Sometimes you can take every precaution you can think of and just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, its not good enough.
Monday morning, 5.20am, 26km into my commute, 2km to go. Riding my new all carbon gravel bike along a dedicated cycle path. On the front of my bike is my Exposure Joystick light and on my helmet is a 450 lumen head torch. I am wearing a viz vest which I have added extra reflective material to. On the back of the bike, three flashing lights. I am christmas tree on wheels. So much so that collegues daily pull my leg about it when I arrive at work.
I see a light coming towards me.
BOOM......
I wake up to a disaster scene. Plastic and lights strewn 20m down the cyclepath, pain, confusion, bike has disappeared, someone moaning.
This was my commute to work on Monday after my two week holiday. I have had a week to think of what I could have done differently. The only answer I can come up with is nothing.
I was in my lane of the cycle path travelling at 20kph. I had come up a slight rise onto a straight. I saw the light ahead. My brain must have assumed the rider was in their lane. A second later I was unconcious.
The rider that hit me head on at 40kph was a 23 year old drunk scooter rider.
He fell into the well of the scooter and hit me so hard that the front end of the scooter collapsed and trapped him. He was semi concious and bleeding from the face. Its all surreal by torch light. I reassured him I was getting help. I could feel my own blood dripping down my face. Where the hells my bike? Wheres my left shoe? I scrambled up the bank to the main road, not realising I had broken my right leg. That stung a bit.
I flagged down a car and the poor, petrified woman (I am so sorry) called the emergency services. I went back to the scooter rider. He was still trapped. When he spoke, I immediately realised he wasnt drunk, he was totally pixxed. I have arrested enough of them to know the difference.
Within seconds the police were there. That was a bit odd. Within 2 minutes the ambulance was there. My bit was done, I had to lay down. But not before telling the officer to breathalyse the scooter rider. They did and he was arrested for being over the limit.
My bike was 15m back the way I had come from and halfway up the bank. The bike is terminal I am afraid. The moped rider is insured and they have been in touch with me.
I was taken off to hospital for 3 days. The injuries were broken right leg, dislocated left thumb which will be operated on this Wednesday, 12 stitches in the eyebrow, 2 in the leg , 1 lost tooth, 1 lost filling. Not in the same tooth.
I was looked after wonderfully at the hospital but its great to be home. I am recovering very well. The swelling is going down and I am bruised everywhere. But the feeling of being run oved by a truck is subsiding. The human body is amazing at recovering.
As an add on. The police were there so quickly because they were out looking for a scooter rider who had hit a truck and ridden off. Yes you have guessed it😁🛵
All the insurance and personal injury matters are in hand.
Apologies for this being so long. But it is a way for me to exorcise the deamons. 😊
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What a difference 6 days can make 😁
