and I was being pushed out into the main artery of traffic. The bike gave, I flipped over the bike and I landed on my left cheek and on a backpack I was wearing. I lay there and looked back seeing a woman driving a van with her mouth wide open. The next I remember is an elderly man shouting Oh my God and looking over me. Traffic came to a stop. I got up and picked the bike up and moved to the curb. I seemed OK, the bike seemed OK and I told the elderly man that it would be OK.
When that situation happens, reality is far from the scene. A form of shock took over and nothing really made sense. I remember straightening my handlebars checking the tires and telling the man not to worry that I was fine. I mounted the bike and started back on my commute. A couple of miles in I thought pedaling was more difficult and I must be hurt somewhere. In fact, when I looked back at the rear wheel it had been bent in the crash. It was wobbling and no longer true although it could still spin.
Today, the next day, the left cheek is really sore, there are muscles in the back that are sore but not all at once and not at the same time. It's like the soreness moves from muscle to muscle.
Getting in a wreck in the SUV on the expressway last year caused me to sell my motorcycle that same week. This event will make me more cautious but not make me sell my bikes. I'll still commute to work but I may take a different route or maybe do something different. Sell them, not ride them, no way.
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