That One Time When I Was Hit By a Car

This is the first time I've discussed being hit by a car. My lawsuit against the driver settled a month ago, and I got the check this week. Until now, I didn't want to put that in jeopardy. But it's over and done, so here it is:

It was a bright, sunny August Sunday afternoon and I was biking home from the ABA Annual to meet Bridget for a movie. I decided to swing by a condo building my realtor had sent me a listing from  since I had some extra time. Heading up California, I turned right on Diversey.

I'm Hit!

As I headed east on Diversey, there was suddenly a large black car in front of and perpendicular to me, entering the on ramp to I-94 as I was crossing it.

I don't know what happened next.

I remember being in an elevator that kept stopping at different floors. The doors would open and someone would tell me, "No, not this floor" or "This is the wrong floor" and I would wait for the doors to close and for the elevator to go to another floor. That's what I remember, but I know that didn't happen.

Then I was on pavement, on hands and knees, my vision completely blurred and I thought "That fucker hit me so hard he knocked my contacts out!!!" I tried to think of how I could find my contacts. I tried to think. I stayed there, blinking, and my vision began to clear a little.

I remember jumping up and screaming "You fucker, you fucking hit me, I'm going to fucking kill you!" and running up the on ramp to the car. That's what I remember, but I know that didn't happen.

I realized I was in the middle of the road. I realized that was a bad place to be. I started crawling to the curb. How far is it, maybe 20 feet? I crawled and crawled and maybe I was kind of crouch-walking by the time I got to the curb. I don't remember for sure.

I was at the curb. My bike was there. My head hurt. A man was there asking if I was okay. I said "no, no, call 911." He was upset and asked if I was sure and I said "My head hurts, call 911, my head." And I sat and held my head. I thought it might explode if I took my helmet off; the back of my head throbbed violently. I sat on the curb and heard him call 911.

I sat there forever. I sat there for 10 minutes. Or was it 20? We heard a siren; it went the wrong way. It came back. A fire truck and an ambulance appeared.

Somehow I got my things from my bike - my pannier, my phone. My bike left on the fire truck.

My First Ambulance Ride

The paramedics talked to me. They asked if I blacked out and I said no. They asked if I remembered what happened and I said not really and told them what I remembered, seeing the car... then being on the pavement. They looked me over and shrugged. They asked if I wanted to go to a hospital and I said yes, my head hurts, it needs to be checked out, but I need the police to come.

They waited, they asked me to get in the ambulance, and I said the police need to come. Eventually they said, "Go now or we leave without you." I became upset - the police needed to come and file a report - they said they would come to the hospital.

I asked the driver who hit me for his license. He told me his name but it would not enter my head. I persuaded him to hand me his license and I stared at it, trying to read it, and  eventually was able to write down his name. Sometime - now? earlier? - I staggered up the ramp to his car and took a picture of the back of the car.

An SUV was parked on the other side of the ramp. I walked over and the driver's window came down. "I saw it all," the driver said, handing me a paper with his name and phone number. He said the driver passed him in the left lane then cut right in front of him to get on the ramp. And hit me. Later I saw that there were 2 calls to 911; the SUV driver must have called as well.

I got in the ambulance for my first ambulance ride in my life. They looked in my eyes and shrugged. I babbled about Natasha Richardson. The female EMT told me I shouldn't ride a bike in Chicago, it wasn't safe - I stared at her, angry and dumbfounded. I didn't make it not safe.

It occurred to me to text Bridget. It took me a long time to text her that I was hit by a car. I couldn't make the letters type correctly, I had to backspace and try again over and over. She asked if I wanted her to meet me at the hospital and I said "You don't have to" and she ignored me and said she was coming.

Hospital

I was in the ER. The woman asked me about my insurance, and I got the answer wrong, knew it was wrong, and then got it right. I had to fill out and sign forms. After all of the forms were done, I remembered the Road I.D. on my shoe and showed the woman. She admired it and the idea behind it. I wished I'd remembered it earlier, I wouldn't have had to answer so many questions. I took pictures of all of my scrapes and contusions.

Bridget came. I asked her if my one eye looked funny because it wasn't working very well; she said no, it looked fine. I got cold and someone gave me a blanket. A junkie was put in the bed next to me; he kept vomiting, and Bridget had to leave every time. I couldn't leave. My ass hurt and I think I said that every 30 seconds - I couldn't find  comfortable position on the bed.

I argued with the hospital about getting my head scanned. They didn't want to do it - too much radiation for too little reason. I said bullshit, Natasha Richardson, and I get more radiation from flying - scan me. The scan was fine. They wanted to x-ray my huge left knee bump and they did - no breaks.

Eventually I was discharged with a recommendation to see my own doctor in a few days. They sent me home with nothing - no pain meds, no ice packs, nothing.

Epilogue

My bike wasn't as beat up as I was. A coworker got it from the fire station for me.

I had to go to the police station to file a report, as the police never showed. The driver never got cited for any of the laws he broke when he hit me.

It was a good 2 weeks before my neck stopped hurting from the strain of holding my head up. My brain stopped feeling fuzzy after a week. The back of my head hurt longer, and I couldn't bike for a while because wearing a helmet hurt. I went to physical therapy for my neck, shoulder and arm for 6 weeks. I eventually went to physical therapy for my tailbone, for 2 1/2 months.

I still get headaches where the back of my head hit the pavement. And my tailbone, while better, is not good as new; sitting for long periods of time - a meeting, a flight - causes extreme discomfort.

But tonight, I destroyed the straps on my cracked helmet and threw it out. It was an emotional moment for me, symbolically closing that chapter in my life. I may not yet be whole, but I am strong, and I still bike.