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 h' Zerocats on August 26, 2011 at 2:41pm
Leah, thank you for volunteering!
Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 26, 2011 at 3:49pm
Sorry, Howard, not trying to ignore your question, I'm just not sure about lodging a complaint with the CTA if I did not file a police report. I imagine that question will come up and I will be asked why I did not.

h' said:

So no intention of communicating what happened to the CTA?

Signed, the invisible poster.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 26, 2011 at 4:31pm

Michael, I have written in to CTA with detailed descriptions of drivers doing similar things and have received very earnest responses giving me a high level of trust that things are being followed up on internally.

I am only talking about composing a detailed e-mail and working to make sure it gets read by the right person/persons.

I'm willing to help you compose it.  I don't think this driver deserves a complete pass and respectfully I think you're off base in regard to the police report.

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 26, 2011 at 5:24pm

How do I go about this? I have the bus number and know at what time and where the incident took place.

I agree that I should have filed a police report. I didn't and I will leave it at that. I have a high level of confidence that I do not have any serious injuries and that my bike is unharmed aside from minor damage to the bar tape and saddle. In the future, I will do so regardless of whether I believe I and the bike are unharmed or not, and I advise everyone else to do the same. But rather than take down this thread and try to file a police report after having initially refused to do so (and I was given every opportunity by two very thoughtful and helpful police officers), I prefer to leave this thread around in order to provide helpful information for others.

Permalink Reply by Anne B. on August 26, 2011 at 7:20pm

I've submitted things to the general CTA customer service email address before and gotten pretty good responses: feedback@transitchicago.com

http://www.transitchicago.com/contact/full.aspx

 

Looks like they get a ton of reckless driving complaints: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-12-12/classified/ct-met-get...

 

Glad you're okay! 

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 27, 2011 at 5:52pm

Michael,

I know how hard it can be to compose your thoughts when something is as emotionally bound as a frustrating situation like this, so I've done most of the work for you- I don't understand your account 100% so please correct any inaccuracies.

 

Subject: Reckless CTA driver

To: feedback@transitchicago.com

I am writing to express my concern and disappointment over an incident which occurred last week.

I was riding my bicycle _____ bound on _____, approaching the intersection of ______, when a CTA bus aggressively passed me on the left, and then swerved to the right to stop at the curb (this was not a bus stop.) I was forced to swerve to the left to avoid hitting the back of the bus, upon which a woman driving a car made contact with my bicycle. I was dragged the length of the bus.  Miraculously I escaped with relatively minor injuries.

Rather than expressing concern or acknowledging his role in the situation, the driver was only concerned with absolving himself of any blame-- he kept repeating "I didn't hit you, I didn't hit you." Had a police car not been present he probably would have just driven off.

I am aware that the CTA has been making an effort to educate drivers on how to interact safely and appropriately with the increasing number of cyclists on the road, but obviously this particular driver has either not had exposure to, or not benefited from that training.  I would sincerely appreciate any help you may provide in assuring that corrective action is taken to help prevent this driver from endangering further cyclists. I am requesting that you respond to this e-mail to let me know that this is being followed up on, and to give me opportunity to provide any additional information which may identify the driver.  Unfortunately I did not get the driver's patch number, but here are the other details:

 

Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Time: ________

Bus number________

_______-bound on _____ street

Description of driver________

 

Thank you for your prompt attention and return communication.

 

Yours,

Michael Artsy

(full address/contact info)

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 27, 2011 at 5:58pm

And, teaching point:

A bit of a wild card whether they will make the effort to indentify the driver from this info-- always try to get a patch number.  When you see it, repeat it out loud-- multisensory processing is a big help in recall (you get auditory memory and memory of the speech production by doing so.)  Dial it in your cell phone, press send, and hang up. The 5-digit number will stay in the phone's memory. You'll also be able to see exactly what time you entered it.

You'll probably remember the route number.  Bus number is of secondary importance; run number not so critical but if you do record it it may give your complaint an extra bit of credibility.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 27, 2011 at 9:06pm
I'll second that thought.  Howard's suggested letter/e-mail is a good one.  CTA needs to know - with as much detail as you can give them.

h' said:

Michael, I have written in to CTA with detailed descriptions of drivers doing similar things and have received very earnest responses giving me a high level of trust that things are being followed up on internally.

I am only talking about composing a detailed e-mail and working to make sure it gets read by the right person/persons.

I'm willing to help you compose it.  I don't think this driver deserves a complete pass and respectfully I think you're off base in regard to the police report.

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 27, 2011 at 10:03pm
Thanks, Howard. That's pretty much exactly right. I do have the number of the bus, so that should aid in identification. I'm actually not sure of the bus line, but I think it's only the State Street bus that runs past 26th. I'll check the sign posts and send an e-mail on Monday. And thanks to everyone who responded here with such good will.

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