A friend sent this to me last week and I should have taken his advice. But of course I didn't. I felt really good and on Thursday it was the first really nice day we've had in a while so I decided to ride my bike into work. It felt GREAT! It was cool and in the mid-50s in the morning on my ride in and when I got to work, the showers were actually hot. The day went by pretty fast and I was excited to ride home and get ready for the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. It was in the high 60s maybe low 70s on the way home and I made it about 10 miles into my 14 mile ride home and all of the sudden I heard the loudest scariest crunching noise I've ever heard in my life. I was hit by a car AGAIN!!!!!! This time instead of just hitting the pavement, the car actually side swiped me and ripped the side mirror off and knocked me off my bike and into the road in the process. I am extremely lucky that the car behind the one that hit me didn't run me over. Although he did leave the scene instead of stopping to help me. The truck two back from the car that hit me stopped and called 911.
This is the kicker, the guy that hit me, pulled over and when he finally got out of his car, he had a cast on his right foot, yeah the one you kind of need to push the gas pedal down! And to make matters worse, he walked over like that drunken old guy in Mortal Combat or is it Virtua Fighter, who knows I never was a big video game person, anyway, he was definitely not totally with it and not steady on his feet and should NOT have been driving!
Andover Police responded, then Andover Fire, then more Andover Police, then Methuen Fire because Andover didn't have an ambulance available. I took a nice ride to the hospital in an ambulance on a back board with a collar on and arm all bandaged up and still had my bike shoes on and my reflective vest and ankle reflectors, my helmet was resting in my lap as the ambulance weaved it's way through traffic. Oh by the way people, it's the law to PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT AND STOP. Thank God I wasn't really severely injured or dying. It's ridiculous how rude people are even to emergency vehicles. Really??? Is where ever you're going more important than someone's life? Doubt it.
Anyway, I'm extremely lucky and must have learned from playing hockey how to take a hit because I didn't break anything and didn't get another head injury (this would have made #7, I think). Lots of bruises and road rash that feels friggin AWESOME when they scrub the asphalt out of it with iodine. Hip is swollen, but not bruised. Must be where the side mirror clipped me before I ripped it clean off the car. On the bright side, my bike is just scratched a little and my bell is broken, but I'll take that over broken bones any day.
They took great care of me in the ER and my friend Kim had her husband Bill come pick me up and help me get my bike back from Andover PD. Then they made me dinner too! I have the best friends ever!
Friday I got up and went to work just to let my boss know that I was going home to rest. I probably could have just called in, but considering I was hit last year biking to work I thought calling in and saying I was hit again was going to be unbelievable. So, I went in, waited 20 minutes for him to show up and then went home. I slept almost all day, only interrupted by people calling or texting to make sure I was alive.
So, I think the world might be trying to tell me something. Like pedal faster, or maybe take a break.......
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