(no subject)

[yendi]

I got hit by a car this afternoon.

I'm okay, but a little spooked.

I was coming back from Kroger, crossing Lavista at the intersection at Houston Mill. I waited, as always, until the light was green, and I had full right-of-way (not that I don't do my fair share of jaywalking elsewhere, but not at a busy intersection). Started to cross. And an asshole in a hatchback turned off of Houston, as assholes frequently do, and started to inch onto Lavista. A pretty normal occurrence, one I usually handle by glaring at the person and making it clear that it's my right of way, and he'd better not think of turning yet, no matter how important that call on his cell phone is.

But this time, the car kept coming. Even though I was literally right in front of him, and he was looking right at me. At first, I figured he'd slow down, but he actually sped up. And then a cliché kicked in -- time slowed down. Enough for me to stare in disbelief for what felt like an eternity. And enough for me to realize that I had no chance of dodging to either side of the car. So I did the only thing I could -- I dodged back, figuring the car might start to slow down. And it did. I rolled with the blow, and it only bumped me on the elbow and shin.

Alas, whatever sense I had during the accident fled immediately. I should have stayed down. That would have forced asshole hatchback driver to get out to check on me, which in turn would have attracted the attention of passersby, which would mean the sonofabitch would get the $50 fine and a point on his license, or whatever the joking penalty is for negligent vehicular assault is these days. At the least, it would have given me the chance to get his license plate number.

But I was in a weird combination state of anger and shock. I can't really even remember what happened, other than that I cursed at him, often and creatively, and he kept saying that he had no idea I was there (something that should be impossible unless he was blind or not paying attention). I don't remember walking home, but I did. I called shadesong to tell her what happened, then called my doctor to make an appointment for tomorrow (I think I'm fine, but I want a second opinion), then the adrenalin left in a fell swoop, and I damn near fainted.

I watched a bit of tv, decided my diet could go to hell, and ate a sleeve of Thin Mints, to replace that adrenalin.

A few hours later, I'm pretty sure I'm okay, both physically and mentally. But this has reconfirmed my belief that all pedestrians should be allowed to carry rocket launchers, and use them on traffic violators as necessary.

It's also re-established, firmly, why I am not very sympathetic to people who go to New York and whine about not being able to make right turns on red.

Comments

[bouncepogo.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh I'm glad you're ok. *hugs*

I hate fucktard drivers. I have to cross a busy intersection to get to work too and trucks want to run me over everyday trying to turn right on red when I CLEARLY have the walk sign. They get all impatient.

They can kiss my lil fanny.

[yendi]

Thanks! *hugs* I wish fucktards were at least limited by region. They seem worst in Atlanta, but they're pretty ubiquitous, I'm afraid.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Dude... you just scared the shit out of me.

I'm really, really glad you're okay.

[yendi]

sorry. That's why I didn't LJ-cut it -- wanted to make it clear that I was fine (physically, at least).

Holy Shit!

[metaphorge.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Yes, overjoyed you are Alright.

Re: Holy Shit!

[yendi]

*hugs* thanks. I'm overjoyed as well. :-)

[forestdweller.livejournal.com]

GAH! Dear gods,dude!



I can bite him if you want. C'mon. I wanna. *Grrr*


I was winged by a sideview mirror once. I was walking along a WIDE shoulder, there was MORE than enough room for me to be a foot or so away from the road, but some arse on a cell phone drifted into the shoulder, winged me and kept going, oblivious, even after I bashed my fist loudly on his trunk as he passed.

I'd like one of those rocket launchers, please.

[metaphorge.livejournal.com]

Save the biting for those of us who Deserve It.

Rrrrowr.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Yikes.

Glad you're okay.

[yendi]

Thanks! As am I. :-)

Gah!

[branwynelf.livejournal.com]

Happy you're ok. Happy you're going to the doc tomorrow to be sure. Bummed the jerk got away with it ... but better that than you being *really* hurt and him getting a fine, eh?

*hugs*

Re: Gah!

[yendi]

Very, very true!

*hugs* thanks.

[bellacrow.livejournal.com]

Adam!!! You have insurance right? Go now to the ER!!!!!!

[yendi]

I have insurance, although the ER fees are pretty steep. Honestly, the doctor tomorrow will be fine -- once I was sure nothing was broken (which would have been damned obvious once the shock wore off -- elbows and shins are pretty high-usage), I knew I was out of the emergency zone (no worries about ribs or anything else that could threaten my life).

And besides, shadesong is out tonight, and I'd have to feel truly imminent danger to even consider waking Elayna and making her visit a hosptial.

[martinhesselius.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you're OK!

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

Yikes!

