Got hit by a car today - don’t text and drive, folks.

[Walrus]

Very glad you are ok. Sad the watch is damaged but it could have been much worse.

I understand your state of mind though I had someone plow into me (my car) as I came to a complete stop after backing out of my parking spot. I watched this girl who was looking at her phone drive right into my rear quarter panel took that, a bumper and the lift open hatch to the scrap pile. I had just stopped for coffee and was literally a 1/4 mile from work.

She apologized profusely saying she didn’t see me then started crying as she had no registration or insurance. She said she was probably gonna get arrested. The night before I had put my favorite cat hairy to sleep and I was feeling miserable. I looked at the girl, it was a major brand gas station coffee shop I knew I had plenty of evidence it was her fault but I started thinking how miserable I felt about losing hairy the cat and at the minute I didn’t want to bring misery to this girl so I told her to take off and I’d report it as a hit and run. She was pretty shocked but hugged me and went on her way as I banged out the panel so I could drive to work. I don’t know if she would have hit the guy walking on my passenger side had I not created a buffer but it is possible. Why must people look at their phones in busy parking lots with pedestrians and cars pulling out and in.

Had I not just put hairy down I might have handled it differently and your case being hit as a pedestrian is much more severe. I know a few people who had hips shattered and worse.

The fact the guy that hit you just drove off says a lot about him. If this just happened and you wake up tomorrow with a lot of pain go get checked out. I felt fine the day I got hit while in the car but the next day I could feel it.

 

[Toishome]

That's terrible news, my friend. I am glad you are ok. The driver is lucky you are a nice guy because I am sure you could have tossed his Volkswagon with him in it across the street if you wanted to. Makes me sad to know we live in a world where a car hits you and instead of coming out to help it takes off.

 

[SC1]

To the OP, not trying helicopter you but please consider a check up.

My wife is an RN Trauma nurse... very innocuous things can lead to very serious things in no time at all.
Beyond my wife's gig, one of my Besties from high school was literally "tapped" by a car three years ago in Los Angeles. His words, "I got tapped, fell over and went lightly boom, no biggie." The next day he stroked.

Three years later he's still doing weekly PT to regain some motor function in his right arm and has deep memory issues.

Please consider a quick trip to your doc.

Okay, I'll shut up, promise.

 

[SC1]

MtV

Thank you all, but I really am fine mentally (I’m not one to be resentful or wrathful really) and physically. My wrist/arm and my leg took the majority of the impact, my head didn’t touch the car or the ground, I wasn’t dizzy or anything, no pain, nothing. I spoke to a doctor (friend of mine) regardless, should be fine. Health insurance is really nothing to worry about here, thanks for the input though.

The CCTV-question is a good one, I’ll check that tomorrow @M’Bob. No police report as there were no witnesses (loads of people around, nobody noticed and I was only on the ground for a few seconds) and basically saying “some guy in a white Volkswagen drove into me” isn’t really bound to be successful.

@Dan S my thoughts exactly regarding the watch/impact, but then it’s a 60-year old bracelet and the spring bars might actually be about the same age…

Didn't see this↑ until after my most recent reply... good to know.

Stay well.

 

[MtV]

Toishome

That's terrible news, my friend. I am glad you are ok. The driver is lucky you are a nice guy because I am sure you could have tossed his Volkswagon with him in it across the street if you wanted to. Makes me sad to know we live in a world where a car hits you and instead of coming out to help it takes off.

Haha, I’m tall but not sure I should try lifting cars, having slipped a disk only a few month ago.

Thinking about this, though, if I manage to find the guy this might get interesting. I mean, obviously he’ll claim that he wasn’t actually texting, which means he’ll have to explain how he managed to drive straight into a 6ft9 guy in a bright yellow coat in the middle of the day…

@SC1 I appreciate it but I think you might have missed my last comment. My head wasn’t hit in any way and a doctor did actually look me over. Thanks though!

/edit: Ah, you just found it while I was typing. All good.

 

[krogerfoot]

Glad/Hoping you’re OK and also hoping you will find a way to get the police and/or the store interested in investigating. Actually, the store should take it seriously from a liability standpoint and be more than willing to help you prove that the driver was at fault.

The legendary director Werner Herzog made a PSA some years ago about the danger of texting while driving that is absolutely harrowing to watch. It pays special attention to the stupid banal unimportant texts the drivers were sending when they suddenly destroyed someone’s life.

 

[X350 XJR]

Holy shit, I'm glad you're OK.

I can feel my blood boiling in outrage as I read this.

The nerve of the guy to be so flippant and so completely unaware and unconcerned of the situation he caused. I can't believe (well I actually can) they were so engrossed in their phone that they actually had to ask if they had hit you and knocked you to the ground.

 

[Shabbaz]

What a dickhead. Good to see you're ok Matt. Stay strong!

 

[rob#1]

Wow, glad you’re OK. Hopefully a wake up call for the driver, but sadly probably not.

It’s a $1,078 fine and 4 demerit points if you’re caught texting while driving where I live, and they’ve invested in new cameras to catch people as it’s happening too much. How can replying/sending a message not wait?

