Who's Crashed? [Crash Reports]

[Skootz Kabootz]

Speedy recovery Beep!

[beeporama]

beep, sorry to hear about the accident. Was the cage cited for the turn in front of you?

I have no idea. The officer who took the report won't return my calls. I was shuttled off in an ambulance (couldn't stand for an hour or two) and didn't get much details on the scene.

I'm going to guess no, since I never made contact with the car. Slid to a stop inches away...

[pugbuddy]

So the officer yanked the keys out of your scoot (killing the battery) and won't take your calls? It sounds like the cop may give you some grief if you talk to him. I'd still keep trying though.

Heal quickly! Summer is almost upon us!

[squash1978]

2. I don't think it was my fault; someone coming the opposite direction at an intersection started to turn left in front of me as I was going straight, I slammed the brakes and slid out. (Also there was gravel on the road.) It was around 4:30 pm, Wednesday, 4/22/2009.

That totally sucks, hope you have a speedy recovery. At what intersection did this happen?

The corner of Forbes and Aylesboro has a ton of gravel and spooks me out every time I go around it. I slipped a bit once going around it so now I take an enormously slow and wide granny turn. Hopefully it will get better when the city starts sweeping the streets.

[beeporama]

2. I don't think it was my fault; someone coming the opposite direction at an intersection started to turn left in front of me as I was going straight, I slammed the brakes and slid out. (Also there was gravel on the road.) It was around 4:30 pm, Wednesday, 4/22/2009.

That totally sucks, hope you have a speedy recovery. At what intersection did this happen?

The corner of Forbes and Aylesboro has a ton of gravel and spooks me out every time I go around it. I slipped a bit once going around it so now I take an enormously slow and wide granny turn. Hopefully it will get better when the city starts sweeping the streets.

On Center Ave between the Hill and North Oakland ("Schenley Farms"), where you crest the hill and intersect with I think University Drive or something. The light is short and encourages people to force their turns, I think.

"Fortunately" that is part of my commute and has been for years, so I knew to go slow through there.

[myras_girls]

A car turning left in front of you is pretty much the #1 danger and often, like you said, there isn't anything you can do to avoid it other than cover your break and slow down a little in anticipation.

I'm hyper aware of vehicles turning left in front of me. If there aren't vehicles in the lane next to/around me as a I approach an intersection I will often flash my headlight twice, hoping to alert the driver intending to turn left through the intersection. I don't flash my lights at night, though, as I don't want to blind other drivers. But during the day my theory is that flashing the lights might attract their attention so they notice I'm there. Thoughts on doing this, fellow scooterists?

[abstraxion]

A car turning left in front of you is pretty much the #1 danger and often, like you said, there isn't anything you can do to avoid it other than cover your break and slow down a little in anticipation.

I'm hyper aware of vehicles turning left in front of me. If there aren't vehicles in the lane next to/around me as a I approach an intersection I will often flash my headlight twice, hoping to alert the driver intending to turn left through the intersection. I don't flash my lights at night, though, as I don't want to blind other drivers. But during the day my theory is that flashing the lights might attract their attention so they notice I'm there. Thoughts on doing this, fellow scooterists?

I'd be careful doing that. Flashing your headlights could easily be misinterpreted as "go ahead of me", especially when you're on a scooter and the driving making the left is in a Hummer.

[peabody99]

I agree flashing scooter headlight could be interpreted as "go ahead and turn, I see you"

[myras_girls]

I agree flashing scooter headlight could be interpreted as "go ahead and turn, I see you"

Really? Even when I have the right of way and the turning vehicle is making a left turn across the opposite lane of traffic which I am in heading straight through the intersection? Cagers sure can be superior and oblivious.

Thanks for the responses. I kind of figured it was like the suggestion to flash your brake lights when stopped/stopping as a vehicle approaches from behind. A "hello, I'm here" type thing.

