Mike wrote --

I would like to have a dash cam on my bike sometimes.

You might want to try an action camera.

Sounds good, but around here I would have to take it with me any time I turned my back on my bike.
Joe


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Sounds good, but around here I would have to take it with me any time I turned my back on my bike.

If the bike connectors are like the ones you would use in a car, they are pretty easy to unlatch from the mount, without tools. I don't leave mine in
my car unattended.

Mike


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Ron wrote --

But I have to say that I've seen cyclists do bad things on their bikes too.

Oh, absolutely. I see things like that nearly every day (go through red lights, etc). These give everyone on bikes a bad name.

The cyclists that I've talked to like to say "bikes have the same rights on the road as cars", to which I respond "Correct and they have the same responsibilities and have to follow the same rules."

Yep.
One time I got into a "discussion" with a driver who had nearly caused me
to wreck when he cut me off. In gist he said bikes were to be on sidewalks.
I said no, on the street.
I found the rules and regs for bikes for WV on the DMV website and
printed that off and carried it with me for a couple of years. Never had a need
to use it.
Many years ago I was coming home from work, stopping at red lights, etc.
At my corner I was pulled over by a old city cop. This guy must of been
one of the first officers the city hired 150 years ago.
He said that bikes were to be stopped at red lights, WALKED through intersections, and then ridden onto the next corner.
I told him that was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. And I checked on this (long before the internet) and could find no such ordinance or state
law.
A funny thing did happen.
He asked where I lived and he had pulled me over literally right in
front of my apartment. I pointed across the street and said "there".
Don't get smart with me boy, he growled, and asked to see my license.
He then looked it, across the street and back to the license, gave me a dirty look and handed it back to me. :)

Of course, the number of drivers I've seen out there who don't know the rules are... well.. I'm good at math, but I can't count **that** high.

You and me both. :)

I know that I won't ride my bike on the roads around here. I'll drive my bike to the local trail and go from there.

We have bike lanes on some streets but many motorists ignore them.
I also see a lot of drivers who think the left turn lane is some some of express lane to go through intersections.

I remember a Kickstarter project that was a horn for a bike that sounded just like a car horn. Worked really good too. 8)

LOL.
Joe
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Hello JOE!

** On Wednesday 06.01.21 - 05:56, JOE MACKEY wrote to RON LAUZON:

Many years ago I was coming home from work, stopping at
red lights, etc. At my corner I was pulled over by a old
city cop. This guy must of been one of the first officers
the city hired 150 years ago.

He said that bikes were to be stopped at red lights,
WALKED through intersections, and then ridden onto the
next corner. I told him that was the dumbest thing I had
ever heard. And I checked on this (long before the
internet) and could find no such ordinance or state law.

I remember that part. That's the way it actually was
communicated. But when motor-assisted ebikes came onto the scene
and more and more people were using motorrized wheel chairs, the
"get off the transport device and WALK across an intersection"
was not enforced so much - and ultimately removed - I think. I
don't see anyone get off their bikes or miraculously rise from
their wheel chairs to cross an intersection.

A funny thing did happen. He asked where I lived and he
had pulled me over literally right in front of my
apartment. I pointed across the street and said "there".
Don't get smart with me boy, he growled, and asked to see
my license. He then looked it, across the street and back
to the license, gave me a dirty look and handed it back
to me. :)

I don't understand.. WHY did he stop you? What did you do wrong
in his eyes? Is it because you rode across an intersection
instead of walk? If the latter.. did he not charge you?


--
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But I have to say that I've seen cyclists do bad things on their bikes too.

Oh, absolutely. I see things like that nearly every day (go through red lights, etc). These give everyone on bikes a bad name.

That really annoys me. You get stuck behind someone on a bike who keeps swerving out towards the center line when you try to pass them, you finally
get enough room to get around them without cutting them off, you get to a light, and they roll right past you and right through it so you have to go through it all over again.

