Hit & Run on Live Oak Canyon Rd at 7:35AM on 3/28 by a gold colored Nissan

[brizack]

I was very lucky today, March 28th. I was hit by a car this morning at about 7:35AM while riding my road bike southbound on Live Oak Canyon Rd about 3/4 of a mile past Cook's Corner but below the top of the hill where the Luge dumps out.

I'd like to be clear about 2 things:
--I will live to ride again, both my MTBs and my road bike so 'well wishes' are neither requested nor required.
--I don't wish to turn this into a philosophical debate about the safety of riding road vs MTB or the virtues of riding that particular road. I understood the risks involved.

Since so many of you ride Luge and trails in the area, I ONLY want to ask that everyone keep an eye out for a gold colored Nissan, approximately 8-12yrs old that is missing a right side mirror.

I know the color because not only did the force of the impact sent me about 10ft off the side of the road but it broke the mirror off the car, which i found next to my bike.

Based on the damage to my bike (broken tail light, bent wheel, dropped chain, quick release lever snapped in half, and skewer bent at a right angle), I initially thought the car clipped my bike just below the seat, overended my bike, knocked me out of my pedals, and sent me OTB and that my butt was sore from landing on the ground. However, it was only when I got home, undressed and looked in the mirror that I saw I have a perfect imprint of the mirror on my butt and realized just how lucky I am. In addition to a mirror-shaped strawberry, I have a sore left calf and knee, two sore wrists and a scraped and bruised right elbow. The doctor confirmed no broken bones so, all things considered, I feel pretty good.

Now before you ask, I flagged down a passing truck whose driver (Scott) quickly dialed 911 for me. Amazingly, 3 cars passed and ignored the bicyclist looking right at them and waving his hands above his head and yelling "Help". CHP showed up and I filed a police report and turned over the mirror. But not before a kind MTb'er (Steve T) who was getting ready to ride to Old Camp from Cook's Corner jumped back in his van to chase down the officer who was looking for the scene of the accident.

Thanks Scott and Steve and thanks everyone!

[jcampbell]

wow! good to hear you are going to be ok.

[BROWNIE]

File a ADW report with the CHP. If this person is found press charges! Sometimes the CHP doesn't follow up on these issues, so you need to stay on top of them to find this most likely local and let them know that it is not acceptable to drive like a dumba*s!

[thomaswildchild]

Im Glad to hear that you are alive! as for the driver, well maybe you should run them over so they know how it feels. Or sue and get a new bike!

[Waldo]

As someone who was recently on the painful end of truck vs bike encounter, I'm a little biased, but I hope you and the authorities are diligent in tracking this person down. Once found, push the legal recourse to the limit! I cannot begin to fathom the callousness of knowingly driving away from someone after hitting them with your car. These people should lose their freedom and their driving privileges for a long time.

Glad you're not too seriously injured. You are very lucky person.

[ThinkFast]

I have a friend that was hit by a car and left on the side of the road. He got a good look at the car, waited the next day at the same time and place, saw the car drive by and followed it home.

Thank God you are OK.

[strobe]

I really hope you can and do sue. And no, just because i'm a Californian i don't want to sue anybody and everybody to get free money. My issue is that sometimes the judicial system is too easy. Even if jail time is sentenced, how much of that time do they actually serve? This driver hit you hard enough to break off his mirror and then left you. Either the driver was too incoherent to realize this or didn't care you were ok (head and some other injuries could kill you days later). In both possibilities, this person needs to be taught a lesson. Too often, the only thing that hurts ppl is in their wallet. Sometimes you have to be hurt to learn a lesson.

Glad your ok. Heal quickly.

[zman]

I have a friend that was hit by a car and left on the side of the road. He got a good look at the car, waited the next day at the same time and place, saw the car drive by and followed it home.

Thank God you are OK.

what did he do when he got to the house?

as for suing Im usually against it but man a hit and run is serious stuff
plus you need a new bike

Glad to hear you are semi OK

[carlosmparada]

Glad you are not in bad shape. lets hope this never happens to anyone else. Hope CHP finds him.

[sc_nomad]

you should call the local Nissan dealers and advise them that there's a pending hit and run investigation and to call you if anyone orders a replacement mirror or turns their car in for service with missing mirror. should be pretty easy to match the mirror to the offending vehicle.

[bvader]

Wow glad you are ok, you can bet he is a local of some sort at that time, probably driving to work.

[ThinkFast]

what did he do when he got to the house?

He called the police with the license plate # and told them where the car was and the driver too.

If anyone is in the area around the same time in the morning, maybe doing a Luge loop, they might get lucky and spot the car. Sounds like it could have been someone driving to work. If their route doesn't change then chances are you might see it.

[rjcsocal]

Sorry to hear about the hit and run. I guess people that thought the posting the other day with the sign in Silverado canyon about cyclists being the new hood ornament being an exercise in free speech would think differently if they were you. It's getting very frustrating to hear these stories.

I'm happy to hear that your injuries are somewhat minor. You have a great attitude about it. See you out on the road and the trails.

[jae2460]

Glad you're ok. I will definitely keep an eye out for an 8-12 year-old Gold Nissan Altima--especially one without a side mirror and will get the license plate number and a description of the driver if I can. However, if the driver is smart and is planning on continuing to drive that car locally then he will replace the mirror quickly... I'd suggest camping out at that spot tomorrow morning, or at least on Santiago Canyon road around Cooks--the person likely was driving either home or to work and will travel that way regularly. Good luck. Accidents happen, but there's no excuse for someone to hit someone and drive off--that's amazingly callous and the driver should be punished, pay dearly and serve as an example to others who might consider driving off. The punishment for a hit-and-run needs to be increased to a point where people think about it when they're in that situation and they pull over and stop as they'd rather face the consequences of hitting a cyclist rather than face the punishment of hitting a cyclist or pedestrian and driving off. They should publish the people's identities like sex offenders and take away their licenses / right to drive (although they probably would just drive without a license) or take away their car.

[Pain Freak]

Thanks for posting this up. I hope we find him for you.

[fos'l]

That area is accessible by Santa Margarita Parkway (or the toll road) to Plano Trabuco, then down the hill and across the bridge. You might consider watching the intersection of SMP & PT first since I doubt the individual will traverse the same route for several days.

[MojoCP]

you should call the local Nissan dealers and advise them that there's a pending hit and run investigation and to call you if anyone orders a replacement mirror or turns their car in for service with missing mirror. should be pretty easy to match the mirror to the offending vehicle.

More likely than not, this repair will be done by a local body shop, not a dealership.

edit, new idea: maybe contact a local community paper? offer them a free picture or two of your smashed bike, a quick narrative, etc. They get a free, quick and easy story, while you get free increased readership-awareness and more sets of eyes out there.

[Falconer]

File a ADW report with the CHP. If this person is found press charges! Sometimes the CHP doesn't follow up on these issues, so you need to stay on top of them to find this most likely local and let them know that it is not acceptable to drive like a dumba*s!

It is not an ADW unless the drivers intent was to run into you.
Very hard to prove unless the driver makes a statement that his intent was to hit you.
It was probably some jack-ass on a cell phone.
Hit and run with bodily injury is still a serious offense .
I hope you find this person and justice is served.
Also heal up soon, your attitude is great !
Good luck with the hunt!

[unclepudding]

It is not an ADW unless the drivers intent was to run into you.

Not completely true. The way the wording in 245PC is in CA, leaves ADW (and assault in general) relatively ambiguous. I don't know about you, but I would have reported it as ADW as well.

[rodgerdodger]

if they don't get caught karma will get them