I got hit in the rear at a RED light!!! Went down

[demon]

Well, I have not posted in a while… I really have not had anything worthy of posting… till now…

This morning started out as a good day, headed out to work riding my scootie on a beautiful cool Florida morning. Oddly enough I made every light on the way to work, which is unusual. I get to my office and pick up my work vehicle and head out for what looks like a short work day.. Yippee I get to go home early today…. I take care of my service call and head back to the shop to get scootie and go home to relax this afternoon and enjoy my short work day…

Back at the office I hand in my paperwork jump on my scootie and head home… as I approach the first red light I decide that I should zip my jacket (leaving it opened turned it into a parachute…lol). I stop at the light check my mirrors, no cars directly behind me and 1 car a few thousand feet back approaching.. no problem…

I look down at my zipper and zipper up, as I look back up the light just turned green and the car in front of me starts to move, I place my hands back on the handlebars, lean forward slightly and begin to accelerate….

Now this part happened in like ½ a second but I’ll recount it frame by frame, so to speak.

As I cracked the throttle I hear the engine rev but the bike didn’t move, felt like it bogged down, then I felt myself start to move forward… but the feeling was odd, very odd… I should have felt rearward force from accelerating but this was forward force… then I feel the bike starting to fall to my forward right side and I start to stabilize it… still not comprehending what is happening but just knowing that something is wrong…

Next, that forward push fells more intense and I feel the bike going down for sure and all of a sudden I feel myself lifting in the air!!!! Now I’m at the apex in what feels like a handstand on my handlebars and I hear a thud (which actually happened a split second prior but it took that split second for my ears to hear it, send the signal to my brain and then for my brain to register it as a thud)!!!

***Instantly I concluded that I just got hit by a car and I am headed headfirst to the pavement, my thoughts were that the car must have been decelerating till the light went green and laid off their breaks not realizing that I was not moving yet and slammed me. My next thought was I need to get up ASAP and get out of the path so I don’t get run over.***

So, as I hit the ground I rolled with the fall to absorb the impact. (I have had martial arts and wrestling training in my past and I know how to fall, amazingly instinct kicked in and I performed the move w/o thought). As soon as I hit I got right back up and faced the cage while sidestepping to the roadside assessing the situation… I was a bit dazed from the trauma to my melon but otherwise fine… the scooter was laying there on its side engine still running!! After I felt all was clear and danger had past I picked up the badly hurt scootie and mover her off to the side of the road…

It took a split second from the time of impact to me hitting the pavement and my brain managed to render all those thoughts and decision as if I had 3-4 seconds to decide…

That was my recount of the accident

This is what the 3rd party witnesses would have seen…

What actually happened from was that when I stopped at the light she, driver of the cage, was in the other lane and NOT behind me, when I looked down to zipper my jacket she pulled up behind me (didn’t even hear her). When I looked up to the green light she had also saw green and started to accelerate before I even had my hands on the handlebars. Since the light was now green I had moved my hands to the handlebars and was focused on the car in front of me pulling away. She apparently didn’t know I had not started moving yet and drove right into me… luckily she was accelerating and not coasting at 30 or so into me…

(I never take my hands off the handlebars till the car behind me has completely stopped, but since there was no car I didn’t see an issue)

Damage report:

Assaulting car got an imprint of my exhaust in her bumper… minor damage
Scootie didn’t fair so well.
Exhaust bracket holding the muffler bent up and contorted
Exhaust pipe bent out of shape
Exhaust pipe broken clear off the exhaust manifold
Right side panels, floorboard, muffler, break handle, lights, mirror etc scratched up well and bent here and there
Steering column twisted up a bit from the impact of the ground so the handlebars are no longer straight.

Driver of the cage: no trauma, turns out this is her 3rd accident this year. She was issued a ticket for “Failure to use due care”, though I would have issued it saying “For being a dumbass”

Me: minor scuff on my leather jacked, little bump on the knee and little bump on the left side of my head.