[squash1978]

Thanks for the responses. I kind of figured it was like the suggestion to flash your brake lights when stopped/stopping as a vehicle approaches from behind. A "hello, I'm here" type thing.

I agree with the others. Flashing your headlight is a generally accepted "go ahead" signal.

[sunshinen]

I agree with the others. Flashing your headlight is a generally accepted "go ahead" signal.

+1
Cars frequently flash their headlights to signal that they see you and are stopping/slowing to let you go. (And yes, they do this even when they have the right of way, the green light, etc, etc.) It's like waving someone on. Done right, it's a nice confirmation that it's safe to go ahead.

So you flashing your headlights could very well be interpreted that you see them and are slowing/stopping to let them go. They might not understand why you are doing it, but they still might follow the direction they think you're giving them.

[Ed Hit]

I agree with the others. Flashing your headlight is a generally accepted "go ahead" signal.

+1
Cars frequently flash their headlights to signal that they see you and are stopping/slowing to let you go. (And yes, they do this even when they have the right of way, the green light, etc, etc.) It's like waving someone on. Done right, it's a nice confirmation that it's safe to go ahead.

So you flashing your headlights could very well be interpreted that you see them and are slowing/stopping to let them go. They might not understand why you are doing it, but they still might follow the direction they think you're giving them.

+3 or so

What I read once, and what I do, is to swerve right to left (in my lane only of course!) conditions permitting. It really does seem to get peoples attention, especially if they are following too closely. Coming into an intersection, it also gets peoples attention of you, as your profile to them changes. Depth perception at those distances is not very good, so the side to side motion makes you much more noticeable, and much easier for the driver to tell your speed.

And of course, hi viz gear is good. I wear a bright yellow reflective vest, in combo with the orange buddy, I know I look like a creamsicle, but I stand out!

[foothmcbooth]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
3. Could the crash have been avoided?
4. Was the rider injured? What kind of protective gear was the rider wearing?
5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neiher?
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
10. How fast was the rider going?
11. How far was the rider from home?

1. Buddy 150, Custom Paint
2. Yes...inexperienced rider, taking a sharp left turn at too high a speed, not fully looking through the turn. Happened around 6pm.
3. I could have avoided it by taking the turn slower - it was a turn I'm always uncomfortable with because of how sharp it is, and I got nervous which distracted me.
4. Just some mild bruising - more to ego than body. Wearing a helmet, Corazzo 5.0 jacket, gloves, jeans, sneakers.
5. Busted headlamp bezel, headset out of alignment, minor scratching.
6. Not sure yet - just happened yesterday and I haven't brought it into the shop yet.
7. 2 mos. experience with permit...um, expired permit.
8. No, but I was planning to this summer and will definitely be doing so sooner now.
9. Yes, my scooter.
10. 15mph is my best guess.
11. Less than 5 miles.

[Coffeejunkie]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
3. Could the crash have been avoided?
4. Was the rider injured?
5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
7. Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neiher?
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
10. How fast was the rider going?
11. How far was the rider from home?

1. Buddy 150, Custom Paint
2. Yes...inexperienced rider, taking a sharp left turn at too high a speed, not fully looking through the turn. Happened around 6pm.
3. I could have avoided it by taking the turn slower - it was a turn I'm always uncomfortable with because of how sharp it is, and I got nervous which distracted me.
4. Just some mild bruising - more to ego than body.
5. Busted frame around the headlamp, headset out of alignment, minor scratching.
6. Not sure yet - just happened yesterday and I haven't brought it into the shop yet.
7. Permit...um, expired permit.
8. No, but I was planning to this summer and will definitely be doing so sooner now.
9. Yes, my scooter.
10. 15mph is my best guess.
11. Less than 5 miles.

Sorry to hear about your crash, but on the brightside you walked away from it.

[Dooglas]

Glad to hear you are okay. Sounds like you already diagnosed what went wrong pretty well. I hope this tells you that putting off the MSF and letting your permit lapse was not a good idea. Take that course ASAP. Build your confidence and skil levels. Ride safe, have fun.

