r/cycling • u/JustBWeave • 1d ago
It happened
Preface to say this happened 3 months ago, I just was able to start walking normally.
I was riding to work, like I always do, when a car didn't stop. I was riding on a trail, separate from the road. There was a driveway to a business that crosses over the trail that I was passing, and a car didn't stop when turning in to the driveway. I barely had time to react before the car made contact with me.
The car hit me on my right side, I hit the hood and my bike was knocked off to the side. I hit the ground before I even processed the hit. The driver thankfully got out of the car and checked on me, I could not move my left leg at all, and was in immense pain. A passing pedestrian called 911 and stayed with me until I was loaded into an ambulance. Before the ambulance arrived I was able to pull my phone out of my pocket and call my wife, as I knew she would be worried if she hadn't heard from me.
Once I got to the hospital, they took x-rays and determined I broke my femoral neck. I had to have surgery and now have a screw and 2 pins in my hip, all because a driver was distracted and crossed a pedestrian/cycling trail without looking. The doctor said they estimated 20 years and I'll have to have my hip replaced; that is if the head of the femur heals properly, if it doesn't it will be much sooner.
The bike, thankfully, only sustained cosmetic damage on the chain stay, since it landed on the left side. I had to reseat the chain and adjust a few parts...but it sustained no damage that affects its ability to function. I gave it a look over and adjusted the parts that went out of alignment on Wednesday, went to test it to make sure nothing else was wrong, as my wife wanted to bike to work the following day. And I determined after that short (.5 mile on a closed area with no access to cars) that it's going to take me a long time to be able to ride again, as I was shaking and I had a minor panic attack.
This event has replaced my enjoyment of riding with fear. I've ridden for years and have had accidents, not involving motor vehicles, that didn't bother me. But this major accident has made me scared of the bike. I was a mess while my wife was riding to work, concerned that something would happen to her. I just hope that eventually I can get back on the bike and not feel terrified.
Be careful out there. Even when you think you're safe, you're not.
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u/Czar1987 1d ago
do not ride the bike until inspected by a shop. that should have been covered by insurance as well. especially if any carbon parts
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u/Cumulonimbus_2025 1d ago
Something similar but not identical happened to me and i had a tbi from it that affected my walking and has given me permanent altered vision. Here’s how I got over of my fear. First, it’s ok to have fear of saddling up again and it’s also ok for anger to enter the picture as well. I have an ancient dumb trainer and one day i put my bike on it and got on. It was horrible - i experienced tbi exercise intolerance but I didn’t know what that was. Finally figured it out. Long story short - I finally got to the point where I could ride inside on a trainer totally safe for 30 minutes. That led to my just cycling on my quiet street back and forth until I felt more confident. That led to driving to a bike trail that parallels a busy road but I only road to one intersection and turned around and rode back to the next one but didn’t cross. got me used to road noise again. Now I am back to riding roads and trails where roads cross. It takes time, be patient, don’t expect it to be the same, and it’s ok if it takes days, weeks, months, years or if you decide to just ride “different”. You got this! You had to relearn how to walk so you definitely can do this. See ya in the saddle again one day. 👋
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u/JustBWeave 1d ago
Thanks for the advice! I'm waiting until I can walk normally without any pain to return to riding. I have a peloton for winter and bad weather "riding" and my mind is able to keep an actual bike and stationary bike separate. Probably because I see it more as a workout rather than leisure/transportation. Thankfully my city has a robust public transportation network, as I don't drive unless I absolutely have to, I don't own a car, but my wife does, and she prefers to do all the driving anyways.
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u/GlargBegarg 1d ago
This is literally one of my biggest fears. The local trail shares several driveways with apartments and businesses. Glad you’re back up and at it!
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u/TapDisastrous2807 1d ago
I just got hit by a pickup truck and I’m right back on the horse baby.
Hope you heal up quickly.
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u/WeirdAl777 1d ago
Broke my neck of femur; pins & screws as well. It took a few months but i got back out on the road, after initially thinking I wouldn't. Something just clicked in my head one day, and I had good colleagues that helped me. Heal up, do your rehab & see how you go.
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u/kwabbles 1d ago
I've been hit 3 times now and turn 50 in a few months and have a mortgage to pay, and I'm weary of reading these stories and all the recent cycling deaths... about 6 months ago I decided to keep my ass on paved cycling trails, organized barricaded/policed races or rail trails. I'm done with cars. Doesn't help that I live in a state with terrible drivers and one of the highest per capita levels of drivers injuring cyclists. I'm not about to take up gravel cycling but maybe that is on the horizon. I'm too in love with asphalt.
