Hit by a car - my carbon!

[cid499]

Riding in the bike lane on my way home, I got sandwiched as a driver pulled into the bike lane unexpectedly to get a parking spot. I was probably going about 10-12 mph and was in full skid by the time I hit the cars. Luckily I stayed on the bike and ended up with just a few scrapes and bruises on my arms from the cars' side view mirrors. (Many thanks to the guy who invented the foldable side-view mirror, because my arms surely would have been broken were they rigid)

I got the driver's contact info and he offered to pay for any damages, should I find any.

I was riding on an aluminum bike with carbon seatpost, stem, bars, fork/steerer. After the crash I noticed one of my shifters was bent inward and my bars/stem were tweaked about 10 degrees off-center. It was a little bit creaky for the 1 mile ride back to my house.

What should I do next? I haven't taken it apart and put it back together, just in case I need to take a picture of it in its current state. It all felt OK on the rest of the way home but the new noises were unsettling. Would a bike shop be able to visually inspect my carbon pieces for damage? Should I be worried at all?

Thanks,
Phil

[Fixed]

What should I do next? I haven't taken it apart and put it back together, just in case I need to take a picture of it in its current state. It all felt OK on the rest of the way home but the new noises were unsettling. Would a bike shop be able to visually inspect my carbon pieces for damage? Should I be worried at all?


take pics
take to good shop
cheers imho

[zmudshark]

You did file a police report, right?

[Cat3roadracer]

The gentleman that turned into you will be glad to simply pay for a new set of shifters, avoiding any legal action, assuming a police report was filed. Otherwise it's your word against his.

Best of luck to you.

[cid499]

Given the minor damage to my body (and the effect of adrenaline) I didn't file a police report on the spot. It happened 30 minutes ago, so I'm not sure if I can file a police report after the fact.

If that is the case, best of luck to me indeed. I'll be bringing the bike into a shop tomorrow for them to take a look.

[eddief]

and offered to pay then he more or less admitted fault. all depends on how far you want to take it. police report. oh my neck hurts now. oh my neck might hurt for the next year. oh i need a new bike.

his insurance company, if he was indeed insured, would be/should be happy to make you happy.

or you can roll with it, be thankful to be alive, and not make a fuss.

[cid499]

I filed a police report at the local station, and he was more than willing to cooperate with the officer who called to ask him some questions. If there's any damage it looks like it will be sorted out with his insurance company, although it will probably take some time before I see a check.

I'm just glad nothing worse happened. :beer:
Happy ending

[avalonracing]

Glad you are okay.
Accidents do happen and if everything is okay with you and your bike I hope you let it drop and let the good karma come your way.

There are a lot of people who really milk things because of the "damn cars / us vs. them" feeling. Many people (mostly motorists) take advantage of the insurance industry and we all pay higher rates because of it.

By all means, if you are hurt or incur a loss go for it but if you are good consider it a blessing and maybe you'll be on the other side and someone will do you the same favor.

[rice rocket]

Hang off your bars with all your weight, see if you hear any creaks. Grab your bars, raise your front wheel about 6 inches and smash your front end off the ground. Maybe do the same while you're holding your saddle for the rear.

If all is good, keep riding. ;)

[rugbysecondrow]

Good advice.


Glad you are okay.
Accidents do happen and if everything is okay with you and your bike I hope you let it drop and let the good karma come your way.

There are a lot of people who really milk things because of the "damn cars / us vs. them" feeling. Many people (mostly motorists) take advantage of the insurance industry and we all pay higher rates because of it.

By all means, if you are hurt or incur a loss go for it but if you are good consider it a blessing and maybe you'll be on the other side and someone will do you the same favor.

[AngryScientist]

i'm having a little bit of a hard time visualizing how the accident happened, but, in general, i would say that if any of the carbon bits took a direct impact, you should inspect them very closely for any signs of damage.

probably best to take it to a good shop and have them make a determination.

