The worst and best 3 seconds of my life.

Madhatter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
3,846
Location
buda texas
it is a stay out of jail card , I didn't see him .
four way stops , seems simple enough ,everyone has a stop sign everyone has to come to a stop .... crazy the number of crashes I see at these intersections . some how they cant see the other cars , don't know how to wait their turn , amazing.
people don't give a SH#T , they get into their machine and anything but driving is on their mind.
their are visual challenges and the human eye can and does get fooled at times ..... Estrasil said it very plainly , that driver just turned in front of him , that driver never gave a thought to see what other vehicle might be in that space , and the worse happened .... Estrasil said that there was a vehicle behind him , so the Subaru driver shot the gap , he might have waited a couple of seconds and turned in behind the second vehicle , but that didn't happen .we have all seen folks shoot the gap , they have stuff to do. I'm going to work in a few minutes , my job is to drive , it will be in a high traffic area of Austin Texas , most people I see and I can see from my perch , are on a device . I've even seen them watching videos as they drive . yep they are not going to see you . not even if your in a 80000 lb truck .
accidents do happen . what bothers me is since there have been cars running over bikes is the easy out of 'I didn't see him". mostly it's I really didn't take the time to make sure no one was coming . but that admits fault , and that's just to honest for most .
and what if I or you had been at that spot in time and place on your bike , he would have said to the officer I did not see him , but you or me on a bike in that spot in that time , unthinkable.



CW, im not mad im just very passionate about this , they get a pass , we get a trip some where we don't want to go.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,812
Location
Joshua TX
. . . . four way stops , seems simple enough ,everyone has a stop sign everyone has to come to a stop . . . .
In Texas, at any stop sign controlled intersection, you're supposed to yield to the right if both/all vehicles arrived at roughly the same time. Of course, vehicles turning left yield to oncoming thru traffic. The yield to thru traffic is pretty much followed, but people's brains lock up when you throw in multiple stop signs, and vehicles.
 

AusTexS10

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2020
Messages
732
Location
Austin, TX
it is a stay out of jail card , I didn't see him .
four way stops , seems simple enough ,everyone has a stop sign everyone has to come to a stop .... crazy the number of crashes I see at these intersections . some how they cant see the other cars , don't know how to wait their turn , amazing.
people don't give a SH#T , they get into their machine and anything but driving is on their mind.
their are visual challenges and the human eye can and does get fooled at times ..... Estrasil said it very plainly , that driver just turned in front of him , that driver never gave a thought to see what other vehicle might be in that space , and the worse happened .... Estrasil said that there was a vehicle behind him , so the Subaru driver shot the gap , he might have waited a couple of seconds and turned in behind the second vehicle , but that didn't happen .we have all seen folks shoot the gap , they have stuff to do. I'm going to work in a few minutes , my job is to drive , it will be in a high traffic area of Austin Texas , most people I see and I can see from my perch , are on a device . I've even seen them watching videos as they drive . yep they are not going to see you . not even if your in a 80000 lb truck .
accidents do happen . what bothers me is since there have been cars running over bikes is the easy out of 'I didn't see him". mostly it's I really didn't take the time to make sure no one was coming . but that admits fault , and that's just to honest for most .
and what if I or you had been at that spot in time and place on your bike , he would have said to the officer I did not see him , but you or me on a bike in that spot in that time , unthinkable.



CW, im not mad im just very passionate about this , they get a pass , we get a trip some where we don't want to go.
Maddie, I feel for you. I'm 74 and I've lived in Austin the last 65 except for 4 years in the Navy, seeing it grow from an almost sleepy little capital city to the mess it is now (in so many ways). I'm still working, but thankful I don't have your driving job. Even if my agency returns to the office someday before I can retire , instead of the teleworking we've done this past year and a half, I can get there and home without having to drive I35 or Mopac, so I'm extremely thankful for that. Even so, I ride expecting other drivers to do the stupidest things, and they usually deliver on that promise.

Take care out there, everyone!
 

estrasil

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
30
Location
San Jose, Ca
What a story of survival and glad your here and riding again.
I try to do all my rides early in the morning starting at sunrise. Where I live all the major roads are two lane highways with lots of recreational things for the cagers to do. By the afternoon people are driving like idiots passing other drivers and forcing the oncoming drivers to dive to the shoulders. Or in the case of this year, I’ve seen drivers passing slower drivers on the right hand shoulders.
Your shoulder passing comment triggered me. My FIRST day riding again, I was commuting home from work, and I was in the fast lane, and all of a sudden there was a pickup truck I did not see in my scan passing me on my left in the shoulder. Had I just decided to switch positions in my lane, I could have gotten hit. And right after he passed me, all the traffic came to a stop anyway. I was sooooo pissed! I captured the incident in both my rear and front cameras, but felt helpless to do anything about it.
 

