Topic: Holy Flurjking Schnitt! I Got Hit By a Car! (Now with More Damage Pics!)

[someday]

Testing...

[someday]

Ok, the pics worked.  The title says it all.  7/20, 11:30 am, a warm, sunny Sunday morning here in Indy, I was tooling along on my '77 CB550F.  Not bike-show material, but I like it.  (See gallery link in my sig for pre-crash pics.)  Wearing HJC full-face helmet, t-shirt, ripped jeans, and Blundstones.  (Love those Aussie boots!)  An 18-year-old kid in a Kia blew a red light and knocked me ass over teakettle.  There's a big house on the corner, so I never saw him coming.
So then comes cops, ambulance, cervical collar, strapped to a board, and taken to the ER.  I guess I was lucky.  No broken bones, no internal injuries, no head/back/neck injuries, not even stitches.  They bandaged my wounds, gave me a tetanus shot, and sent me on my way with a scrip for Vicodin.  I called my mom to pick me up from the ER.  She took me to her house and made me a grilled cheese and some tomato soup.  Then I guess the adrenaline buzz wore off, 'cause I barfed.
The bike is kinda banged up.  Smashed speedo, broken turn signals, dented tank, etc.  I think the frame is bent.  But it still starts, runs, rides (with the bars at an odd angle), and shifts through all the gears.  No fluids leaking that I can see.
My family, including my older brother who introduced me to the joys of motorcycling more than ten years ago, all want me to sell the thing and move on.  I, however, am already thinking about rebuilding.  Maybe I'll start a project thread.
I'm not fishing for sympathy.  I just thought I should post this as a cautionary tale.  I consider myself a safe rider; sober, helmet, license, safety course, registration, insurance, tires, chain, lights, signals, horn, etc.  But I still got nailed, six blocks from home, when I least expected it.
Sincerely,
Daniel

[mystic_1]

Woah, glad to hear your injuries were minor.  Hope the Kia driver had insurance.

But I still got nailed, six blocks from home, when I least expected it.

Most accidents happen near home, and never when you expect it.  If you were expecting it to happen just then, you could have avoided it lol.

mystic_1

[mattcb350f]

Good to hear that there were'nt any broken bones or serious trauma.....although the thought of my bike being banged up would be considered serious trauma 

As for the bike, where did the car hit it/you first or did the bike hit the side of the car front wheel first. If thats the case (front wheel first) then check out the steering head area for cracks, bent forks etc.. before venturing out again.

Probably a good idea to take a flashlight and go over all structural parts of the frame, swing arm, and steering to look for damage via chipped paint & cracks just to be sure.

 Matt.

[firecracker]

Glad you made it through.

So much for my bright yellow helmet keeping me safe because I'm visible...

Fix it up, and get back on.

Winter Project!  Winter Project!

 

[boatsdickson]

Glad your alright. Sorry for the bike. It will be even better after the rebuild. Hope it scarred the sh1t out of the kia kid.

[andy750]

Glad to hear you are ok and you made a lucky escape! Thanks for posting this!

And make sure you get full compensation from the driver!!

Best wishes
Andy

[Johnie]

Yah, I go along with the group and send best wishes to you.  Man, you are lucky as so many do not get the chance to talk about getting sided by a car.  And that tank looked pretty cool too.  I 2nd the motion to "rebuild" her.  You know that bike is just asking to get back on the road with you again.  Gosh, there are some real sleepy people out there.  What was he doing?  I suppose on the phone and tuning the radio...get well fast.

[bunghole]

1977 550, Supersport. A bike barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic bike. 1977 550 will be that bike. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, faster.


 

[eldar]

You know what will also happen? EVERY time you ride past that intersection, you will be extra careful and you remember what happened. It is a constant reminder to look out. Dumbasses are every where.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZNPxxRU4Wc

[333]

I've talked about this before, but it seems appropriate to repeat it here.  "Enlightened Paranoia" is what my circle of riders call it.  It is a sixth sense that, if developed, can allow us to predict situations like this and avoid them.  An example:  After 30+ years of riding, I know that when a light turns green, that it doesn't mean go.  It means look both ways, then go.  I can in most cases identify intersections prone to light/stop sign running.  Obviously, a vision hindrance like a "big house" is a problem.  But the next time you go through that intersection, bike or car, you'll slow down and look both ways before proceeding.  Gettin' knocked on your keester makes you do stuff like that.

[Aaron J Williams]

Thank God nobody was killed or maimed! I'm glad you made it through in relatively good health and I hope this doesn't deter you from riding bikes in the future. My prayers are with you and I know exactly how you feel.

[azuredesign]

I'm paraphrasing but, " That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."
You know for yourself whether you want to keep riding or not, but my advise is get the bike back in shape and keep going. I'm not sure with the 400, but with the 750 bikes it's fairly difficult to bend a frame, more likely the front end or even swingarm.

I endoed a 750 BMW at 50+ in 1972 or 3, and when I was back in shape my buddy lent me his white r69s to ride over the spot where I had lost it. It'll feel a bit eerie, but I heartily recommend going back over the spot where you wiped as soon as you can.

I've also found that every other vehicle on the road and then some, is a potential road hazard, and I try hard to watch out for everything around me. I don't have any problem with slowing down when I'm not sure. Maybe this came from learning the hard way, maybe it's just old age, I don't know, but it's kept me from going down for the last 35 years, and I hope you have the same good fortune.

Hope you're into keeping on riding,
Ben

[kghost]

Glad to hear your ok.

Sadly the insurance company will probably total your bike.

