Hit & Run Accident

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UselessPickles

Making Grand Canyon replicas from air boxes...
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
951
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Location
Michigan
I was riding home from work on Friday, Oct 17, when this happened:

bike_right.jpg


(more pictures after the story)

I only vaguely remember seeing some headlights in my mirror swerving around from behind the car that was next to me, but don't remember anything about the collision. I remember hitting the ground (really hard), then I remember hearing voices, but feeling like I was trying really hard to wake up from a dream. I was unconscious for a while and had amnesia (had no clue what day it was or where I was). I was eventually loaded into an ambulance and taken to the E.R. where I went through a cat scan, x-rays and an ultrasound of my internals to check for internal bleeding. Everything checked out OK except for a fractured leg, so they splinted it and sent me on my way after a total of about 8 hours.

I have not seen the police report yet, but I have talked to a couple witnesses who indicated that no one saw the actual collision. They just saw bike parts and my body flying through the air, and one car swerve to avoid running over me. The car that hit me left their front bumper behind, but did not return to the accident scene.

This was on a divided road with 3 or 4 lanes in each direction, and U-turn lanes for getting across the median to head in the opposite direction. I was in the left-most lane. I don't know if I was slowing for a red light, getting up to speed, or if I was flowing with traffic at about 50mph. We think a car may have shot across from the K-Mart entrance (on my right) to the turn-around lane (on my left) and plowed right through me along the way (going nearly perpendicular to the flow of traffic) because they cut it so close to the car next to me that they didn't see me. It appears that I was "t-boned" on the back half of my bike. The impact from the car tore the whole rear end of the bike off. We've also determined that the car must've actually hit my leg (hence the fracture), and that the impact probably sent my bike into a partial front-flip, catapulting me off, then landing almost upside down on its front end (see front-end damage in the pictures). I have no idea how far away from the impact I landed or the bike. Hopefully the police report will mention that.

Here's the injury list:

  • Fractured right fibula (smaller of the two bones in the lower leg).
  • Entire right lower leg is a lovely mix of green and yellow (probably deep bruising from being crushed between the car and the bike).
  • Large dark purple, yellow and green bruise on right hip, sore shoulder, sore knees, sore lower back, sore neck (heck, sore everything!) and headache (from landing on the ground).
  • Mystery bruises on right thigh.
  • Mystery quarter-sized scrape and bruise on inside of left knee (maybe got caught on some of the twisted/broken frame of my bike as I was ejected?).
  • No road rash!

I've never had multiple injuries like this and I'm learning that the total pain/exhaustion is much greater than the sum of the individual injuries. I can't even imagine if I hadn't been wearing the full armored riding gear and full-faced helmet.

As for the guy that hit me, I am not aware of any information that could lead to them being found besides the bumper they left behind. The combination of insurance through my employer and through Progressive has completely taken care of me and leaves me with very little motivation to put any effort into finding the driver. I'd be happy enough if they just wonder if they killed someone for the rest of their life. Since I'm OK, I doubt the police will go after them either.

I've already received a check from Progressive for the bike (only about $200 less than what I paid for the bike when it was brand new) plus $3k for riding gear and accessories. A new 2009 FJR will be mine in January; already made a deal for $14k OTD (~$13,250 before taxes, etc.), and Progressive is covering the sales tax :)

Now for the pictures...

bike_right.jpg


bike_left.jpg


Notice that the front end of the bike is shoved over to the bike's right side.

bike_front.jpg


bike_rear.jpg


bike_rear_top.jpg


bike_dash.jpg


My new Scorpion EXO-400 helmet:

helmet_right.jpg


Note the stress crack (upper circle) and missing vent cover+scrapes (lower circle). Looks like I hit both the side and back of my head at some point:

helmet_rear.jpg


This is the right shoulder of my Joe Rocket Alter Ego 2.0 jacket. The shoulder armor probably saved me from some serious shoulder injuries:

jacket_shoulder.jpg


This is the right hip of my Joe Rocket Phoenix 2.0 pants. There's padding there, but not as thick/hard as the padding for the shoulders, elbows and knees:

pants_hip.jpg


 
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Wow looking at that bike I would say that you are one lucky SOB.....

Glad you are doing ok (ish).

R

 
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I was riding home from work on Friday, Oct 17, when this happened:
Holy crap!

Glad your injuries aren't any more serious!

As for the driver that hit you...

He / she will get what they deserve someday. :angry2:

I've already received a check from Progressive for the bike (only about $200 less than what I paid for the bike when it was brand new) plus $3k for riding gear and accessories. A new 2009 FJR will be mine in January; already made a deal for $14k OTD (~$13,250 before taxes, etc.), and Progressive is covering the sales tax :)
Glad your insurance is taking good care of you.

And, glad to hear you've already got plans for an '09!! :clapping:

What part of Michigan are you in?

 
:eek: Dang! That's a painful way to do an update in transportation. Glad you didn't get busted up any worse.

While you're healing, just think about the new bike and how karma has it's way with everyone, eventually. :hehe:

 
Man I am really glad you're among the living and potentially self ambulatory after that one. That bike is truly totalled, and how you escaped with your leg is a mystery to me.

