My fateful day with a city bus

[GQ]

Everyone is sharing there stories about crashing lately, so I'll add my two cents. So... it was Saturday March 26, 2005 and my third ride out of the season. I'll never forget the day when I just finished a ride with a buddy of mine and we were both set to go home. It was around 4:00pm and I find myself ridin' along wyse road crossing the intersection where the bridge is when I thought all was fine.... when a city bus is coming off of the bridge and it was trying to go into the terminal.

I was in the left lane and through the intersection at this point when the bus kept coming, crossing all the lanes. I knew I was screwed (and not the good kind). My first reaction was to slam on my brakes and then for a split second tried to lean to the left and maybe steer my way around the bus but no room and not enough momentum caused my back wheel to kick out and bring me to a short skid as i'd hit the bus as it was blocking my path. As I forced the bike off me to get up. People start running up towards me to my aid. Which I'm more worried about my bike and a little of my pride as I watch people from the bus and the terminal just starring at me (which was embrassing and a little rude). The bus driver comes up and asks me if I'm alright and I say I'm fine. and then the next thing out of his mouth was the stupidest thing I've heard all year was. "well, I guess we have to go through insurance" "You "fudge"'in think??" as I thought to myself containing my urge to kick in his little head. Later I found out from the cop, that the bus driver "didn't see me."

A bright yellow bike and all kinds of shiney parts with a bright helmet and yellow jacket to go along and you don't see me?? The cop closed his note book and told me that he would side with me in his report.
All is well, I guess. I've be hobling along for the week or so. and be off the bike for maybe even 3. But I will be back on nonetheless!
As for my bike, all the body work (it's a sports bike) on it except the gas tank, left mirror (7 years bad luck), left handle bar and the fork is bent. (Mechinacs, think the bus ran over the front tire).

The irony of it all was earlier that day as I was riding to meet up with my buddy, I thought to myself: when well I get into an accident. I knew my chances were going be great for getting into an accident. Statically speaking of course...................

Bike is being written off with $7300 worth in damages, doesn't take much geez! New bike on the way Yammi R6

I close by saying this..... everyone will get into an accident, whether it be a little one or a big one. If you have I hoped to you learned from it as did I. If you haven't had the pleasure yet (I say that lightly, mostly in dealing with the insurance adjusters), I hope you come through it with minimal injury or none (you and the bike) and learn a value lesson from your mistakes and others even though if or not you are at fault. Some of the nicest people I met through all of this: witnesses, my apprasial guy, the cop. I can gladly say I never want to meet again. Thanks and ride safe.

[Toyuzu]

Ouch!

Bike vs. bus is a no-brainer for the outcome. Glad you didn't get hurt worse. Enjoy that R6! That's a lot of bike. This month's issue of Cycle world has Rickey Gadson burning through the 1/4 mile on one in under ten seconds. First 600 in history to do that. It was almost completely stock, too. The only mods were a slight gearing change, and lowering it a couple of inches.

[Sev]

Bikes a write off which blows the big one, but how are you doing? I know from personal experience that getting off at speed can REALLY REALLY hurt. So I want to hear that you're okay.
On the bright side it's an excuse for a brand new bike. YAY

[GQ]

Oh man...... I'm totally fine. Like I said, I was more worried about my bike then me. When I got up, I was still in shock and didn't feel a thing. But when I got home I got road rash on my knee and ankle, so I was fine, got x-rays, I was fine.... I'm tough

As for writing it off.... yah they gave me a good price for it but if I were to sell it on my own before the crash I probably would only get 500 to 1000 more, not really much by comparsion but as for an excuse to buy a new bike, HELLL YEAH!!!! GF doens't think I should be getting a new bike though........ SOOooooo I'm thinking about getting a new GF too... hahaha

ps. SEVULTURUS: I read your story too, that really sucks what happened to you, hope your back on your feet and doing well.

[rwp]

People start running up towards me to my aid. Which I'm more worried about my bike and a little of my pride as I watch people from the bus and the terminal just starring at me (which was embrassing and a little rude). The bus driver comes up and asks me if I'm alright and I say I'm fine. and then the next thing out of his mouth was the stupidest thing I've heard all year was. "well, I guess we have to go through insurance" "You "fudge"'in think??" as I thought to myself containing my urge to kick in his little head. Later I found out from the cop, that the bus driver "didn't see me."
A bright yellow bike and all kinds of shiney parts with a bright helmet and yellow jacket to go along and you don't see me??