[bambam]

Glad your not hurt.
I saw a biker t-bone a car in just 5 feet from a complete stop. Turned out the frame was cracked at the head tube. If the bars were askew I might think the carbon steer tube could be compromised. I've seen a bike where the steer tube broke inside of the head tube from twisting. Good Luck.

[eddief]

and went over the hood of a left turner, I asked for a new frameset and of course a replacement for my front taco. No visual damage to the frame or fork, but the tacoed front wheel might suggest some sh*t happened.

thought they'd let me keep my frameset and simply give a replacement too. but no. they insisted if they were going to replace it, then the bike shop had to cut it in half with a hack saw so it would never see the street again.

it hurt to have them cut what appeared to be a perfect frame, but got a new one and the hit one is in the carbon bone yard.

[firerescuefin]

After the crash I noticed one of my shifters was bent inward and my bars/stem were tweaked about 10 degrees off-center. It was a little bit creaky for the 1 mile ride back to my house.

Thanks,
Phil

In the emergency medical world, there is a term we use called "mechanism of injury"...basically meaning if we see that there is a bent steering wheel, cracked windshield, etc.in a crash, we treat the person for internal injury, head injury, etc. even if they are not showing signs initially. Later, MD's can determine through examination, MRIs, CT scans, etc. if there was serious damage done and treat accordingly.

The front end of that bike had forces applied to it that "could" have done damage to the bars, steerer, shifters, etc. You don't have the ability to run the type of tests needed on that equipment to rule out damage.

Get those replaced...and do it with a clear conscience. We (actually you) don't need a stress crack in a steerer rearing its head on your next fast descent....and you should never even have to consider it.

[edl]

...
Get those replaced...and do it with a clear conscience. We (actually you) don't need a stress crack in a steerer rearing its head on your next fast descent....and you should never even have to consider it.

+1

While it sounds like you were not seriously injured, it is difficult to ascertain the damage to your bicycle. If you have any doubts about the integrity of those parts I would replace them right away.

I also think the driver of the vehicle would be very happy to spend only $500-600 for parts and labor on your bicycle in exchange for a release of liability from you. Let me explain: in my line of business, we handle many auto-auto accidents. Typically we expect bodily injury to cost 3x property damage. So if a car receives $5K of damage, we typically expect to payout $15K to the driver for bodily injury, even if there was no external injuries.

For auto-bike accidents, the ratio is much higher than 3x. Usually because there is significant bodily injury.

You had scrapes and bruises - are those worthless? If your new front end (fork, bars, etc) runs you about $500 and you don't ask any compensation for your own injuries, you're really doing the other party a huge favor. If I was the driver, I'd would've offered an extra $500 for bodily injury on top of your bike repair costs - and if you accepted I'd consider that a great deal.

Then again, I've seen cyclists riding on the sidewalks getting hit by cars pulling out of driveways, and the most they get is a helping hand from the driver. Example: my coworker was riding his carbon Roubaix on the road and he T-boned a car who suddenly turned into a driveway right in front of him. That 12-14 mph impact cracked the fork and the frame. He got a police report saying it was the driver's fault. When it came time to have the other party pay for repairs, the driver refused. Long story short, my coworker had to take him to small claims court to be compensated for property damage. He didn't even get anything for bodily injury, even though he flew over the car's hood and was cut up! My point is this - cyclists get the shaft just as often as drivers do.

So, IMO asking a reasonable amount of compensation for property damage and bodily injury is completely fair.

[eddief]

this accident not only scared the crap out of me, i had bruises and scrapes and my neck did hurt. granted, i was happy to be alive. granted, i was happy with the driver's insurance company settling both my bike and my bodily bruises for a sum we both thought was fair. just a bunch of paperwork and a few phone calls.

and went over the hood of a left turner, I asked for a new frameset and of course a replacement for my front taco. No visual damage to the frame or fork, but the tacoed front wheel might suggest some sh*t happened.

thought they'd let me keep my frameset and simply give a replacement too. but no. they insisted if they were going to replace it, then the bike shop had to cut it in half with a hack saw so it would never see the street again.

it hurt to have them cut what appeared to be a perfect frame, but got a new one and the hit one is in the carbon bone yard.