[Coffeejunkie]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
150 Buddy Blackjack
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
Yes and it happened on a sunny mid afternoon.
3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
I should have turned my head a little sooner. I was traveling down a side street took a sharp turn failing to notice some gravel in the road. I'm still new too all of this, and I should have known better.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
I sprained my left wrist, bloodied my knee (without ripping or even scuffing my jeans) and few extra bumps and bruises here and there.

5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
Victoria isn't too bad, she needs a top plastic piece for the headlight, the chrome headlight bezel in front needs to be replaced, the lower panel that runs under the floor board needs to be replaced, lost the right side mirror, and other then a few minor scuffs she should be fine.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
Twist n Scoot said it should be under $250 for the replacement parts, and they were nice enough to give me a replacement mirror for nothing. They also let me use their first aid kit, checked to make sure my alignment was O.K., and let me hang around as long as I wanted to make sure I was fine before leaving.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
I'm only on week 3 of riding full time, so on the upside I have gotten that out of the way.

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
Yes and I'm glad I did, it probably saved me from more serious injury.

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
Yup

10. How fast was the rider going?
No more than 10mph

11. How far was the rider from home?
About 1.5 miles

All in all my spirits are fine, I'm a little scuffed up, but really the main thing that was damaged was my pride. Also I'm glad that I'm not in the hospital for my 4 year wedding anniversary.

Just a quick update, I'm back on the road again, and due to a considerably more busted head light that expected the repairs put me out $378.00. On the upside I got her fixed up yesterday just in time for my Birthdday . On the downside we're having super nasty storms here in Atlanta so I can't take her for a spin.l .

[Skootz Kabootz]

...All in all my spirits are fine, I'm a little scuffed up, but really the main thing that was damaged was my pride. Also I'm glad that I'm not in the hospital for my 4 year wedding anniversary.

on that. Glad you are in one piece and spirits are good. While you're in the mood for the MSF, you might also like to check out Proficient Motorcycling. I took the MSF course and now am reading this. Really getting a lot from it.

Speedy recovery and safe riding to you.

[Dooglas]

Just a quick update, I'm back on the road again, and due to a considerably more busted head light that expected the repairs put me out $378.00. On the upside I got her fixed up yesterday just in time for my Birthdday . On the downside we're having super nasty storms here in Atlanta so I can't take her for a spin.l .

It will clear up pretty quick. Ride safe, have fun!

[LuvMyScoot]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
10. How fast was the rider going?
11. How far was the rider from home?

Wasn't a Buddy; a Red Yamaha Vino Classic. I didn't have my Buddy yet.
Yes. About 2:00 PM sunny day.
Yes. "Walk" my scoot to the road.
No. Helmet, armored jacket.
Minor scratches to bottom panel.
$55.00 for some Color-Rite touchup paint.
1 year (1 month at time of "accident". No at the time, Yes (license) now.
No
Yes
< 2
Fell right over in my gravel driveway.

Sand and gravel are the enemy!

[louie]

damn, i slid out today. luckily i didn't get run over by a woman with a blood sugar level of 35. she crossed 14th street doing about 60 heading for the church (not "going to church" but ramming her car into the front of the church. morris ave dead ends at 14th. she was on morris.
a woman driving toward me T boned the flying car. both appeared ok afterward. the victim was walking aroiund and said she was fine but they put her on a stretcher anyway. the paramedic said the other woman was so confused she still didn't know what was going on 15 minutes after. i can't say how close i was but i left a skid mark about 10 feet long. i have to go back and look. i especially like the way neither of the cars came my way.
i have a swollen knee, a skinned knee, jacket, boots, helmet, gloves and scooter. none of it too bad. i only hit the pavement.
whoosh.

i couldn't have asked for more help. paramedics bandaged my knee, took my blood pressure and pulse (both normal for a 20 year old girl, yes i asked, i 50). talked to lots of cops, one who rides gave me some pointers on insurance. and best of all, my brother works less than a 100 yards away came over and meyers, mcm 1 block away, (vote for magic city motorscooters )came over when someone told him about it. i love my guys...


