The Chainlink

So, I was hit by a car for the first time today.

Cut off at 26th and State by a CTA bus that passed me on the left and then pulled to the curb in front of me (not at an actual stop), I had to swerve around the rear of the bus to the left, where I was clipped by an oncoming car and dragged the length of the bus, pinched between the car and the bus. Incredibly, a police SUV pulled up to the intersection from 26th, and I was able to flag down the two officers, who were models of kindness and concern. The woman driving the car that hit me also stopped to see that I was okay. Here's the thing, though. As far as I was concerned, the woman who actually hit me was not at any fault, and I did not want to see her held liable for what I thought was the CTA driver's liablilty. But the bus driver just kept repeating "I didn't hit you. I didn't hit you." And it is true that he didn't. I waited around with the police and the woman who hit me for a while, thinking I needed some time to get a clear idea of whether I was seriously hurt or not and to make sure there were no serious damages to my bike. But in the end I decided not to file a police report, even though the police had taken the woman's information and the number of the CTA bus. I never gave them my name or information, in part because I didn't want the woman held liable, in part because it didn't seem necessary in the absence of injury or damages. I did the wrong thing, didn't I? I'm sitting here at home and I still seem okay, but the pain in my left knee is considerably more severe than it was immediately after I was hit and dragged. I'm pretty sure the only damage to my bike was to the bar tape, but I haven't had a chance yet to go over it in detail. I was able to ride it home after putting the chain back on and trying to realign the front fender, and it seems fine. But I am realizing that it is probably frequently the case that injuries or damages only become evident after some time has passed, and that I should have filed a police report in anticipation of that probability. This is the first time I have really been hit, and I have to confess that my impulse was just to let it go and move on, which was probably not the thing I should have done. I have paid much more attention to bike theft issues and "safety" concerns involving salmoning and sidewalk riding, and of course I never even considered that I would actually be hit and dragged by a car. Is there anything I can and should do after the fact--like try to contact the police who responded and complete a report, even though I also didn't bother getting their names or badge numbers (of course)? Or do I just serve as an object lesson for others and learn better what to do the next time this might happen? I stayed eerily calm throughout the whole ordeal, even though aware that it might not end as well as it did, but I guess I was rattled enough not to know what to do under what were pretty much the best circumstances.

The only real damage, I hope:

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 25, 2011 at 10:34am

Just in case, Crash Support Hotline 312.869.4357(HELP), please do call us...free resource, we're here to help.

 

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on August 25, 2011 at 11:23am
I think that accurate Data is a very important thing as well. If these accidents go unreported, we can not get valuable statistics.

Cameron Puetz said:
One thing I’d like to add under “Insist that police come to the scene of the crash and file a report” is that if your bike is too damaged to be ridden then the police can not refuse to file a report on the scene. Some lazy officers will refuse to fill a report on the scene unless a tow truck or ambulance is called and direct you to file a report at the station. If your bike can not be ridden, then there is a disabled vehicle at the scene and they are required to treat the crash like a tow truck was called. If the officer still refuses to file the report, get a star number and have fun with internal affairs.

Dan Korn said:
Permalink Reply by Trish Finn on August 26, 2011 at 9:27am

I was hit earlier this year. Actually, I guess you can say I hit a car. I had just made my right turn with a friend just behind me. I head a car come along side me and just as she passed me, I notice her slowing and turning right into a parking lot, right in front of me. My friend yells "turning". I apply breaks and try to turn with her but she cut the turn so tight that I had no room and slammed right into her back quarter panel. She continues to go and rolls over my bike. Thank goodness I had all limbs away from her car. I limped away with a hole in my left shin from my pedal, a deep scrap on my upper right thigh and lots of bruising. Her excuse, "I didn't think you were going that fast". I chalked it up to her being 18 and not an experienced driver. I didn't press charges and had a heart to heart talk about watching out for cyclists, she did get ticketed and then had daddy pay to replace my bicycle.

 

trish

Permalink Reply by Davo on August 26, 2011 at 10:31am
You didn't hit the car the car hit you when it failed to yeld to your right of way. Im glad that you got your bike taken care of and that she got ticketed.

Trish Finn said:

I was hit earlier this year. Actually, I guess you can say I hit a car. I had just made my right turn with a friend just behind me. I head a car come along side me and just as she passed me, I notice her slowing and turning right into a parking lot, right in front of me. My friend yells "turning". I apply breaks and try to turn with her but she cut the turn so tight that I had no room and slammed right into her back quarter panel. She continues to go and rolls over my bike. Thank goodness I had all limbs away from her car. I limped away with a hole in my left shin from my pedal, a deep scrap on my upper right thigh and lots of bruising. Her excuse, "I didn't think you were going that fast". I chalked it up to her being 18 and not an experienced driver. I didn't press charges and had a heart to heart talk about watching out for cyclists, she did get ticketed and then had daddy pay to replace my bicycle.

 

trish

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 26, 2011 at 11:12am

I think the info on the Active Trans site is great but I did wonder about this one point as well.

In my experience the only way to get police to come to the scene is if you request an ambulance.

You'll just stand there waiting for an hour or more, otherwise.

Cameron Puetz said:

One thing I’d like to add under “Insist that police come to the scene of the crash and file a report” is that if your bike is too damaged to be ridden then the police can not refuse to file a report on the scene. Some lazy officers will refuse to fill a report on the scene unless a tow truck or ambulance is called and direct you to file a report at the station. If your bike can not be ridden, then there is a disabled vehicle at the scene and they are required to treat the crash like a tow truck was called. If the officer still refuses to file the report, get a star number and have fun with internal affairs.

