[wankski]

don't wanna get into it ... but i was involved in a hit and run today... Apart from scratches and stuff, and a sore head i'm ok.

please be careful on the road... that goes for driving or riding...give cyclists plenty of space, ALWAYS look before turning, always check your mirrors, and be patient on the road.

If i wasn't wearing my helmet i'ld be in serious trouble, (i've cracked it, and its a pretty beefy one too) likewise, if someone was tailgating the offending car i could have been run over as well.

from what i understand, helmets aren't comulsory in the US.. PLEASE USE THEM... i know there are a few cyclists here, i dont care how bad you look in them, because you'll look even worse with half your brain sticking out.


anyways.. take it easy out there...

ugh, ok, onto the important stuff how much superficial damage on a roadie is claimable? i mean morally... it is high end campy stuff here... anything else i should inspect on my bike.. its an alloy frame and i hit the ground hard on my right on my back... would this screw up the frame with an unexpected side-load? i haven't seen anything on it...

 

[BikeGeek]

Have the shop check your frame alignment if it comes out good I wouldn't worry about it if it's tweaked You'll probably have to toss the frame unless it can be bent back. I don't know if you can cold set aluminum like you can steel though. Glad to hear you're ok.

 

[team_sheepshead]

Sorry to hear about your wreck. Glad to know you are relatively ok. Not sure how it works in Oz, but this happened to me in the U.S. two years ago. I suffered a separated shoulder. I filed a claim with my car insurance company using my uninsured motorist coverage. Long story short, my car insurance company cut off my treatment and I ended up suing them. But my lawyer eventually managed to get me a cash payment of my coverage maximum (minus his cut, of course).

 

[wankski]

yes, we have road insurance for all users in OZ. Doesn't matter at the mo, i'm more interested in the criminal aspects of driving off, that made me mad...

thanks for the support guys. will post pics later... Just made this to encourage you to wear helmets...

interior and exterior shot. Glad that wasn't my head.

 

[Rollo Tommassi]

Glad you're ok

Any witnesses? Did you file a police report?

 

[fouadaswad]

Where were you hit? area? road?

 

[wankski]

yep, police report lodged, taking a while for them to get all the statements... One witness saw all and was pretty livid at the whole thing and committed to appear in court if need be.

fouad, i was hit in inner city melbourne. dont want to get into specifics yet, hope you understand.

 

[fouadaswad]

yep. no worries. good to hear you're safe.

 

[Argentius]

Ouch, that really sucks. I was hit and run recently, too, and thankfully I wasn't hurt any more than you.

About the helmets -- yeah, I do wear mine, and I don't want to launch into THAT can o' worms, but I will say that helmets are bigger and more explode-able than heads...

 

[aliensporebomb]

On the bright side, you get to get a new helmet now!

The bad side is the human body doesn't take well to getting hit by a car.

After being hit by one car on a bike I'm not eager to experience that again although
I've had some close calls.

Did you get a license plate or get any specific identifying info? Obviously
it's something you might want to avoid mentioning until all of your legal
ducks are in a row as it were but....

 

[wankski]

On the bright side, you get to get a new helmet now!

The bad side is the human body doesn't take well to getting hit by a car.

After being hit by one car on a bike I'm not eager to experience that again although
I've had some close calls.

Did you get a license plate or get any specific identifying info? Obviously
it's something you might want to avoid mentioning until all of your legal
ducks are in a row as it were but....

yeah tell me about it... the day it happened it wasn't so bad, but the day after.. boy was i sore... worse than any ill-advised gym session ever.

slowly getting better, but the front of my neck still hurts when i yawn or move quickly...

yeah, witness saw everything, plate and all... plate checked out at the police station - it's a pretty solid case... i've been reviewing the laws here and the driver is SOL. Laws were strengthened over the last few years. Mandatory loss of license for dangerous driving definately makes me feel better. He/She will get nailed on that. A$$hole. What i'm really looking for is the addition of a charge of willfully failing to stop.. That means possible jail time, but much harder to prove obviously. (I know they did, bastards!)

Anyway, the street will be safer for a minimum of 6 months, so i'm feeling some confidence in the law at the moment. (Don't worry, i won't hurt my chances at this... i'm a law student at one of the country's top institutions atm). Too bad for that A$$hole.

 

[achiral]

don't wanna get into it ... but i was involved in a hit and run today... Apart from scratches and stuff, and a sore head i'm ok.

please be careful on the road... that goes for driving or riding...give cyclists plenty of space, ALWAYS look before turning, always check your mirrors, and be patient on the road.

If i wasn't wearing my helmet i'ld be in serious trouble, (i've cracked it, and its a pretty beefy one too) likewise, if someone was tailgating the offending car i could have been run over as well.

from what i understand, helmets aren't comulsory in the US.. PLEASE USE THEM... i know there are a few cyclists here, i dont care how bad you look in them, because you'll look even worse with half your brain sticking out.


anyways.. take it easy out there...

ugh, ok, onto the important stuff how much superficial damage on a roadie is claimable? i mean morally... it is high end campy stuff here... anything else i should inspect on my bike.. its an alloy frame and i hit the ground hard on my right on my back... would this screw up the frame with an unexpected side-load? i haven't seen anything on it...

Since noone answered your original question regarding claimable damage, I'll attempt to do so at this point. In general, the party at fault has an obligation to return the vehicle back to its original shape (original being before the collision). For a car, this would mean bodywork, repainting, etc. For a motorcycle or bicycle, repair is often not possible or repair work would cost more than a new item. This means that any cosmetic damage would be claimable. In the case of the frame (and this also often goes for all two-wheeled vehicles), it is not possible to determine damage to the frame without quite an array of tests. Therefore, the frame is usually determined to be a total loss, also.

 

[Jeff in Texas]

Glad to hear that you are relatively alright. Its a good thing you protected your noggin!

Unfortunately, as for telling drivers to be watchful of cyclists, your preaching to the choir here. Hopefully though the witnesses of the accident will heed your advice and pass it on to others.

 

[wankski]

Since noone answered your original question regarding claimable damage, I'll attempt to do so at this point. In general, the party at fault has an obligation to return the vehicle back to its original shape (original being before the collision). For a car, this would mean bodywork, repainting, etc. For a motorcycle or bicycle, repair is often not possible or repair work would cost more than a new item. This means that any cosmetic damage would be claimable. In the case of the frame (and this also often goes for all two-wheeled vehicles), it is not possible to determine damage to the frame without quite an array of tests. Therefore, the frame is usually determined to be a total loss, also.

thanks for that mate... i feel a little silly claiming for stuff that is merely scratched, but you know what? who cares ! it's not my problem, why should i let them off? It's my property that was damaged in a cowardly and criminal act. Their insurance can wear it ! I'm most pissed about my road shoes, deep scratch thru my $200AUD shimanos, its put a fair bit of wear at the widest point of the toe box when i came down, so that probably had taken some life off it since shoes can split away from teh sole around there... pretty obvious too.. the other stuff i could let go except for the helmet of course ! Got myself a met replacement, its pretty nice... i shafted color choice and went for visibility with the white... not that it looks bad or anything ! (disclaimer: not that my last helmet was dark, it was bright blue in broad daylight on a clear sunny day, but not taking any chances now !... )