Tripleshot Cycling

Hi all, Today's OBB ride got served hard with a reminder that good weather seems to bring more traffic and with it increased hazards. Everyone needs to be sure to look ahead at all times and not rely exclusively on the lead rider for spotting things that go boom.

The OBB fast group generally rides single file on the return trip from Sidney, which is a great start, but we got caught of guard as we tired and when we came through the usually quiet intersection in front of the Red Barn market on West Saanich, a driver turning left into our lane to enter the parking lot misjudged our speed and tried to beat us through. We all lost that bet. I was in second position and luckily picked the right direction to swerve. The rider ahead of me skidded headlong into the car's passenger side door at 30+k/hr. Chuck Dethridge, riding on my wheel, also went down pretty hard (probably clipping my rear wheel) but fared better than our anonymous friend on the pavement who looked pretty bad. The end result? An ambulance ride on a spine board for our friend, a broken bike, one traumatized driver, and a ruined day for all.

Not sure if we could have done much differently - maybe slow through that section - but I know that seeing the car start to move was part of what saved my @ss. Pure luck, I'm sure, helped also but it's not something I care to rely on.

Moral of this tale? Keep your head up at all times; look over the shoulders of the riders ahead of you and maybe look at the potential high risk zones as areas where 'game off' might be a better strategy. Your thoughts?

R

The guy who went down is a friend who's getting ready for the ride to Conquer Cancer. The biggest injury is bruising and bleeding of the lung. He has to go back to the hospital several times to get scanned. The driver got ticketed by the police, for failing to yield to oncoming traffic and admitted she saw the cyclists and thought she could squeeze by.

A frustrating note - the driver would never have 'tried to squeeze by' if instead of oncoming cyclists, it was an oncoming car or truck.

It's an unfortunate reality that as far as many drivers are concerned (either consciously or subconsciously), the collateral damage for a collision with a cyclist is minimal compared to that of a motor vehicle.

Defensive driver courses teach drivers to always be aware of other vehicles, regardless of who is in the right or wrong. I guess this incident just reinforces that sentiment.

Thanks for the additional info. I wish him in his recovery.

On another note, I think it's important for us to remember that, regardless of fault, driver's only have the risk of a ticket on the line (as you say). We have our lives on the line, so I suggest the onus is on us to be extra cautious.

R

Actually, drivers risk a hell of a lot more than just getting a ticket, given the significant injuries cyclists can sustain from even a low velocity impact.

On that note, I would recommend this poor fellow with the bleeding lungs to the fine personal injury counsel at Berge, Hart, Cassels (250-388-9477) or Johns, Southward (250-381-7321). In personal injury cases, the early days are often key to collecting and preserving relevant evidence. So call tomorrow!

(I would have recommended Bob Cameron (250-381-9200), who is an excellent PI lawyer with great experience in bicycle accident cases -- but I see Bob is no longer a TS sponsor. )

Incidentally, I shopped at the Red Barn this morning, and the southbound traffic coming onward as you turn left off West Saanich northbound comes up a significant rise and is only revealed at the last minute. It's no excuse for this erring driver, but perhaps something else to keep in mind as we approach that area from the north.