Just got some bad news. Road riders be careful

[gooseaholic]

My friend Jim was hit by a truck on Saturday night by a drunk driver. He broke his femur and his fibula and tibia are compound fractures.. Be careful if you ride on the road.

[dstepper]

After my little encounter with a car in Mammoth I have issues. This evening after coming off Canyon Acres I went to the flashing x-walk at Art School and walked my bike across.
Not kidding...I don't trust cars, even with the new flashing x-walk lights the cars did not want to stop.

Dean

[gooseaholic]

I hear ya Dean. I was hit or I ran into a truck making a left turn. I made eye contact with the driver as I was slowing down. I figured ok she sees me, and I started to pedal again, only to have her punch it to beat me. Front tire jammed in her front wheel well. I went over the hood. Unhurt luckily.

[gooseaholic]

Thanks for moving it Gene, I posted in the pub becuase Jim is not on STR and he is not a real social person. Hes is the type of person you have to hate to love.

[northshore]

Dang man. I hope he heals up!! Get him a beer and a cigar while he is in bed!

[sdyeti]

Your friend is in my thoughts. Hope he recovers sooner than later.

[SAR_boats]

Your friend is in my thoughts and prayers as well. Did the driver stop?

[gooseaholic]

Thanks steph. My friend Jim is very stubborn. He has two things he always says when we ride.1) I did not come here to make friends, I came to climb, as he leaves you solo on a group ride.. Man he is fast. 2) you better pack a lunch.
I talked to him on the phone and he said, docs are stupid ( when they told him he cannot ride for 12 weeks), they did not pack a lunch.
He is so stubborn, sometimes I wonder why I am his friend. Times like these tell me why.

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

Your friend is in my thoughts and prayers as well. Did the driver stop?

No he did not stop, but they found him an hour or so later with blood on his bumper.

[Abui]

Originally Posted by dstepper

After my little encounter with a car in Mammoth I have issues. This evening after coming off Canyon Acres I went to the flashing x-walk at Art School and walked my bike across.
Not kidding...I don't trust cars, even with the new flashing x-walk lights the cars did not want to stop.

Dean

Be sure to walk the bike when at the crosswalk. If you ride it you're a vehicle in a crosswalk.

Hint: When walking into the supermart return a cart as you go in. Drivers pay attention to something that could scratch a car's paint.

[GeorgiaOfTheJungle]

I hope he heals up well and fast, but doesn't try to get on the bike too early--would suck to have your leg heal improperly.

[remgeo]

Hope your friend heals fast and gets back on the bike. I make it a point to only ride the road bike on streets with less traffic and/or big bike lines to help minimize the chances of getting hit. Some drivers just don't pay attention or care about bikers on the road.

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Sorry to hear about that Danny. Hope he heals up fast.

Another reason I don't ride the road unless absolutely necessary.

[vandyketom]

Healing Vibes out to your buddy.

[DISCO]

I am still allergic to cars, a few brushes earlier in the year reminded me. That is why my buddy Chris is still recovering from broken ribs, he went OTB at 22 mph on to the curb and the driver did not stop. Healing vibes to your bro.

[Jordansrealm]

Sorry to hear about your friend I hope he makes a full recovery.

If you ride on the road which I do at times you need to realize CARS command the rode not bikes. We all love our bikes but we are the minority on the road. I cannot tell you how many roadies I see riding their bikes in traffic, riding in huge packs that spill over into 1 or even 2 lanes of traffic. Or, kids riding their bikes jumping them off curbs into the bike lane swerving into traffic sometimes. As bikers we need to be on the defensive side at all times. Dont assume a car is going to move for you. I didnt say anything of this meaning your friend wasnt riding safe, just a tip for anyone riding on the road these days. I have even had my fair share of roadies spilling into my lane right in front of me and causing me to slam on my brakes even when I was driving super cautious next to them because I am a biker myself. Many times I hear about bikers getting hit when someone is parked in the bike lane and they go around the parked car not looking to see if a car is coming in the lane. I dont know about you but when I come across parked cars in my bike lane I stop, turn around, make sure I am all clear, throw out my hand signals and proceed.

[AAARGH!]

that's never good, prayers for Jim heading his way.

[gooseaholic]

Well after seeing him today it was pretty bad. Broke his helmet.He has 36 staples in his leg, tore his knee apart pretty bad ( had to reattach the ligaments) the knee cap was detached or something like that. Had a titanium rod put in his leg for the femur.Plates and screws in the fib, tib.Two broken ankles and a lot of road rash. He is in good spirits however. He was hit by a company truck so, if hes lucky all the bills will be covered.

[Elisheva]

Sorry to hear about your friend, Danny. Was up in Santa Barbara this past weekend visiting family and saw an abundance of roadies riding in areas where it looked really dangerous, especially in high-traffic touristy places like State Street, Cabrillo Ave. They looked fearless.

Thousands of pounds of steel will brake my bones so I humbly stay in dirt.

[Zippo]

yikes! with all of the roadie wreckage posts lately, it just might be time to sell my road bike...

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by Abui

Be sure to walk the bike when at the crosswalk. If you ride it you're a vehicle in a crosswalk.

Yep big dollar ticket in Newport Beach for riding a bike in the X-walk. I know two people that got them this summer.

Dean