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Rammed from behind at redlight

5K views 44 replies 34 participants last post by  LilJo 
#1 ·
Beautiful Thursday morning 3 weeks ago. Was out doing some running around town on the 2016 Roadking, doing some shopping...on my way to the clubhouse to meet some guys for a lunch ride. Done with picking up what I needed, started west out of town. Caught a red light. Right in front of me was a school bus. Just sitting there enjoying the cool weather and sunshine....light turns green, bus starts to move....WHAM!

Female driver behind me was texting while waiting for the light to change, told cops she saw the bus (but not me or my bike) start to move...so she accelerated. She was only doing about 5 mph when she "bumped" me.

This "bump" was hard and sharp enough to yank my hands right off the handlebars...so I'm now riding a bucking bike that's in gear and flopping from side to side as it moves forward behind the moving away bus...and I'm trying to grab anything to get control back. The bike only went about 25-30 feet forward...when a flop turned into a slam to the pavement. With me being the main slammie.

The usual stuff happened...cops show up, paramedics and fire department...and then the ambulance. I am the proud new owner of a broken hip.

Surgery the next morning, the docs did a hip replacement, they said it would heal better and faster that way. 3 days in the hospital. Seems to be healing fine. Not much pain at all. I'm walking without a walker now...just using a cane. Bike has around $3000 in damages, mostly cosmetic. Like tail light bar, brake light, right saddlebag, all 4 engine guards and both fenders...and various other stuff either bent or scratched. All on a bike with only 9000 miles on it. Sheesh. Time for repairs estimated at 6-8 weeks...due to fenders have to be shipped from HD PAINTED...gone are the days where ya buy fenders and get them painted I guess.

So, the females insurance is paying for everything, and she was ticketed for "unsafe driving"...legalities are being discussed, and I won't be riding during Bikeweek this year, damnit.
 
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#4 ·
Sorry to hear of your injuries. It seems as if we have had a rash of them over here west of you. I told my wife if that ever happens to me (assuming she's not with me) to be sure and hire someone to check the hitters cell phone. If they were using it, sue the bast#erds for everything she can get. A cell phone user on the road that causes an accident doesn't deserve a future as far as I'm concerned.
 
#10 ·
Hopefully you'll be ok in time and riding again. I would seek legal advice then go from there. good luck
 
#12 ·
WOW! Another dumbass not paying attention to their driving. And after how many different organizations have spent how many tons of money on how many different forms of notifications, warnings, new laws, TV spots, etc. trying to tell the public diddling with your fooking phone while behind the wheel is NOT a good idea. Total and extreme negligence on her part. As others have already said, sue the hell out of her and don't settle cheaply. She could have easily killed you or put you in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Suing the hell out of her and her insurance company just MIGHT also get the attention of others. Let your attorney know you are NOT in a big hurry to settle--you are after a MAXIMUM payout even if that drags it out longer (which it likely will).
 
#15 · (Edited)
I'd rather share the highway with an alert drunk, than a distracted texter. At least the drunk will get more than a wrist slap if they hit me.

Oops, forgot the important part. Sorry that you suffered physical damage, but glad you will recover.
 
#16 ·
Sorry to hear you are going through all of this due to a texting fool! I hope you heal up good and are ridin' again soon!

I agree with lawyering up and suing her and try to get a lot of media attention so others will see it doesn't pay to text and drive! People like her will probably be back to texting and driving again, so get your moneys worth out of this deal. It would be nice to see her get a month in the can too! Maybe she could sit there and think about it for a while!!
 
#18 ·
So sorry to hear about your accident and broken hip. I'm happy it wasn't more deadly than it was. I don't ever think it's an exaggeration when I hear people say that texting drivers are at least as impaired as drunk drivers. Someday, maybe there will be enforceable consequences that make it at least as risky to text and drive as it is to drink and drive. Take care and get better soon. I'm sending up some prayers for you.
 
#19 ·
As the victim in a previous, several years ago incident with a gal on a cell phone NOT SEEING you, take the excellent advice of the posters before me and SUE HER A$$ off. Best of everything with your healing. Now go make a lawyer happy.
 
#20 ·
Sorry to hear about that. Just glad your OK and alive . I see that all the time out here waiting at a light and they can't wait to answer their text :cussing. Here in its Snowbird season and they do both speed where ever their going and texting and not just at lights either. No one does the speed limit around here and uses a turn signal. I just want to get off my bike and PUNCH someone! Take your time and sue the living sh** out of her insurance co. Hope you have a speedy recovery :smile. Rick
 
#21 ·
The main thing is that you are already on the mend and both you and the bike should be ready to ride by late spring.

Find your local state senator and make a push for stricter texting/cell phone use laws and consequences. Mandatory loss of driving privileges for 1-2 year with lots of prosecution will eventually save lives and lost riding. Talk with cell phone manufacturers to get involved with technology.

So sorry about your ordeal. For many of us, it would end our riding careers.
 
#23 ·
The local legislature had a golden opportunity to make this a serious and expensive offense, but it came out that the popo are being observed as among the worst offenders, and it sort of went away as an issue. Then there are the idiots who regard the anti texting while driving laws as an invasion of their Constitutional rights to privacy and speech. WTF? Probably these are the same morons who equate the 2nd Amendment to possession of a musket for hunting because the Founders never could have imagined modern weaponry......sort of like they could never have imagined cell phones and automobiles?
 
#25 ·
Sorry to hear about about this. Glad that you are recovering. I was rear ended about a year ago but was lucky enough not to go down. The woman that hit me was not texting, just hit the gas as soon as the light changed even though the vehicle ahead of me had not even started moving yet.

Since the woman that hit you was texting and the fact that you were injured as a result, I agree with the folks that think you should sue her. Maybe that will help her to remember how costly her stupidity can be.
 
#26 ·
Anti texting laws that are not seriously enforced and/or for which penalties are not severe are no better or worse than any other law(s) that is not seriously enforced and/or for which the penalty is not severe. What if cheating on your tax return was not seriously enforced or if you did get caught the penalty was next to nothing? Don't you think a lot more people would chance maybe not declaring all their income and/or maybe over inflating their deductions? Look at the way DUI cases are handled today versus the way they were handled back in the 50s and 60s. DUI is a serious offense today and can cost you a hell of a lot of money and even though there are still too many impaired drivers that are loose think how it would be if DUI cases were still dismissed with a wink and a nod or if found guilty all you got was a slap on the wrist. Stricter enforcement and tougher penalties can go a long way to reducing the problem.
 
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