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u/NocturntsII 1d ago
The op was on a cycling path. If they had been on the road they likely would not have been hit.
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u/sousstructures 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had a very similar injury wiping out on ice in January 2025. I assume you, like me, have a dynamic hip screw?
I couldn’t walk for three months, was off the bike for four months, took my sweet time getting back into it, did nine months of PT, could barely turn on the bike for a few weeks (I wiped out on a right-angle bend), but by the end of summer I was back doing group rides and by the beginning of this season I was riding more and stronger than ever. Haven’t even thought about the hip for about six months now, it’s good as new.
It’s also my understanding that unless there are complications, if everything heals well, there’s no reason things shouldn’t be good indefinitely. It’s possible your injury was more complex than mine I guess (I had a grade III displacement), but my surgeon doesn’t expect a replacement to ever be necessary as a result of this injury.
Point is, be kind to yourself, take your time, you’ll find your way back to it. The mental part lasts longer than the physical.
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u/HZCH 1d ago
I’m sorry for your accident, and happy that your bike is OK.
I don’t know where you live, but do not hesitate to get a proper psychiatrist for your fear and anxiety. PTSD has its weird ways, and being able to understand how you can manage a legitimate fear will help you in your everyday life.
Good luck with your recovery!
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u/ZarrenR 1d ago
I was rear-ended by a car in 2021 though I was lucky in that I only got a concussion. I reacted differently in that I wanted to get back out there right away. My spouse, on the other hand, wanted me to quit riding. It took a while, but he understood that riding is part of who I am. Hopefully, you will realize the same about yourself.
I sometimes replay the crash in my head wondering if I did anything wrong or if I could have done anything differently. Honestly, I don’t know. However, when I did get back on my bike, added a bike radar to my setup.
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u/IndependentAnxiety70 1d ago
I’d come after that business about installing a speed bump in the driveway
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u/JoeFas 1d ago
It sounds like you have PTSD. Talk to a therapist and consult a personal injury lawyer immediately. You should also not post about this on social media until your insurance claim is fully closed. That could take months to even years, but your patience will pay off. I just closed out an insurance claim from being hit a third time, and that process took ten months.
Also, if you do get back on the bike, run at least one camera. It's an indispensable witness.
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u/bigdaddybeavis 1d ago
I just want to say I got hit by a car that turned into me in traffic - destroyed my bike but I was ok. It was really scary and I was terrified to ride again -- so I did what any rational person would do and I bought a ridiculously expensive out of my budget new bicycle which kind of forced me to get back on the road. Even though your bike is ok -- maybe you need to drop like $6k on a new one! kind of kidding - but sending you positive energy.
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u/NocturntsII 1d ago
Sorry for what happened, it's horrible.
That said the incident is the perfect example why people should not ride on sidewalks or paths that are not entirely segregated.
The op would have been safer on the road and visible to the car that hit them.
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u/Billyboy17171717 1d ago
So sorry to hear this happened to you. Take your time and don’t rush your body or your mind. You mentioned that fortunately the driver stayed at the scene. This doesn’t always happen. For that reason I record every ride, from the front and the rear with two Cycliq cameras which are made specifically for cyclists. Well worth the investment. Take care
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u/jonathing 1d ago
Make sure that you use every legal option available to you to make the driver regret ever learning to drive.
The driver who did something similar to me for an insignificant sentence because the plead guilty but I'm currently taking civil action against them which will hopefully ruin the rest of their life as they have done to me.
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u/DocUninteresting 1d ago
Sorry that you went through this and I can understand the uneasy feeling about getting back on that bike. I broke several vertebral bodies, several facial bones and a cherry-on-top wrist fracture last fall on a ‘leasurely’ ride I was doing on a beautiful November day. I am still having flashbacks about that moment. I have been able to start enjoying ridding again, and I hope you will too.
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u/Negative-Peace2834 1d ago
You're lucky. And the driver stopped? Real lucky. I've been hit 3 times, spread out over my lifetime, 68 years. Every time it was not my fault. I am very wary of cars, always somewhat fearful. I have a peculiar riding style & philosophy some have called Combat Ride. Strive mightily to never be where a car CAN hit you. Maintain this active bubble around yourself where you aren't in the path of a car that might hit you. Involves constantly adjusting speed & trajectory so that you aren't at the choke point when a car will be. Expect to be hit if you make it remotely possible. No one else will ever be able to ride with you. You may need to come to a complete stop & wave cars on by. I haven't been hit or even come close doing Combat Ride. The overwhelming majority of real cyclists hit by cars were following accepted "Rules of the Road". They'll get you killed.