That said, most serious bicycle riders in this area avoid the streets with lights. They only like the narrow, crooked roads. The easiest way to get
them to stop using a road is to add a bike lane. I am not being sarcastic,
it is really true. The only bicycle riders that will use it are the ones
that are actually using bikes for transportation... if they are doing it
for fun or exercise, they will stop using that road.

I also see a lot of drivers who think the left turn lane is some some of express lane to go through intersections.

That is a new one. I am shocked some of the car drivers here have not
tried that one.

Mike


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Joe,

One time I got into a "discussion" with a driver who had nearly
caused me to wreck when he cut me off. In gist he said bikes were to
be on sidewalks. I said no, on the street.

I saw a bumper sticker that noted "If you don't like the way I drive,
stay off the sidewalk". <G>

I told him that was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. And I
checked on this (long before the internet) and could find no such ordinance or state law.

He probably wrote the law 150 years ago. <G>

He then looked it, across the street and back to the license, gave
me a dirty look and handed it back to me. :)

LOL!!

Of course, the number of drivers I've seen out there who don't know the

ules

are... well.. I'm good at math, but I can't count **that** high.

You and me both. :)

2+2=5 -- for extremely large values of 2. <G>

We have bike lanes on some streets but many motorists ignore them.
I also see a lot of drivers who think the left turn lane is some some
of express lane to go through intersections.

You just gave them a bunch of ideas. <G>

I remember a Kickstarter project that was a horn for a bike that sounded

ust

like a car horn. Worked really good too. 8)

LOL.

They ought to do it like a train whistle. <G> Pull up next to the tracks,
and set that off, and watch the drivers mess their pants. <BG>

Daryl

... Officer, the stop sign was green when I went through it!!
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Aug wrote --

He said that bikes were to be stopped at red lights,
WALKED through intersections, and then ridden onto the
next corner.

I remember that part. That's the way it actually was
communicated.

I never recall any such ordinance here.
And its against the law to ride a bike on a sidewalk.

I don't see anyone get off their bikes or miraculously rise from
their wheel chairs to cross an intersection.

We have some people who ride those wheelchairs in the street. The reason they give is the sidewalks are "uneven".
We've had a few of them in the street get hit.
One I remember vividly was a student at the university, a real nice guy,
who was crossing an intercession when a woman, yakking on the phone, in a
big SUV, ran over him and dragged he and his chair nearly a block. He and the chair were tangled up under her
He was in bad shape and spent some time in hospital.
No idea whatever happened to her, charges, etc. I know she was charged
with hit and run but don't recall anything more.

Don't get smart with me boy, he growled, and asked to see
my license. He then looked it, across the street and back
to the license, gave me a dirty look and handed it back
to me. :)

I don't understand.. WHY did he stop you? What did you do wrong
in his eyes? Is it because you rode across an intersection
instead of walk? If the latter.. did he not charge you?

The latter. No charge, just a warning.
I never had any problems before or after this event.
I've been in a couple of accidents, generally at intersections.
One time a woman turned right in front of me and no time to take evasive action, I slammed on the brakes and dropped the bike.
She was stopped by an onlooker and at first said she didn't see me, then
it was she was trying to get around me.
OK lady, which was it?
That was the time I busted my left shoulder and cost me about over $1000
in hospital/doctors bills.
(I had no insurance and paid cash. When the bills came the charges were
all half of what insurance would have been charged.)
I was told by a cop friend I should have just run into the car.
About 10 days later a similar thing happened to another bicyclist and he
did hit the car. The car had $3000 in damages and the driver was cited with
a hefty fine. The guy on the bike? He only had a bent front wheel.
At a red light I always try to get at the end of their hood so if they do look they can't help but see me. Lots of times motorists turn without
looking. In this town a pedestrian is either a member of the quick or the dead.
Joe



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Mike wrote --

That really annoys me. You get stuck behind someone on a bike who keeps swerving out towards the center line

Those who do that get what they deserve.
And another one who gives everyone a bad name.

light, and they roll right past you and right through it so you have to go through it all over again.

