[Brantman1]

Went down hard last night in Los Angeles.

I was riding home from work, heading down the Sunset Strip when a drunk pedestrian ran into traffic on Sunset Blvd and there wasn't enough time to stop. I hit her and we both went down. She was a little scraped up but luckily unhurt, she tried to leave the scene and it was all I could do to get her to stay. Sheriff and EMTs showed very quickly just as she was leaving. I was having neck, shoulder, and collarbone pain so I went to Cedar Sinai in an ambulance. I was wearing all my gear so that saved me. No broken bones, no road rash but I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck from hitting the pavement. It's hard to move around right now I'm so sore and my left hand is a little tingly. So glad I was wearing my gear. Entire front of my helmet is scraped and the front vent torn off. (If I hadn't been wearing a full face that would have been my chin), holes in the palms of my gloves, jacket shredded where the armor saved me, and a big chunk taken out of my right boot. It could have been much worse. My poor scrambler didn't fair very well. Only 1500 miles on her. Left tank panel and logo sheered off. Shifter mangled. Both front blinkers broken, headlight broken, passenger peg almost shaved off, bar end shaved off and bars are totaled, completely bent. Clutch lever torn off. Both mirrors broken. Probably lots more I haven't diagnosed yet.

I'm very lucky I wasn't hurt more and she's very lucky she got hit by a moto and not the cars that were on either side of me.

Now begins the nightmare of insurance and lawyers. My bike will be covered by my insurance but if they raise my premium as a result of the claim I don't think I'll be able to afford it anymore, I was already at my limit with a clean record.

 

[mugwump]

Bummer! Glad you are OK but excuse us here in UK if we lack sympathy when you talk about getting taken out on sunset strip! It'd be worth a crash to say that at work the next day! instead of M27 or Accrington Stanley high street !!
Bike can be fixed, At least your relatively unhurt.[happy]

 

[Brantman1]

Haha lemme tell you, the glamorous pavement hurts just as much as the regular. haha And definitely, it could have been much worse!

 

[DaveInWoodland]

I used to hate driving anywhere in the L.A. area. Glad you're ok hopefully there is enough evidence and witnesses to help you through this. And yes people may give me a hard time about all the gear I wear when riding, but as you found out for yourself it's better to sweat then bleed.

 

[ladyeclectic]

Damn, glad you're okay!! Did they give her a breathalyzer on the scene to be sure she was drunk? Might make a big difference down the road if you can prove it was her fault...

Get better soon, hope insurance doesn't jerk you around too much on repairs!

 

[Brantman1]

Damn, glad you're okay!! Did they give her a breathalyzer on the scene to be sure she was drunk? Might make a big difference down the road if you can prove it was her fault...

Get better soon, hope insurance doesn't jerk you around too much on repairs!

I hope they gave her a breathalyzer, she was still on the scene with the deputies when I was hauled off in the ambulance. I really hope to read the police report and find out that they breathalyzed her and cited her for jaywalking, that would help me out a lot

 

[John]

Sorry to hear about your bike that sucks, glad your ok!

 

[motopilot]

Glad you are ok! I got hit by a car years ago. I wasn't so lucky. Shattered left foot and ankle. Took me years to recover. But thank God I can walk today. Get a lawyer.

 

[Bradders]

At least it wasn't your sunset

 

[Yellow Icon]

I had something similar happen on my last bike. Pedestrian ran out from between traffic £4k worth of damage to my bike and a broken toe. Pedestrian who was unhurt as I took the hit then sued me for £10k

 

[Brantman1]

I had something similar happen on my last bike. Pedestrian ran out from between traffic £4k worth of damage to my bike and a broken toe. Pedestrian who was unhurt as I took the hit then sued me for £10k

Good lord, that's scary. Did she win the suit?? God I hope you didn't have to pay that.

 

[The Duchess of Desmo]

Very sad news but you survived to tell us the tale and that's the best part. Let's hope the insurance comes good and your bike is back on the road quickly. Hopefully you will feel the soreness ebb away
Carole

 

[Yellow Icon]

Good lord, that's scary. Did she win the suit?? God I hope you didn't have to pay that.

Their word against mine, the insurance company paid out. I now suffer from ridiculous premiums. The lesson here is make sure you get names/contact details of witnesses, call the police to make sure that they dont take you to the cleaners. Also, consider counter suing.

 

[littleowl]

Oh no that's awful , you must be sick about your bike but glad you are relatively ok. Fingers crossed that insurance gets settled in your favour and it's not too drawn out (as they usually are )

 

[BiffNotZeem]

Sorry to hear about what happened to the original poster and his bike.

For those who haven't been to LA, some parts of Sunset Strip are fashionable, but some parts are kinda seedy.

The lesson here is make sure you get names/contact details of witnesses, call the police to make sure that they dont take you to the cleaners.

YMMV. I was in a car accident about 10 years ago in which I was in the right under the law. However, for some reason, the officer cited me for a violation that I didn't commit and didn't cite the other driver (who didn't even have insurance). Plus, he misrepresented what happened in the accident report.

In the hearing, when my attorney noted what law that had been cited for violating and what that law actually said, it was so clear that I was in the right, the judge immediately dismissed the citation. But I still had to pay for an attorney and drive two hours each way to the two hearings despite having done nothing wrong.

BTW, when my attorney went to shake the officer's hand (as a courtesy) after the hearing, the officer tried to crush my attorney's hand.

I don't trust the police to always be as truthful as they should be (which is unfortunate since I am a county emergency communications volunteer who work with the police during drills). I think that the Russians have the right idea with dash cams.

 

[Brantman1]

I'm not necessarily worried about them being not truthful in my case, I am a little worried that they won't be as thorough as I want them to be. I really hope that they took the time to breathalyze the pedestrian and cite her for jaywalking instead of skipping all that in order to avoid paperwork. And as far as the camera thing goes, I sure wish I'd had one running that would show her darting in front of my bike and how little reaction time I really had. I'll certainly consider mounting one on my bike whenever I have the luxury of riding again.

 

[NickJ]

Glad to hear that you are okay and that you were wearing full gear. It could have been a much worse accident had you not been.

You are okay, and that is what is important. I had a similar accident (except that she was in a car) back in January. I ended up shattering my left foot. Which I have had to pay for 100% out of pocket. Not fun. I am on my second attorney now, and hopefully everything shakes out and I can get this lady or her insurance to pay for my surgery and the doc wants me to go through another one as well (fingers crossed).

I am just saying that it could be worse. You are alive and well. The bike is smashed up, but that can be mended easily and without pain (other than to your pocketbook).