It was inevitable...(now with damage pics)

[ZaphodBeeble]

I had been on the road for 4 years without incident. I knew it was due...

It was about 6PM on Monday, I was riding home from work. The roads were dry and in good condition and I was enjoying the warmer weather. So I'm riding along a 30 limit road in minor traffic and I'm heading towards a junction. Cars up ahead turn off at the junction to the left so I have a clear view for about 50 yards or so. I can see a car up ahead facing me in the filter lane waiting to turn across my path into the junction where the other cars had gone. I approach the junction with the waiting car sat still. At this point it is quite dark and I can clearly see that his headlights are facing me and not moving. I continue to approach while keeping an eye on him. JUST as I get to the junction (I'm going straight on) he decides he wants to go and pulls directly into my path. I managed to pull the front brake and turn to the left just a little to scrub a bit of speed off but I just didn't have any time to do anything more spectacular. Cue me taking off over his bonnet with, I think, my arms flailing due to the speed of my rotation through the air. I think my right leg caught underneath my right handlebar which caused the spin. I want to ask the driver who seen the crash what I looked like flying through the air like that! I landed on my left side about 3 or 4 meters from the bike and the first thing I did was look across at the driver and ask him whether or not he was f$$king blind. He obviously said he didn't see me. He came straight over to me and was telling me to stay still. I told him to get back in his car and stay away from me.

My right leg by this point was hurting like a bitch but it felt like muscular pain and not a bone. I couldnt move my leg though as the bruise was huge and it had started swelling. Paramedics were on the scene in what felt like about a minute. The ambulance on the other hand took about 25/30 minutes which sucks. I went to take a picture with my phone but it's knackered. It would have been an excellent one too. I had to borrow a phone off a paramedic to phone my girlfriend. She thought I was joking when I told her I was lying on the road by Aldi's. When the ambulance finally arrived they stuck me on a stretcher and made some excuses about being off on holiday for a week and it was their first night back! Pfft.

I was stuck in the hospital until 12.30am. I had someone briefly examine me as I got there and then I had to wait until about 12.10am for a doctor to see me. He had a quick squeeze of my leg and told me I needed an x-ray. At this point I was pissed off with waiting so I told him where to go and I came home, but only after he had seen me walk. I can't walk up steps or anything but I'm OK on the flat. Nothing feels broken and I'm not in pain if I sit still (which is my favourite activity anyway).

The driver was quite a nice bloke and I feel a little bit sorry for being so angry with him as he stayed with me the whole time until the ambulance came. It's like what I said to the paramedics about the word 'accident'; it was simply that - an accident. How he didn't see my though I don't know. I had recently put a 100w bulb in my bike instead of the standard 60w. Needless to say but my bike is a write off, totally destroyed the front end.

I really don't think there are any lessons to be learned here. There was simply nothing I could have done to avoid this apart from not riding my bike at all.

Before:
https://www.valleysserver.co.uk/Images/3rd%20person%20view.jpg

Moments after:
https://www.valleysserver.co.uk/Images/TopDownAfter.jpg

EDIT:

Damage:
https://www.valleysserver.co.uk/Images/1235820108707.jpg

Damage:
https://www.valleysserver.co.uk/Images/1235820189256.jpg
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.

[TomDavies]

Sorry to hear it hope you make a speedy recovery..

Hows the bike looking?

[D O G]

Nasty, but it seems you have had a fairly lucky escape with the limited injury.

I will, however make a request for some brusie pictures. I loves a good bruise I does, especially deep ones like yours which will provide a veritable kalidescope of colour as it heals, so spread the joy.

Are you going to take it through the insurance, or is the bloke going to buy you a new bike (I suspect the former)?

[ZaphodBeeble]

We're going through insurance. The bike is a total write-off and is sat in the workshop at work. I haven't had a good look at it yet as it was picked up by one of the boys from where I work just after the accident. The funny thing is; the bike was recovered before I was!

I don't really have any bruising yet which is really weird as it still hurts like hell. I can't use either of my legs properly so I think I've pulled muscles in both and bruised just my right leg. I can assure you I will post bruise and/or bike pictures when I have them!

I agree I think I did have a lucky escape.

Oh and I got a text from my 'friend' while I was in hospital asking me for the fork legs and callipers off my bike to convert his VFR750 to 4 pot callipers! I told him he's like a vulture circling a carcass.
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.

[Pernig]

Google Earth paint images are the way forward. And is that a Super Hang-On sprite? Absolute genius.

Anyway, hope you get better soon and things are sorted out swiftly. Insurance can be a rather big pain in the arse.

