Gentlemen, it has been a great pleasure. (zbillster's farewell post)

[misterprofessionality]

this sounds a lot like when i got sideswiped in my neighborhood by a driver who faked a left turn, then swerved hard into a right turn. no signals, no nothing, just making a sudden hard right turn all the way in the left lane. she cracked my left case cover, put my shifter lever *through* my ankle, and then had the nerve to get out of her car and say "did you hurt yourself?"

the when the cops arrived a neighbor got involved and started telling the cops she'd seen everything and it was all my fault. only problem was this neighbor arrived at her house **after** the accident happened, but before the cops. the whole police report got distorted because of her lies. it was a huge uphill battle, requiring me to personally go to the neighbors house and call her a filthy liar to her face, and making some dubious claims about how i had a helmet cam and can prove she wasn't home at the time of the accident, and how harsh of a sentence perjury carries.

what a nightmare, though. people will do anything to get out of taking responsibility for an accident, even when insurance is paying for it.

 

[zbillster_imp]

this sounds a lot like when i got sideswiped in my neighborhood by a driver who faked a left turn, then swerved hard into a right turn. no signals, no nothing, just making a sudden hard right turn all the way in the left lane. she cracked my left case cover, put my shifter lever *through* my ankle, and then had the nerve to get out of her car and say "did you hurt yourself?"

the when the cops arrived a neighbor got involved and started telling the cops she'd seen everything and it was all my fault. only problem was this neighbor arrived at her house **after** the accident happened, but before the cops. the whole police report got distorted because of her lies. it was a huge uphill battle, requiring me to personally go to the neighbors house and call her a filthy liar to her face, and making some dubious claims about how i had a helmet cam and can prove she wasn't home at the time of the accident, and how harsh of a sentence perjury carries.

what a nightmare, though. people will do anything to get out of taking responsibility for an accident, even when insurance is paying for it.

Yeah, that sucks! I always figured if i was in a moto accident it is bound to be the other person's fault ... but reality of liability unfortunately deviates from pure theory.

 

[Randy B]

I was in a car accident about 14 years ago on a 2 lane road with a 55 MPH speed limit. It was about 3pm in early December in northern Illinois. It was clear and overcast so I had my lights on for safety.

A 92 year old man was waiting to turn left into his driveway and decided that the roadway was clear after the vehicle in front of me passed him. It was not. I slammed on the brakes and hit his Buick just behind the right rear wheel and spun him around so that he was pointing out of the driveway that he was pulling into. There were 3 other elderly people in the car, but thankfully nobody was hurt.

I was alright and helped to get people moving so that traffic didn't back up to the moon and once the police arrived and went to the shoulder where the other driver was talking to my friend that I was following to my house to help me install a door. He told my friend that he hadn't seen me because my lights weren't on and it was therefor my fault. I told him that I had them on and that he should pay more attention and waled away.

He was turning onto a $4m+ property and I was driving an 88 Nissan. The cop took my information and said they would send me a copy of the report. It never came. I called the station many times trying to get a copy and a court date to no avail. To make matters worse we had the same insurance company and they did some split on blame. I still got paid for my totaled car, but It was all his fault.

That man should have lost his licence for good for that stunt. If you can't see, don't get behind the wheel.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

In Ontario after age 80 the province requires co-ordination, cognitive, and visual testing in order to keep the driver's license.

 

[Cormanus]

I dread that day, but it’s sensible.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I dread that day, but it’s sensible.

Agreed. For us, it is a 90 minute test.

- - -

Here there have been numerous pedestrians (e.g. typically mothers waiting at bus stops) sadly slammed by seniors and dragged for several hundred meters. Needless to say, the communities have spoken.

 

[zbillster_imp]

Given the insurance age sliding scale, evolving technology and service systems, and the facts that I work from home and live literally next door to a big box grocery/consumer store (thus rarely drive anymore for any essentials), I can see myself not owning a motor vehicle after 80 years old. Just be Ubering or whatever rideshare is happening at the time. Will probably be cheaper than my insurance payments at that age.

For "fun" I have been using Turo ... sort of an Air BnB for cars where people rent their personal cars to individuals and you can get third-party insurance (up to a million &#36 for the duration. I've done a Fiat 500 Abarth and have some others bookmarked for future outings ... BMW Z4, Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5, Nissan 370Z ...

Medical update: I am out of the arm sling, and x-rays show the collarbone pieces are fuzing together optimistically. I'm not supposed to raise my right arm above my head yet, but am directed to start use it more. Typing with two hands again. Left wrist still sore from the sprain but less so ... last time I sprained it getting out of a hot tub it took me a couple of months to completely recover.

CB still in the shop ... I get the feeling by the time it is ready I will be able to (carefully and with much paranoia) drive it the 5 miles home.

 

[peterbaron]

Your persistent recovery is a good news

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Bill: You have been quite the trooper through this ordeal.

 

[Cormanus]

Glad to hear the recovery is coming along zbillster.

 

[Offroad]

Riding down to Kentucky Lake this weekend with a buddy, all two-lane back roads, ran across a couple of mail trucks.

First was a Jeep with no flashing lights of any kind and as I passed and looked in my mirror looks like they didn't have any brake lights either.

Second we were coming upon a mail truck that did have flashing lights and did the same thing they did to you ..they turned left onto a side road with no turn signal as their flashers were on I guess they had no turn signals turn on.

All this while popping overhills, blind curves.... sometimes we're just lucky or unlucky I guess.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Thanks for the tip. Will be useful in a few weeks as I pass through.

 

[zbillster_imp]

If I EVER see a rural mail vehicle, no matter what vehicle I am driving, I will come to a crawl, sit on my horn until I see his eyes meet mine, and then gesture for him to stop or yield while I carefully go around him.

 

[peterbaron]

Zbillster, sharing your experience/opinion with other forum members, makes us more aware and experienced while riding a bike on todays crazy roads.
Stay safe everyone and come back home alive in one piece.

 

[zbillster_imp]

Hey, nothing like a form letter from the post office to make you feel ... better? I contacted them just to make sure that delivery driver who ran me off the road doesn't escape notice ...

 

[Cormanus]

Gee. I bet you feel a whole lot better, zbillster. They’re obviously all over it.

 

[peterbaron]

Certainly, a letter is better than nothing, but given that USPS is a big corporation, it would be nice if they cover your health and bike expenses as certain minimum.

 

[zbillster_imp]

Certainly, a letter is better than nothing, but given that USPS is a big corporation, it would be nice if they cover your health and bike expenses as certain minimum.

This is obviously a form letter for "uncourteous and unprofessional conduct" and doesn't address the details of the incident. Whether they actually inquired with the delivery carrier about it ... who knows?

At this point, I'm not optimistic about compensation of any kind, but just want to make sure it's not getting swept under the rug.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Sounds like your postal service may be improved in the future. :-/

 

[Bheezy27403_imp]

Unfortunately for you...It's already under the rug.