Had a little crash on Monday...

[Mash]

Came off the beltway onto Rt 1 south in Alexandria around 4:30pm. The first light was green then I had to stop for the second one at Huntington Ave. I was in the far right lane, the one that ends about 80 yards after the light. The light changed, we started moving (traffic all around me).  The van in front of me and I both had our signals on to move over one lane.  A nice gap opened up and we both moved over.  I just shifted to second when the van in front of me slammed on the brakes and started skidding, so did at least 2 other cars on my left and behind me, and so did I.  I locked up the rear brake, but kept the front rolling to steer back into the far right lane to keep from getting squished by the cars behind me.  I made it back into the merge lane when the van in front decided to swerve right.  Completely took me by surprise, hit my shoulder, knee and handlebar on the right rear quarter panel. Pushed me right into an 8" curb at which time the bike endo'ed throwing me up and over about 15 feet. I tumbled a few times then came to rest in the grass on my back. 

Immediately, there were people around me assessing my situation, holding my head still and not letting me move.  I could see my bike on its side and it was still running until someone shut it down.  It seemed like just 2-3 minutes and there was an ambulance there and the medics were strapping me to a backboard.  Eventually after a lot of 'does this hurt' and 'can you move your feet', I convinced them to take my helmet off.  They said based on witness statements about me flying through the air and landing on my head, they wanted to take me to the hosp.  Okay, so I got my first ever ride in an ambulance.

An hour or so later, after some poking and prodding, and a CAT scan (because my pupils were dilated unevenly) I got to go home.  Nothing broken, not even a bruise, just some soreness in my muscles and a stiff neck. 

I was wearing Sidi Canyon boots, BMW CityPants, a Fox Creek Vented Racing jacket w/liner, gauntlet leather gloves and a Shoei RF-1000 helmet. I can't believe I don't even have a scratch on me.

The bike has a bent shift lever, bent clutch master cylinder and a dented rim on one side.  The tire is unknown at this point.  It still has air in it 2 days later. No other scratches or damage to the bike. After all, it did land in the grass.

The cop on scene gave me a ticket.  I was in the ambulance strapped down when she came in and told me.  I just couldn't believe it.  Even the medics were like, what? The van hit me! The cop had the ticket written and ready to give to me before she even talked to me.  I told her I was already in the lane when the van swerved into me.  She said that according to her rules, she had to write someone a ticket.  She tried to appease me by saying that she wrote the ticket for the smallest violation she could, and there are no points associated with it.  I'm livid about it, especially because the ticket is for 'failure to maintain control of vehicle.'  I was in complete control, and would do the same evasive action again should I encounter a similar situation.  I just can't make the beast with two backsing believe it.  Maybe someone will chime in and say, "you should have stayed in your lane", but even in hindsight, I don't think staying in the travel lane with cars skidding all around me would be my choice.

Court's in May, I'll be there for sure.  I already went out and took pictures of the skid marks in the road.  You can see my skid mark and a few from other cars.

Thanks for letting me vent.....
Dan

[mrs minnesotamonster]

Wow...that's a bummer. Glad you're alright....bike too.

I can't believe what a b**** that cop was...you can't get anyone to come to your defense that saw it happen?

Hope it all works out for you in court...ridiculous.

[Bun-bun]

Damn! I know that section of Rt.1 really well, and I can visualize exactly what happened. Glad you're in decent shape.
You've got to fight that ticket! Hope you can find some witnesses. That ticket puts you at fault for the accident, and means that your insurance pays for everything. Totally unfair.
Good luck.

[Mash]

I've driven cars, trucks, bikes, back-hoes, front-end loaders, cranes, etc. for almost 35 years, and this is the first accident I've ever been in (with me driving anyway). It's really demoralizing that the cop thinks I was to blame, especially without even asking me what happened.

I've got some good pictures from the site, and my skid mark is really evident.  In fact, it very clearly contradicts what a witness told the cop about the incident. That's all I'm gonna say about it at this point.

Since I've never had to deal with the logistics of an accident, I'm at a loss for how to deal with insurance people (and the cops for that matter). I did go and pick up my bike from the wrecker lot the next day though.  I knew I didn't want it to stay there.

