I am lucky to be alive!! Got hit by a car..

[evangelist6589]

Praise the Lord that I still breathe, and I have suffered no major injuries except bruises, and sprains. I was riding my bike today, and was on the sidewalk (no bike lane) and a car coming out of a driveway slammed me from the side and I went flying on the concrete and almost underneath the car. My head did not hit the ground, however my bike was totaled. By SC law its okay for cars to slam into bikes when they are on the sidewalk (yes literally). The driver admitted he was at fault because he did not look before he turned out, but by SC law it was perfectly okay to slam into me, or any other bike rider when they are on a sidewalk.

I would say that angels were looking out for me tonight as it was far from luck. But with these kinds of laws, its no wonder I see so few bicycle riders on SC roads. In the part of SF Bay Area in California where I am from I see bicycle riders all the time. I have suffered some bruises and was in total pain prior to taking a pain medication. However I have put antibiotics on my bruises and probably will be fine.

I need to be at court in March to get a $238 fee waived or I need to pay the fee + the cost of a new bike. But I wonder if I should even bother to get one since SC laws discourage owning a bike. You cant ride on the sidewalk, and if there is no bike lane, then you need to ride with the traffic.

Amazingly my Blackberry survived the accident and suffered no damage. I have a otter-box case for it which the car hit when it hit me and I went on the ground under the car. I have had a great experience with the Blackberry since 2009, and I am sorry that others have not had such an experience, but mine continues to tick and it has been rained on, dropped many times, yet still ticks. The ambulance looked at me and said I was fine. I was in shock after the accident, but only suffered some bruises and sprains, praise the Lord!!

I have a book on angels by David Jeremiah which I need to read.

John

 

[freeatlast]

Praise the Lord that I still breathe, and I have suffered no major injuries except bruises, and sprains. I was riding my bike today, and was on the sidewalk (no bike lane) and a car coming out of a driveway slammed me from the side and I went flying on the concrete and almost underneath the car. My head did not hit the ground, however my bike was totaled. By SC law its okay for cars to slam into bikes when they are on the sidewalk (yes literally). The driver admitted he was at fault because he did not look before he turned out, but by SC law it was perfectly okay to slam into me, or any other bike rider when they are on a sidewalk.

I would say that angels were looking out for me tonight as it was far from luck. But with these kinds of laws, its no wonder I see so few bicycle riders on SC roads. In the part of SF Bay Area in California where I am from I see bicycle riders all the time. I have suffered some bruises and was in total pain prior to taking a pain medication. However I have put antibiotics on my bruises and probably will be fine.

I need to be at court in March to get a $238 fee waived or I need to pay the fee + the cost of a new bike. But I wonder if I should even bother to get one since SC laws discourage owning a bike. You cant ride on the sidewalk, and if there is no bike lane, then you need to ride with the traffic.

Amazingly my Blackberry survived the accident and suffered no damage. I have a otter-box case for it which the car hit when it hit me and I went on the ground under the car. I have had a great experience with the Blackberry since 2009, and I am sorry that others have not had such an experience, but mine continues to tick and it has been rained on, dropped many times, yet still ticks.

The ambulance looked at me and said I was fine. I was in shock after the accident, but only suffered some bruises and sprains. praise the Lord!!


John

Strange law! I am glad you are not hurt too bad. However let me ask you something. You knew about this law and you totally ignored it and broke the law and road on the sidewalk anyway?
I ask that because if you knew the law and broke it anyway then I think you need to reevaluate your reasoning about being protected by angels to one where God was trying to get your attention telling you to stop breaking the law less something worse come on you.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Praise the Lord that I still breathe, and I have suffered no major injuries except bruises, and sprains. I was riding my bike today, and was on the sidewalk (no bike lane) and a car coming out of a driveway slammed me from the side and I went flying on the concrete and almost underneath the car. My head did not hit the ground, however my bike was totaled. By SC law its okay for cars to slam into bikes when they are on the sidewalk (yes literally). The driver admitted he was at fault because he did not look before he turned out, but by SC law it was perfectly okay to slam into me, or any other bike rider when they are on a sidewalk.

I would say that angels were looking out for me tonight as it was far from luck. But with these kinds of laws, its no wonder I see so few bicycle riders on SC roads. In the part of SF Bay Area in California where I am from I see bicycle riders all the time. I have suffered some bruises and was in total pain prior to taking a pain medication. However I have put antibiotics on my bruises and probably will be fine.

I need to be at court in March to get a $238 fee waived or I need to pay the fee + the cost of a new bike. But I wonder if I should even bother to get one since SC laws discourage owning a bike. You cant ride on the sidewalk, and if there is no bike lane, then you need to ride with the traffic.

Amazingly my Blackberry survived the accident and suffered no damage. I have a otter-box case for it which the car hit when it hit me and I went on the ground under the car. I have had a great experience with the Blackberry since 2009, and I am sorry that others have not had such an experience, but mine continues to tick and it has been rained on, dropped many times, yet still ticks. The ambulance looked at me and said I was fine. I was in shock after the accident, but only suffered some bruises and sprains, praise the Lord!!