It sounds like your on the mend now. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

Progressive is pretty decent, aren't they. I've had them for a long time, and they've always been more than fair.... can't say that about most insurance companies.

And I sure hope that the lowlife scum who hit you gets what's coming to him. What goes around, comes around a lot of the time.

 
What part of Michigan are you in?
A few miles north-west of Detroit. For anyone familiar with the area, the accident occurred on north-bound Telegraph Rd, just south of 8 Mile Rd (which just barely within the north-west corner of Detroit).

 
Glad you came out of it alive. The nimrods that think they can get by with a novelty helmet (or no helmet) because they think they can avoid a collision by seeing it coming are out of their mind. It appears this happened so fast that not only did you not see it coming but neither did anybody else that was in the vicinity.

And after hearing about your injuries, even with all your gear, makes me glad I opted to purchase the additional hip pads for my Darien pants a while ago. Hopefully I'll never have to know how well they work.

Hope you heal up fast, and are out enjoying your new '09 soon.

 
WOW!

such experiences will make you a religious person.

You are one lucky dude w/a very good demeanor. I would be one real pissed off individual, if such had happened to me.

Kudos to you my man. Real glad your here to post about your experience.

 
Wow, read this post 1st thing this morning! Definitely will be watching my SIX more closely today!

Hope you heal fast and best of luck with your new bike!

 
You are lucky doode!!!!!!!! look at that phuc*^&(^* bike!!!!!
I'll agree with that. :blink: Most of the walloping your bike took was with you still on it!

Get well soon and enjoy your new bike

Stef

PS: Friday 17, huh?

 
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While this is obviously a most unfortunate event, I'm certain that you're fortunate to have only sustained the injuries that you did. Could have much worse. Sounds like Progressive took good care of you, too. Glad you'll heal to ride another day.

 
What part of Michigan are you in?
A few miles north-west of Detroit. For anyone familiar with the area, the accident occurred on north-bound Telegraph Rd, just south of 8 Mile Rd (which just barely within the north-west corner of Detroit).
I am familiar with that area. A friend of mine used to live off 8 Mile in Northville and I've spent time at HP's training center in Novi. That same friend of mine now lives around Milford - Susie and I rode up there for a weekend last month.

Once you're mobile again, you and Wayne (extrememarine) should get together for a "I survived and am riding again!" ride. Heck, I'd make the trek north to participate! Or you could head for southern Ohio for some fun roads!

 
Here's the injury list:
[*]Fractured right fibula (smaller of the two bones in the lower leg).

[*]Entire right lower leg is a lovely mix of green and yellow (probably deep bruising from being crushed between the car and the bike).
Glad to hear everything is relatively OK! That could have been a lot worse; it really is amazing you don't have more leg damage - I think you may have answered the bags on, bags off question the hard way. :)

 
Definitely will be watching my SIX more closely today!
Unfortunately, that wouldn't help you in my situation. I updated the original post to clarify that we think the car "t-boned" me. We think it was pulling out of a business entrance and crossing several lanes very quickly, taking advantage of a most likely very small clearing in traffic, requiring it to cross behind a car that was to my right and slightly ahead of me so closely that they hit me. The car that was to my right and slightly ahead prevented me from seeing it coming until the last split second when I saw the headlights in the mirror (and prevented the other car from seeing me at the time he made the decision to go).

The solution is to position yourself among traffic so that you are visible to every impatient person that is looking for even the smallest opportunity to dart around through traffic.

 
I think you may have answered the bags on, bags off question the hard way. :)
I missed the part about if the bags were on or off. I rarely ride with them off. I bought the bike because it can haul lots of stuff.

If they were off, there's something else to sell, unless you have to surrender them to the insurance co.

Good to hear you survived, and actually want to ride again. If that happened to me, I don't think I'd get back on, at least not as a married man....

 
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Unfuggin' believable.

What sort of slutburger, slimebucket, fugknuckle mo’fo bitch could drive away after causing such a thing?

I am glad you’re ok and admire your resiliency to want to get back on an ’09.

Chalk up another one for AGATT.

Be well and get better soon.

 
Here's the injury list:
[*]Fractured right fibula (smaller of the two bones in the lower leg).

[*]Entire right lower leg is a lovely mix of green and yellow (probably deep bruising from being crushed between the car and the bike).
Glad to hear everything is relatively OK! That could have been a lot worse; it really is amazing you don't have more leg damage - I think you may have answered the bags on, bags off question the hard way. :)
Bags were on (and always are, for convenience and increased visibility with reflective tape on the back). The right-side bag was smashed up pretty good (sorry, no pics), so I'm sure it absorbed some of the energy that would've otherwise been transferred to my leg. Both bags were ripped off the bike in the accident. The first junk yard it was in had the bags, but wouldn't allow me to take pictures. The bags and some other loose stuff (a muffler and seat, etc) must've been thrown away when the insurance company moved it to its current location, where I was allowed to take pictures.

I'll be putting reflective tape on the sides of the bags and fairing of the new bike for increased side visibility.

 

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