1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? 06 sunset 125?
2. Was the crash due to rider error? i could have ridden right through the scene but thought something would end up in my lane.
What time of day did it occur? 11:55 am
3. Could the crash have been avoided? see above
What will you do differently next time? see above nothing ended up in my lane.
4. Was the rider injured? cramping leg, swollen knee, rib twitch, skinned knee,
What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing? gloves, helmet, leather jacket (no armor), boots, helmet. all scraped up.
5. What was the damage to the Buddy? scratched up.
6. Cost of repairs, if any? don't know
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? almost 3 years, 8000ish miles.
Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither? license
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course? basic and experienced
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner? yes
10. How fast was the rider going? 20 30
11. How far was the rider from home? 5-10 miles

[ericalm]

louie! So sorry to hear you went down. As always, glad you're okay but sorry you and your scoot are injured.

[Coffeejunkie]

Wow, that's one heck of a story, glad to hear you came through with only a few minor injuries, and remember for the knee R.I.C.E. (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) is your best friend.

[broke]

heal fast Louie! we're thinking good thoughts for ya.

[Kaos]

Yikes, glad that ended as well as it did Louie! Heal up!

[louie]

i feel good this morning. my knee bends well so i'll ride today .

i've thought about it before but it's not always just because someone doesn't see your bike but can be someone who isn't aware of her surroundings at all. this woman probably wasn't even conscience as she barreled across the street.
i like to think i'm aware of what's coming from the side streets but i didn't see her until she was about to cross the rode. it was like standing next to the train tracks as a locomotive passes by.

[BuddyRaton]

You did good louie!

[betsy q. bramble]

It was raining all day, and finally I saw a break in the radar map, so I left work early to beat the next rain session. I was coming down a road toward an intersection where it split to three lanes: left turn only, straight, and right turn only. There was a big black SUV behind me and as we approached the intersection, it moved into the right turn only lane. It was keeping pace with me for awhile, and as I went through the intersection, it came into my lane rather than taking the right.

At this point in the road, there were 2 medians, and the straight lane goes between them. The lane narrows and has curbs on either side. The big dumb SUV squished into this lane with me as I was laying on my horn. It did not back off, but rather sped up. I basically had the "choice" to hit the car, hit the curb, or slide. I couldn't swerve away because of the curbs.

I'm sure the damp roads were a factor, but I'm fairly certain I would have spilled even on dry roads, because of the narrow lane and the last second nature of this d-bag cutting me off. In this case, the wetness worked out, because I went into a slide, which would have been more damaging to me AND the scooter on a dry road.

My scooter slid about 25 feet down the road before coming to a stop. My body slid about 15 feet. I slid mostly on my left side before falling over onto my stomach before stopping. My head never touched the ground.

No rips in my pants or jacket. Scraped my elbow a bit (armor must have shifted), and really beat up my left hip/thigh.

The SUV did stop, as did about 6 other cars to see if I was okay. A witness called the cops and they were there quickly. The driver of the SUV of course tried to lie and say he had been in front of me and simply 'slowed down' which caused me to 'lose control'. The cops must have believed me, because he got a ticket for failure to stay in his lane. I ended up with a ticket for my expired permit, but was told it would be most likely be dropped if I get my endorsement and plead not guilty. They also mentioned that it goes into the accident report that I was wearing a helmet and reflective riding gear, which is in my favor.

I'll be getting my endorsement very soon, and had only been dragging my heels on it because of the off-season here in New England.