estrasil

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
30
Location
San Jose, Ca
it is a stay out of jail card , I didn't see him .
four way stops , seems simple enough ,everyone has a stop sign everyone has to come to a stop .... crazy the number of crashes I see at these intersections . some how they cant see the other cars , don't know how to wait their turn , amazing.
people don't give a SH#T , they get into their machine and anything but driving is on their mind.
their are visual challenges and the human eye can and does get fooled at times ..... Estrasil said it very plainly , that driver just turned in front of him , that driver never gave a thought to see what other vehicle might be in that space , and the worse happened .... Estrasil said that there was a vehicle behind him , so the Subaru driver shot the gap , he might have waited a couple of seconds and turned in behind the second vehicle , but that didn't happen .we have all seen folks shoot the gap , they have stuff to do. I'm going to work in a few minutes , my job is to drive , it will be in a high traffic area of Austin Texas , most people I see and I can see from my perch , are on a device . I've even seen them watching videos as they drive . yep they are not going to see you . not even if your in a 80000 lb truck .
accidents do happen . what bothers me is since there have been cars running over bikes is the easy out of 'I didn't see him". mostly it's I really didn't take the time to make sure no one was coming . but that admits fault , and that's just to honest for most .
and what if I or you had been at that spot in time and place on your bike , he would have said to the officer I did not see him , but you or me on a bike in that spot in that time , unthinkable.



CW, im not mad im just very passionate about this , they get a pass , we get a trip some where we don't want to go.
That is what I think happened. I think the driver was trying to preserve his momentum and shoot the gap. He also had traffic behind him and probably did not want to stop and get rear ended on a 60mph two lane highway. Those thoughts were actually in my head as it was happening. But I still could not understand how he did not see me, with all my lights etc. Possibly because it was a road through forest, and the road was splotched with sun/shadows. Maybe all that played tricks on him. Sun in the eyes was not a factor, but I bet that is a huge factor in many accidents. Where you literally can't see anything sometimes because of the sun in your eyes or the glare off your dirty windshield.
 

estrasil

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
30
Location
San Jose, Ca
Estrasil , I hope you git a big check out of this , he deserves to pay.
I did. Considering that I got extremely lucky and am able to do almost everything I was before, the money helps. But had I had any worse long term damage, let's say a missing hand, it would not have been enough. I got the max I could, and that would not be enough, especially if I was no longer able to work. Which is a whole other scary subject matter. And had I not gotten an attorney involved, I probably would have been bought off by the insurance for $30k.
 

Madhatter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
3,846
Location
buda texas
Good for you, hammering these fools for large sums of money seems the only answer. As prosecutors don’t give a damn about an invisible motorcycle rider. If the car driver was impaired by chemicals then probably.
 

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
14,812
Location
Joshua TX
Good for you, hammering these fools for large sums of money seems the only answer. . . .
And, unless it's an 18 wheeler with a million dollar liability limit, you're not gonna get a monster check. At lest in Texas. We have ridiculously low minimum liability limits.
 

Checkswrecks

Ungenear to broked stuff
Staff member
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Mar 7, 2011
Messages
11,489
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Damascus, MD
Good for you, hammering these fools for large sums of money seems the only answer. ...
Having spent an eternity working with accidents and insurance, it's not an answer at all. I absolutely HATE when the families of victims feel like they've won the F-ing lottery because Dear Aunt Mabel was killed. Or how they are told that the attorneys will get justice for them. What absolute bullshit. Those expenses for the insurance companies are already factored into premiums as a cost of doing business. Sorry to be so cold but the cost of YOUR life or mine in the US is currently at $6 million. Even if the company pays every cent, there is no individual at an insurance company covering the driver at fault who is going to think twice before going to his or her bowling game after work.

Thanks to the American Bar Association and so many in Congress being lawyers, our litigation system has evolved for maximum profit to the attorneys at the expense of the victims and their families. Any good litigation attorney can listen to the initial call and tell you approximately how much a case will settle for, be it a car accident, malpractice, or little Johnny putting his fingers where they didn't belong because his parents weren't being parents. The longer an attorney can keep a case going, the more billable hours they will be able to claim out of that pot in the end. For the victims and families it works the other way. The longer it drags out the pain and suffering, the longer their closure is put off.

I've turned down a LOT of money to be an expert witness against a very large electric car maker and refused because I will not be part of this.

Rant done - Obviously this touches a nerve for me.
 