 

[Larry S]

Good grief! File a police report and get yourself checked out. Wife’s cousin was in a car accident, thought she was fine. Days later …RIP. Wife got hit running, rolled off hood, driver took off. Fortunately neighbors ran her down. Old lady. Spent the day in hospital. We went to court and got the lady’s license pulled. Could have sued, didn’t. My brother got broadsided on his bike by person on phone, huge damage Cameras at parking garage caught the rich asshole (Naples 5th Ave) . He still has pins in his leg. Not to be shrugged off.

 

[MtV]

Larry S

Good grief! File a police report and get yourself checked out. Wife’s cousin was in a car accident, thought she was fine. Days later …RIP. Wife got hit running, rolled off hood, driver took off. Fortunately neighbors ran her down. Old lady. Spent the day in hospital. We went to court and got the lady’s license pulled. Could have sued, didn’t. My brother got broadsided on his bike by person on phone, huge damage Cameras at parking garage caught the rich asshole (Naples 5th Ave) . He still has pins in his leg. Not to be shrugged off.

Oh wow. Sorry to hear that, and I thought this was an unusual incidence. Sounds like it isnt.

I wouldnt sue either, by the way. a) That's not me, b) that's not how it works here. I'd probbaly get 5 bucks and a voucher for a free ice cream.

 

[Larry S]

MtV

Oh wow. Sorry to hear that, and I thought this was an unusual incidence. Sounds like it isnt.

I wouldnt sue either, by the way. a) That's not me, b) that's not how it works here. I'd probbaly get 5 bucks and a voucher for a free ice cream.

And my kid got nailed, broadsided on bike by woman backing out of blind driveway. He was pretty banged up. His fault … going too fast, earbuds blasting. Woman picked up his oop medical bills. Made sure he was ok.

 

[SC1]

MtV

Oh wow. Sorry to hear that, and I thought this was an unusual incidence. Sounds like it isnt.

I wouldnt sue either, by the way. a) That's not me, b) that's not how it works here. I'd probbaly get 5 bucks and a voucher for a free ice cream.

Not unusual at all (sadly). I am an avid cyclist and I simply have lost count of the Near-Misses per year, per month, per week and now per day.
The difference is astronomical between pre-2007 and now... and it's all, 100%, the release of the smartphone.

Even when I drive the car I (or my wife and me) will marvel at how many drivers are either lane-drifting, holding up others at traffic lights and stop signs, speeding or driving too slow... and nine out of ten times you can see the telltale sign ~ their heads bobbing up & down between a phone on their lap or console and the road ahead. And for what, some stupid banal shit that's easily read or replied to at home, at work or in the parking lot of whatever errands they're running.

I know it would create a fire storm of rage from the Freedom People & phone addicts but I hope the day comes when there is a chip or sensor in every automobile that automatically turns off smartphones as soon as the key in the ignition turns on... and outside of a handsfree 911 call for emergencies it cannot be overridden until the automobile is turned off.

As my RN wife is fond of saying about the myriad of rules posted everywhere in hospitals, "These exist because dumbasses couldn't stop their dumbass behavior." Apparently the same will have to happen for motorists because a majority of idiotic people cannot stop texting and otherwise staring at their phones.

 

[JohnSteed]

Hi @MtV sorry to learn about this and thankful you’re okay!! Maybe … check in with a doctor to confirm no issues in background due to this.

 

[Archer]

Very glad to hear you are okay. Can't fathom how he could ask if he just hit you...didn't he notice the sound of you hitting his hood?

 

[Ron_W]

Glad you are okay

 

[MtV]

Archer

Very glad to hear you are okay. Can't fathom how he could ask if he just hit you...didn't he notice the sound of you hitting his hood?

I guess a combination of texting, listening to music and possibly a general lack of sensory perception related to the driving of a car? I don't know. I remember back when I was 18 my mom borrowed my car once and happened to drive past me in the city, doing about 50kph or so in 1st gear. She just forget to change gears and didn't notice something was wrong, despite the old little engline screaming at 6000rpm. Some people just aren't made for this, it seems.

Small update: The CCTV only covers the entry to the building etc, not the parking lot and the exit. So, I'll leave it at that and just hope the guy had an epiphany back home.

 

[pdxleaf]

MtV

I guess a combination of texting, listening to music and possibly a general lack of sensory perception related to the driving of a car? I don't know. I remember back when I was 18 my mom borrowed my car once and happened to drive past me in the city, doing about 50kph or so in 1st gear. She just forget to change gears and didn't notice something was wrong, despite the old little engline screaming at 6000rpm...

Here's an excellent podcast with two fighter pilots about sensory overload in the cockpit.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1G...i=ojgO-6pcTOygCzn5zjNxKw&utm_source=copy-link

 

[bananapeanut]

MtV

Small update: The CCTV only covers the entry to the building etc, not the parking lot and the exit. So, I'll leave it at that and just hope the guy had an epiphany back home.

Most supermarkets won't let you see cctv footages anyway unless the police is involved

 

[MtV]

bananapeanut

Most supermarkets won't let you see cctv footages anyway unless the police is involved

Oh, absolutely - I wouldn’t have expected them to, but had they said that they have the footage/their cameras cover that area, a trip to the police station (conveniently located around the corner) would’ve made sense. As it stands, that’s wasted time.