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? 2008 Buddy Italia 150
2. Was the crash due to rider error? No, the crash was due to cager idiocy.
What time of day did it occur? 7:45pm
3. Could the crash have been avoided? Not by me, but definitely by the driver of the SUV.
What will you do differently next time? Not much I could have changed to prevent it.
4. Was the rider injured? Skinned elbow, road rash on my left hip/thigh, big time bruises
What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing? gloves, Corazzo 5.0 jacket, helmet, jeans
5. What was the damage to the Buddy? Busted bezel, headlight, head set casing, brake lever pushed down, some scraping on the left side body panels
6. Cost of repairs, if any? Don't know yet.
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? about 3,000 miles worth
Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither? expired permit
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course? nope
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner? yes
10. How fast was the rider going? about 35
11. How far was the rider from home? around 7 miles

[Lostmycage]

Really sorry to hear this Betsy! Glad you're OK (for the most part, right?). Let us know how it works out with the SUV's insurance!

[Kaos]

Sorry to hear about that Betsy.
Yay for ATGATT though, as that could likely have been much worse without the gear.

Recover quick!

[Dooglas]

Glad you are okay. The bigger the SUV, the poorer the driver's eyesight - as far as I can tell.

Now, driving with an expired permit - not so cool. Get that one taken care of sooner rather than later. That might be all your insurance company (or the other guy's insurance) needs to refuse a claim.

[black sunshine]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
50, cream yellow

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
nope, car driver bad judgement . . . happened around 4:30pm

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
the only way i could have seen avoiding the crash would be to have better control next time? it had been raining earlier that day, so there was SOME damp on the street, but honestly she pulled out in front of me so suddenly that i'm not sure it would have mattered.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
yeah, my knee has a road rash the shape (and almost size!) of Madagascar. i was wearing a helmet and jacket, goddamn i wish i had been wearing some pants with armor!!!

5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
handlebars/speedometer area is torn to hell. from the speedometer down to the ignition is all torn up and hanging loose.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
not sure yet.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
been riding since last october . . . i have a motorcycle permit, but no license.


8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
no.

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
yes.

10. How fast was the rider going?
about 35mph

11. How far was the rider from home?
literally 1 mile

[Skootz Kabootz]

Hope you're healing up quick Black Sunshine. Really hoping the driver covers all the repairs too! (Yours and the scooters). All the best.

[Pamplona]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?

Buddy Pamplona 150

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?

No. It was due to %$% old lady in an SUV pulling out literally on top of me. 4:00 pm

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?

No. In fact my actions saved my life.


4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?

Yes. Concussion, spleen contusions, pelvic injuries, major soreness, neck, shoulders, legs, black and blue patterns all over body

I was riding boots, chaps, armoured mesh jacket, helmet, and padded gloves

5. What was the damage to the Buddy?

Totaled

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
Totaled

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?

Over a year 1st on permit, MSC class, and now MC endorsement


8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
YES

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?

Yes

10. How fast was the rider going?

25-30

11. How far was the rider from home?
10 miles

[Cheshire]

Glad you're here to post, Pamplona! Hope you heal fast.

[pugbuddy]

Wow, Pamplona. Heal well, friend! That sounds like a very bad wreck....

[KRUSTYburger]

Man, that's lousy! I had some dork pull out into me the other day, luckilly there was like a 2-foot section of paved road between
the car and the curb or I would've been toast! Laid on the horn and they got over. It was a big SUV, just following the person in
front of them rather than paying attention to what was going on. Hope you're healing quickly, and their insurance covers
everything... those med bills can be crazy.

[Alix B]

I really hope you heal well. Sorry about that @$$hole who did you wrong!

[Pamplona]

Man, that's lousy! I had some dork pull out into me the other day, luckilly there was like a 2-foot section of paved road between
the car and the curb or I would've been toast! Laid on the horn and they got over. It was a big SUV, just following the person in
front of them rather than paying attention to what was going on. Hope you're healing quickly, and their insurance covers
everything... those med bills can be crazy.