I think I've soldily dented two cars that tried their best to kill me. Got a hood when I was a courier in DC and I shoulder rolled the hood of someone who decided he had right of way over a pedestrian. No idea how fast he was going, but it was faster than very slow. Scared the crap out of him, and the adrenaline convinced me I was imortal long enough that rather than stopping to check the situation out he sped away, fearing a clipboard through the lung type injury. The other time was as a motorcyclist, when a volvo driver (anyone who has a volvo should lose their license for being an incompentent driver, I've never seen a good driver in a volvo) decided there was space for him in my lane, which made sense becauce he clearly didn't see me, as he didn't do a mirror or head check before starting his lane change. My motorcycle gloves are awsome. One kevlar reinforced fist to his trunk woke him up and convinced him I was an asshole for not getting run over by him or the bus on the other side of me. I saw the mark that one left.

Dude, come over and play some games tomorrow. I'm home both days for the purpose of goofing off.

[yendi]

Both days? Maybe Wednesay would work, instead? Seeing as I'm still awake, and I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I think crashing (um, bad word) during the afternoon might be in order.

And I may have to invest in motorcycle gloves.

[rollick.livejournal.com]

Yeeg ods. Add me to the list of people who are glad you're okay.

Not that I think you're maintaining a list of people who are NOT glad you're okay. But still.

Isn't it unreal how when something physically damages us, the thinking parts of our brains tend to shut down? I was hit by an SUV two years ago while I was biking. I was in the road (it's illegal to bike on the sidewalks in Chicago unless you're 12 or under; some roads have bike lanes, but this one didn't) and this guy drove up behind me, half-passed me, and then spotted a parking space he wanted. So he just veered into it, trapping me between his SUV and the curb, which I smashed into and went over. I went down in front of a crowd of people hanging out in front of a bar. There was a police car RIGHT BEHIND the stupid fuck, and 30 seconds later I was being interviewed, reassured, and checked out by a whole lot of curious onlookers and a cop.

My bike was bent, I was bruised but not broken, and like a complete nimrod (or, really, a person in shock) I repeated a few dozen times that I was fine, everything was fine, yes I couldn't stand up but I was fine, yes my bike was bent and no longer functional but I was fine, no I didn't want to press charges I was fine, I just wanted to go home. The cops chewed the guy a new asshole, made him give me his name and address so I could bill him for my bike, and then drove me home. (I was less than a mile away.) I went in and shook on the couch for an hour before I realized that wait, I wasn't fine, I was HURT. Not hospital-hurt, but the huge purple welts on my leg where I'd hit the curb didn't fade completely for well over a month.

Eventually, much later, I was angry as hell.

It turned out that the guy who ran me down was the owner of the bar he'd run me down in front of. I sent the guy a bill for my bike. He sent me a check and an apologetic note. A month later, he sent me a nasty letter informing me that I should know that him paying for my bike was not in any way an admission of fault, and that the accident was entirely my fault, and that I should be aware that he could provide witnesses that would testify that I had "come down off the curb" directly in front of his SUV and there was no way he could have avoided me.

I have rarely in my life been as angry as I got over that letter. It was very clear that he had, in his own tiny little mind, worked himself up about the whole thing until he'd rewritten it completely in his head, and that he was worried about being sued, and wanted to throw his weight around to make sure that didn't happen. The sheer hubris of it made me (for the first time) want to sue the stupid fuck just to get back at him for his unmitigated gall. Thank god for cassielsander, who is not only a Good Boyfriend but also a lawyer, and who explained to me why it was in my best interests to not respond to the asshole at all in any way. Eventually, I calmed down and more or less let it go.

Clearly not entirely, though, as I've made myself annoyed just typing all this out. I wasn't meaning to go into this kind of detail or get this ticket off.

But anyway. My point is, I reacted about the way you did, except I ended up with more fear than anger in my particular brand of shock. I wasn't thinking about medical care, or the future, or how to make that asswipe pay so he wouldn't turn around and do it again tomorrow. I was thinking about extricating myself from the situation. And afterwards, I couldn't believe I hadn't been more capable of dealing with it all more sensibly.

Live and learn, I suppose. If it ever happens to either of us again, I imagine we'll be more capable of thinking through the best way to deal with things. Meanwhile, I hope you're still all right, and you haven't found any unexpected hurts that you'd glossed over due to the shock.

[yendi]

Hmm. Maybe I should maintain such a list. Worked wonders for Nixon.

And "holy crap" in regards to your story. Although I think you'd mentioned the accident before since I started reading your LJ, I don't think you ever provided this level of detail (and judging by the fact that writing it up still annoys you, that's probably a good thing). I do wish there'd been a cop around this afternoon.

I suspect that not responding to the asshole's note was the wisest move. Although you unquestionably could have won a lawsuit, it likely would not have been worth the effort.