Though I felt no immediate pain, just a little sore, I was more confused as to how the hell this dizzy woman managed to do this…

After I got checked by paramedics and the cops came and did their thing my wife met me at the accident scene and I had to start the journey with the scootie back home… opened exhaust is lout ad heck let me tell you… the bike had no power in acceleration but did manage to move along just as well.. I after I got home I did have my wife drop me off at the ER just as a precaution to get checked out..

OK so you your all wondering was I wearing a helmet and how much damage did my helmet take…. It was in perfect condition sitting on my floor at home… No, I was not wearing a helmet… I saved this part for the end b/c I know that that’s all I am going to get flamed for it over the next 30 posts…

• Florida law does not require the use of a helmet for riders over 21 FYI
• I did not wear a helmet today given the weather and the path I drove to work.
• I am much more aware of my surroundings w/o a helmet (no jokes about the accident on this one since even with a helmet I would not have know the car moved in behind me)
• I can hear, see and react better w/o it
• The kicker here is; if I was actually wearing a helmet today I probably would have broken my neck and/or severely damaged my back/spine.

With a helmet I would not have been able to tuck my head and roll with the fall. I would have landed on my head and the impact would have shot down my spine, though I would not have the little bump on my head I got; I could have been more severely hurt by the restriction of the helmet during the fall.

Now I am in NO WAY claiming or advocating that you should not wear a helmet but just for me in this situation it actually worked out for the better

So other then a little shaken up and the scooter banged up everything is fine… now starts the insurance and legal process…

I will try and post some pics tomorrow for ya

btw... i got almost 3k miles on my scoot now

[Dennis D]

Glad to hear you're relatively fine... better see what you feel tomorrow, though.

I had a lady turn left in front of me 35 years ago, when I wasn't wearing a helmet either. Lady who witnessed it said I somersaulted down the road several times. I've worn a helmet ever since... figured I lucked out on that one. I do have a half helmet I wear sometimes that doesn't cover my ears.... that's the worst possible way to ride for hearing things around me. All I can hear is wind noise. Might be better now with the bigger Cee Bailey's windshield, but that's the way it was with the stock one. I can hear the most with a helmet that covers my ears. Also... fiberglass helmets used to be heavy as all get out, but the new plastic ones are light. I'm used to hearing the argument you gave against helmets... same one used by the people who claim loud pipes save lives. Only thing is, You can't hear most of em coming until you can reach out and touch em, unless they're running flat out. That's like trains... when you can hear em coming their already too close, unless they blast their horn.

Back to the helmet... you lucked out this time. Don't count on it happening that way again. If you choose not to, hey it's your choice and your brain... but for me, although I wear other gear, or not, depending on my risk assessment of the route and traffic I expect to encounter, I always wear my helmet(and gloves). If I'm in an accident I can survive, I don't want my brain scrambled. I see too many that's happened to when I play music for the folks in nursing homes.

[demon]

Woke up this morning just a tad bit sore..

Dennis, i agree on wearing gear.. i choose my gerar based on weather, traffic and the route i am taking and the path i took yesterday was relitively low traffic low speed so i decided to not wear a helmet. I have taken that route many times on days i want to feel the wind in my face.

The whole accident was just one of those "odd" moments where through no fault of my just happened..

People can read my experience and say "Wow, you got lucky" or say that it a good story to advocate wearing protective gear b/c it shows that even on the "thought" to be safest, low risk roads unexpected sh!t can happen..

["Big Guy"]

Demon,

Read this post:
Click Here

EDIT: And the comments that follow toward the bottom about following up on the accident.

[jspencer]

Demon --

Glad you got out of that OK, and I hope the scooter is repairable.

I agree that people who drive with their head so far up you-know-where that they don't pay attention to what is happening directly in front of them should get a much more serious citation than "Failure to use due care." Incientally, was she on the phone?

As for the helmet, I'm not going to flame you -- my experience is that people who don't want to wear a helmet won't be persuaded by the arguments of others.