I believe one way of attracting the driver's attention is to gently move across the lane slightly away from them as you approach, in your case maybe a quick push of the left bar. By the way you described it though, it doesn't look like there was much you could do. Could have been worse if you went straight into him, for you if not for the bike.
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H100 Breaking for spares

[Ichy]

Damage to the bike doesn't look to bad in the picture, change of forks and straighten the rims. You might want to check your arms, there might be one missing?
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[Bofh5]

Bad luck man but your right about it being the inevitable....
Everyday when your in that situation you wonder when its going to happen and even if you take every precaution you just can't stop someone else from doing something like this.

Hopefully he wont be a dick about it as some drivers are nice as pie at the scene then turn into Mr Hyde and try and blame you.

GWS
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Bikes: Honda 50 / CB125-TDC / 93 CBR600 F2 (Stolen & Trashed) / 2001 SP-1 (Sold) / 95 CBR600 F3

[RichieZX6R]

Loving the detailed images

Sorry to hear about the accident, heres to a speedy recovery!
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Current: Kawazaki ZX6R 51
Past: Kawazaki ZX6R 96 - Honda CBR 600F4 05 - Dragstar 125 02 - Honda CB 400 SF 94 - Honda NSR 125 51 - Gilera Runner XV125 04

[Smooth]

[MarkJ]

Unlucky, I had a similar accident, except I'd only just come out of the junction opposite and the guy hit me side-on, rather at the front. I wish I'd come off the way you did. Instead my left foot was the filling in a car/motorcycle sandwich

It was deemed 100% the other guys fault, so you'll have no problem winning.

[sagalout]

Unlucky fella.

Rated cool for the effort thats gone into the paint diagrams!
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Current Bike: Triumph Speed Triple T309
Previous: CBR600F => ZX9R => Triumph Tiger => Honda Blackbird => GSXR 750 => Versys =>ZX12R

[lonner]

[krebsy]

[thegubner]

Like you say at least no bones were broken, bruises look sore though!

No doubt the all knowing "G" will be along in a minute to tell you the 2.4 gazillion ways you could have avoided it like he would have.


Just ignore it though, only you were there.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Unlucky, but at least you're on the mend.
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My Flickr

[phk6]

jesus unlucky mate, ive remember when my foot looked like that its fooking painful aint it

hope you make a speedy recovery
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Current .. 2008 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure ..
Before .. 2003 Yamaha Fazer 1000 .. 2004 Kawazaki Z1000 .. 2003 Suzuki Sv1000s .. 1999 zx6r Track Bike .. 1999 CB 500 Cup ..
/Phil

[The Artist]

[MarkJ]

[dicko]

keep an eye on your leg. If its not bruised yet but feels swollen inside and you cant move it get back to the hospital and get it checked out or you could end up with your leg like mines (though this was a rugby injury and i thought it was only a dead leg). Kept me away from biking for nearly 4 months.
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Honestly officer I didnt do it !!!
Current Bike CBR900RR2 FIREBLADE

[pigmo]

Well I'm glad you're on the mend, but it is time to make the best of a bad situation.
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[FreshAL]

sucks.

Happened to me a couple of years ago.

Very difficult one to avoid, when it happens it happens so fast it's almost impossible to avoid.

My tips
- check your ribs. I'd cracked a couple but didn't notice for days cos the soft tissue injuries on my leg hurt so much more.

- Ibuprofen and a few days of work take a bit of time to start healing

- remember you can claim on your insurance for reasonable travel costs until they pay out for your bike. Keep bus tickets & any taxi receipts.

[Bigbaggiesbik...]

Sorry to mention this Zaphod, but after closely examining the images supplied in your original post, looking at your position on the bike, i.e crouched down tucked in behind the screen it suggest to me like you were absolutley tanking it through all the gears and traveling at some serious knotts. Nice leathers though!
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[ZaphodBeeble]

[G]

[ZaphodBeeble]

The problem with pulling over to the left when approaching this type of junction is the presence of adjoining traffic from the left. The middle of the road is the only place to be. Blipping the throttle is pointless as I have (had) standard exhausts on the bike. The headlight bulb was a standard H4 100w bulb. Let's be honest, it doesn't matter how bright your light is, if you only have one of them it's still very hard to determine how far away you are. I like the idea of lights on your bar ends though!

As it was dark I couldn't see the drivers face, I always try to make eye contact, especially with drivers pulling out of junctions. I also watch the front wheels of the car as it's the easiest way to check for movement.

The woman in the car with the bloke that hit me said that she seen me, she said that she was saying 'bike! bike! bike!' to the bloke as he was pulling in front of me. He remarked about a car that was in front of me that had pulled off to my left which I believe caught his attention and caused him not to see me.

The weird thing was that he didn't move for a while, it seemed like he had seen me, then all of a sudden as I'm right next to him, BAM.
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Current bike: VTR1000F Firestorm. Previous: Firestorm (written off) - XJ600 Divvy - NSR125 - DT125 and a load of offroaders.