Dan Korn said:
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 26, 2011 at 11:14am


h' said:


h' said:

Michael, very sorry this happened and glad you came out of it mostly OK.

Get some ice on that knee and keep icing for at least a day.

I think the priority would be to make sure the bus driver is held accountable for his behavior.

Did you happen to get a badge number or any other info besides the bus?

There is on-board video that supervisory staff can pull.

I'll defer to any lawyers that want to step in here.

 

Permalink Reply by Ruby Red on August 26, 2011 at 11:20am
Good point! It's like all those date rape cases that don't get reported because of you know... awkwardness. The fact is, you were hit, dragged and there was damage. Knowing those statistics are helpful, especially when at CTA driver is involved. 

John Wirtz said:
From an engineering perspective, I would say you should always file a report because it helps us have more accurate data when we evaluate safety of roadways and come up with solutions.
Permalink Reply by David Barish on August 26, 2011 at 11:30am

Assuming Michael is pretty much ok this thread is a good one for discussing the issues.  for future accidents, social media is a bad idea.  Other than, "I've been inolved in an accident, wish me well" its best not to say anything online.  Also, from what you have said, I am not sure you are ok.  You may not know for a week or two.  Sometimes the injury seems very minor but over a short period of time it increases and you then realize you were hurt worse than you previously thought. If your knee continues to bother you see a doctor and make sure you tell the doctor how you got hurt.  If it gets to that point you may want to consult with an attorney. 

 


When you have an accident (I know that many prefer the word crash- feel free to substitute that word if you desire) you are not always your best self.  You may be in pain and may be disoriented.  Its not the best time to make decisions but you have to do your best. You need to:

* figure out if you need medical attention

* if that is the case you need to figure out what is going to happen to your bike. I somebody ie. police going to take it?

* put together your version of what happened as concisely as possible.  The story doesn't need to start with "I was going to  ride to the Starbucks on Damen but decided I didn't want coffee after all"  The story starts with the chain of events that led to you falling  off your bike such as, "The Red Toyota veered in front of me as I was riding Northbound on Damen"

*Report your story in as calm and concise a manner as you can to the police. You want them to pay attention to you.  The more hysterical and angry you get the more chance that some of your story goes in one ear and flies out the other.

*If somebody else is at fault in your mind see that they get a ticket and ask why if no ticket is given.

*If you need help, have a working brain at the time and have a cell phone, consider calling a reliable friend to come to the scene to be a witness if there are going to be contrasting stories being developed.  I once got a call from a friend who had been in a vehcile that was hit by an officer's vehicle not far from where I lived.  They were concerned that given who hit them they wanted another person present.  Good idea.

*Tell the same story about the accident to every medical person you see to make sure the medical histories jive with your version of the facts.

*if you are not so bad off but somebody else is make sure you help them get the medical, police or other attention you need.  Life is a cooperative venture.

*make sure you get insurance info from drivers who are involved in the accident.

*Get something to take home with you from the police that has the number of the report they are writing.

*If there are bystanders ask what they saw.

*If you think you are at fault you still need to tell the truth. However,  your judgement that you are at fault is just that, a judgement.  Truthfully tell the story but let the police or lawyers later on make the determination as to whether you were at fault.  There is a  difference between "The light was red and I didn't see anybody"  and "Oops, it was my fault."

*pay attention to yourself in the week or so after  the accident.  If you don't feel well go see a doctor.

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 26, 2011 at 11:49am
Thanks, David. That seems pretty comprehensive and well-considered. I now wish I had filled out a report, more for comprehensiveness than anything else. My injuries were minor and there is very little trace of them now, but an accident or crash is of course an ongoing process and an important city statistic as well, and I should have followed your advice. I would have if I had internalized all this information before the accident happened. I would even suggest it become a Chainlink "Sticky" in the manner of Lee's "Do this when your bike gets stolen" information about the Stolen Bike Registry. Forewarned is forearmed and all. 
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 26, 2011 at 12:43pm

So no intention of communicating what happened to the CTA?

Signed, the invisible poster.

Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on August 26, 2011 at 1:17pm

I'm a volunteer on the hotline (this is my week on the hotline, actually) and we flyer and sticker and tweet and blog and talk to make sure people know to call us.

 

I often get forwarded crash info on Twitter and I pass the hotline number along to people as I see tweets about crashes. The hotline has been around for a year. (I'm not only a volunteer, but also a caller)

 

Unfortunately, most people don't know what to do on the scene. The biggies are

 

1. Police report

2. See a doctor

3. keep a private journal of your health (in a draft email to your lawyer or a new notebook)

4. One crash, it's trash - get a new helmet.

 

 

Moc Artsy said:

Thanks Dan, I didn't realize they had posted this. I think this should be circulated more prominently so that riders have this information also BEFORE they are involved in a crash. Having this as part of the crash support FAQ is not unlike finding out you should record your serial number only after your bike has been stolen.

Dan Korn said:
Permalink Reply by Ruby Red on August 26, 2011 at 1:27pm
I just put the Crash hotline number in my cellphone. Along with the number for my local detective in case I see that rapist who has been hanging around my neighborhood. Have the numbers for emergency handy people, in your phones and address books! Not buried in a thread!

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