And this is why we wear bicycle helmets.
So I'm driving home this evening, talking to the husb via a handsfree device (of course), when I get a sense of a vague traffic disruption and see, you know, a bicycle fly up into the air in front of a car.
And this is why we wear bicycle helmets. Because the car that hit the guy actually has his helmet pinned to the ground between the front of the tire and the asphalt.
I say, "OhGodohGod, I just saw someone get hit by a car!" and pull over and hang up and crack the windows for Winston.
Before I stopped my car, I saw him lying on the ground, clearly moving, but head and helmet clearly stuck.
By the time I parked and got out, he was walking around with his bicycle helmet in his hands.
Let's all say this together:
This is why we wear bicycle helmets.
PS - I'm happy to say that in the friendly streets of Los Angeles, this incident attracted about 20 people willing to help. So I got back in the car and drove home, feeling a little less whiny in general about my life.
And this is why we wear bicycle helmets. Because the car that hit the guy actually has his helmet pinned to the ground between the front of the tire and the asphalt.
I say, "OhGodohGod, I just saw someone get hit by a car!" and pull over and hang up and crack the windows for Winston.
Before I stopped my car, I saw him lying on the ground, clearly moving, but head and helmet clearly stuck.
By the time I parked and got out, he was walking around with his bicycle helmet in his hands.
Let's all say this together:
This is why we wear bicycle helmets.
PS - I'm happy to say that in the friendly streets of Los Angeles, this incident attracted about 20 people willing to help. So I got back in the car and drove home, feeling a little less whiny in general about my life.
Labels: adventure, los angeles, note to self, stuff i dislike
posted by Katie Alender at
9:58 PM
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7 Comments:
Holy cow! I'm glad that the cyclist is ok. Is LA bicycle friendly? We don't have many bike lanes here and I swear some drivers seem to want to mow the cyclists down.
Most of LA is pretty bicycle unfriendly, just because there are so many people on the road. And there are a lot of hills. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was a surge of progress on that account, since people are so much more aware than they used to be.
that's good advice katie... and the law here
with gas prices rocketing, even with a $20+ DROP per barrel of oil, soon a lot more folk will be on bikes....
i bought mine more than a year ago
Laughingwolf, I think a lot of people are rethinking their transportation strategy. I have a great bike, which i haven't ridden in probably five years. I need to haul that sucker out and get it tuned up (ironically, I did buy myself a bicycle helmet about two months ago--now I need a working bike to go with it).
My God, what a thing to see! How wonderful that the guy was able to walk away from that, and that so many people offered to help!
I had a boyfriend who was dragged half a block by a car that had clipped him while he was cycling; his helmet undoubtedly saved his life. I had a housemate whose tire blew out while he was going down a sharp incline; he went flying and landed on his back and the doctors said both his backpack and helmet had saved his life and kept him from becoming periplegic. My kids get grilled all kinds of ways before they get on their bicycles, and I think I'll have them read this post over my shoulder!
good, and like you point out, one MUST be aware of surroundings all the time....
Here's a typical conversation with Hans. Me: Are you going to wear your helmet? Hans: I'm only going to the store. Me: Are you saying you won't see even one car on your way to the store? Hans: Well, no... Me: I don't want to hear it! Even YOUR head isn't hard enough to survive bouncing off the pavement, NOW PUT ON THAT HELMET!!" Hans: Yes ma'am.
Thank you for this post, Katie, because he's going to be hearing about it!
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