July 26th, 2016, 09:10 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Flash
Location: Montreal
Join Date: Mar 2015 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 7
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First accident
Hey guys, whats up? I thought I'd share my progress as a rider. You may remember me from this terrible thread:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=226842 I'm a serious rider and spent my time to become as 100% safe as possible on the road. But, as the title indicates, I've just been through my first accident. It was July 6th, a Wednesday... same day as Portugal played Wales for the Eurocup. I was coming home from a long day of work. It was going to rain and actually had already rained. I was debating whether I should wait it out or go. I decided to go. Boy did I wish I had decided not to go. We'll get to that. I take my usual route, along city streets, which happens to be commercial areas. Street shops, restaurants, y'know suburban areas. I arrive at a three-lane intersection, the left-most lane is full with cars turning, the middle lane is occupied by a single black Volkswagen Gulf, and the right lane is empty. As I come to the intersection to go straight, I go down the middle lane. The black VW Gulf's rear lights flicker white. At this point, time slows down A FLURRY of thoughts go into my head. First, disdain 'Another terrible driver doing a weird maneuver. Come on Montreal!' Second, DISBELIEF, as he reverses at surprising speed, and does not appear to be stopping, "There's NO way he can't see me right???" Third, I quickly run through my options. "OH SH!T reverse??? IMPOSSIBLE. Accelerate and go right and possibly get rear ended? TOO LATE." The car impacts my vehicle. As the bike falls on her left side, the pilot ejects to the right. The motorcycle sickeningly skids backwards as the black Gulf realizes it's hit something. The sound as it makes, of steel and plastic digging into concrete, unifying with the rider's anguished shout. His outrage, heard through the music pumping over my earbuds, probably heard around the world even through his full-face helmet. FUUU*K! ((((( I throw my hands to my sides the palms aimed at the sky - the universal gesture for 'WTF.' The perpetrator, in disbelief himself over what he'd done, looks at me through the window and starts yammering, "I didnt see you omg." I just point to the side of the street, "get off the road we have to talk." The fallout took much longer, but it's just a blur to me now. I suffer his excuses... "I didn't see you." "You were in my blind spot." "I am very sorry." I form an iron grip on my emotions and say the right thing, "The important thing is that nobody was hurt." I've never been in an accident before, so if neither have you dear reader, know this - You need the guy's full name, license plate, make, model and color of the car, and their insurance information. I managed to get most of that information and the rest was handled by my insurance. Your luck may vary. The damage to the bike was "minimal." The low speed collision resulted in mostly cosmetic damage. The fairings were done on the left side. The clutch pedal was bent completely out of shape. Scrapes are visible on the mirror and bar end. But, she will ride again. I ended up riding home on city streets in first gear, unable to shift up to 2nd. The ride was atrocious... Revving the engine to redline just to hit 40kph (25mph)... Just a horrible experience ((((( Flash forward a few weeks. My bike's in rehab. She's waiting in the garage for her new parts, after which she'll be in much better shape. I think about this incident from time to time, what I could've done, how I could've avoided this, if there's a way to take ownership of it and become *better* as a rider... I think about how I could have played it differently. To leap to the right lane without mirror- or blindspot-checks is suicide. I suppose I might have gone onto the painted line which is a bit safer - but we're talking a complete abandonment of the rules of the road. Am I really going to leap to that spot every time some bad driver decides to perform odd maneuvers??? Sigh. What if I just immediately got on my horn? So, take from my story what you will. To anybody, knock on wood, who might get into an accident: take all the information that you can. Take a photo of the damage, to yourself and theirs. Take a photo of the intersection, make a note of where it happened and at what time. If a crime was committed, call the cops immediately. Remember to get their name, phone number, license plate, and insurance information. If you have the means, invest in a helmet camera and run it constantly. Thats it. Drive safe out there, and wave to your fellow rider. They're out here in the trenches with you. Last futzed with by FlashFlood; July 26th, 2016 at 10:24 PM. |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 26th, 2016, 09:12 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org newbie
Name: Flash
Location: Montreal
Join Date: Mar 2015 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 Posts: 7
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oops. Didnt notice a subforums for crash reports... Can a mod move this there? I would delete the thread but I dont see how.
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July 26th, 2016, 09:15 PM | #3 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much.
MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13
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Good luck!
Np, I am sure Alex will take care of ya.
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July 26th, 2016, 09:28 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Kerry
Location: Ventura, CA
Join Date: Jan 2016 Motorcycle(s): Ninja650 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Apr '18, Apr '17, Apr '16
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Yikes. I'd say laying on the (nearly useless) horn might have been about the best thing you could do. Like you say, you're not smart to change lanes without looking. I guess you could have been keeping track of who's coming up in those lanes as you wait for the light to change.
Glad the damage is minimal and that you are ok. And it's surprising how quickly people will back up. We had a guy about ram us (luckily we were in a car) and I know he didn't look back before punching it because I could see his rear-view mirror and I never saw his eyes. Damage in that one was nearly nonexistent, but wow. How do you jam it backward without looking? |
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July 26th, 2016, 11:19 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
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/moved to crash forum
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July 26th, 2016, 11:28 PM | #6 |
cadd cadd cadd
Name: Cadd
Location: 41°21'13.1"N, 74°41'37.4"W
Join Date: Jan 2014 Motorcycle(s): 300 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - May '15
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Glad you're ok!
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Riding it like I financed it. |
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July 27th, 2016, 04:29 AM | #7 |
Nooblet
Name: Akima
Location: England
Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R FI Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 5
MOTM - Oct '13
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Sorry to hear about your accident. I'm struggling to picture exactly what happened, but I get the gist of it: the driver pulled off a really strange & illegal manoeuvre that you did not expect.
My approach to dealing with situations like you encountered is this:
^ take what you want from all of that. It's just my approach.
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2 out of 2 members found this post helpful. |
July 27th, 2016, 08:12 AM | #8 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Whodat
Location: Ware Is.,MA
Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): I pass the wind! Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Mar '13, Jun '14
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I remember that day!
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If everything seems under control; you're just not going fast enough! |
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July 28th, 2016, 05:12 AM | #9 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Alex
Location: Ebensburg, PA
Join Date: Sep 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2015 Yamaha FZ07, Ninja 250r 2012 Limited Edition (Sold) Posts: 529
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Quote:
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"Take it easy driving. The life you might save might be mine." |
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July 28th, 2016, 01:02 PM | #10 | |
Nooblet
Name: Akima
Location: England
Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Ninja 250R FI Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 5
MOTM - Oct '13
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Quote:
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July 28th, 2016, 07:11 PM | #11 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16
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Quote:
Keep more distance and angle respect to vehicles stopped in front of you. That will facilitate any emergency escape (not this case, but always a latent need), without much maneuvering. The bonus is that one of your mirrors will be at the right angle to spot traffic incoming behind you.
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
July 28th, 2016, 07:14 PM | #12 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16
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Quote:
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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