I have a book on angels by David Jeremiah which I need to read.

John

Glad you're ok, but I'd still get your doctor to check you out. Crazy law.

 

[preacher4truth]

I'm glad you're still around bro. Be careful.

 

[annsni]

I believe it's actually illegal in many areas to ride a bike on the sidewalk. A bike is considered a vehicle and is supposed to be on the road with the cars. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles on bicycles and have never ridden on sidewalks - I will only go on one while walking my bike.

Stay on pain meds for a time but make sure they have anti-inflammatory properties as well. Tylenol doesn't do that but Aleve and Motrin do. I'm on Aleve from my car accident and it does help. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[evangelist6589]

Strange law! I am glad you are not hurt too bad. However let me ask you something. You knew about this law and you totally ignored it and broke the law and road on the sidewalk anyway?
I ask that because if you knew the law and broke it anyway then I think you need to reevaluate your reasoning about being protected by angels to one where God was trying to get your attention telling you to stop breaking the law less something worse come on you.

I was not aware of this law.

 

[evangelist6589]

Glad you're ok, but I'd still get your doctor to check you out. Crazy law.

I am actually feeling better after I took a shower, put some antibiotic on, and bandaids on. Unfortunately since I lost my job I also lost my medical insurance.

 

[evangelist6589]

I'm glad you're still around bro. Be careful.

Thank you appreciate it.

 

[evangelist6589]

I believe it's actually illegal in many areas to ride a bike on the sidewalk. A bike is considered a vehicle and is supposed to be on the road with the cars. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles on bicycles and have never ridden on sidewalks - I will only go on one while walking my bike.

Stay on pain meds for a time but make sure they have anti-inflammatory properties as well. Tylenol doesn't do that but Aleve and Motrin do. I'm on Aleve from my car accident and it does help. I hope you feel better soon!

I'm taking ibuprofen as I have lots of stock. You ride bikes with the cars? Thats insane. Someone could come from behind me and clammer me to death.

 

[annsni]

I'm taking ibuprofen as I have lots of stock. You ride bikes with the cars? Thats insane. Someone could come from behind me and clammer me to death.

It's much safer (and legal) than being on the sidewalk. As I said, I've logged tens of thousands of miles without an accident. When you ride properly, it's the safest way to do it. Ride on the right, with the traffic, follow all the traffic rules, wear a helmet, be observant and you'll be good.

 

[matt wade]

I was not aware of this law.

and you also say:

By SC law its okay for cars to slam into bikes when they are on the sidewalk (yes literally). The driver admitted he was at fault because he did not look before he turned out, but by SC law it was perfectly okay to slam into me, or any other bike rider when they are on a sidewalk.

Let's make it clear here. There is no law that says it is OK for a car to hit a person on a bicycle because they are on the sidewalk.

What the law says is that a bicycle is not allowed to be on the sidewalk. The same that a car is not allowed to be on the sidewalk. By being where you were not supposed to be, the accident becomes your fault.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

This is actually not a bicycle unfriendly law. Most cyclists push for laws that bicycles will be treated the same as cars. You are in the minority of cyclists that wish to be treated differently than cars.


I'm glad you (and your blackberry) made it through no worse for the wear.

 

[Gina B]

Here's some advice from personal experience: When you wake up in the middle of the night tonight, or if you happen to sleep through the night, do NOT move the moment you wake up. Relax your body and start moving a tiny bit at a time. Wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes, slowly start bending at the elbows, test your knees, and keep going slowly.

Cuz you're gonna be one sore puppy. Learn what hurts most so you can baby those specific muscles and not cause further injury. Jump out of bed without thinking and you may end up flat on the floor.

Keep a cell phone or some method of contact close by in case you have more injuries than you realize. Even if the odds are very slim, it's not worth that small risk that you may end up needing to call for help, so make sure you're able to and try to have a friend over or have someone come check on you occasionally.

I miss Oregon. They're normal there and build bike paths all over the place. Even BESIDE the sidewalks, though occasionally they mix. Out here, we don't even get sidewalks!

Seems much safer than riding a bike where people walk or on a road where the traffic is going ten times faster than your "vehicle."

I'm guessing if it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk, there's not much they're going to do if one gets hurt while doing so. Even if I think it's a dumb law. I'd rather get hit by a pedestrian than a car. I realize people do it all the time, but it still seems a dangerous idea to mix bicycles and motor vehicles.

 

[matt wade]

I'm guessing if it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk, there's not much they're going to do if one gets hurt while doing so. Even if I think it's a dumb law. I'd rather get hit by a pedestrian than a car. I realize people do it all the time, but it still seems a dangerous idea to mix bicycles and motor vehicles.