One time a few years ago I ran into a retired federal judge I know.
We were both riding our bikes and at one intersection, he rolled through
a stop sign.
I pointed this out to him and joked I was going to have to cite him. (I
was still working in parking at the time). He joked back I had no authority
on a city street. I replied I know have fiends in the city (police department). He said he knew people w

That said, most serious bicycle riders in this area avoid the streets with lights.

There is one street here, about two over from a major street that I use. Going to the store it has five red lights (three in a row) whereas the major street has nine in the same distance. I sometimes use that street rather
than the major one, which I live
In this town the lights are set up so you go a block and stop. Go a
block and stop. Go a block and stop. No matter if in a car or on bike.

I also see a lot of drivers who think the left turn lane is some some of express lane to go through intersections.

That is a new one. I am shocked some of the car drivers here have not
tried that one.

This is usually at intersections with no on-coming traffic, IE no one on
the other side of intersection is turning.
Joe
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Daryl wrote --

They ought to do it like a train whistle. <G> Pull up next to the tracks, and set that off, and watch the drivers mess their pants. <BG>

In the mid 80s this woman drove around the crossing guards as a train was coming and got hit and pushed down the tracks a bit. The train wasn't going very fast, moving cars from one side of town to the other.
She was banged up and had the excuse she didn't see the train or hear the whistle.
Yet she drove around the crossing barriers. I would think if they are
down that would give the driver an idea a train was near.
Joe
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Joe,

In the mid 80s this woman drove around the crossing guards as a train was coming and got hit and pushed down the tracks a bit. The train
wasn't going very fast, moving cars from one side of town to the other.

Had it been going faster, the coupler going through the door/window would have likely decapitated her.

She was banged up and had the excuse she didn't see the train or hear the whistle.

She must've had the radio on loud...but the bottom line is that she wasn't aware of her surroundings.

I've gotten so that I drive with the radio off, so I can hear things such
as emergency vehicle sirens, train horns, etc. And as a bumper sticker from Operation Lifesaver notes, "Any Time Is Train Time".

Yet she drove around the crossing barriers. I would think if they
are down that would give the driver an idea a train was near.

Sometimes, there's a malfunction. But, every crossing has a blue warning
sign to call the railroad and notify them if:

1) There's an apparent problem with the signals.

2) The gate has been broken, or the signal has been taken out by a vehicle.

3) If a train has blocked the crossing for a long period of time.

4) If the train is derailing.

5) If there is a fire observed, or hazardous material leakage.

6) If the gates are down, and no train is in sight.

In southwest Little Rock, I've notified Union Pacific Railroad several times of instances such as these.

Daryl

... Try to beat a train to a railroad crossing?? You'll be DEAD WRONG.
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Mike,

That is a new one. I am shocked some of the car drivers here have not tried that one.

I've been watching YouTube vidoes of emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance) responding to emergency calls. It's shocking how many drivers
will just SIT THERE, and NOT move to the right to get out of the way. Yet,
even with being told "MOVE TO THE RIGHT", they don't move, and most other drivers won't let others get ahead of them.

Another case had a guy get a blow up doll in the passenger seat, so it
would look like he had a passenger in the car, so he could use the HOV
lane.

Unfortunately for him, he got caught by the cops. <G>

I think of one routine by comedian Jeff Foxworthy. He said his wife
thinks you have to run the car all the way out of gas before filling it up...and hers ran out in the HOV lane.

Well, the next day, he made sure the tank was full, and as he dropped
the kids off to school, he yelled out "I've got plenty of gas!!"...and
the kids (red-faced) were like "Just go home, Dad!!". <G>

Daryl

... Don't iron a 4 leaf clover; Never Press Your Luck.
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Daryl wrote --

Had it been going faster, the coupler going through the door/window would have likely decapitated her.

Yep.

She must've had the radio on loud...but the bottom line is that she wasn't aware of her surroundings.

I see (and hear) this all time.
People are in their own little cocoon and oblivious to the outside world.
And then you have cars that pulsate due to the loud music inside it.

