You might remember me mentioning the sale of my car a little while back…many of you commented on that post with great stories of your favorite cars over the years. One of the things that appealed to me selling my car and getting something a lot cheaper…like free…was that we would be able to do some work around our house and I was finally given permission to buy a motorcycle. Embarrassment
I’d been riding my uncle’s bike for a while, and it was finally time for me to get something of my own. I found this little beauty for a steal on Craigslist. 1987 Harley Davidson Softail (only 8k miles):
I’ve been riding daily for the last couple of months. It’s been fun to ride to work in the morning and I’ve noticed an element of stress leaving me before I arrive home on my bike. Maybe what they say is true, that you don’t ever see Harleys parked outside of psychiatrist’s offices.
5pm on Tuesday I was heading home - by 5:30 I was in an ambulance.
This is where everyone is cordially invited to say “I told you so.”
I was being cautious…I was being careful…I was riding slow…and I was riding defensively. You can do all the right stuff and still be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As I headed home, there was a brand new Lincoln driven by an 83 year old man coming the opposite direction. He caught my attention because he appeared to be driving slow. I couldn’t tell if he was planning on turning…he didn’t have a signal on. I approached cautiously and slowed down a little more as he was making me nervous.
My plan was to slow down, wait until I was within 10-15 feet of his car, and then speed up to safely pass him. As I got about 15 feet away from him, he hit the gas and yanked the wheel left. There was nothing I could do. If I were to veer right, I would have gotten myself in front of his car and he would have run me over. If I veered left, I would have come into oncoming traffic. I was going to t-bone him and there was nothing I could do about it. I locked up the brakes and tried to get my bike sideways to smack up against his car instead of hitting it straight on…I was fearful I would flip over the handlebars.
The bike reacted the way I wanted it to and I slid into the side of his car as he sped through. I have no idea if he ever saw me until he felt the collision. I nearly stayed up right on the bike, but the wind was knocked out of me and my right foot felt crushed. I rolled off the motorcycle and fell into the street where I couldn’t move. The bike lay beside me, still running, as it poured gas and oil all over the road.
Immediately there were people running to help me. The driver of the Lincoln was not one of them. He simply got out of his car, glanced over at me, and then began looking at the damage to his vehicle. Strangers came over and got ice for me, drinks of water, and wet towels. The ambulance arrived and put me onto a stretcher. I couldn’t move my toes or bend my right leg.
Lots of cuts and bruises…least of which is my ego. Several X-Rays later revealed a foot broken in multiple places and something is seriously wrong with my right knee. I am going to see an orthopedic specialist today to see what’s next. Thankfully, I was wearing my helmet, which has some serious scratches on it.
To be honest, I feel like I was violated. I have not felt this angry in a long time. Sure, the bike I just got is trashed, but at least I’m okay. I’m more upset because I’ve been so careful, cautious, and defensive. I’ve been trying to prove people wrong that not everyone gets in accidents on motorcycles. I had at least hoped that something like this wouldn’t happen so soon after beginning.
The driver of the Lincoln was sited and it was clear to the police that he was in the wrong. I’m certain that I’ve proven many people right with this crash…even though I couldn’t prevent it. Many will say, “sure you could prevent it…don’t ride a motorcycle.”, but that logic doesn’t work for me.
Don’t walk up stairs because people fall down them.
Don’t cook on a stove because people get burned by them.
Where does it end?
I’m in a lot of pain right now, and I’m not sure where this will all end up. I’ll heal, and my family is here for me, so I can’t ask for much more. It could have been a lot worse assuredly. I struggled to even admit this accident because I know so many people are just waiting for it to happen.
Well…it happened, and I just ask that if you’re a praying person that you would pray for me and my family. I can’t walk or drive right now and it’s going to be a real challenge with how quickly I’m used to moving around. Thank you for your love and support.
Ryan