I guess I should probably help my insurance company build a case against the other driver's insurance company though. I'm gonna talk to them tomorrow.

[Geaux]

Sorry to hear that, Dan.  Good thing you have all of these pieces to work with, including the other driver's insurance!

[zooom]

DUDE...glad you are okay!...

.... She said that according to her rules, she had to write someone a ticket....

and this is a bullshit excuse/reasoning IMHO...go to court for sure!

[Slide Panda]

I've driven cars, trucks, bikes, back-hoes, front-end loaders, cranes, etc. for almost 35 years, and this is the first accident I've ever been in (with me driving anyway). It's really demoralizing that the cop thinks I was to blame, especially without even asking me what happened.

I've got some good pictures from the site, and my skid mark is really evident.  In fact, it very clearly contradicts what a witness told the cop about the incident. That's all I'm gonna say about it at this point.

That's a real bummer. - But at least you're physically ok, which is most important.

My advice - if you haven't already - write it all down.  Don't count on your memory.  You've already got the photos  just make sure to write out a narrative and notes on the photos.

That intersection sucks big time.  I avoid it if at all possible.

[Statler]

lawyer up immediately.  Lawyer will talk to insurance companies for you.

[Statler]

given the tone of this post I will let you know now any personal information about the officer posted on this forum will be deleted immediately.

Let him handle his case and report back without getting all hysterical and ranting about this.

And if this turns any further into a cop bashing thread I'll take care of it.  This post already crosses the line.

Mash, I hope everything gets ironed out.  Sorry it will take time and energy and money to do so.

[dolci]

Mash - I can only echo what others have said;

1.  Write it up now and put that together with your photos
2.  Lawyer up and let him/her handle the insurance
3.  Definitely go to court.

I'm glad that you're (mostly) ok>

[Mash]

well, first things first... I'm not injured and the bike is repairable.  If I was hurt badly or the bike was destroyed, I'd probably be feeling a lot of the emotions that sbrguy is.  All told, it's really about 2 things.  Mainly, my ego was battered from being the only one ticketed. It's just not fair. The charges should be dropped. The other thing is the costs involved.  The parts are a couple grand total.  Hospital visit is likely (mostly) covered. I'd like to see the driver's insurance company cover those costs.

The cop was a young female, and was very professional and appeared to be doing the best she could.  Although I think it should have been handled differently, that's up to a judge to decide.  Neither the judge or the cop saw the accident, so it will depend on testimony and evidence. 

Now to figure out where to get a new front wheel.....

[zooom]

And if this turns any further into a cop bashing thread I'll take care of it.  This post already crosses the line.

sorry if my post added fuel to a possible bashing end of things...but I know a bunch of LEO's and not one of them I know would pull this kind of statement or assumption or action....not that I advocate harrassement of this particular LEO, I do think at some point there needs to be something of a report on said officer made to the superiors...granted, that be AFTER the case has been heard in court so as to not aggrivate of inflame things and you have a judgement to back and base said report off of.....in any other line of work, job performance is just as important as results, and this is no different to me.

[Ducatista]

It's too bad you weren't able to get photos of the van where your handlebar I'm sure impacted.  That would certainly raise a few eyebrows about who was responsible for what. 

Like everyone said, write everything down NOW while your memory is fresh.  Get a lawyer.  You can go ahead and file the claim with your insurance company if you have collision.  If not, file it with the van's. 

Good luck and I'm glad all the gear did its job!  That's an ugly intersection.  I used to live right by there in Huntington.  Actually, my bike ran out of gas at that intersection once.

[booger]

Good that you're OK, and I agree with getting the details collected to make your case. Try Google Earth to get an aerial view of the intersection so you can make a diagram of what happened, to support all of the other evidence. Get as much info as you can and fight this! The reputation of law-abiding motorcyclists is on trial here. You can't let them win, and you can't let your premiums go up either. If it were me, after they paid for my bike and my trip to the ER, I'd ask for damages. Just because you don't show symptoms now doesn't mean you won't see them later on down the road.

[zooom]

It's too bad you weren't able to get photos of the van where your handlebar I'm sure impacted.  That would certainly raise a few eyebrows about who was responsible for what.

the police report should have the van owners address and you could cruise by and get a few snap shots of the van.