But your arguments are what are called "anecdotal" evidence in statistics. Basically, statistics can predict what is likely to happen in a particular situation but because we are dealing with probabilities and not certainties, there are always some instances where something else happens. The same sort of argument has been used with seat belts for years -- that if you are thrown clear because you aren't wearing a seat belt you have a better chance of survival, and instances where that happens are cited. The problem is that (1) while it may happen that way occasionally, statistically you are way more likely to survive with a seat belt on, and (2) just because someone got thrown clear and survived doesn't mean they would have died if they hadn't been thrown clear.

I think you would have been just as fine if you had been wearing a helmet, and your chances of surviving the next crash would be much higher with a helmet, but as Dennis says, at least in Florida, it's your choice.

Jon

[demon]

jspencer,
i do understands both sides of the fence involving safty equipment, eash has pros and cons and in the end you tend to be safer wearing seatbelt, helmet etc.. And, i usually do wear head gear..

It just happened that this perticular day i choose not too. There is always a risk when you ride and sometimes the risk is higher then others, i felt that day the risk was low.. but sh!t happens i guess.. and either way i would condider myself lucky helmet or no helmet

I was going to post pics of the scoot but its mostly just scratches (deep) nothing too interesting, the only major damage i see is the exhaust being bent and broken off the manifold and the steering misaligned.

250mc54,
yeah thats all great info... i do feel pretty good over all.. i am a little sore and still have a slight headache from time to time... I met with the other persons insurance agent and he evaluated the damage and has already tried to settle the case.. i wont sign anything for a little while till i know that i am fully OK.. i am also considering talking to a lawyer to see what options i have and if they are worth persuing... Also... i dont know if she was on the phone at the time b/c i never saw her behind me till after i hit the pavement.. then i was a bit dazzed and really confused aas to what just happened.. i do recall her getting out of her car w/ a phone held to her ear but where she was on the phone at the time of calling 911 i could not tell ya... One thing was for sure she was not paying attention at all. I am not mad at her, it was an accident but it was definitly a bonehead move on her part

[newc77]

Demon: I am so glad you are Ok and not too much worse for the accident. You were blessed. I won't flame you for the helmet and gear issue, as you say it is your choice in your locale. I would say though that next time you might not be so fortunate. I would never leave home on my scoot without full gear and I live in a very rural area. There are just too many risks of the road, no matter where or what kind of road it is.
Hope the driver gets her due justice for a rear end accident. I would say talk to lawyer. And I hope her insurance is good. Hope that scoot is repairable but it may actually be better to hold out for a new scoot. A decent mechanic or dealer should work with you carefully on this. Really check it out bolt by bolt.
Best wishes,
Tom

[glowguy]

hmmm....I'm not a lawyer, but you might see about getting her phone records for that day. If she called 911 after the accident, it should be real easy to show if she was talking just before that even if you couldn't verify the exact time of the accident.
I visited Tampa recently and saw lots of people on bikes and scoots. I think you have a civic duty to all of those other individuals to make a dent in this woman's conciousness about paying attention to others on the road before she kills someone. That is not about being mad at her or revenge, I think it is a responsibility you should consider for the benefit of other riders.

[termite]

demon said:

..... turns out this is her 3rd accident this year.

Three accidents in one year, where she is at fault. That's plain nuts.

I bet her insurance agent just LOVES her...... [sarcasm]

[demon]

As i had some time to reflect on this situation, she did call 911 to report the accident.... i would imagine after 3 accidents this year he insurance co. is not too pleased...
I am going this week to get the estimate on the dmg to the scoot, soooo... i guess we'll see just how bad it is.. other then that i feel fine, just missing my 2 wheels..lol

[tyrssen]

Demon -- glad to hear you're okay. As everyone in Florida knows, ya just have to assume all cagers are blind, stupid, or homicidal. That viewpoint saved me from a number of close calls when I lived in Daytona. Be especially leery of flea market areas, they're worse than usual around such things.

