Accident

Let me preface this by saying I’m okay.  Also, I’m writing here because I can’t post anything on FB or anywhere else until I speak to my mother, who is going to have a hysterical hissy fit and demand that I never ride a motorcycle again (which isn’t going to happen).

So, last night there was a parent orientation meeting for one of our homeschool groups, and since it was a lovely evening I decided to ride the motorcycle.  Got there no problem, the meeting was fine, and at 8:30pm I set out for home.  

I was not quite halfway home, heading down a street that I’ve traveled on plenty of times with a moderate amount of traffic at an average speed (perhaps 40-45 mph? not sure, but I think I was in fifth gear), when I approached a traffic light.  The light was green, so I wasn’t even going to slow down, and then I saw a woman coming the other way in the left turn lane – and at the very last minute I realized she was going to try to go despite my being RIGHT FREAKING THERE.  

It was scary, but so very fast.  I tried to brake, but there was no way I could slow down enough, and I knew if I turned sharply I would have slid the bike (and possibly been injured worse by oncoming traffic) – so I hit her in the rear quarter panel.  I remember falling off the bike and hitting the ground, then standing up and realizing the bike was in the middle of an intersection and oncoming traffic was completely stopped.  A passerby got out of his car and ran over to me, and my first thought was that we had to move the bike, so I asked him to help me pick it up – but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen, as it was so badly damaged that it wouldn’t stand upright.

It was awful, but really quite amazing.  I wasn’t wearing a jacket (the temp was in the 80s), but I didn’t even break any skin – though I do have some lovely bruises today, and I’m pretty stiff.  I was of course wearing a full-face helmet, so there is no damage to my head or face, which doubtless there would have been otherwise.  I was covered in some fluid, not sure if it was hydraulic fluid or motor oil, but otherwise I was basically okay. 

There were several witnesses who all stayed around to talk to the police once they arrived, and all told the same story – the lady who was turning obviously didn’t see me, and I hit her pretty much dead on.  One of the witnesses had called 911, and a firetruck arrived pretty quickly.  The firemen took my vitals and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, but I didn’t see any reason to do that.  I had already called DH, and he was on his way (delayed slightly by having to wake up the kids and load them in the minivan), and he was a Navy corpsmen in a previous life so I knew he could keep an eye on me overnight so there was no reason to go to the emergency room when I had no obvious injuries.  One of the cops did scare me by telling me about a motorcyclist who died a few weeks ago from unknown internal injuries after refusing to go to the hospital, but I trust DH and it’s not like the hospital would give me an MRI just to be sure I didn’t have any internal injuries.  

I had taken off my helmet before calling DH, so as people arrived on the scene they weren’t sure who had been on the bike until witnesses told them.  I watched the police and the tow truck driver arrive, assume the worst, and then be completely amazed when I walked up next to the bike and told them I was the rider.  

It was a harrowing experience, but it really could have been so much worse.  I walked away, which is the most important thing, and the other driver readily admitted her guilt.  She said she didn’t see me, but said she saw the lights of the car behind me – DH thinks she saw my headlight but because her depth perception or whatever was off she thought it was just one of the headlights of the car behind me.  Anyhow, she was cited, and her insurance company is likely going to be sending me a check for a new motorcycle.  

I will most certainly ride again; this experience didn’t put me off riding in the least.  DH says there are two types of motorcycle riders, those who have had accidents and those who will – in a way, it’s a momentous occasion that I had my first accident and didn’t even get road rash.  

Now I need to go brace myself to call my mother.  Wish me luck with that one!