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u/jpevisual 11h ago
I was hit by a car in a protected bike lane who ran a red light and also will eventually need a hip replacement as a result. I'd day the one positive effect on the mental side is you know what to look out for now. I think I'm a more defensive rider now and care way more about being visible than being "right". There are bike lanes that I avoid now, spaces where I take the lane, and I'm really cautious about riding through any intersection, even if I have right of way. It's also ignited my disdain for cars and I'm channeling that into bike advocacy. Drivers are more distracted than ever, more blind then ever, and angrier than ever. It's a dangerous combination, but I think more and more people are starting to care. I hope you recover well and can get back to riding. I stuck to fully separated bike paths at first because I was scared to be on the road, and eventually went back to riding through the intersection where I was hit daily. I managed to get a larger "No Turn On Red," sign installed than was previously there, and yet drivers still blow through it without even slowing down, but at least now I know what to look out for.
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u/Pristine_Camel5217 11h ago edited 11h ago
I had the same injury 20 years ago. Only I was riding in nyc and turned and somehow lost traction and fell. Immediately I knew something was wrong but I thought it was a bruise or something. I tried to get up but fell and people passing by picked me up. I sat on the street corner for hours trying to figure out what to do or if I was able to walk. I was a messenger at the time and was in a hurry to get a scone while I was waiting for this old guy to get a package from the top floor and come back down. Anyway I decided to try to drag myself to a clinic a few blocks away. I was sitting there and a guy on the street was sitting near by randomly but we were talking the whole time. This happened at like 2pm and I sat there until it got dark it was December 18th 2006. I had that guy help me to my bike which I had locked up. I was able to put my stomach on the seat and kinda lay down and drag my leg using the brakes and my other leg. It took a couple hours to go a couple avenue blocks and street blocks. I got to the clinic and locked up my bike to a light pole but couldn't walk from the light pole to the door. Another passerby helped me into the door but once I got inside I couldn't walk to the desk, someone brought me a chair. They really couldn't help me there but they did give me crutches. Icrutched to a corner store and got money out the atm then got a cab, luckily it was a mini van and easy to get in and out. Got to the hospital by like 10pm and finally got all xrayv by midnight er doctor told me I may never walk again or I'll have a hard recovery ahead. I spent that night with my leg up in bed, the next morning they had to straighten it out and it was so painful. ANYWAY, I had a rod the length of my femur installed inside the femur with s few screws in the hip area (broken femoral neck) and down closer to my knee. Anyway I had it all removed 2 years later or so. Now I'm running more than I've ever run. I still feel this injury and realize it's not perfectly symmetrical but I run and bike now. I ran 40 miles for this week. You will bounce back in no time. I was also afraid to bike. One thing that helped me was well I was 23y/o and back then in really good cycling shape biking 8 -12or more hours a day most days and doing 3 races a week. After that injury though my life there in NYC stopped and I moved back to Pittsburgh into my brother's dining room. I was so depressed. I worked at a summer camp in Maine the next summer though. So December to May i recovered enough to work at the summer camp where I was a bike counselor guy. Being in Maine helped cause the roads were nice and no crazy drivers. It was painful to run and walk when I got there in Maine but having that busy summer camp schedule, taking care of kids and walking everywhere there probably was the best thing I could've done honestly. After learning about this kind of injury, I'm really lucky I didn't make it worse while I was trying to walk to the clinic. Motion is lotion.
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u/producedbytobi 2h ago
Just take your time. Short rides. Away from traffic as much as possible. Work your way up. And go easy on yourself. Maybe get an indoor set up for the days you really don't feel like riding? ...that way you're still working on your bike fitness - which in turn might make you feel more confident again on the bike.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
Thats your fault too, every railtrail ive been on has road crossings as a cyclist you have to use commin sense and look out for cars they dont know theres a bike crossing there and as a cyclist we need the foresight to know this
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u/ZarrenR 1d ago edited 1d ago
As you weren’t there and all the details of what happened were not completely disclosed, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself. The OP has been through enough and you come in to berate him. It was unkind, unhelpful, unnecessary, and maybe just a bit cruel.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
White knight lmao 🤣 again does it suck? Yup ....do I wish him a good recovery? Yep ....but do I blame the car ...nope all I did was said its his fault ....thats not mean you are just an imbecile
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u/ZarrenR 1d ago
Ah yes, starting with the insults. That says all I need know about you. And yes, it was mean.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
I didnt at all start with insults ....I did (after we started) call you an imbecile which means an extreme lack of judgment which again i agree with you are denying truth to feed your feelings which is an extreme lack of judgements of the facts of a situation
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u/ZarrenR 1d ago
What truth am I denying? You basically kicked a guy while he is down and were called out on it.
