"Oh Shit" moments...

I got hit by a taxi this morning, for a moment I was like ohhh shit

Going over the traffic lights from Waterloo bridge to Aldwych on the way to North drinks during rush hour last night.

Trying to pick up speed to get shot of a double-decker and a couple of cabs so up out of the saddle for a few seconds and glancing over my shoulder every few seconds too. Out of nowhere some old codger suddenly lurches out of his parking space a meter or so in his shiny shitty prius - luckily he noticed me when I slammed my palm against his window and screamed at him, and I managed to get round the front of the car.

Unfortunately I was fucking furious and gestured back incredulously at him once clear.... only to find that one of the cabs I had been trying to get distance between had only just overtaken me and made a last minute left turn at Drury lane - and stopped right in my path. Ensuing moment of OH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK as I slammed the brakes on but went straight in to the side of the twat.

Me - bumped knee and hand, him - dented door panel. Think I won that one (just) but my heart was in my mouth for the whole ride up to the flask...

Can't describe how much I hate cycling during rush hour sometimes....

Tuesday: Close as I ever want to come to greeting the grim reaper before my alloted time: A true "oh shit" moment.
Damp road, overcast but bright. Me wearing nodder yellow and with a Smart Lunar on the rear flashing away merrily.
Cycling down a long straight section of a national limit country with a tail wind so doing about 20-22mph.
Coming up on a right turn, with me wanting to turn right.
One car stationary ahead of me, a Focus,indicating right, waiting for oncoming traffic.
I look over my shoulder, see a single car a long, long way back and so signal and move to the offside of the lane to slot in behind the car waiting to turn right.
No problem?
Start to slow behind the right turner and suddenly hear zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Car that was "a long way back" slides past me on the wrong side of the road and hits a van coming the other way.
Both do a truly incredible explosion/spin/crunch/disassembly with a noise I cannot describe and somehow take out the stationary car in front of me.
Everything stops, silence and I am left standing in the middle of the road surrounded by bits of car.
Van is embedded in the car that was ahead of me, car that did the zzzzzzzzzzzzz thing, a Corsa, is on its side in the hedge.
Anyway, fast forward through lots of very shakey and inept first aid, lots and lots of flashing light, Police, fire brigade, ambulance etc etc and no one is seriously hurt. Minor broken bones and lots of cuts. Praise be to airbags.
PoPo took my statement and told me that the driver, who caused it all said "sorry mate, I didn't see them".
I have to confess that when I heard the "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" I very nearly shat myself.
Its almost enough to make me take up alcohol again.;

Sounds like something out of bleedin' Final Destination! :O
Shiiiiiit

Lucky escape, would have been so good had they ploughed into you since last time i checked bikes don't have airbags.

Jesus, too close! Well done (?) for being so lucky and coming out of that alive.

I'm doing the lottery this week.

'Praise be to airbags.'... Hmm. Do you think he would have been driving like that if air bags had never been invented?

only to find that one of the cabs I had been trying to get distance between had only just overtaken me and made a last minute left turn at Drury lane - and stopped right in my path.

I fucking hate it that so many drivers seem to think this is acceptable, speeding up to overtake and get ahead just so they can turn right in front of you. I heard an Addison Lee driver lost his wing mirror shortly after a maneouvre like that near Waterloo bridge once.

Did you get an apology from the cabbie?

Was your bike alright? Sounds like it's his to sort out if it's not, even if you were technically behind him, if he cut you up there's not a lot you could have done.

Those Addison Lee drivers are the worst they make cabbies look like angels

^^^^^^^^^ ho lee shit!

I heard an Addison Lee driver lost his wing mirror shortly after a maneouvre like that near Waterloo bridge once.

You heard?

Friend of a friend's cousin told me it might have happened

Glad you weren't hurt, Mark, that sounds terrifying.

It can sometimes be traumatic to witness a collision even if you're not hurt, so do watch that. There is victim support available from RoadPeace.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ omg!

This

It can sometimes be traumatic to witness a collision even if you're not hurt, so do watch that. There is victim support available from RoadPeace.

is very important/true; - as you've made it through to Thursday the risk of shock has passed, but still there'll be some big emotional responses that'll need processing I'll imagine

Just reading that is an 'oh shit' moment.

Christ Mark, that is a sphincter tightener for sure. Wow.
I can't believe no one was seriously hurt.
Take care.

I must confess to throwing a "sicky" on Wednesday, I just didn't feel right, and I still felt a little odd getting on my bike for work this morning. However, I survived the journy, so if my luck holds and I win the lottery tonight then the drinks are on me.

Having had something similar happen to me many years ago, I sympathise, Mark. It took a few days for me to shake it off and even now, probably 15 years later, I still get flashbacks when I hear a car approaching from behind at speed.

It's a very sensible part of the brain that hangs on to experiences like that, evolutionarily speaking. But that doesn't make it any less scary.

'Praise be to airbags.'... Hmm. Do you think he would have been driving like that if air bags had never been invented?

Yes.

Mate took this of me last summer, 0.01 seconds before being knocked out!

Is that ^ up by the hellfire club by any chance?

That IS going to hurt.

Is that ^ up by the hellfire club by any chance?

yeah not far from it! #irishrepresent