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Car hits cyclist - Lastest statistic
Just add me to the statistics - Car hitting cyclist!! (1st time - hopefully the last)
Last week i was cleaned up by a motorist while riding along McCarrs Ck Rd, on my way to the Duck Holes. 
All this in the middle of the day...visibility was clear.
I was hit from behind while travelling around 40km/h and thrown forward on to my back and slid further down the road. You can only image the words that came out of my mouth immediatey after being hit, oh ^@#kkkkkkkkkkkkkk.
Thankfully, i landed on my camelpack and sustained only minor cuts and abrasions on my arms and legs. My only major injury are fractioned ribs, when i landed on my pump which was inside my back pack. My brand new Giro helmet is detroyed......pity, but it sure carried out its duty.
After realising what had just happen, I managed to pick myself and my bike off the road and made my way to the side.......severly in shock and winded. 
Yes, the driver did stop and did ask me if I was doing ok, but given what had just transpired I only had eyes for myself.
I'm really annoyed now, given the DW is just around the corner and i may have to sit on the side line for this years event, not that training was going that well....
but on the bright side.....what have i learn't???
1. Cars hit hard.
2. My helmet has paid for itself...money well spent
3. I will be able to ride again.
4. I wish none of you have to experience the feeling of being hit by a tonne of metal!!!
For now, rest.
But, I'll be back....i enjoy riding that much.
Until next time, take care....all of you!
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Glad you are ok - Wow that is scary - I am on that road a lot at all times of day and night and so are 100's if not thousands of bikes over a month. Thinking back did you work out what happened with the doofus driver - how did he miss seeing you?
Very very very lucky. Like Giantnut mentioned, we are on that road a lot, riding and driving. As a driver im always thinking "whats around the next corner? Will there be 2 bikes next to each other and a truck coming the other way?" And as a cyclist its more like "can possibly get any closer to the side of the road..." I worry about it alot. I see L and P platers treating that road like a playstation track, lacking the experience and foresight for driving skills under pressure. But hopefully my plague of flashing lights will draw attention enough to say HEY - IM HERE!!!
Other than yourself being on the mend, i hope there is some possibility of getting a new set of gear for you - either by the drivers insurance or maybe through your own if that fails.
Oh and your rib will hurt for a month! Every time you cough, sneeze, laugh etc etc. But still - smile - coz your still alive! And will be back on a bike in a jiffy.
Heal Well mate.
Dude, I'm sorry to hear about that. I've been hit - twice - and it's not what I'd call an entertaining experience.
So glad you're reasonably OK.
Did you happen to get driver and vehicle details and make a report to the police? I'd be looking to recover cost of helmet, Camelbak and bike damage.
5. Camelbacks work well as back armour
From the RTA Handbook:
thanks boys for your thoughts.
Details have been recorded and I did report the incident to the police. I feel very lucky given my current circumstances. Yes, when i cough, sneeze, laugh or move I'm still in alot of pain but all of my limbs are still attached. Its a day by day process for me..........I have not ruled DW out, but i can't image my ribs holding up for 100km over all those rocks!
@hawkeye....am i pushing s%$# up hill, in requesting or attempting to recover the costs from the driver? (i.e bike, helmet, camelback)....again.
You state you were hit from behind. This is therefore 100% the other party's fault (mine you - I assume if it was dark you had lights and you were not weaving around, etc). If you reported this to the police (I assume you did include the rego, car make/model/colour at least, if not driver name too?) then I see no reason why you cannot retrieve costs from the other party.
However, I know Hawkeye will have some advice in this regard.
Glad to hear your are on the mend - and that it was reported. This is incredibly important if you wish to make an insurance claim in the future in case medical complications set in.
If you were in a car, and another car hit you from behind and caused damage - then you would be claiming the cost of ANY repair. So why not if you are on a bike?
Assuming you were not at fault:
Step 1: Ask for police report (takes a few weeks)
Step 2: Get the driver's insurance details.
Step 3: Send the driver a letter of claim
Step 4: Follow up with a polite phone call letting them know that you've sent the letter and that you'd appreciate them passing it onto their insurer.
What happens from there depends on the response you get. The key is the driver being charged or the police report stating you were hit from behind in a situation that puts the driver at fault.
I will take all of your ideas on board and pursue the matter. Thank you.
I'll keep you posted!
Almost 1 week on and sleeping isn't getting any easy, more pain relief required.
