Fri Aug 23, 2013, 11:15 PM
TexasTowelie (5,049 posts)
Weird Day: The house is on the real estate market and I was hit riding my bike
Last edited Fri Aug 23, 2013, 11:18 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)
We recently put the house of my deceased father on the real estate market because of the tension between my brother and I who live here. Our three sisters are married and live elsewhere. The "For Sale" went up in the front yard yesterday and an investor arranged for an appointment to show the house this afternoon. The property just got listed on the Internet today.
I left the house on my bike to eat at a local restaurant so that the house would be vacant. The realtor called after the appointment and said the buyer like the house and the backyard. As I left the establishment, I called my sister who lives in Houston to discuss the situation and relay the good news.
As I was leaving the restaurant I unlocked my bike and started riding home. As I looked to my left I saw a PT Cruiser heading in reverse gear towards me as it was backing away from the entrance/exit to the parking lot. I hadn't built up any speed so I tried to swerve to the right to avoid getting hit. I thought for a moment that I was going to avoid a collision because it looked like the vehicle paused, but I ended up being hit by the vehicle and it was probably going about 10 mph and I estimate that she backed the vehicle away from the entrance about 25 feet without looking behind her.
The driver didn't realize that she hit me and I believe there was a female passenger that heard me yell. The driver got out of the PT Cruiser and ran up to me to say she was sorry and apologized for hitting me. She asked me how I was while I was still on the ground and I told her that I didn't know yet, but I definitely felt the brunt of the impact and fell on my right side. My immediate instinct was to look at the license plate and burn it into my memory. Since I didn't have pen or paper, the next thing I thought about was getting my cell phone out to take a picture of the license plate.
I told the driver that I didn't know what injuries I might have sustained other than a couple of visible abrasions on my right knee and my left elbow so I asked to see her proof of insurance. The passenger fumbled through the glove box and pulled it out. I was still fiddling my phone to get it in camera mode because it was bright and I couldn't see the display. Anyway, I asked if I could take a photo of her proof of insurance and license plates in case I needed to contact her insurance company. She refused to let me actually see the card from a close enough distance to read any of the information and when I asked for the insurance carrier she only provided me with the name of her insurance agency--not the underwriter.
I could see that she was being evasive and she didn't offer to contact EMS or anything else so again I thought about getting her license plate information. As I moved to the back of the car, I still didn't have my cell phone in camera mode but I memorized her license plate number as she sped away from the scene. Although she stopped, I believe that under Texas law it qualifies as a hit-and-run since she provided no identifying information and didn't render aid.
I should of called 911 from the scene, but I was in a bit of shock and didn't want to forget the license plate number so I rode back home. I gave a police report and had EMS come out to check me out for documentation purposes.
I know that I also have some bruises and nerve twinges, particularly since my right forearm took the brunt of the fall and I broke that arm near the elbow a couple of years ago. My fingers are tightening up as I've been typing today's events.
FWIW, we received an offer from the investor that toured the property and it was a lowball offer which will be rejected and countered. Hopefully, we'll get a flurry of activity now that it is listed on the Internet since it appears to be a seller's market in the area and the Blue Bell creamery is expanding.
My apologies for the long-winded OP, but it was a weird day and DU has been my proxy family over the past couple of years.
Response to Ilsa (Reply #12)
Sat Aug 24, 2013, 04:04 PM
TexasTowelie (5,049 posts)
13. Yes--I ache but I'm okay. In addition to what I outlined in the OP the palms of both of my hands
feel a bit bruised and rashed in spots but fortunately I didn't break the skin in either place. I was very fortunate that my head didn't the pavement since I didn't have a bike helmet on either.
I don't expect to hear back from the PD until sometime next week.
I got another call at 2:00 from the realtor and there is another prospective buyer coming over at 3:30 so I had to get the bed made, vacuum a few spots and take the cat items outside. I'll be leaving at 3:15 to one of my places of refuge and there are light showers in the area so I might get a bit wet and that makes for slippery conditions on the bike. Fortunately, I clean up after myself so there wasn't much else I needed to do besides get myself ready.
The first offer for the property was way too low and everyone was in agreement to either offer a counter proposal or outright reject the offer. The creamery has just added about 50 employees so it is a fairly strong seller's market, particularly since there is very little housing stock in the low 100's. The house is listed as a 3/2, but technically it does qualify as a 4/2 since there is a small closet in the den area and it would be adequate for a baby or toddler. Considering that the sign just went out Thursday, I'm amazed that we are already on the second showing of the property.
Response to pinboy3niner (Reply #3)Sat Aug 24, 2013, 12:21 AM
TexasTowelie (5,049 posts)
5. The funny thing is that I've laid off lately since my baggie runneth dry and I expect to have to
pass a screen to find employment. That's why there hasn't been any Friday Night Catnip threads in the Music Appreciation Group the last few weeks. However, I recently spotted some product recently and somehow had the willpower not to partake. It's tempting, but with all of the drama going on in my life it looks like I'll have to resort the Tylenol tonight.
She's a dirty pot head--I blame her for the accident.
She's a dirty pot head--I blame her for the accident.
DELMA, I do not care is she is a pot head, a drunk a hooker or illegal meth maker.
The Law states that when one is driving a car and hits most anything/ is hit by something they must STOP and if a person is involved, another car or property damage to report it.
This is hit and run and if the person hit is impaired due to any reason, even more the reason to call 911.
This woman on a bicycle was hit by a 2-3 thousand pound car and received road rash. Pain full, not life threating, but who knows when a few years from now some problem will come up due to the accident and as it takes time, the reason for problems has been forgotten.
she's not even hurt
Response to hrmjustin (Reply #34)
Sat Aug 24, 2013, 01:04 AM
TexasTowelie (5,064 posts)
35. Shaken up with a couple of abrasions, soft tissue injuries and nerve twinges.
I didn't want to be taken into the hospital since I'm uninsured and broke. I posted a thread in the Lounge detailing the story a few hours ago. If she had been in a larger vehicle or driving any faster in reverse gear then I suspect that I would have required admission into a hospital. I'm on the adrenalin high after the incident so tomorrow will probably be the true indicator of how much damage I sustained.
Although the woman stopped and apologized for hitting me, I think that technically it falls into the hit-and-run/failure to render aid categories since she didn't provide identifying information or liability insurance coverage information which I believe is required by Texas law. I memorized her license plate tags and filed a report with the local PD so she might have gotten herself into some serious legal consequences if they trace her down.