[newc77]

So how are things working out Demon?
Tom

[loudest143]

Demon.... You're not lucky. You're not imposing your free will by going commando on your melon. You were not involved in a freak, never to happen again, could have avoided it if I was checking my mirrors while at the light, didn't notice the moron cager cuz I was distracted guy. You are an IDIOT. No helmet? Huh? You're on the SLOWEST MACHINE ON THE ROAD. Even if you THINK you can get out of the way, giant heavy object with 4 wheels may accelerate with ease when it loses control and connection with the road. The next time a car careens across the median at you because the driver thinks they see Jeff Garcia and a stripper in the SUV next to them, see if you can "use your NINJA moves."

You had a near death experience. Helmet or not, the lady behind you might NOT have noticed that she WASN'T going over a speed bump when she flattened your chest cavity. If you don't take an accident seriously, you will never avoid the next one, scooter, cage or Abrams M-1. You can't fix stupid. But you can avoid it. Wear a helmet, pay attention, and accept the fact that EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD IS A MORON. You will survive to be a grumpy old opinionated jerk like me. Oh BTW, I've driven through all but 4 states in this nation, many times while drunk, at night, and watching porn on the vcr on the TV in the conversion van of rock and roll. I've had 1 accident. I was hit by a police paddy wagon. The "officer" was found guilty on 9 counts by a grand jury.

loudest143
*head the size of saturn, not uranus

[demon]

loudest143,


Aat first your post kinda irritated me and normally i would respond to your post with an elevated demeanor and comment on some of your instances that exhibit a lack of intellect and regard for your well being and that of others but.. i decline to engage.

What i will say instead is that i respect your point of view and agree to some extent on some the more accurate portions of your rant. As an adult, of 32 years of age, and abiding by state law i take my risk as i see fit. If you have chosen to read my post completely you may discover that i do not endorse my action or impose them on others. All men and women of this free country have the right to make choices that effect their well being.

Now if you take your head out of your rectum you will see that i had stated and i quote:

"I stop at the light check my mirrors, no cars directly behind me and 1 car a few thousand feet back approaching.. no problem…"

i really don’t care how many states you drove through, how much porn you rub off to while you drive or any of the irresponsible actions you so generously cared to share with us denoting your level of intellect and responsibility as an operator of ANY motorized vehicle.

Furthermore, your statement of "The next time a car careens across the median at you because the driver thinks they see Jeff Garcia and a stripper in the SUV next to them, see if you can "use your NINJA moves."

Helmet or not your chances of walking away unscathed and unmaimed from this one are slim.

Your post adds nothing of value to any individual here and added the fact that your location and karma read:
Location: your moms house
Karma: -18

I or anyone would probably not be very inclined to take anything you say w/o a grain (or gram) of salt

I would be less inclined to take any advice from you. But you did contribute one sentence that i am sure no one can argue with

"Wear a helmet, pay attention, and accept the fact that EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD IS A MORON. "

I would suggest that in the future your post should include more useful and less demeaning comments if you would like your views to be taken more serioulsy

[demon]

Well, now that I addressed the ignorant post above let me post what I actually came here to post…

First, I apologize for not updating you all sooner, my life has been quite hectic and a lot of my spare time has been consumed by my children and various other events.

On to the conclusion of the situation…

Since I walked away unharmed from the accident I saw no reason to file suite against the other driver. Yes, she was wrong, yes I was mad but she also knew she was wrong and apologized profusely; she was cited by the police and yes she was obviously a bad driver. But I don’t think a law suite would have accomplished much but tie up the system with a case that obviously had no injury. So I settled with the offender’s insurance company for $9,000 , pain and suffering etc., and another $900 for the damage to my ride. I have no ill effects from the accident and life is just peachy. I wisely used the cash to pay off credit cards further improving the quality of my life.

