In June I was leaving Bayfront Park in Hamilton on my Suzi SV 650N (tear) and I saw the headlights of a car heading in my direction. I thought that he was going to get out of my lane until it was too late. Thankfully I'm kind of paranoid about other cars respecting my space and at the time of the impact I was pretty close to the right side of my lane (meaning as close as is usually reasonable to the curb) and avoided a head on collision. Instead I was hit on my left side, went flying off my bike, over the curb and onto the grass beside the road.
Suffered two broken bones and a puncture wound (where I'm guessing something on his car hit me) to my left foot. Also relatively minor rashes to my knees and hip from the landing. (the scar on my hip looks like a birthmark, thank the gods for grass). My bike's a complete write-off and my insurance actually gave me an appropriate amount to get another. Also paying me for lost wages. Bought the bike (my first) in 2010, used, and this was the first time I had an accident (not even a speeding ticket on record).
So after buddy hits me he stops, gets out of his Ford Escape, asks if I'm okay, says he's going to call the ambulance, then promptly gets back into his car and takes off (into the park where there's no escape, idiot). Thankfully people heard the commotion (it was 1am on a weekday) and not only called 911, but also followed buddy to the Marina where he was found hiding on a boat and refused a breathalyzer. Turns out he also had a suspended license. Crown is charging him with DUI and intent to cause bodily harm.
Got a blurb in the Hamilton Spec. http://www.thespec.com/news/crime/article/744003--police-blotter
Bayfront Park
June 15: A 27-year-old man is knocked off his motorcycle at 1:30 a.m. when a vehicle entering the park sideswipes him. Witnesses follow the driver to the marina where police arrest him on a boat. The 40-year-old refuses a breath test. He’s charged with impaired, refuse breath sample and fail to remain. The cyclist was taken to hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
I was wearing proper boots, a jacket, helmet, gloves. In fact other than my foot the only places where I was scraped, my legs and hip, would have not even have suffered that had I been wearing something more protective than jeans. The puncture on my left foot actually went through the leather of my boot.
I'm off crutches and doing physio for my foot and expecting to make a full recovery. There was one bone on the left side of my left foot that they couldn't do anything about but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The main bone (the big one leading to big toe) is almost completely healed. Went on my first jog last week.
I know this is my first post here but I've come here again and again since I started riding to read all of your posts and wondered if you can provide any advice on some things. It's funny while I was in the hospital waiting for the doctor there was a lady rider there and we were talking about this forum and how whenever someone gets into an accident and posts here they get a point by point analysis of all the mistakes they made before the accident
. I told her I'd post about my accident here so if you're reading this hi!
So, of course, having ridden only two years, if any veterans can advise me on how I could have avoided this collision. I've thought it over a lot and honestly don't know how I could have gotten out of the way completely without hitting, and being launched over, the curb.
Also I sought minor legal advice, the lawyer told me to wait and see if there's any relatively "permanent" damage. Apparently it's a waste of time to bring cases in these situations unless you're permanently effected (like losing a leg) because the first $30000 is deducted in motor vehicle cases. If anyone has any advice here please part with it
Hoping to have the last bit of money from insurance soon so I can take advantage of late season prices and get another used bike. I can only afford bikes in the $5000 range so may get another Suzi SV650 or maybe a Ducati Monster 600ish if one pops up and I'm feeling giddy. Dual Sports are another option but they seem pricier (even used). I want something Naked in the 650cc range because there's still more for me to learn before I go higher and I'm pretty sure I don't need to go lower.
Anyways the whole situation was quite surreal. After I hit the ground my first thought was actually to get up, and get back on my overturned bike (that was not going to happen). Just thought I'd share all this with you as I sit here, sullen, having missed the majority of the riding season
. That being said, it's hard to get too sad because this could have been a lot worse.
Cheers!
Suffered two broken bones and a puncture wound (where I'm guessing something on his car hit me) to my left foot. Also relatively minor rashes to my knees and hip from the landing. (the scar on my hip looks like a birthmark, thank the gods for grass). My bike's a complete write-off and my insurance actually gave me an appropriate amount to get another. Also paying me for lost wages. Bought the bike (my first) in 2010, used, and this was the first time I had an accident (not even a speeding ticket on record).
So after buddy hits me he stops, gets out of his Ford Escape, asks if I'm okay, says he's going to call the ambulance, then promptly gets back into his car and takes off (into the park where there's no escape, idiot). Thankfully people heard the commotion (it was 1am on a weekday) and not only called 911, but also followed buddy to the Marina where he was found hiding on a boat and refused a breathalyzer. Turns out he also had a suspended license. Crown is charging him with DUI and intent to cause bodily harm.
Got a blurb in the Hamilton Spec. http://www.thespec.com/news/crime/article/744003--police-blotter
Bayfront Park
June 15: A 27-year-old man is knocked off his motorcycle at 1:30 a.m. when a vehicle entering the park sideswipes him. Witnesses follow the driver to the marina where police arrest him on a boat. The 40-year-old refuses a breath test. He’s charged with impaired, refuse breath sample and fail to remain. The cyclist was taken to hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
I was wearing proper boots, a jacket, helmet, gloves. In fact other than my foot the only places where I was scraped, my legs and hip, would have not even have suffered that had I been wearing something more protective than jeans. The puncture on my left foot actually went through the leather of my boot.
I'm off crutches and doing physio for my foot and expecting to make a full recovery. There was one bone on the left side of my left foot that they couldn't do anything about but it doesn't seem to be a problem. The main bone (the big one leading to big toe) is almost completely healed. Went on my first jog last week.
I know this is my first post here but I've come here again and again since I started riding to read all of your posts and wondered if you can provide any advice on some things. It's funny while I was in the hospital waiting for the doctor there was a lady rider there and we were talking about this forum and how whenever someone gets into an accident and posts here they get a point by point analysis of all the mistakes they made before the accident
. I told her I'd post about my accident here so if you're reading this hi!So, of course, having ridden only two years, if any veterans can advise me on how I could have avoided this collision. I've thought it over a lot and honestly don't know how I could have gotten out of the way completely without hitting, and being launched over, the curb.
Also I sought minor legal advice, the lawyer told me to wait and see if there's any relatively "permanent" damage. Apparently it's a waste of time to bring cases in these situations unless you're permanently effected (like losing a leg) because the first $30000 is deducted in motor vehicle cases. If anyone has any advice here please part with it
Hoping to have the last bit of money from insurance soon so I can take advantage of late season prices and get another used bike. I can only afford bikes in the $5000 range so may get another Suzi SV650 or maybe a Ducati Monster 600ish if one pops up and I'm feeling giddy. Dual Sports are another option but they seem pricier (even used). I want something Naked in the 650cc range because there's still more for me to learn before I go higher and I'm pretty sure I don't need to go lower.
Anyways the whole situation was quite surreal. After I hit the ground my first thought was actually to get up, and get back on my overturned bike (that was not going to happen). Just thought I'd share all this with you as I sit here, sullen, having missed the majority of the riding season
. That being said, it's hard to get too sad because this could have been a lot worse.Cheers!