Hi Ben,
Any pointers to the cause of the collision? (I tend not to use the word "accident" as that often implies the cause was unavoidable, etc). Was the car just travelling to fast and not looking ahead well enough?
As a general question to all: Should we be lobbying for a few "Cyclist - Warning" signs in this area?
Being a wet weekend, it won't be good for riding - so great for a rest.
It all happen to fast. I was hit from behind. His speed (car) I am unsure of, but given his was overtaking me, it was fast enough to hurt. The next thing I knew I was on my arse sliding. Not a great feeling when you get hit and you think, this is not going to end well!!!!!
I'm waiting for the driving to complete his statement with the PD.
*The main reason in buying a MTB was that I would be spending little time on the road! Maybe a re think is needed.
As a general question to all: Should we be lobbying for a few "Cyclist - Warning" signs in this area?
Not sure....I think we are all in a rush these days......Most people don't read signs anyway. My 2c. Time to ponder on this one.
I'll keep you posted.
Good to hear your getting better.
Ribs seem to heal slowly and every injury is different although its a couple of weeks since I cracked mine and I have been able to start commuting again this week. I still have to be careful with coughing, reaching upwards etc and have limited sleeping options but seem to be getting by.
If your very keen on the DW race wait until next week before making a call. I found riding seated OK and only a little discomfort when climbing out of the saddle. So riding for me wasn't as bad as coughing or lying in the wrong position.
Also I live on McCarrs Creek road, ride and drive it frequently. I find most drivers fairly respectful of cyclists however there are still idiots out there and people make mistakes. Lobbying for signs might help although everyone who lives near here knows it turns into a cycleway on the weekends and most dry mornings. To give you an idea of how much cycle traffic it gets my kids sometimes count cyclists that we overtake on the way up the road from Church Point. In the 12 minute trip we often pass 70 cyclists going the same way.
Bike signs are a waste of time in my view. I rarely notice them and i cycle commute several times a week in peak hour traffic. And I think most who use the road will know about the cycle traffic.
I'm currently testing pov cameras to use when I ride so that if something happens.there is.independant evidence.
The other thing I do is ride "BIG" to minimise the risk of being hit through inattention. This consists of riding the way I drive and occupying the lane, and looking via body language like someone from whom there would be consequences if you .messed with them.
The second part of riding "BIG" is being visible.
Being well lit with bright blinkies during the day and wearing hi vis clothing seems to help me avoid being a sudden surprise to a texting motorist. I find when commuting I get a lot less abuse if I take those measures. If I just wear regular kit and don't turn on the blinkies I usually cop aggro from at least one git who doesn't like cyclists on my commute.
This leads me to the view that it's the surprise factor of confronting a slow cyclist that leads to a lot of the unpleasant situations on the road.
So maybe put a good blinky on your seatpost and have it running whenever you're on the road sharing with cars. For the dually I have Knog 4-LED units that are pretty bright and easy to get on or off.
There's a really good post on riding BIG on a UK website but it's not coming up on search at the moment.
All good advice for commuting or road riding but ..... he was doing a short road transition from the shops at Terrey Hills to the start of duckholes so would not have had bright colours or flashing lights (well I like most people dont take them on a mtb ride).
Anyway there is a beware cyclist sign further down the road but nothing near Terrey Hills. My suggestion to the cycling advocacy guys would be to ask for more signs near Terrey Hills as most people ride through there.
I must admit I haven't bothered a whole lot with having the blinky on myself when on the road at Terrey Hills. Bikes are so common there you'd expect drivers to have some sort of expectation of meeting a cyclist.
However, when I've ridden out instead of driving out there from home, there were occasions after my couple of collisions where I've worn my hi-vis commuting gear and had all the lights going, much to the amusement of my fellow riders.
Sinkes' experience has got me thinking that going back to running the blinky on the back at least would be prudent.
Would love to know what this clown who hit him was doing instead of looking out the front.
You were lucky, this story in the Telegraph today is disgusting:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/text-hit-and-ru...
The judge could have given the driver (who was not licensed, had been previously caught for that offence, was using his mobile just before the incident and failed to stop at the scene) 20 years. Instead he got a non-parole period of five years.
Makes me feel ill just thinking about it.
Pretty ordinary result. 5 years for negligently killing a man. Manifestly inadequate.
Anyway, here it is: Theory of BIG: http://www.tibsnjoan.co.uk/Big.html