bike-0, car-1
on my bike ride home from work last night, a woman driving a white four-door sedan failed to stop at a stop sign, causing her to run into my bicycle and left leg.
i am okay.
i have a large bruise on each side of my ankle, and a nice scrape on my knee. but considering it was car vs out-of-shape-girl-on-purple-bike, it could have been much worse.
my bike wasnt so lucky.
with my bike wedged nicely under the car and me walking around shaking from shock, the woman proceeded to assure me how this wasnt her fault, how it was a blind corner, and how i came out of nowhere. then she tried to hug me.
you just hit me with your car, and now you want to comfort me? i think not.
a taxi driver saw it happen and called her dispatch who, in turn, called emergency. a woman stopped not much later who turned out to be an RN. she gave me a hug and prayed over me. i really liked her and was sad when she left.
a police car, ambulance, fire truck, and the fire chief all showed up and made me feel very important. my EMT's name was Fred.
i got an ice pack for my ankle and knee, and then the fire chief told the EMTs to give me and my broken bike a ride home - something, apparently, they arent usually allowed to do.
i just got off the phone with her insurance company; hopefully they will replace my bike.
addendum: the adjuster got in touch with the lady in the car and verified my claim. an insurange person is going to look at the bike on tuesday or wednesday and, it sounded like, will cut me a check then. this is happening much faster than i thought it would. yay!
2004
8 Love Notes
Glad you are ok. At least there's a bike upgrade in it for you. Got your tax dollars worth of attention, too.
I am SO glad you are ok! Your angel was looking out for you:) PTL!
So happy to hear you're ok, sending lots of {{{hugs}}} your way.
That RN was definitely a gift from God. It's nice to know that more than just the emergency services was taking care of you. I'm so glad that insurance will likely replace the bike and so thankful that you are ok.
p.s. I'm sure Dad would have totally found a way to straighten out the tires and proclaim, "See. It's as good as new!"
youre so right about dad.
The insurance company generally wants to offer you a check as quickly as possible -- not because they're such nice guys, but because once you accept a check you have "settled", which means you've pretty much agreed not to bring any future claims of liability to them.
Let's say your car gets smashed and you accept a check for the auto body work, then decide a few days later that you're suffering from whiplash. The insurance company will say, "Sorry, but we've already settled with you. Pay for it yourself."
Moral of the story: make sure the check they're offering you covers all of your expenses related to the accident. For example, in most places a person who receives any kind of treatment from EMTs is expected to pay for it, even if you didn't personally request it or if someone else was at fault. You don't want to accept a $200 check from the insurance company today, only to get a $500 bill from the EMTs next week.
i hadnt even thought about who was going to pay for the emt... thanks, maker.
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