If you had asked me seven hours ago if I knew what it felt like to spit blood and tooth fragments out on the street I would have said no. That is no longer the case.
This afternoon while riding home from work I was hit by a car that was exiting a parking space. Either the guy didn’t check his mirrors, or didn’t see me - whichever the case, it was his fault. I flew over my handle bars, into oncoming traffic, and my face became intimately acquainted with the road. One 3 and 1/2 hour emergency room visit later and I’m okay, save some bruises, a scraped up face, and three chipped teeth (if anyone has an awesome dentist in Chicago holla at me).
I’ve been hit by cars three times since moving to Chicago (twice on my bike and once as a pedestrian). I wouldn’t wish getting hit by a car on anyone, but, come on, I’ve had more than my fair share of this shit. As I was sitting waiting for test results I told myself that I was lucky - the guy ahead of me for a CT scan also was hit by a car, but he had a broken leg. I guess, in some ways, I was lucky. And also smart - my helmet saved my brain, but what the fuck? If that guy took two seconds to check his mirror it never would’ve happened. Two seconds. That’s all.
So drivers, can you do me (and every other biker) a solid and just check and see if there’s a bike coming when you’re pulling out of a parking space, or opening your door, or making a right turn. It would mean the world to us.
And bikers, I know it’s your own choice, but this is the second time that my helmet saved me from some serious damage, so maybe consider wearing one.
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*In response to my saying, “that’s not fair”, my mother always said to me, “who ever told you life was fair?”