Might be time for an attorney

[someday]

Thanks for all the replies.  It's been a little over a month now, and I still have some pain and a slight limp, but the scrapes are healing and most of the swelling is gone and I hope to be 100% again in time.
I think the car hit me, rather than vice versa, because of the large bruise on the outside of my left calf.  I'm not sure; it happened really fast, with bits of super slo-mo, like when I was tumbling through the air, thinking "Wow, I've just been in an accident.  I wonder how badly I'm hurt?"
I've got a very good lawyer working on my case and I hope to hear some good news from him soon.  The car was insured, but by the owner, not the driver, so the insurance company may have a way of wiggling out of paying me, like if the driver didn't have permission to use the car.
I'll keep you posted.

Daniel

[Raul CB750K1]

Sorry to read about your misfortunes. At least you are here to tell the tale.

You probably know about the plane that crashed in Madrid airport the other day. Those people got on the plane with the conviction that it is the safest method of transportation. And it is. But when your time is due, it's due. Glad that yours was not due the day of your accident. You can get away from cancer and then die after a concussion for sliding in a wet floor. If only we could know when our time has come....


How does insurance work in the US? In Spain, there is some kind of "compensation fund", funded by all the insurance companies. In a case like yours, the insurance company of the car would be forced to pay you, and then it would be their duty to claim the money to the driver. That way, the victim is always compensated, and leave the hassle to the insurance company. If the car is uninsured, the "compensation fund" pays the victim, and then chases whoever was the responsible of the accident.

[BobbyR]

Unless Indiana law is 180 degress from NY, the owner of the car is finacially responsible. of course if they have no insurance or assets to attach you could win a billion dollars and not get a dime.

[Rocking-M]

Unless Indiana law is 180 degress from NY, the owner of the car is finacially responsible. of course if they have no insurance or assets to attach you could win a billion dollars and not get a dime.

Glad your ok!! What Bobby said too. Here in Virginia it is the car that is insured, doesn't matter who is driving.

My wife and I were rear ended at a stop light and the driver was driving his mom's car.
The insurrance company tried to say he was not insured and they didn't have to pay.
He of course was making no attempt to make restitution. We filed in small claims court,
the judge ordered him to pay and then his insurance company paid. It was a hassle but we
filed for more than the damage to cover our time in having to file.

On another note, I was hit at a stop light 31 years ago. The drivers insurance company, State Farm,
tried to get out of paying for new items for every single scratch on the bike. They said it was cosmetic
damage, I said a bike should be cosmetically nice. He still tried to get out of paying and I said
something about how lucky they were not to be paying medical etc... and if they didn't pay
the claim in full I felt some pain and suffering coming on. He'd paid right then.

Again, glad your ok, don't give up on motorcycles and don't give an inch on getting your bike back
to the shape you had it in before the accident (and even better shape would be my goal since you didn't ask to be hit).

Good luck, God bless and God speed.

[eldar]

In the US, insurance companies are out to rip you off. they will only pay if they legally must and even then they will fight if possible.

[333]

And it's not just auto insurance companies that do that.  My son has had an insurance company appeal a workman's comp case 4 times now.  And lose every time.

And what Rockin says about Virginia is true, except that when a rental car is involved, it doesn't stop them from arguing over who's liable.

[Pinhead]

In my experience (which is two motorcycle wrecks, neither of which were remotely my fault) I've found that insurance companies tip-toe around motorcycle accidents; you were traumatized and could ask for payment for pain and suffering which only has a personal dollar-sign attached to it. Personally, I'd slap a few thousand on top of your medical bills and all new parts for your bike. Because of it's age, it would be considered a classic and remarkably they put a lot higher value on them than you would think. I got almost $3000 for my beat-up '73 CB360. When I was rear-ended at a light in my 650, the parts bill was over $800 and they gladly paid it (which means the estimated value is more than double that). Good luck and good to hear you're alright!!

[stresssolutions]

Good luck to you, dude....I got backed into earlier this summer, she dented my tank, bent side stand a little and dented the muffler.  Bruised my leg.  I was lucky!

[heffay]

I'm glad you're ok!  just this morning i heard the announcer on the local heavy metal station telling a story of what happened to him just the other day...  riding his v-max a guy changed lanes on top of him and forced him into oncoming traffic.  luckily, there was none!  pulled back behind him and threw his arms up.  dude at fault threw his arms up too!  so, he pulls up next to him at the next light and says "dude!  you nearly killed me!"... in response, douche bag holds out his badge and says forcefully, "I'm a cop"... repeats this at least 3 times as his only retort. 

douche bags are out to get us!  luckily this one didn't get you... death by douche bag is no way to die.

by the way... 1.5 months after streetbike introduction... a guy in a car did a u-turn in front of me.  i broadsided him at 55+mph.
               ... 6 months after streetbike introduction... a guy in an SUV merged on top of my girlfriend.  she crashed in the median and totaled the bike... and broke both wrists.

what we're not looking out for may just kill us.  i think i may actually start enforcing my own "don't run me over" law... enforcement includes being run off the road yourself, or worse.  sorry, today is not a good day for this discussion... i'm leaving now.

[dustyc]

Glad you're ok. 

+1 to what 333 said for the green light not meaning go.  I avoided an accident not long ago where someone ran a light.  The lady in the lane next to me didn't see them coming and her front bumper and the red light runner's side made contact.  -Could have been me if I wasn't paying attention.  But now I worry about someone rearending me when the light turns green and they want to gun it while I'm looking left and right. 

Best wishes for a quick heal. 

[Shenanigans]

Ride like your 100% invisible 100% of the time because you most likely are 



"I did not see you"

"Sorry but I did not see you there"

"Whats the problem? I did not see anything"

Really?! Because that's the freaking problem

I think its far to easy to get a drivers licence (and motorcycle) in the U.S.