I know the adrenaline is probably still pumping and all but you've got to control that negative energy. First, it's not 'rude' for people to stare at you after you've crashed. You said yourself that plenty of people ran to your aid. Second, if that driver's statement is even close to the stupidest thing you've heard all year, then you must hang out exclusively with brilliant and erudite people. And get used to people not seeing you. If you're planning to kick in the head of everyone who doesn't see you, you're going to end up with an awfully sore foot.

Don't get mad at people who drive poorly, it doesn't help. We all make mistakes on the road. Your accident was an honest mistake by a normally careful driver. A driver who took responsibility for the accident and whose insurance covered your losses. Nobody was hurt and several people at the scene came to your aid. That's about as good as accidents get. Be grateful.

Sorry this post comes across so critical. I kinda meant it to be a 'count your blessings and look on the bright side, it could have been a lot worse' kind of thing.

[GQ]

I know the adrenaline is probably still pumping and all but you've got to control that negative energy. First, it's not 'rude' for people to stare at you after you've crashed. You said yourself that plenty of people ran to your aid. Second, if that driver's statement is even close to the stupidest thing you've heard all year, then you must hang out exclusively with brilliant and erudite people. And get used to people not seeing you. If you're planning to kick in the head of everyone who doesn't see you, you're going to end up with an awfully sore foot.

Don't get mad at people who drive poorly, it doesn't help. We all make mistakes on the road. Your accident was an honest mistake by a normally careful driver. A driver who took responsibility for the accident and whose insurance covered your losses. Nobody was hurt and several people at the scene came to your aid. That's about as good as accidents get. Be grateful.

Well..... a couple things here, 1st: it was kinda stupid what he said, I didn't say it to his face, you have to admitt that. 2nd: I wanted to kick the bus driver's head in (not saying i would ever do that to anybody). By no means am I a fighter, but when someone hurts your baby, what would you WANT to do? not saying you would do it.... what you would want to do. 3rdly: you say he took responsibility for it? no, the insurance companies did. The bus driver didnt' even say he was sorry for hitting me. So no if he didn't apologize for what he did, and no he didn't take responiblity for his actions. The insurance company did. If he was a man he would atleast have said he was sorry.....[/quote]

[rwp]

Anyone driving commercially is usually instructed by his employer to never admit responsibility or to apologize for any accident no matter how clearly it was is fault because such a statement can be used to pin liability on the employer. Please don't blame the driver or question his manhood if he didn't say 'sorry'. He stopped didn't he? He didn't try to blame you for the accident? He's probably going to get reprimanded at work, maybe loose his job. His insurance paid for it. Is that not enough for you? Does he have to lick your boots and grovel for your forgiveness too?

And no, I don't want to kick in the head of people who cause accidents because I know that I'm not a perfect driver either. I've lost cars (but luckily no motorcycles yet) to other's mistakes and have plenty of surgery scars to show for them as well but in each case, the other driver stopped for me (even called an ambulance for me once) and we let the insurance companies sort it out. They weren't out to get me and I'm not out to get them.

[GQ]

Why would he try to blame me for the accident? I wasn't at fault. He's not going to loose his job, i think that's a little far fetched. The only thing he'll get is something on his driving record. And as for the insurance company paying out (I've been told dealing with the city, it takes forever to get something processed) One guy i talked to waited 2 years before geting a settlement from a police crusier hitting him.

And you're right he did stop, not after he hit me. But when he ran over my bike. Oh.... and I'll tell ya where I hit the bus too. 5 feet away from where he sits

[RandK]

Saying your sorry that some event happened is not an admission of guilt. There is a school of thought that saying your sorry while rendering aid might indeed reduce lawsuits.

Sorry about your crash.
RandK

[rwp]

Saying your sorry that some event happened is not an admission of guilt. There is a school of thought that saying your sorry while rendering aid might indeed reduce lawsuits.

You're right about apologies reducing the incidences of lawsuits. However, an apology for an accident at the scene is esentially an admission of guilt. There's a difference between saying "I'm sorry you got hurt" and "I'm sorry that I hurt you." The latter statement can be used in court to pin blame. That's why most companies that hire drivers specifically instruct them not to make any statements in the event of accidents.