Yep big SUV with little old lady behind the wheel. I had a choice to drop and slide into her or hit her head on crash flip and roll. I chose slide. Because of the buddy pegs on my crash rack absorbing the skid I ended up about a foot or two from her front wheel..instead of on the other side of her car or the windshield. Bike is totally trashed and that buddy peg, man you can see how much it helped slow me down. The rubber is shredded and it is torqued into a very odd position. For those who don't have a crash rack I strongly recommend them. It really did slow my bike down and the rear of the bike has no damage. However the neck/steering column is snapped..but if it had been just a light lay down that rack keeps the bike from damage!

[Angela]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?

Pink Buddy 125

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
I think so. I followed another scooter too close and didn't give time in case they stopped quickly. I feel really dumb.

Noonish

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
Yes, follow my instinct and change my position.


4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?

Yes. Broken clavicle. Full gear. None of it shows i flew through the air. My helmet looks good too. Too bad its trash & a cautionary tale now.



5. What was the damage to the Buddy?

Don't know yet. I didn't want to look. I heard its bad though, but apparently it started up again.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
TBD *edit* $1,940.14 the insurance may total her.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?

7 months on a permit.


8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?

No, I was taking it in 2 weeks.

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?

Yes

10. How fast was the rider going?

10-20 mph????

11. How far was the rider from home?

12 miles maybe


I feel so stupid. Why oh why didn't I follow my instinct to change my position in the group.

I don't want my girl to be totaled, I put so much work into her. I love her soooo much. I can't stop crying from pain and crashing my baby.

[ScootStevie]

Oh no Angela Sorry to hear this. Hope you feel a bit better, and your pink lady recovers quick.

[Coffeejunkie]

Sorry to hear about your crash Angela. I know it's rough right now, but your scoot and your body will heal.

[Kaos]

Ohh no Angela! Sorry to hear that, heal quick!

[Skootz Kabootz]

Angela!!! I'm so sorry to read this! And for it to happen on a day and a ride you no doubt had been looking forward to. That sucks! I send both you and your beloved Buddy many healing thoughts. Keep your spirits up.

[pugbuddy]

Sorry to hear about your accident, Angela. Heal quickly!

For those who don't have a crash rack I strongly recommend them.

Never thought about them. I'll have to look up some information!

It seems like Spring is ramping up the accidents (even Krusty was almost Burgered!). Everyone ride carefully out there!

[jijifer]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?

Blue Buddy 125

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?

By what others behind us told me, no yet that doesn’t make it feel any better. Noonish

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?

It was a group ride and I’m told our formation was for shit. That was a hindsight observation not one that we were told when we could have done something. The situation was as I remember it was that the pack was really big and on this particular stretch of road the back kept missing lights. At the yellow before the accident, one buddy rider zoomed passed us all through a yellow then red and we all commented on how nuts that was. Then the other buddy rider said she wasn’t comfortable with the speeds we were sustaining so I made a mental note to ride my scoot like it was unmodded and not to push her to ride faster than she wanted to. At the intersection in question. The whole pack was stopped. The light turned green then immediately turned yellow. Only 1/3 got through on green and I was the first in the back 1/3 so I never really accelerated since I knew there light had been yellow so long. I stopped got my feet down and started to turn my head to comment about how crazy that light was when I got hit. The rest I can only tell by what others told me happened because I really couldn’t see and didn’t know.

I would say that if I could have done anything differently I could have flashed my lights to visually indicate I wasn’t going to run the light.


4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?

My right leg took the brunt of my impact with the ground. Like a DUMBASS I didn’t wear my boots. I was in Capri pants and running shoes. So I sprang my toes



Dinged up my knee and my calves have seen better days. Could have been WAY worse. Lesson learned the hard way that I need to wear long pants and boots every ride.

5. What was the damage to the Buddy?

Broken chrome plastic around the light and cracked plastic next to the light. My cowl protectors truly saved my bike. The ride side of that bar is scrapped up good but that’s way better than a cracked cowl!

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
Seems to ride fine so it’s just cosmetic from what I can tell.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?

