Well it happened. Went Down today: Episode 2

[cyberwolf009]

Sorry to hear about another crash, but glad you're here to tell us about it with no broken bones. Heal quickly and well.

 

[ardykay54]

As a fellow Iowan....cut it out!!...you're making us look bad!! ....seriously....glad you're o.k.....Russ.

 

[Too Hot]

So sorry about the terrible luck, but I'm glad you are going to be okay. I hope your side gets better soon and that you will get back to normal.

 

[Highway STar]

Any time something like this happens it makes you re-evaluate things. It's good to take your time and do just that. It's too bad she got away with the cell phone crime but I expect it is hard for the cops to prove if they didn't actually see her with the phone in her hand. On-board cameras are good for that sort of stuff (or helmet mounted ones). I have never driven in the city without seeing at least one driver with a phone in hand. Yesterday a guy passed me very obviously texting; I let him get very, very far in front of me.

Prayers for a speedy recovery. And do get checked out. My wife broke her collar bone falling off her bicycle a few years ago and spent a few days in misery before she went to the doctor (higher pain threshold and all that), who broke the news to her....(sorry, couldn't resist that one)

 

[Gerhard]

We live on a paved country road without a shoulder, I was mowing the lawn on the weekend and a pickup went by going at least 100 km/h within a foot of me, almost messed myself. I wasn’t sure if this was an idiot purposely doing it to startle me or an idiot texting and not seeing me. I guess I should have gone the other direction then my back would not have been to the flow of traffic but I would be blowing the clippings into traffic.

 

[drtyrrel]

Sorry to here about your bad luck lately, but most importantly you are ok. We do a couple of class room exercises in the MSF classes that I coach showing how most accidents are not caused by one thing but an interaction of factors. We split the students into groups of 3 or so and have them choose 5 or more factors from a long list. They then construct a crash at an intersection and a curve using those 5 factors. When they are done explaining the crash I'll ask them if they could take away just one of those factors that may have prevented the crash. You always can especially using hind sight. We also go through a series of timed slides and ask everybody what hazards they saw. This trains you to look closer and faster for hazards. When done with a large group somebody always picks up a new detail that I haven't noticed teaching the same class several times a year . Kind gives you a new perspective when approaching intersections and curves. Some of these classes are available on the MSF website and can be taken at home on your PC. Some accidents cannot be avoided but usually there is something we could have done differently to avoid them.

 

[beemerphile]

Not to throw stones after a couple of injury-accidents, but "putting the bike down" twice as an accident avoidance procedure is worth thinking about. A bike stops and steers better on the rubber bits than on the shiny bits. I have found with all undesired outcomes that if I can blame it on myself, I can fix it. If it is someone else's fault, there is nothing that I can do to get a better result next time. To make myself safer, it is only beneficial to look at what I could have or should have done differently. In every case, there has always been something there for me to improve.

 

[jspringator]

Sorry for your unfortunate encounters with horrible drivers. Goldwing Airbag trike? I'll be converting mine in a few years. I never thought I'd like a trike, but the guys in my local GWRRA love them.

 

[amorley]

Sorry to hear about your second accident, but very glad to hear you are mostly okay.

It is very easy to find out if she was using her phone, as all phone useage is tracked by her provider. If you tell you insurance company, they may try and find out. If they can show she was talking on company business, they could go after the company for damages.

When I used to work, our company banned all use of company calls while driving, making it a dimissable offense. Our lead counsel told me that they had to settle so many cases for an average of over $500K that it was an easy policy to implement.

 

[STHawk]

Not to throw stones after a couple of injury-accidents, but "putting the bike down" twice as an accident avoidance procedure is worth thinking about. A bike stops and steers better on the rubber bits than on the shiny bits. I have found with all undesired outcomes that if I can blame it on myself, I can fix it. If it is someone else's fault, there is nothing that I can do to get a better result next time. To make myself safer, it is only beneficial to look at what I could have or should have done differently. In every case, there has always been something there for me to improve.

I agree completely. On the 1st wreck I know I wasn't nearly as sensitive as I should have been to the surroundings and circumstance when I was passing the skid steer.

I didn't put two and two together that there was a gravel road coming up that he could be turning on to, never really even saw the gravel road because of the slope but I knew it was there because I've been on that road many times.

This last incident, I haven't been able to come up with too many things I could have done differently to avoid, I was slowing down for the intersection just because I knew there were cars stopped at the stop signs coming from both directions but I might have been a touch slow to react until it was too late.

I generally drive like everyone on the road is out to kill me and it's my job to watch out for them. I'm not one of those 'watch out for motorcycles' bumper stickers kind of guy. I appreciate the sentiment, but ultimately I know it's my responsibility to stay safe on two wheels.

I know I will ride again, I'm just going to put a little time and distance between these last couple of months.