TGIWDMCLF

[Fore Stroke]

Wanted to share this "fact" set; didn't want to jump into the thread about the Sacramento fatality. Not applicable and totally inappropriate.

Last Friday; leaving supermarket parking lot onto 5 lane muny road; controlled (left turn arrows) all four ways; waited for the arrow to cease and traffic to clear; initiated left turn and couldn't have been 20 feet into it when I got drilled. All PD, no injuries, $4,000 damage to my truck; already got check; it's sitting in savings waiting for repair appointment.

The interesting parts: Driver is 70 year old female, on way to doctor's appointment, has bladder infection and is in severe pain, blew through light she claims was green, barely missed t-boning another cager before she hit me, and as we were waiting for the police to arrive, she wanted to leave because she still had to go to the doctor.

And if I had been on the bike I might be dead.

I know this may sound strange coming from a rider, but I honestly never, ever, ever saw her coming. The angle at which she came throught the intersection, and then dodged the first car, put her on me in a completely blind area. If I had been riding, there would have been nothing I could have done to avoid her. She blew through the intersection in the left hand lane, swerved right to avoid the other car (which she also denied either seeing or evading) and hit me with the left side of her van on my right front fender and she "changed lanes" again. If I had been on the bike, I would have been hit amidships and gotten shoved (which I did anyway) into the center turning lane - which was already occupied. It gets better.

She admitted to me, the witness (Thank God I had one) and the police officer that she had no business driving that day - at which time I pointed to my 4 Runner and said, "yes ma'm, you're right." It gets better.

While we're waiting for the police to arrive she calls home, because since she's so rattled, she needs her husband and adult son to come and calm her down. They got in their other car to drive to the accident scene....but somehow couldn't have taken her to the doctor, in spite of the fact that she obviously (wait for it).....had no business driving. It gets better.

Since her husband/kid haven't arrived yet, and she really doesn't need a squad, the officer has no choice but to let her go to the doctor. As she drove away, I'm thinking, in light of what just happened, those in the next major intersection south may be in for a real treat.

The weather last Friday wasn't really ideal for riding, so I didn't. The Good Lord must not be ready for me yet. So perhaps that's the only "better" part to the whole story.

Paranoid about riding now? I've ridden three times since then, and if I was careful before, this has turned me into Linda Blair in "The Exorcist."

So once again, let me add my $.02 to the chorus of, "Please. Let's be careful out there." (I know - we are - it's the idiots we have to watch out for, and watch out for, and keep watching out for.)

So to end this on a lighter note......for every other state's drivers I've ever maligned for being far worse than Ohio's.....I truly, sincerely apologize.

Don

 

[phil]

Comprendo. City driving is the most dangerous. Glad I live and ride mostly in rural areas. In Dallas I had a guy pass me on my bike, in his pickup. Then swung-in real quick to make the next right turn. I had to slam on brakes to keep from rear-ending him. When I later passed him on the freeway, he tried to run me off the road! I just showed him my taillight and motored away. Cities scare me.

 

[madmike2]

So to end this on a lighter note......for every other state's drivers I've ever maligned for being far worse than Ohio's.....I truly, sincerely apologize.
Don

Distracted and/or impaired drivers live in every state. Its a "freedom" thing. As Warchild posted the other day, "Be careful out there. The ARE out to get you."

Thank goodnes you are okay. Metal that has been formed into car body shapes can be replaced.

 

[noob]

Don,

happy for you that you were in the cage... it really does give cause to pause, that is how quickly things can go wrong... instantly really.

regards,

 

[dcarver]

They are everywhere, Fore Stroke.

I've had idiots turn in front of me when driving my 1 ton Dodge Dually with 10' camper on it. And the guy was riding a motorcycle. I just don't get it. The camper ended up with dishes, utensils, and glass ware all over as I had to brake so hard.

I am very glad you are OK. Let's just be mellow for awhile, eh boys and girls? No more crash clubs. NADA. Zip. Zero.

 

[feejer222]

A lucky escape.

2 similar tales:

2 years ago I was driving in the car along a 60 limit, there was traffic in both directions. From a narrow lane on the opposite side of the road a car shoots across the carriageway at about 40mph. It hit the rear end of a car coming towards me and sent it spinning across my side of the road, then the offending car carried on into a wall on my side of the road. I was first at the scene. The old couple in the car that was hit were fine just shaken. The numpty kid, (about 18 I guessed) in the offending car had somehow ended up in the passenger seat when I got to him, again dazed but not a scratch on him.

Had I been I reckon 6 seconds further along the road and there had been no vehicle to block him, he would have tee boned me in my door (and probably killed me). Had I been on the bike....game over.

But for 6 seconds.......forget it, it just was not your turn.

ONLY LAST NIGHT! with 2 kids in the back and wife in the passenger seat we were coming to the end of a 2 lane slip road onto a busy motorway. We were in the outside of the 2 lanes and I was busy looking over my shoulder to find a space to slot into when my wife screamed. I looked to my left to see an articulated truck (You call them semi's I think), moving over into our lane and about to either crush us or force us out onto the motorway. I pushed the brake pedal through the floor, we stopped pretty quick leaving us just enough room on the slip for him to cut through on our bit of road. Whether he hadnt seen us (pretty much impossible) or he was drunk or asleep I dont know, but we all came close to a big one. I was still shaking an hour later. The kids were terrified as was my wife.

Once again if I had been on the bike....????

 

[Toecutter]

I was busy looking over my shoulder to find a space to slot into when my wife screamed.

Good thing she was there, and looking forward for you.

That's why I rarely do head checks. I prefer to trust the image in my mirrors and keep my eyes "heads-up". YMMV

 

[feejer222]

I was busy looking over my shoulder to find a space to slot into when my wife screamed.

Good thing she was there, and looking forward for you.

That's why I rarely do head checks. I prefer to trust the image in my mirrors and keep my eyes "heads-up". YMMV

Didn't think of it that way, I couldn't have entered the main carriageway without looking as I was approaching at an angle and my mirror would not let me see anything. I remember you arguing against the 'head check' before, and will have to dissagree with you. It has saved me several times. Ther is quite often something in your blind spot. I hear what you say though.

Be safe, in view of this weeks events....how ever you do it, just be safe mate.

Sorry for hijacking Forestroke.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

If the roads were dry, I would have been dead. I was in the right lane on a side road to the freeway. I was stopped at a signal of an freeway overpass. The signal turned green. Car beside me moves, then he stops. A ***** in a 68 GTO tries to get through a changing to red at the previous signal. Both signals change at the same time. His RF fender hit right in the L door of a 67 Opel Kadett. It was pushed in over 18 inches. The car spun away up on 2 wheels. A friend said he could see the left rear view mirror from the right side of the car. I was Slobberknockered! :dribble:

$4000 not much now a days. Good Luck Down The Road. TJ

 

[huk finn]

some old advice I listen to : dont drive your motorcycle on the day your states social security checks show up in mail. The old folks are going shopping. they cant turn heads due to arthritis and such (for lane changes & backing out of parking spots). Plus their vision is going.

I'd suppose you could also add the day welfare checks show up,,,, they cant afford car insurance.