It's actually much safer for a bicycle to be on the road than on the sidewalk.

 

[TC]

I believe it's actually illegal in many areas to ride a bike on the sidewalk. A bike is considered a vehicle and is supposed to be on the road with the cars. I've ridden tens of thousands of miles on bicycles and have never ridden on sidewalks - I will only go on one while walking my bike.

Not all states consider bicycles to be a vehicle; therefore, riders in those states may not have the right to use the road depending on how the states word their statutes. It is always a good idea do some research ahead of time for the area you will be riding in. Minnesota does consider bicycles to be vehicles, so I have the same rights to use the road as any other vehicle. I also have to follow the rules of the road the same as all other vehicles do. Minnesota does not ban bicycles riding on sidewalks, but they allow local municipalities to make ordinances as they see fit.

I'm glad you are OK evangelist. You gotta be careful out there.

 

[annsni]

Not all states consider bicycles to be a vehicle; therefore, riders in those states may not have the right to use the road depending on how the states word their statutes. It is always a good idea do some research ahead of time for the area you will be riding in.

Actually, I believe in every state, a bike has the right to use the roads but must be on the far right of the road. I don't know of any state that allows bikes to use the sidewalks though.

 

[righteousdude2]

Just Curious...

...first, and foremost, I'm glad you are OKAY! God does protect us, and that sould never be forgotten. Keep on bikin' brother!!! And listen to Gina's advice. You will find some bumps and bruises in the coming days that you didn't notice today!


But, you didn't happen to have an anti-Obama sticker on your bike, did you? :smilewinkgrin:

 

[HeDied4U]

Praise the Lord that I still breathe, and I have suffered no major injuries except bruises, and sprains. I was riding my bike today, and was on the sidewalk (no bike lane) and a car coming out of a driveway slammed me from the side and I went flying on the concrete and almost underneath the car. My head did not hit the ground, however my bike was totaled. By SC law its okay for cars to slam into bikes when they are on the sidewalk (yes literally). The driver admitted he was at fault because he did not look before he turned out, but by SC law it was perfectly okay to slam into me, or any other bike rider when they are on a sidewalk.

I would say that angels were looking out for me tonight as it was far from luck. But with these kinds of laws, its no wonder I see so few bicycle riders on SC roads. In the part of SF Bay Area in California where I am from I see bicycle riders all the time. I have suffered some bruises and was in total pain prior to taking a pain medication. However I have put antibiotics on my bruises and probably will be fine.

I need to be at court in March to get a $238 fee waived or I need to pay the fee + the cost of a new bike. But I wonder if I should even bother to get one since SC laws discourage owning a bike. You cant ride on the sidewalk, and if there is no bike lane, then you need to ride with the traffic.

Amazingly my Blackberry survived the accident and suffered no damage. I have a otter-box case for it which the car hit when it hit me and I went on the ground under the car. I have had a great experience with the Blackberry since 2009, and I am sorry that others have not had such an experience, but mine continues to tick and it has been rained on, dropped many times, yet still ticks. The ambulance looked at me and said I was fine. I was in shock after the accident, but only suffered some bruises and sprains, praise the Lord!!

I have a book on angels by David Jeremiah which I need to read.

John

Sorry to hear about your bike being totaled, but it's better than you being totaled instead. You mentioned that your head didn't hit the ground, which is a good thing. I am curious however; were you wearing a helmet?

Like annsni, I also have logged many thousands of miles on my bike, and have never ridden on the sidewalk. I'm either on a multi-use path or on the road. I will admit that road riding takes some getting used to, but I'm always careful, make sure I'm as far to the right as I can safely be and I always have my helmet on. Having a mirror help as it allows me to see, at a quick glance, what is coming up behind me.

 

[Amy.G]

I'm glad you're ok. :thumbs: Ibuprofen is your friend!

And yes, God was protecting you.

 

[TC]

Actually, I believe in every state, a bike has the right to use the roads but must be on the far right of the road. I don't know of any state that allows bikes to use the sidewalks though.

Minnesota does not ban biking on sidewalks unless it is in a business district. We can bike an all sidewalks that local municipalities allow - it is up to the city or town to decide.

(d) A person operating a bicycle upon a sidewalk, or across a roadway or shoulder on a crosswalk, shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal when necessary before overtaking and passing any pedestrian. No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district unless permitted by local authorities. Local authorities may prohibit the operation of bicycles on any sidewalk or crosswalk under their jurisdiction.

from:
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/getp...22&keyword_type=any&keyword=bicycle+operation

I use the roads, but I see people bike on sidewalks all the time and they look at me like I am strange for being on the road.

 

[evangelist6589]

It's much safer (and legal) than being on the sidewalk. As I said, I've logged tens of thousands of miles without an accident. When you ride properly, it's the safest way to do it. Ride on the right, with the traffic, follow all the traffic rules, wear a helmet, be observant and you'll be good.

Its not safer by any means on the street I was on.