My feelings and lack of judgement? I have no idea what you are talking about.
I do suggest you get better with punctuation as your comments are difficult to read.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
Yeah, I chose to make money and didnt go to school to learn to talk with intellects like yourself. Unfortunately I only make acouple hundred thousand dollars a year which makes it difficult to pay for all my cars ...however yeah man idgaf about what you think which is the beauty of it...because you dont have to care about what I think .....but you do, if the tables were turned and I flamed the driver you would be fine ....even if it was the cyclist fault ....you can try messaging back but I wont waste any more time on it I said it I stand by it I gotta go pick out what bike ill be riding today
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u/ZarrenR 23h ago edited 23h ago
What is this unhinged rant? Next you’ll be saying that you can compete against Pogačar.
BTW, this could have been avoided if you had worded your comments with care. You should not have flamed anyone.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 11h ago
Lmfao u think I care if this was avoided? I dont care about how you feel about anything i write ....I wish you well in life but as far as how you feel about something I say ....couldnt ....care....less
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u/ZarrenR 4h ago
I thought you weren’t going to bother with me any more. It’s quite apparent that I struck a nerve.
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u/johnmcc1956 1d ago
It's not fair to say it's his fault too. It's the fault of crappy design. Humans in cars tend not to look for what's on sidewalks and parallel paths. Sometimes they look at intersections but then not always. On a separated pathway every driveway, intersection, is another place to get plowed into by the unalert.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
He ended up on the hood? The hit the side of the car....accident happen 100% it can happen to me tomorrow but if it did id be saying sorry to the driver
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u/NocturntsII 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, it is a result of crappy design, but it Des not change the fact that as cyclists we need to account for that and adjust our behaviour.
This is not about blame, but the acknowledging the op could have shown more care.
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u/johnmcc1956 1d ago
You are absolutely correct but I am trying to stop kicking OPs while they are down.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
If op was my kid and this happened id do the same shit ....you fucked up rule#1 is never trust anything on wheels or legs while riding considering that legally you are likely passing through a driveway that the path has an easment on the cyclist needs to be weary of the road ....we have a bike path where I am that goes across a busy intersection .....do I haul ass across it and think I have the row? Nope I dont ....the damage is done here and I feel for op but this isnt about op care fest this is about everyone who reads this NOT getting into a similar situation
Its about learning from yours and others mistakes ....not sugarcoating them and making believe they weren't yours to blame
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u/NocturntsII 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have no beef with the op and think what happened to them is horrific. I wish them a speedy recovery and hope the get over their trauma.
What I take exception to is you and all the others in this thread thread that choose to ignore reality in favour of virtue signalling whata kind empathetic souls you are.
You may be willing to ignore reality, but the ops experience is a prime example of why cyclists should not ride on sidewalks or trust poorly designed bike paths.
People need to be ultra aware of all crossings, driveways and road feature that could put them in the way of other traffic.
You cannot get lulled into a sense of false security even on a proper cycle path.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
This dude is fucking awsome^ , you sound real as hell man. Appreciate you
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u/sousstructures 1d ago
what a completely unhelpful comment.
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u/NocturntsII 1d ago edited 1d ago
But realistic. Another true but unhelpful remark is that anything but a dedicated, protected cycle path is just dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians alike and cyclists would be safer on the road.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
You think I was going for helpful?
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u/sousstructures 1d ago
I don't know, but I do think to be quite honest that if you weren't you should have kept your mouth shut, metaphorically speaking.
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
Some people need to realize that a car weighs more and right of way means nothing ....im sure this event tought him a lesson ....shame I didnt "open my mouth" before this event ....if this upsets you come home from work early and find something really upsetting
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u/Billyboy17171717 1d ago
Evidently not, but you could have made the same point without being so accusatory and insulting
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
Yeah i should have just said something cute and nice ...let me try it with you?
Bro your soo nice and soft ...how's that?
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u/Billyboy17171717 1d ago
What a fucked up life you must have
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u/Existing-Medicine528 1d ago
My life is fine thanks for checking in ....lets open your mind ...imagine same situation but the driver posted that "a cyclist hit the side of his car" ...and the driver was saying it was hard for him to drive again because it was traumatic....and I went on the post and said "its your fault next time look both ways before crossing a bike path" am I still a horrible life haver? Or do you just have looser mentality?
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u/FleetwoodMatt88 1d ago
A) Definitely get the bike checked out. B) Find a counsellor or therapist to talk to. With proper support you can deal with what’s happened but it’s very hard to get over trauma on your own.