2010-12-02 - Rider Down, The Strand

Today a bit after 2pm I was going down the strand towards Trafalgar square, completely empty road no traffic snowing lightly.
Out of nowhere a woman crosses the road at some traffic lights (which were green for me) without looking with her hood up, I shout but a collision is imminent.
I tried to turn before hitting her but my handlebar caught her and sent me cartwheeling through the air. She fell down and i after the acrobatics
landed next to her with the bike above me.
From there it is a bit of a blur but the next thing i remember is being on the pavement and loads of people around me asking if i was alright.
Police and ambulance came, she hit her head and had a big lump on the side, ive got a few suspected cracked ribs and bruised a bit all over, also my front wheel got quite bent.

The police were questioning me for ages, asking me if I had been drinking, being really suspicious of me in general. Even searched me because I said I was a student.
At the end he started to read me my rights as if he was about to arrest me and then said what do you have to say?

It was a very bizarre situation, anyway I made sure the woman was going to be ok, she just wasn't paying attention. they let me go after an hour or so of questions.
I hobbled to tokyo fixed gear and they fixed my wheel.

Now did anyone see my cartwheel? The witnesses said it was very impressive

Did you lean?

no leaning involved! just going straight ahead. it didnt have anything to do with snow!

fucking hell, what a shitty situation. hope you're (relatively) alright, you going to chase up the person for wheel damage?

good to hear your not badly injured

Well surprisingly they fixed the wheel right there and then! i think greg felt sorry for me. only cost a fiver so shaln't bother chasing her up

Bloody typical!

I've lost count of the amount of times women have stepped out on me without looking.

I say women, because they tend to have longer hair and it seems to blinker their peripheral vision, much as a hood does.

And it's really wank that you get quizzed suspiciously by the rozzers when it's not your fault.

Hope you heal quickly!

hope you're alright dude. shame about the shitty treatment, glad you're still rolling.

ouch. glad to hear your ok.

Holy poo. Hope you're ok dude. I must admit, with reduced traffic, peds have admirably stepped up to provide hazard cover.

Like lucifer said, that treatment from the popo seems quite unfair, given you were probably still quite dazed. Maybe stay off the bike a couple of days until you're sure you haven't broken anything.

(I also hope the ped is ok, despite being a royal numpty.)

What a fucking pile of shit. Did you get the badge number of the copper? Jumped up little authoritarian cunt.

Glad you're okay and you got your wheel fixed though.

It seemed very surreal as I was still pretty dazed but there were 2 cops and they seemed to be doing the good cop bad cop routine on me!
I also now realize that i wasnt given any sort of paper work which isnt normal so have no record of badge numbers or it even happening!

I have realised some thing recently, it is mainly women that seem to walk out without looking, I'm not generalising, I'm just stating an observation.

I have a had a number of close calls in the last few months and in each case they were women. Sometimes at crossings, some times at random points on the road. A couple of cases earphones were also to blame. In some cases they even look down the road straight at me, yet they still step out. Sometimes I have even stopped, and tapped them on their shoulder at which point they would jump out of their skin (which is hilarious and I love doing). Just to point out they should look for cyclists not just cars.

For me it tends to be fat bastards on iphones or cunts who try and play chicken with me. Bunch of assholes, everyone.
O yeah, and get well soon etc. Hope the woman has learnt her lesson.

I've been there, glad you're ok.

paperwork. if you were just read rights and then spoken to you will have nothing. If they decided to call it a stop & search you will have a little bit of coloured paper, else get all medieval 'pon their asses.

Sounds like a pretty crappy situation though! Pretty reminiscent of all my close calls in london, not one to do wtih a vehicle (yet), all to do with ped's not watching where they are stepping/launching into the road without a moments thought.

[insert video of messenger riding wrong way whacking into business man crossing without looking youtube video/ can't find it!]
Did it feel like that video? (if you've seen it)

Glad you are well. A truly shitty situation but when you see the way many ride is it any wonder suspicion automatically falls on us?

speak for yourself.
;)

I am :-

FWiW I have many more men carelessly stepping out than women. Just make sure you choose line and hold it.

Ouch.... two things....

• defo write down everything in full full detail you remember about what happened, what the police said to you, how the women was etc. etc. now, and send it to yourself by email.

• now, or at worst tomorrow, get yourself checked out by a dr. somewhere - so there is a medical record of you having concussion and it all being a bit blurry, on top of the ambulance report. You can get their details from the LAS, and probably worth doing that to.

Probably something and nothing, but you can't go wrong with a bit of the old backside covering.

Heal up soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfUnwynwZvE

this video? It was similar although i went straight over her!
They didnt call it a stop and search so i guess its ok. I thought it was just a bit strange

I remember the lunch break on High Holborn when some idiot woman stepped out right in front of a m/c courier.

Her femur came right out the front of her leg. People in the crowd were doing empty tummy sicks left right and centre.

Anyway, good you're OK. All part of life's Satanic tapestry and all that.

The courier proves my theory that if you aim right at the ped, and he is big enough you have more chance of a happy ending. The American was BIG!, but the courier hit him full on and didn't even come off his bike.
Love that they were relatively civil to each other.
Hope you are OK Xander

Ouch, heal up fast.

Doesn't sound as if you were treated very fairly, Someone with more knowledge might know better but my understanding is that if they ask and you agree to a search it's not the same rules as a stop and search so nothing has to be recorded, sounds like they took advantage of your dazed state to get away with it.

There should be a duty of care towards the more vulnerable road user, from cars to bikes to peds, but that doesn't excuse the way your case was handled.

Bloody typical!

I've lost count of the amount of times women have stepped out on me without looking.

I say women, because they tend to have longer hair and it seems to blinker their peripheral vision, much as a hood does.

poorer spatial awareness too

:controversial: