I thought yesterday I might blog about by long day of work from 8-4 followed by class from 4:30-6:48. I thought I might complain about being tired after my leisurely month-long break, but instead I got hit by a car while riding my bike to class and it created a different day altogether. Funny how that happens.
So, I did work yesterday and it was kind of nice to accomplish things again. It was also a bonus to stop at Starbucks and pay with one of my Christmas gifts. When I got to work, my boss had left a card on my desk with another Starbucks card (!)… maybe that’s why work wasn’t so bad. On my lunch break, I wrote a story about my different running routes in Columbus and sent it in to the Dispatch (I’m still on this freelance thing… no replies yet).
By 4:00 I was running out the door to get to my bike and ride to class. I was worried about getting there on time. I was riding north on High Street and the light at 5th Ave was green, so I was riding through it as I noticed this big SUV is rolling out into the intersection, turning right on red, but NOT stopping. I’m rolling toward him saying, “Stop, stop stop!” Then, I realize he isn’t going to stop and I see his grill coming right at me. It hits my shoulder and knocks me into the intersection. I am shoved sideways a couple of feet and my bag flies off me. Stunned, I stand up, start crying, grab my bag and drag it to the sidewalk, go back, grab my bike and drag it to the sidewalk and then sit on the curb holding my knees, which were hurting pretty badly. A moment later, an older lady is right in front of me, bent down waving a piece of paper in front of my face. It has her name and phone number on it. “I saw the whole thing. Are you alright?” “I think so,” I say, which I did think so. I felt okay, but I was crying from the shock. A city bus stops and the driver yells, “Do you want me to call dispatch?” I nod, not entirely sure if we should, but I figure it’s better to have a police report than not have one. I dig my phone out of my bag (it was fine) and call Dan, he picks up, and I’m crying and telling him I got hit and that I’m at High and 5th. But right then, the SUV that hits me starts to pull away and I yell, “Don’t leave!” The girl in the passenger seat tells me they’re just pulling in to the parking lot that was on the corner. I’m relieved and hang up with Dan. By this time two more people came up, one guy told me he would wait for the cops with me and another guy said he had medical training and I showed him my knees. He thought they looked fine, but then he started talking crazy about his experience being a bike messenger in New York City and I don’t think he was completely right in the head. Anyway, Dan shows up and so do the police and… an ambulance. I’m thinking, “Holy crap, I don’t need an ambulance.” I still had my pants hiked up and they looked at my knees and sort of smiled. They took me into the ambulance, gave me an ice pack, took my blood pressure and pulse and told me that I should be fine. I might need some advil later on, but that was it. I was grateful for that, but still crying like a baby, I was feeling nauseous as the gravity of the situation started to hit me. Dan came to sit in the ambulance with me and the police officer came to take my statement. The EMT told me that it was a good thing I was riding on the street and not in the crosswalk because then I would have been cited too, for riding my bike on the sidewalk. Then, we got out of the ambulance, the cops gave us exchange of information forms and I filled mine out. He delivered it to the driver. Dan and I got in the car to wait for the okay to leave. While waiting, the girl in the passenger seat of the SUV got out and gave me their exchange of information card and asked if I was okay. I said I was and that I was just shaken up. The guy in the car leaned over and said he was sorry and he didn’t mean to hit me. Then, the cop called me over again and told me that they would be cited for failure to yield, to call their insurance to report the incident and that we could go. Before we left though, he said he’s seen plenty of fatal bike accidents that happened just like this, the car going a low speed and the biker hit their head on the pavement the wrong way. He said I was lucky and I need to wear a helmet. I nodded again and a big lump formed in my throat. So, we got in the car (my bike in the back), I burst into a fresh sob, and we went home.
Back at home, Dan made me some tea and had me lay down on the couch. I debated about going to class, but my head and knees hurt, I felt nauseous and I thought she might think I was silly saying, “Sorry I was late, I just got hit by a car.” If I were the professor, I know I would have said, “Why did you come?” So instead, I called my mom to let her know what happened. She freaked out a bit, but made me feel better. Later on in the evening, I got a call from each of my siblings in turn, all confessing that they heard from mom. When I was talking to Julie I realized that it was on my first day of class in the Summer that I got chased by a homeless person AND it was at the exact same intersection. How ironic. Yesterday was Nick’s birthday, so when he called he tried to lighten the mood by telling me that one time, he fell off his four-wheeler and then it ran him over. I told him I wouldn’t be riding my bike for awhile and he told me that everything, everything is dangerous in some way. That’s true, but even so, I think I’ll be driving to class tonight.
Later on, I started to realize that the driver and the passenger in the SUV didn’t even get out of the car to help me. They were in their car watching me pick up my bag and bike in the middle of the street and sit on the curb to cry. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now I wonder why they didn’t get out to help me. I hope that’s the first thing I would do if I hit someone in my car. I don’t know, maybe they were in shock too… who knows. Another thought I had later was, I am so stupid for not wearing helmet. But the most important thought (I think) was that I worried last night and all day about my long day, getting to work and then making it to class on time. I laid out my clothes, packed my lunch and dinner, worried some more (all the things I usually do) and then bam, I get hit by a car and I don’t even make it to class. All that worrying for nothing. And… it could have been much worse, much much worse, which makes me think that I shouldn’t worry about these goofy little things, because in an instant it could all change. I should try to be happy and grateful for how wonderful my life is and how amazing my husband and family are. So, I might be late for class, so I might not get an A all the time, so my bathroom might need cleaned, so what? I’m alive.