4 months, 3 licensed. 4K miles

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?

Yes, in early April

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?

Yes

10. How fast was the rider going?

Stopped

11. How far was the rider from home?

40 miles

So from what I’ve been told by the people behind Angela and I in the group was that they thought she was maybe trying to go around me but caught my scooter in the back left. There’s no impact mark or anything on the left side so it’s not clear what hit what. That impact spun my bike perpendicular to the lane and threw me off into the lane on my right. From there my bike tipped on its right side and slid a few feet. From what they tell me, Angela’s scooter went end over end and she flew off as it flipped. I get chills when I type this and I’m so glad I couldn’t see that happen. It would have gutted me. When I stopped sliding and everything was done, Angela was laying facedown in the middle of our lane, her scooter also perpendicular to the lane but looking way worse than mine. I had NO IDEA she flipped until much later so I didn’t understand why her scoot was torn up but didn’t want to look at mine for fear it was in the same shape. Some passerby picked up both our scooters and moved them to the sidewalk.

There was a cop right behind us and I THOUGHT he stopped traffic when there was clearly an injured cyclist in the road. NOPE. I realized pretty quickly that the pain in my leg wasn’t so excoriating that anything was broken so I got up and got over to Angela. I swear we couldn’t stop apologizing to one another. She needed me to get her phone and call her BF so I just ran over to the sidewalk and ran back on to realize that the cop didn’t stop traffic and I almost got hit another 2 times! A great guy, Mathew, put his scoot in the right third of the next lane to make sure cars wouldn’t hit Angela as we waited for an ambulance. But even than cars were zooming buy not 5 yards from where she was laying in the road. It was awful. Then 2 other cops show up bitching about how we interrupted a lunch and a potty break respectively. Another great guy on the ride, Chris, went home, got his truck and picked up Angela’s scoot so that she wouldn’t get hit with a ton of towing expenses.

The group response was terrific. I am so sad this happened to me and Angela. Her scooter started, I think, THINK someone drove it over to the parking lot. When they were loading it into Chris’s truck someone said they thought the bearings were damaged. I’m hoping it looks worse than it is.

By all accounts, it totally sucked but it could have be WAY worse. That was a really busy intersection with traffic feeding from all directions and angles. The fact the cop didn’t stop traffic and both of us landed in the middle of lanes, it could have ended way worse.

I hope you recover fast, Angela. I’m so so so sad this happened to us. But we are able to walk away and that’s the good thing.

[ScootStevie]

Ah man, you too?? Sorry to hear about both of you. Not a nice scenario. Hope both of you get well, then think about the scoots. Most important thing is you're both here. But reading about those cops really pissed me off

[Skootz Kabootz]

Oh no!!! A MB/MB accident!! That so absolutely sucks. I am so glad no one was hurt any worse. Speediest of recoveries to people and scooters alike.

[beeporama]

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?

No, I was taking it in 2 weeks.

Oh, the irony. Same thing happened to me. I'm still not sure I'll be able to get it in this year. (I just started PT today.) I hope your injuries are not too severe and you recovery quickly!

Then 2 other cops show up bitching about how we interrupted a lunch and a potty break respectively.

The cop who showed up for mine sounded pretty put out too. I never even got an accident report because he never returned calls; apparently my insurance company is having a hard time too, and according to someone there, this is not atypical. I suppose we must seem stupid and inconvenient to them.

[Angela]

I didn't know about that police stuff. I knew one was really pissing me off and the paramedics had to tell him to back off.


I've never really had a car accident so I have no idea how this works.

[Dooglas]

Gosh angela and jijifer, sorry to hear about your accident and glad to hear that both of you are mostly okay. Not to be too critical, but this sounds like the group ride from hell. No attempt to brief inexperienced riders about how to space out in a group or about how to handle traffic lights that break up the group? No attempt to discuss dealing with the varying speeds of riders of different skill levels? Nobody needs group rides like this.