Confession

[Tallpaul]

Well, i did the worst thing i can currently imagine i'm capable of doing. I knocked someone off their bike

Coming to a mini roundabout i slowed to check for anyone coming, didn't see anything so pulled on to it to turn right. BANG, guy goes across the bonnet and lands in front of the car. I was travelling at 5 - 10 mph so stopped without doing any further harm.

The poor bloke had a fairly cut up knee and was very shaken, the rear wheel of his bike was buckled.

Swapped details and i took him to his office. Now i feel like the lowest form of scum.

This post is not for sympathy, i'm not really sure what it's for :?

 

[orange71]

Say ten hail maries and promise not to do it again

these things happen. Any idea why you didn't see him? Was he going fast, was he wearing dark clothing, have you got a blind spot in the car (my Saab has a terrible blind spot in the rear 3/4 which makes merging with traffic very difficult)?

 

[Tallpaul]

As with most modern cars my A-Pillar is very thick to increase the rigidity of the car. He was wearing all black and riding a darkly coloured bike, but i'm not about to start blaming him.

I can't really say how fast he was going as i honestly only saw him a split second before i hit his back wheel. The centre of the roundabout is full of trees and shrubs so i guess he just blended in to that background?

 

[orange71]

Obviously we should be on the side of cyclists here, and it was your fault at the end of the day, however I do feel that sometimes they don't help themselves if they will wear dark clothes and not make a bit of effort to be seen.

Number of times I've only just seen a cyclist at the last moment because they were dressed so darkly they blended in with the background.

 

[Lysander]

Ach.......we'll let ye off this time, but ye'll have to try harder......
You should have been talking on yer phone, gunning the engine, and immediately blame the dazed cyclist............them's the worst form of scum, not folks who have a geniune accident.

Cheers,
Dav

 

[TheGreenRabbit]

Sound like he was hopfully OK and I bet you was shaken as much as him.

 

[Tallpaul]

I bet you was shaken as much as him.

I've just spoken to him and he is a lot more understanding than i would have been. He went to hospital and had four stitches in his knee but they said he was basically ok, thank god.

He thinks he'll be back at work tomorrow so i'll get the bike from him and fix it up. Not sure what else i can do really :?

 

[tintin40]

I bet you was shaken as much as him.

I've just spoken to him and he is a lot more understanding than i would have been. He went to hospital and had four stitches in his knee but they said he was basically ok, thank god.

He thinks he'll be back at work tomorrow so i'll get the bike from him and fix it up. Not sure what else i can do really :?

Sounds like your both decent blokes and this just goes to show how in this world accidents/conflicts can be solved peacefully. So that every body is satisfied. Did he have lights? was their a need for lights on?
I'd had more time off work that's for certain

 

[Tallpaul]

I don't think he needed lights, it was about 8am but not particularly dark - maybe a little overcast.

I'm baffled why i didn't see him. I think that's the worst part; it's not like a saw him but didn't stop in time, i never saw him at all :shock:

 

[Pickle]

:shock:
Its just one of them things, we've all had a real 'oh s$#t' moment in our lives and this is yours.
Someone was smiling down on you and him, that why your both talking and have sorted it out.
Think yourself lucky that he didnt behave like a footballer, get carried off on a stretcher screamed at you that he'll sue you for all your worth!