I've got mixed feelings about those bike laws. We had them in NYC, too (I'm not sure what the law is in Atlanta). As a pedestrian (and one who's almost gotten hit by bikes a few times), I think they should be off the sidewalk. But a bike, although a vehicle, simply isn't as capable of following the same traffic laws as cars; they can't keep up with the flow of traffic, they can't stop and start as easily, etc. I'm an advocate of ubiquitous bike lanes, myself.

[manifestress.livejournal.com]

WOW - I know that intersection very well - as well as the entire Toco Hills perimeter of roads - cars just don't watch where they're going. Hope you are A-OK!

[yendi]

Yeah, I've been amazed at the number of cars that just assume that, since they've been waiting for a couple of minutes, they can make the turn without looking out for anyone. I'll post an update after the doctor tomorrow.

[gladstone.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're not dead. I hope everything turns out OK at the doctor tomorrow. Good luck.

[yendi]

Thanks!

[edie22.livejournal.com]

Dude. I'm glad you're okay!

[yendi]

Me too! :-)

[sage-and-sea.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you weren't hurt badly! If I weren't a country away, I'd find the driver and poke him with a stick.

[yendi]

:-) Thanks!

[darkmattr.livejournal.com]

Pedestrian = Speedbump

Ok, seriously glad you are ok. Did he take off without the police showing up? I think that is hit and run, not that I am a lawyer or anything. And if that is true, thats a lot more then a fifty dollar fine.

[yendi]

Hell, people slow down for speedbumps!

True -- if I can ever find him, he'd be liable for a hit and run. Wish I'd gotten his plate.

[gothwalk.livejournal.com]

I've been knocked off a bike by a car jumping the lights, and had exactly the same kind of thing. You can't think clearly when you've been knocked down. Gald to hear you're intact.

rocket-launchers

[libris-neophyte.livejournal.com]

I like your idea! It has real merit. Infact, i think I can see it now, strolling down the street... cars rolling along real slow like, smiling like a demented banshee in heat at every pedestrian in a pathetically ingratiatingly sorta way... I like it! Walking rules!

[gallowglass.livejournal.com]

The broken bones I've had from encounters like this have a tendency to ache when it's about to rain, which could be useful, except for the fact that I live in Wales, where if it's not about to rain, it's actually raining. ;-)

Glad to hear you're okay.

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

Let me add to the din: Glad you're okay! Right on red is great if you're a driver -- not so great for pedestrians. I take great care to make sure there aren't any (pedestrians, that is) coming, because I've been nearly hit myself by someone turning right on red and not paying any attention to what else might have been going on in the world.

[stronae.livejournal.com]

Ick. Those people really annoy me. Glad to see that this didn't cause any permanent changes to your life, at least.

[piratejenny.livejournal.com]

Oh! So veryvery glad you're okay. Glad you're going to the doc just to check it out though. Sometimes things can show up later on.

bumped,and new NY laws

[sidruid.livejournal.com]

Been bumped myself (once on a bike, where the car narrowly missed running me down cause i did this whacked leap backward off the bike, another time where they bumped me cause they weren't paying attention on halloween and nearly got a staff through the windshield). It sucks, glad to hear you're ok.

On a different note, you mentioned NYC's "No right on red" laws. Damn good law in that area. However, it just so happens that today they started some new traffic patterns preventing people from turning at all on some of the major street's in midtown...
On 36th, 37th, 45th, 46th, 49th, 50th, 53rd, 54th, 59th and 60th Streets, drivers cannot make any turns between 3rd Ave and Ave of the Americas (5 ave blocks, which are long - that's nearly half the width of the city).

They cite pedestrian traffic as the reason - it takes too long to drive across town because there are too many vehicles trying to turn when ped's have the right of way. Solution? Don't turn.

- si

[skylion.livejournal.com]

Good Goddess, I hope everything turns out right. I'm glad to see you weren't hurt very badly. Take care, man.

[chelona.livejournal.com]

I will add my name to the list of people saying that we are VERY happy that you are ok, and that you are getting a second opinion about your health from a doctor.

Just reminds me of one of the strangest phone calls I have ever had. I was interviewing for a job, and the would-be-manager was supposed to call me on the phone for a phone interview. I got a call (thinking it was her), and it was Stef (a friend, LONG story) calling and he said "i just got hit by a truck, can you come pick me up and take me to the hospital?". The rest of the day was just this mass of mangled memories, as I rescheduled the interview, picked him up, drove him to the hospital, informed his girlfriend, etc.

He too, is ok. We actually got an evite to his birthday party right before we left on friday.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

Add me to the list of people who're glad you're okay.

and I had full right-of-way

"Right of way" doesn't mean too much unless other people agree that you have it unfortunately. Being legally in the right doesn't do any good if you get killed in the process.

You did report this to the police didn't you?