How many of us have been hit by a car in Chicago?

I haven't but my wife was. Door opened in the parking lane on Belmont near Racine. Knocked her off her bike and into traffic, a car slammed its brakes an stopped just short of her (helmetted) head. She has a deep scar on her shoulder. E.T. said she was lucky, they've seen bikers go through the window of an opened car door before. I've always been most nervous when riding on Wells in the loop because of the big El supports.

Any stories? What % of us have actually been hit or injured?

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Permalink Reply by Vilda on September 13, 2008 at 12:44pm
Sorry you got hit Ammo but glad you are awright... ;-)
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 13, 2008 at 2:54pm
My story isn't so bad, but has made me quite aware that I can get hit. Last summer I was on my brand new road bike...I turned left (east) through a stop sign at Roscoe and Clark and was hit by a car that didn't see me. He had been stopped but thought it was his turn (which it was technically). I wasn't used to my brakes and couldn't stop myself in time. I was more stunned than anything else and my chain came off. He was a gentleman and asked me if I was ok. I now slow down significantly at stop signs and am always aware of every sound, movement, drunk Bucktown or Wrigley dummy and cab. While I'm biking I either feel like I'm just about to get hit or invincible (depends on the day). I guess its the nature of the beast. We take risks, but calculated ones. Its the beauty of living in this crazy world.
Permalink Reply by ZC on September 17, 2008 at 6:06am
I got a great one that just happened yesterday. I was riding up Clark from my work, and had just about made it through Wrigleyville pregame traffic. I was in the bike lane cruising up to a red light past a bunch of cars waiting for the light to change, when a cabbie's fare decided to open their door right into the bike lane. I was watching the parked cars, which is only natural in busy parts of town, and I was in the far left side of the bike lane. I honestly didn't even see the door, just a noise and then I was airborne. I somehow managed to vault the handlebars and the car door, but when I landed, all my weight came down on my right shoulder. I broke my collarbone and have a nice variety of scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, I avoided landing on my head. At first, I couldn't tell something was wrong with the adrenaline pumping and all. But once I settled in to talk to the police, I realized my arm wasn't moving right. The worst part of breaking your collarbone is that they can't put a cast on it. So I'm basically stuck with my arm in a sling for the next month and a half. Good news is that everyone agreed the car was in the wrong, so with any luck, none of these medical bills will be mine to pay.

The saddest part is what that door did to my bike. The front wheel is totaled, and I think the fork might be FUBAR as well.
Permalink Reply by root on September 17, 2008 at 6:11am
oh god, that's awful mate. sorry to hear you are so roughed up.

i've been doored from the left before. some drunk bitch getting out of a cab.

it's absolutely amazing to me that it happens, but you can never underestimate the stupidity of people exiting cars.

i hope they gave you a good reserve of pain killers
Permalink Reply by Jane Healy on September 17, 2008 at 8:51am
My son got taken out last summer during a Chicago Critical Mass ride. He was 10 at the time.

A drunk driver plowed through about 200 cyclists and hit my son front and center. Will's okay, btw... despite having cartwheeled over the car and suffering a lot of soft tissue damage (aka bad bruising!) and some road rash. Kids are resilient, thank God.

After hitting Will, the driver continued on from the scene of the crash--dragging my son's bike under his vehicle--and was eventually pulled over by the police a bit short of a mile from the scene of the accident. His blood alcohol level was .2.

After months of waiting, the driver was finally convicted (with a plea bargain) and was given 3 years in jail. I would have preferred to have him have to do community service with MADD/SADD and some addiction counseling, but jail time will have to do.
Permalink Reply by root on September 17, 2008 at 9:16am
making CM a 'legitimate parade' would tarnish one of the founding principles of the ride (we, as citizens, have the right to assemble). CM is protected by that and always will be.

plus the police here are already riding with us and mostly stay out of the way. i've seen them use their cars to direct the flow of the mass when absolutely necessary, but I think that's ok too in certain situations.

you will never be able to control the junkies/psychopaths, so handing over the reins to the living entity that is CM? - not a chance.
Permalink Reply by L. Jerome on September 17, 2008 at 11:47am
indeed, good point - who are these maniacs?
Permalink Reply by natalee on September 18, 2008 at 4:38am
dude, that sucks!
i also currently have a broken collarbone and it fucking sucks. i'm supposed to have two more weeks in the sling but i'm awful and am like "fuck it, i'm using this arm." which is actually really dumb.

good luck in your recovery. lots of calcium and magnesium!

ZC said:
I got a great one that just happened yesterday. I was riding up Clark from my work, and had just about made it through Wrigleyville pregame traffic. I was in the bike lane cruising up to a red light past a bunch of cars waiting for the light to change, when a cabbie's fare decided to open their door right into the bike lane. I was watching the parked cars, which is only natural in busy parts of town, and I was in the far left side of the bike lane. I honestly didn't even see the door, just a noise and then I was airborne. I somehow managed to vault the handlebars and the car door, but when I landed, all my weight came down on my right shoulder. I broke my collarbone and have a nice variety of scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, I avoided landing on my head. At first, I couldn't tell something was wrong with the adrenaline pumping and all. But once I settled in to talk to the police, I realized my arm wasn't moving right. The worst part of breaking your collarbone is that they can't put a cast on it. So I'm basically stuck with my arm in a sling for the next month and a half. Good news is that everyone agreed the car was in the wrong, so with any luck, none of these medical bills will be mine to pay.

The saddest part is what that door did to my bike. The front wheel is totaled, and I think the fork might be FUBAR as well.
Permalink Reply by natalee on September 18, 2008 at 4:40am
oh man. so shivering when you have a freshly broken collarbone is kind of the most painful thing ever. it's one of those things you don't even think about until it happens, you know....

Video_Drome said:
I cringe at the thought of a broken collar bone.

::shivers::


it'll all be fine. sucks when the bike also gets wrecked too.
Permalink Reply by Rebekah on October 7, 2008 at 4:34am
Last year I was hit by a semi truck on Elston who was making a left turn across traffic. Lucky me got away with some bad brusies and a broken rear derailer. Just a few months earlier I started wearing a helmet. I hit my head pretty hard so I don't even want to think about what might've happened if I hadn't been wearing one.
Permalink Reply by k8 on October 7, 2008 at 5:04am
I've been...

doored
hit and run
side swiped
rear ended (by a cab. that was weird)
too drunk to stay upright on my bike (aka "throwin bows", as my elbows always seem to take most of the fall)

Got my first helmet last November. My body will heal but I'm not messing around with my noggin anymore.
Permalink Reply by Jon on October 7, 2008 at 7:00am
Riding down irving yesterday, at clark, some guy in a beater in the right turn lane decided he didn't want to turn right, instead pulled forward and parked on the otherside of the street with no indication, my pedal scraped the back of his car as I swerved and wobbled out of the way, but shit I almost went right in to his back.

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