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Wife had an accident this morning Hillsdale Blvd

savan

savan

11B
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Location
San Mateo
Moto(s)
Feisty red head 2004 MV Agusta Brutale 750s, Sold Back from the dead 2000 RC51, Sold 94 VFR 750
7am she is coming back from morning workout heading east on Hillsdale Blvd in the #1 Lane
Wife is 1/4 mile away from light starts to slow down light turns green she starts to speed up to about 25-30mph
Cage was ahead of my wife about in the #2 Lane.
My wife in #1 Lane reaches intersection at same time as Cage in #2 lane
Cage makes left turn from #2 lane no signal or notification of wanting to make a left
My wife barely has time to slow down and lean bike to avoid a full on front collision.

Wife lands on left side
Taken to hospital
No broken bones.

What could have been done.

Witnesses on scene place blame on Cager.
I agree Cager is at fault.
 

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Trust no cagers, ever. That's #1.

Understand that they don't see us and don't care what happens to us. #2.

That is about it.

Hope she heals up well. Did you get info from the cager?
 
Hey guys, let's not forget to keep the comments focussed on the events leading up to the crash and may have been done in an effort to avoid it in the first place.
 
savan said:
What could have been done.
Click to expand...

Not put herself in the the position where the sudden left turning cage takes her out.

Like Cincinnatus said, trust no cage. If a car has the opportunity to violate your right of way, assume it will. Either speed up to go through the intersection ahead of the car or slow down to leave more room to stop.
 
I had a very similar accident. Below is some input based on my first-hand experience (torn ligaments and everything), but first, I am super happy she is generally okay.

As Pete pointed out, trust no cage (or other unknown rider for that matter). After that, try and predict other drivers actions based on the environment. Approaching an intersection where a left turn is an option was a pre-crash indicator. Basically in a nutshell, because it is physically possible for a cage to turn left there (from any lane), then it is equally possible that a cage WILL turn there. Knowing that, do your best to not be there, just in case a vehicle decides to exploit that possibility.
 
I spoke with my wife a bit more about the accident.
She saw the car ahead of her in the #2 Lane
No indication that left was going to be made not even the creep up to the center line before actually merging in a Lane or turning.
Looks like Cager was looking at directions or missed her turn
Directions said left or that was her turn
Not two fucks were given to check for clear path and bam left Cager went from the #2 Lane crossing the #1 Lane and in front of my wife.
 
This has shaken her up a good amount don't know if she is going to hop back on the saddle
 
I don't believe that there was anything that your wife could do to avoid this crash. Having said this, I think that the odds are very high that this crash would have occurred if you wife was driving a Mack Truck. First off there is nothing to indicate that the driver in the #2 lane was doing anything outside of the usual to indicate that they were going to make a left. Second, distraction is distraction... if the other driver was "lost" and was referring to or using some type of route guidance, then this is where there focus was and when it came up that they had to turn left... that is exactly what they did without any thought that they were actually driving a car on the roadway.

Glad to hear that your wife is fine, and I hope that she doesn't give up riding after this. My wife broke a couple of ribs on her very first long ride that we took together... don't ask about it..... but she continued on with the trip and still rides.... she loves riding and will never give it up... you wife did all that she could based on the fact presented at this time... don't let her beat herself up about it and don't second guess that there was something that she could have done, this crash is not her fault... end of story....
 
Sorry to hear about the accident. I hope in time she gets back out there.
One thing I always try to do is look for drivers hands and watch the front wheels of cars I'm passing. As I approach a car I'm looking for head/hand movements. I'm also looking for eye contact, either mirror. A lot of times you can tell when they finally see you, because they look like this:wtf in the mirror.

One thing that might help. Need more info on what was going on before the crash. Did your wife just come up on the car? Was there other cars in the area? Was wife looking for other dangers, cross traffic, pot holes, ect?
 
Not look at empty space.

If the lane in front of you is open, why not start looking at vehicles next to you?

Possibly there might be a small indicator that the driver in lane 2 is going to make an illegal left. A head or hand motion, maybe a quick glance into the mirror.

I can't say that I do it all the time, but I pay good attention at where traffic is, not where it is not.
 
savan said:
My wife barely has time to slow down and lean bike to avoid a full on front collision.
Click to expand...
Sticking with the forum theme: There was some time. Why would she lean? The speed doesn't seem high enough. Often on a motorcycle, an avoidance maneuver is the preferable choice to heavy braking. Perhaps that would have been a better option.

