Hit after stopping at a zebra crossing

[chthonic]

Been in two minds as to whether to post this or not. Still sorting out the official documentation for the police.

Monday evening, cycling home along Agar Grove in Camden. Approaching a raised zebra crossing that is always a bit of an arse as it's badly pot-holed on the far side, which limits the routes you can safely take over it, and at the moment half dug up as a water main has burst underneath it. All these contributed to what happened.

As I get to the crossing there is a lady with a dog about to cross, so I come to a halt. I'm a little further left than I'd like to be, but that's the best line to avoid the potholes and the road works on the right hand side of the road are pushing cars coming the other way slightly over the centre line.

I put my right foot down, a couple of seconds pass and then *wham* a car is scraping its way down the child seat on the back of the bike, hitting my right calf and, with a massive shove, throwing me sideways towards the pavement. It really couldn't have been any closer and not hit my rear wheel.

The car hesitated just after the crossing, then turned immediately left at some speed.

I've got witnesses, one of whom chased the car and got its plate, and I've got two tiny bruises and a stiff shoulder. Bike is undamaged, as is the child seat, although that has acquired some new paintwork from the car. I'm really angry that it didn't stop. All they had to do was come over, check I was ok and say sorry, but no, they had to run away like a little kid.

I'm not sure how I could have avoided this except by being in a more primary position, anticipating having to stop. I'm not sure the car would have stopped even if I'd been emphatically in the way rather than slightly to one side though, so perhaps in this particular circumstance primary would have been even worse. I don't really know. One thing it has made clear though is that I don't do nearly as much rear observation as I could - I could hear stuff behind me, but the first I saw of the car was its wing appearing just below my right hip.

BTW
It would appear the plastic car seat absorbed a good deal of the impact and gently shoved me out of the way like a big scoop. Without it, the wing mirror would have hit me squarely in the back and shoved me forwards, possibly under the wheels. I hereby petition for them to be made compulsory since it clearly saved my life

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Ouch!! Gald to hear you came away relatively unscathed.

Let's hope the Police take a report of "Leaving the scene of an accident" seriously and chase the idiot up.. at the very least you can then claim from his/her insurance and make their payments higher as well as getting yourself and your bike back to the condition they were in prior to the "shunt from the c*nt" (sorry!).

I would strongly suggest replacing the child seat (assuming you use it) as it would be weakened from the impact - DO NOT USE IT!!!

 

[Arch]

Ah, where is dear old Theo....

For anyone who never came across hi, he reckoned it was a matter of life and death always to jump red lights in case the car behind you didn't stop.

Horrible thing to happen, and I hope the police follow it up properly - it's failing to stop at the scene of an accident. It's a good thing that lady and dog didn't happen to be in their way as well. Cowardly stupid bastards.

My best guess would be they weren't paying attention (on the phone?) and didn't see either you stopping, or the person waiting to cross, or possibly the crossing at all. They knew what they'd done afterwards, and ran away.

I'm assuming from the fact that you haven't mentioned it, that there wasn't a child in the seat at the time. But that driver wouldn't have known that from behind, and probably didn't have time to check in their mirror before they drove off.

I'm glad you got such good witnesses, and I hope it gets taken seriously. That could so easily have been you and the woman and dog on the crossing seriously hurt.

If you don't have a rack, can you wear a child seat on your head?

 

[siadwell]

Scary stuff, especially if the child seat hadn't been empty.

Hope you get a result with the police, but my guess is the driver was untaxed, uninsured, unlicensed.

I don't think any criticism can be levelled at you for your positioning. The driver was clearly inattentive/impatient, and the fact that they left you and possibly a child lying in the road brands them a complete scumbag.

 

[Arch]

Sadly, as an afterthought, the fact that they drove off might well mean uninsured, or worse, unregistered and untraceable to 'have a word with'.

edit: cross posted with siadwell

 

[eldudino]

Glad you're not too badly hurt. It could've been worse if you had a nipper in that seat, perhaps that's why the car took off so quickly. Hope they catch the fool.

 

[gaz]

Best of luck sorting it out. If the ran they probably have something to hide so lets hope they get caught.

Glad your ok.

 

[2Loose]

Good luck with the police, I hope the evidence you've got lets them catch this idiot.
I can't helping thinking how bad this would be if a nipper was in the child seat. This persons needs to be found.

 

[numbnuts]

WoW that’s frightening glad your OK

 

[Arch]

Good luck with the police, I hope the evidence you've got lets them catch this idiot.
I can't helping thinking how bad this would be if a nipper was in the child seat. This persons needs to be found.

I feel the same, but from what chthonic said, it sounds like the seat would have protected a kid fairly well - with two provisos a) that the kid didn't have an arm dangling over the edge to get crushed and the extra weight didn't make the rider lose balance and fall over (I can't quite tell if chthonic did fall over, from the post...)

All the experience I've heard (no kids, so never used a seat) suggests that by and large drivers are more careful around bikes with seats on (and trailers, something I can agree with from experience). So perhaps we should all get one. For best effect, find a nice big teddy to sit in it, wearing a kiddie helmet, so it looks like the seat is occupied...

 

[wesa]

Glad you and the bike are Ok.

I initially assumed that the child seat had a child in it, my blood is still running cold.

I take the child seat off when it is not in use. I agree with Arch, there is a huge difference in the way people drive near me when the seat it is on the bike. Attitudes are probably helped by the little one waving and cheering at anything that moves.

I have a very low regard for people who endanger my life on the road, but an even lower regard for those that endanger kids.

 

[Matthames]

Glad you are ok considering. Just hope the police give this idiots collar a good tugging.

 

[chthonic]

Cheers everyone

I should have mentioned that the seat was empty! When occupied, you can see my son's bright yellow helmet over the top of the seat back, but there's otherwise no way to tell it ISN'T occupied. As it was, it was the vertical back of the seat that was hit - it simply flexed out of the way, imparting the impact onto the bike in a nice gentle manner. This is one reason I think I came out of it so lightly.

I ended up on my side half on/half off the pavement. Had to retrieve the bike from the road.

The Police were very concerned - had patrol cars out there and then looking for the car (I know because I saw them and the 999 call-taker was talking to them at the same time as me). When picking up the forms to report it, the staff at Kentish Town station were horrified that there could have been a child AND the lady with the dog also involved.

Oh yeah - and all this took place directly under a CCTV camera on a pole - so let's see if they can dig that evidence up too, eh?

 

[chthonic]

I take the child seat off when it is not in use. I agree with Arch, there is a huge difference in the way people drive near me when the seat it is on the bike. Attitudes are probably helped by the little one waving and cheering at anything that moves.

I drop my son to nursery on the way to work, so cycle the rest of the way and the way back with an empty seat on the bike. And yes, I generally get good treatment from everyone - it makes commuting fun having a small person screaming "shadow!" right behind you every time they catch sight of their shadow on the road.

From May, I'll have son on seat and a trailer with 7 month twins in it. I'll be fitting big Boudicca-style scythes I think.

 

[BentMikey]

What an absolute swine of a driver!! Hope you get them strung up by the short and curlies for that.

p.s. If that were my child seat and there wasn't any obvious damage, I wouldn't be replacing it. YMMV.