Drat!

We went downtown this evening, as usual, for the Compline service at our church. It was men singing this week, so Rob went on into the church, and I stayed in the car, listening to the radio and reading, for the hour that I needed to kill, while they were rehearsing.

A few minutes before 9:30, I closed my book, put the club on the steering wheel, and prepared to go inside. Opened the car door, and out of nowhere (I swear I looked!) came a cyclist who flew off his bike and landed in the hinge of the door. How he managed that I'll never know.

I am still seated in the car as this happens, so relax, I am completely OK -- well, physically, anyway. Paramedics, ambulance, cops come and various consultations and exchanges of information take place...and eventually we all disperse. The guy is OK. A small scrape on one arm. His bike is OK. His helmet is OK. And after sitting for a little, and doing some walk-arounds, the paramedics are content that he is OK to ride away if he wants to, and he does. We'll stay in touch.

But Sheba is not OK. The impact and the weight on her hinge, and the scrape along her body...both driver's side doors, plus the front fender, and of course the door hinge, are all munged at least some. Driveable, yes, but this is a 1989 vehicle, and we're thinking, with the body work that will be required, the insurance might very well write her off. Oh joy! We really weren't planning on a vehicle purchase just now, thanks.

Anyway, tomorrow will be the police report and then the claim, and then we'll see what next.

I haven't had the tears yet, so I guess I'd better get off to bed and let that happen. SIGH!

Oh Fran, what a scare that must have been. Thankfully no one (but Sheba) was injured-

That cyclist was blind or something?
Glad to hear you're okay. Sorry about the car but guess it was its "time"

Sorry to hear about this, it's amazing how seemingly 'little' things like this can shake you up At least no one was hurt, so try not to dwell on the what-ifs.


On a lighter note:
I was reading your post and when I came across the name Sheba, I was thinking it may be a cat, a dog.......then I realised it was the car

Woah Fran, that must have been really scary. It's horrid when things just jump at you out of your blind spot and you have no idea where they came from! My bf is a cyclist and says that there are so many maniacs out there on the road that they don't deserve to be on bikes at all - he would NEVER ride that close to a parked car, particularly on the driver's side. So many of them seem to think that the road is their territory when actually it needs to be shared by all.

You poor thing - I'm glad more than anything that you are ok and that he didn't hurtle into you just that bit later and do you some serious physical damage.

What a shock! It is lucky that nobody was hurt!

Sorry to hear about poor Sheba though, it's horrible when something like that happens - I hope the repairs can be done and Sheba is back in good shape in no time!

What a frightening shock that must have been, Fran! I'm just thankful you are ok, as well as the cyclist. What a difficult situation for you to have to suddenly deal with. So sorry about Sheba.

Fran, so glad no one, especially you, was hurt !!!

Accidents like this, just happen in seconds and no one is to blame in this case....
I am always terrified of this happening when I am cycling, and so paranoid that I am always alert of people sitting in the driver's seat as I approach, even if they do not look like they are planning to open the door

Originally Posted by yayi

That cyclist was blind or something?

Glad to hear you're okay. Sorry about the car but guess it was its "time"

Click to expand...

No Yayi I doubt if the cyclist "was blind" as you put it. When we ride on the street we tend to be about as far to the right as we can get because too many motorists don't seem to be willing to properly share the road. That said, He hadnt seen anyone park in front of him as Fran had been there for a while reading. I'm sure she wasnt thinking about a bike he didnt expect a door to open, ergo, accident. They happen. The fact of the matter is it is up to the operator of a motor vehicle to look and yield to any traffic in the road before opening a door. A bicycle has just as much right to be on that road as any car and thus legally constitutes traffic. I am sorry Yayi but I think in this instance your attitude is plain wrong.

wow!, quite the scare. Glad to hear that everyone involved is going to be ok.

How awful. I am glad to hear you are OK! It's never fun to have to go car shopping when you don't expect it.

Thanks for your kind words and support, everyone.

The beginning of the bureaucratic stuff has been taken care of, and I see the claims adjuster tomorrow at 12:15. Then we'll find out whether we still have a car. Actually we're thinking that, if they want to write it off, we may try to negotiate for a settlement, and deal with the repairs ourselves. The car is still good.

I haven't checked on the cyclist yet, though I will later on -- thought I'd let him have a quiet day first -- he's probably pretty sore today.

Anyway, so far so good?

I must have missed this when it was first posted... but I am sure that everything will turn out for the best and I hope that Sheba soon recovers...

Fran the main thing is there were no serious injuries to either of you and thats the main thing

Ouch! He probably is feeling it today . I wonder how that happened ???? Sorry about your car

That sucks. Who does the blame go to in this case?

What a shock to you both Frannie! I did that one time, kind of. I was riding my bike and ran right into the end of a parked car!

Originally Posted by Hydroaxe

That sucks. Who does the blame go to in this case?

Click to expand...

Well, I guess I'll find that out tomorrow. I gather in the majority of this sort of case, the person opening the vehicle door gets tagged at least the majority of the fault, and it won't surprise me if I need to suck up some of it. I have no idea where he came from -- did I just not see him? or was he going so fast that he wasn't in view? As Rob observed, a confrontation between a cyclist and a car, and the CAR loses? He had to be travelling!

Whatever -- given that I DID check, and it was he who hit the inside of the fully open door -- rather than the door whacking into him as he came abreast -- I think he did contribute. I will be disappointed if I'm assessed more than 50%, and may argue. Anyway -- we'll see. The claims adjuster called a little while ago, to confirm our appointment -- we had a pleasant conversation.

Thanks for asking. And thanks to everyone for commiserations.

Okay, well good luck with the verdict on that and of course, good thing that neither of you were seriously hurt.

Oh Fran, how scary! I'm glad that you're alright and that the cyclist isn't seriously injured. How lucky you both are for that! Sorry about your car, I hope that everything works out for you; good luck with your appointment tomorrow.