DamMechanic

Active Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2015
Messages
279
Location
Lewis County, WA.
I’m glad you are all good.
Just today, I’m in a line of cars behind a Jeep YJ or similar. Then there was a 10 yard dump truck, a Motorhome, a combination truck trailer milk truck, a car ahead of me and myself. We are doing 55 in a 55 zone.
Behind me was this woman driving a Toyota RAV4. I see her pull out behind me into the oncoming lane; I see four oncoming cars.
I look at her as she is passing by me and she is just waving at me like FU. Three oncoming cars dive to the shoulder and she dives back in ahead of the motor home that is two rigs ahead of me.
The motorhome had to dive to the right shoulder to make room for this gal that was passing but had no room to pass.
Then she pulled out to pass the Jeep and the dump truck but again the oncoming traffic had to dive to there right shoulder to avoid a head on accident.

I have no Fucking Idea why drivers feel this is acceptable but over the last two years it has just become the norm where I live.
It’s not the locals, it’s always been the out if town folks
 

Madhatter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2013
Messages
3,846
Location
buda texas
CW , good morning . as riders and some of the most vulnerable users of the road we are all going to be a bit passionate about all of this. and your rant was a good one .... special place in hell for lawyers (most) I know one or two who are good folks .
having been in my first accident , kinda like the evil left turning bike killer , but I'm not on a bike , a large semi truck .... makes me wonder ,and the first 6 months I was twitchy as sh*t in any vehicle I was in ..... I'm better , but very focused on what others are doing to the point where riding is not much fun anymore (almost paranoid) im still riding but have to have more of a reason to choose the bike .... my Tenere is very low miles , the pandemic has not helped in the driving skill area , the city council of Austin has downsized the police department , so less enforcement , drive any speed you want it seems . and the highest numbers of murders in Austin since 1984 .... I see people chasing each other down the street in road rage type events . makes me wonder if it's worth it at times . the wife and me have decided to move at some point in the future , been looking at more rural areas . less people . so who knows ?
it seems after all this talk not much a motorcyclist can do , he lives or dies , only his family cares.
 

Lautarooo

Active Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2019
Messages
152
Location
Riverhead, NY
Glad you survived. This scenario is very unfortunate. I’m sure the driver was “running late” and couldnt spare a minute. Maybe their house was on fire.
My tactic to best protect from this event is to keep a huge following distance from the car in front. In the event that a schmohawk like this doesn’t see me or sees and is too stupid to know better, there is maximum space so he/she can thread the needle anyway.
Not every scenario can be accounted such as your story but I find this is very useful. Cars making lefts see me from far away. They see me 99 percent of the time, if they go for it anyway i have my hand on the break.
Its great to see you are back on the saddle brother. That takes guts. A day in the saddle is worth a thousand watching netflix
 

estrasil

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
30
Location
San Jose, Ca
I’m glad you are all good.
Just today, I’m in a line of cars behind a Jeep YJ or similar. Then there was a 10 yard dump truck, a Motorhome, a combination truck trailer milk truck, a car ahead of me and myself. We are doing 55 in a 55 zone.
Behind me was this woman driving a Toyota RAV4. I see her pull out behind me into the oncoming lane; I see four oncoming cars.
I look at her as she is passing by me and she is just waving at me like FU. Three oncoming cars dive to the shoulder and she dives back in ahead of the motor home that is two rigs ahead of me.
The motorhome had to dive to the right shoulder to make room for this gal that was passing but had no room to pass.
Then she pulled out to pass the Jeep and the dump truck but again the oncoming traffic had to dive to there right shoulder to avoid a head on accident.

I have no Fucking Idea why drivers feel this is acceptable but over the last two years it has just become the norm where I live.
It’s not the locals, it’s always been the out if town folks
That is soooo messed up!!!
 

estrasil

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
30
Location
San Jose, Ca
CW , good morning . as riders and some of the most vulnerable users of the road we are all going to be a bit passionate about all of this. and your rant was a good one .... special place in hell for lawyers (most) I know one or two who are good folks .
having been in my first accident , kinda like the evil left turning bike killer , but I'm not on a bike , a large semi truck .... makes me wonder ,and the first 6 months I was twitchy as sh*t in any vehicle I was in ..... I'm better , but very focused on what others are doing to the point where riding is not much fun anymore (almost paranoid) im still riding but have to have more of a reason to choose the bike .... my Tenere is very low miles , the pandemic has not helped in the driving skill area , the city council of Austin has downsized the police department , so less enforcement , drive any speed you want it seems . and the highest numbers of murders in Austin since 1984 .... I see people chasing each other down the street in road rage type events . makes me wonder if it's worth it at times . the wife and me have decided to move at some point in the future , been looking at more rural areas . less people . so who knows ?
it seems after all this talk not much a motorcyclist can do , he lives or dies , only his family cares.
Seems to be everywhere. Just the other day in Oakland, after midnight, two cars got in a fender bender in the fast lane. They stopped in the lane. They got out and started arguing with each other standing in the lane next to their cars. A mini came onto the scene and noticed the stopped cars in the middle of the freeway, swerved around the cars and killed both of the people arguing. It's hard to resist road rage, but it rarely seems to have a good outcome:(.
 
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