I greatly appreciate everyone who expressed their concern for my well being and respected my decisions whether they agreed with them or not. Not every story has a happy ending but I, like you all, am glad this one did.

Every decision we make in life had risk and consequences, some good, some bad others questionable. Did I learn a lesson? Of course.. Live and learn right? Will I ride again w/o a helmet? Maybe, again its my choice as to what I do and of course some people would not agree that it’s a prudent choice. No one can control what happens to them over the course of the day unless they live in a rubber bubble, and even then you can twist an ankle. Will I take my eyes off the ball to zip my jacked at a light again, hells no, I will definitely move to a safer spot.
Will a helmet save me from a head on collision with an SUV? It don’t matter, the force of the impact will most likely rupture internal organs and you will hemorrhage to death in pain and agony instead of being knocked unconscious and unaware that your guts are now sausage. Ok, that’s getting gross and is a scenario I’d rather not think of, but again some things are not with in our control and when it’s your time to go you don’t have a say in the matter.

I do not advocate my point of view or actions to others, my post is merely sharing my experience with all of you, take it for what’s it worth; my experience. If it changed your mind to always wear a helmet, great… if it gave you the impression you can or will get a lucky break in an accident, I’d say you’re sadly mistaken.

In closing, to put an end to this chapter, all is well that ends well and this incident ended well. Whether it be luck, grace of god or any other defining factor.. this was my experience.

[Dennis D]

Glad to hear it came to such a good conclusion, and that you've suffered no ill after effects. Thanks for updating us.

[earlwb]

I am glad you let us know how it turned out. I think you did the right thing.
it worked out in the end well anyway.

[demon]

scooter shop just called, going to pick up my bike this week... weather is gettin warmer (not that FL gets cold anyways) but mornings are still chilly to ride...

[Dennis D]

demon said:

scooter shop just called, going to pick up my bike this week... weather is gettin warmer (not that FL gets cold anyways) but mornings are still chilly to ride...

Yeah I know the feeling... I usually try and wait til the temperature hits at least 30 degrees and the early morning black ice is mostly gone. ;D

[12string]

Demon,
Where is the scooter shop you used? Is it in Brandon?

[demon]

No the shop is in Largo, its gekgo scooter.
707 West Bay Drive Largo, Florida 33770
maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

the shop is ok nothing impressive but they were the only ones i have found w/in a resonable distance that sold just scooters and had the best price. other dealers here sold full size motorcycles and had a few scooters to sell.

to me, those stores were like "Well, i know you want that ninja 600 over there but but since you dont have enough money how about this 150 scooter" lol..

gekgo is a "mom and pop" shop and since they had the best prices and been there for years i figured i'd support the local economy, even though its 45 mins from me.

here is the website www.gekgo.com/
1/2 the times you call you get thier answering machine, your best bet is to go in there and i strongly recomment ONLY talking to Peter, the woman that works there..... well to be kind... just insist on Peter only. The woman is greedy and will charge you just for breathing the air in there, Peter is the complete opposite.

This is not an endorsement for this place just my oppinion and answering your question.
Over all i'd give gekgo a C+
If you talk with peter and only deal with him, i'd say B+ to A-
your mileage may vary...

[newc77]

Glad your story had a happy ending Demon. Thanks for the update. You were blessed with protection, and I think, a bit wiser for the experience. Enjoy the ride, and ride safe.
Tom

[wpod]

HI!
just want to say it takes a set to tell the story as it happened-knowing that all of us who are "perfect" will unload like a bitchy-middle-aged-neighbor-woman, who sells life insurance in between berating her semi-alcoholic husband (to anyone who'll listen).

I survived a top gear encounter with a buzzard in Baja on an xr600 which left me with a broken neck and the buzzard in a million pieces. Considering the terrain where that vulture blew me off the bike, I'd have to say that having the best offroad gear at the time saved me from serious cuts and bleeding if not from getting killed.

We all know the deal, glad you're OK, and i'll leave the preaching to the guys with the fancy robes and funny hats...mike