Friday, April 18, 2008

Hitting a Man on a Bike

It was traumatizing, but let’s admit very funny in reflection. As part of my stressful pre-departure week I ran up to campus at 9:00 am to meet with a potential candidate for our fall group in India and then run a three hour long departure meeting for the Spring Summer Group. I hadn’t slept well the night before thinking of things I needed to remember to say in the meeting.


I frantically drive up 7th north in my car and turn on 7th east, the worst street in town. I maneuver around students and slow busses. I whip around the parking lot and swing into a parking spot just in time to see a man on a bicycle head toward s me. I stop! I have to admit I even close my eyes and put my hands to my face! All I see the man’s face as he realizes he can’t miss my car. His bicycle rams into the side of my car and he lands on my hood and windshield!


I spent the next five minutes saying, “Are you alright?!?” over and over again. He spent those five minutes saying "I'm fine" over and over again as he winces and walks around testing out his own jostled limbs and the poor bike that took the brunt of the accident. After bugging the poor man long enough and making sure he could walk I run up to campus, late for the meeting that turned out to be cancelled last minute.


What a week! I just wish I could have captured the whole thing on tape. Funny, but at the same time not funny.

5 comments:

Heidi said...

Yikes!!! Accidents are the WORST. Why does stuff like that always happen to one when they are super stressed? I give up.

Amy Seiter said...

I was on the other side of the fence before. As a student at BYU, I was riding my bike to my waitressing job in south Provo when two students came blazing out of their hedged driveway at the same moment I was passing it. Luckily, I flipped over my bike's handlebars and landed on my knees in the grass. They, of course, apologized profusely. I left my bike on their lawn and walked to work. The bike was beyond repair, but I was just grateful I hadn't been injured. It's funny how many close calls we have that we hardly ever recall until something triggers it, like your blog. This is fun and I can't wait to hear more about Liann's life.

Krystine M. said...

I got your email and that really sucks what happened to you. I look forward to reading this while you are in India.

Ransom said...

I got hit by a car when I was riding a bike through the law building parking lot!

Come to think of it, it was probably kind of rude of me to just dust myself off, straighten my bike seat, check his hood for damage, and roll along on my way. But that's what I did.

Michael Powers said...

So you hit people on bikes now? Ouch. I hope things get better for you.