Drivers are crazy. To reiterate what was already said, don't assume anything rational from most drivers. I don't know if she could have predicted the crazy driver's actions, but riders must be better at anticipation than drivers. It can be mentally challenging. I sure hope she gets something positive from this experience, since she didn't get injured.
 
Enchanter said:
Hey guys, let's not forget to keep the comments focussed on the events leading up to the crash and may have been done in an effort to avoid it in the first place.
Click to expand...

I really hate it when some posts are deleted and others are not. Why not just remind us to get back on topic?
 
OP does not have the ability to delete posts, that's a Moderator function.

Enchanter is selective when deleting posts. I'm not sure of his reasoning for deleting the offer to transport, nor will I attempt to read his mind.
 
It's rather simple guys: if it isn't related to lessons learned from the crash (how to prevent it in the future), it gets removed. The CA forum has always been focused in this area, and is not new information. If you want your post to stay here, then focus on the events that led up to the crash, and not the events after the crash.

There is nothing stopping you guys from sending a PM to the OP to discuss other topics.
 
MCSFTGUY said:
don't let her beat herself up about it and don't second guess that there was something that she could have done, this crash is not her fault... end of story....
Click to expand...

It's clearly not her fault, though if I were in her shoes, I'd be wondering if there was anything I could do differently in the future just because getting hit by a car sucks.

OP, your wife seems to recall a number of details about what the other driver was doing; looking for directions, etc. Did she find this out after the collision or did she observe it beforehand? If the latter, she will probably henceforth keep a close eye on nearby drivers who are clearly distracted.

Does your wife recall what she was looking at when the light turned? Specifically, was she focused on the turn ahead or did she manage to keep her vision wide? Maintaining a wide view in intersections is one of the best ways to get an early warning that something is going on beside you. The earlier we can see it, the more time it feels like we have to respond.

Without knowing more, it's not possible to say if this really could be avoided, but she may see a thing or two she could do in the future WRT vision and perhaps lane position.
 
Hope she heals up and get back on two wheels when she's ready.

I've never had a situation like this occur to me but have heard about it many times. What was her lane position? She could have had more reaction time if in the far left position as opposed to center or right. Was your wife doing everything she could to be visible?
 
Good to hear she's OK, and hoping she gets back on the horse.

Assuming your wife and the cage were going in the same direction...

Sounds like she was in his blind spot. I avoid that pointedly. Slow down or speed up, but spend as little time there as possible.
 
Glad to hear she is ok for the most part and hope we can get her back in the saddle.

I tend to give risks different priority levels. When travelling down in commute traffic, and open space is an invitation to a vehicle to make a lane change so I am very wary before entering this void.

Likewise, I treat intersections very much the same way. And when travelling into an intersection I am on very high awareness with cars on sides of me. Knowing where they are is background information for situational awareness, and cars immediately in my vicinity as well as those coming from the opposite direction (left turn possibility) are on High, with cars coming from the road on the right are given the next tier priority should they make a rolling red right turn.

Hope she gets back in the saddle and you may want to consider taking her to Rich Oliver's Mystery School and work with Karin Olivery, Danielle Diaz or Brigitta. Get to slide around TT125's and she can get great instruction from another female if she so desires. Although Rich is also fantastic.

Not knowing you or your Wife, or if you have any dirt background, this will give her another level of skill base to control a bike in extreme circumstances.
 
Having a R1200R totaled by the same thing a couple of years ago, I hope your wife can use this experience to become a better rider, when and if she's ready to get back on.

I know that I now fully expect every car beside me to turn in front of me at every intersection.

Was she covering her front brake lever? Covering her horn button? As has been said above, watching the front wheel is one of the earliest signs. If that wheel turns, I'm on brake and horn immediately. Hopefully, I've also gotten a sense of where my escape route is.

Thank you for supporting her through this.
 
savan said:
I spoke with my wife a bit more about the accident.
She saw the car ahead of her in the #2 Lane
No indication that left was going to be made not even the creep up to the center line before actually merging in a Lane or turning.
Looks like Cager was looking at directions or missed her turn
Directions said left or that was her turn
Not two fucks were given to check for clear path and bam left Cager went from the #2 Lane crossing the #1 Lane and in front of my wife.
Click to expand...

Note that intersections are the highest risk situation for any motorcyclist.

I would never assume that a car heading towards me in the opposite direction would never dream of suddenly turning left in front of me at an intersection...I would assume the opposite.

Always ASSUME that you are invisible to others on the roadway while riding your motorcycle.
 
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