Friday 7 August 2009

Bike Accident

So it was 4:45 on a Thursday. I jumped on my bicycle with burley trailer to ride down Waialae avenue to pick up Luke from school before 5:00pm. We get fined $10 if late.

So I'm moving at reasonable speed, coming past CityMill when a black SUV passes me. There are two young women in the drivers and passenger seats. The driver yells something like:

"You should be on the sidewalk!"

I yell:

"@#$%$# YOU"

She replies:

"@#$%$# YOU"

The SUV speeds past me, but slows ahead of me as a stop light some distance ahead changes to red. The SUV kind of wiggles in the road. The other traffic slows, but as I am on a bike I catch up with the black SUV. Because of it's wiggling I can't pass on the inside, so I swerve around the left hand side and as I pass I say to the driver:

"What have you got against saving the planet?!"

She says:

"What?"

And I repeat what I said as I swerve back towards the curb. As I focus on repeating that phrase I am shouting back over my shoulder and I mount the pavement at some speed. The burley trailer knifes and I lose control of the bike. I fall, with my left shoulder impacting the concrete sidewalk, and then I roll hitting my left elbow and hip. I stagger up. Other concerned looking drivers ask if I am okay, and I say I'm fine. Unfortunately the wheel on Luke's Burley trailer is now bent and I can't ride the bicycle. I curse and start trying to bend the wheel back into shape so I can be on my way. This turns out to be harder than I thought so I stop and turn. The black SUV is just passing me as the traffic moves on. I flip them the bird and the driver says:

"I was just trying to say the road is a dangerous place for bikes"

and I reply

"So is the sidewalk"

They drive on, and I am left trying to fix the wheel of the burley. I finally get it to spin by jumping up and down on the wheel. I phone Aya and the school to let them know what happened, and then ride on to pick Luke up. By the time I get to the school my shoulder is starting to freeze up. I ride with Luke back up Waialae avenue, and by the time I get home I am in some pain. I take some painkillers and although I am in less pain the following day (Friday) and I do have some motion in my left shoulder, I can't pick up the twins, or help much around the house which is not helpful.

Moral of the story - try not to get distracted by motorists having conversations with you. Keep your attention on the road at all times ....