I've gotten so that I drive with the radio off

At one time radio's in cars where viewed as a safety hazard. Drivers
would be paying more attention to the program than the road.

3) If a train has blocked the crossing for a long period of time.

There's another set of tracks that go from the CSX mainline to the old
B&O line where cars are shuttled back and forth.
One will have a long train so past, ever so slowly.
The last car is seen, drivers get ready to move, then the train stops
with the last couple of cars still blocking the street and will sit there for some time. ==sigh==
Joe
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Daryl wrote to Mike --

I've been watching YouTube vidoes of emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance) responding to emergency calls. It's shocking how many drivers will just SIT THERE, and NOT move to the right to get out of the way.

I see that all the time.
The worst are drivers at red lights who can move out of the way (no
cross traffic) but wait for the light to turn green before they move.
I always think what would they think if if were a loved one of theirs was
in the ambulance, their house burning down, etc and some idiot just sat
there blocking them.

Another case had a guy get a blow up doll in the passenger seat, so it would look like he had a passenger in the car

When I was in parking I was walking by a fire lane. Now if someone were
in the car, of age, who could move it.
(This was at the student centre and people liked to park there to run
inside "for a minute").
I noticed the passenger never moved and thought that strange and walking past the car saw it was a blow up doll, with a wig and hat on it.
I started laughing so hard I could hardly write the ticket. :)
I only wish I had a camera phone at the time.
One time I was inside the student centre talking with some people and a woman parked there and walked away.
As she was going into the building I was walking out another door
writing the ticket.
I was back inside a minute later and talking again when the fire marshal drove by, stopped and wrote her another ticket and put it on the window.
It was several minutes before she came out and looked at the two tickets with a puzzled look on her face. :)
Meanwhile we inside were laughing ourselves silly.
Joe
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I've been watching YouTube vidoes of emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance) responding to emergency calls. It's shocking how many drivers
will just SIT THERE, and NOT move to the right to get out of the way. Yet, even with being told "MOVE TO THE RIGHT", they don't move, and most other drivers won't let others get ahead of them.

I rode in the front of an ambulance once when my then-girlfriend had
fainted and was in the back. I was surprised about how many people didn't
get out of the way.

OTOH, several years ago I was in Downtown Louisville at a red light. I was
the only car in the far left lane on a one-way street... I am not sure if
all the other lanes had cars or not. The cross-street was also one-way in
the direction where no left turn for me would be allowed.

For whatever reason, an ambulance driver rolled up behind me and expected
me to run the light and enter the BLIND intersection. I guess he was
hoping for a few more customers. I waited for the light to change before moving.


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I see that all the time.
The worst are drivers at red lights who can move out of the way (no
cross traffic) but wait for the light to turn green before they move.
I always think what would they think if if were a loved one of theirs was in the ambulance, their house burning down, etc and some idiot just sat
there blocking them.

As I just told Darryl in another message, the one time I was in that
situation I could not move up and out of the way because I could not see whether or not there was no traffic. Out in the suburbs it is one thing
but in a lot of downtown areas, there is no sightline for what might be
coming until it has entered the intersection.


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Joe,

People are in their own little cocoon and oblivious to the outside world.

That might have been what happened to me on Thursday. I had just stopped
off at the Post Office to check the P.O. Box, and was headed to lunch. Suddenly, I heard tires squealing, and the next thing I know, I had been
rear ended on the right side. With the wet road, my car was now spinning
out of control across traffic. I was then hit on the right front side, then stopped. That vehicle that hit me ended up hitting the car that hit me,
head on, with the vehicle that hit me (it had a portable trailer in tow) careening into a power pole.

My first thought was to get off the road, so I wouldn't get hit. I had trouble getting through to 911 on both T-Mobile and Verizon. Had I had an amateur radio HT, I would've gotten on the repeater, and issued a MAYDAY
call, as I was "a station in distress". The 911 folks called me, and I told them what happened. The squad chief from a nearby fire station, 2 police
cars, and 2 ambulances eventually showed up.

The airbags in my car did not deploy, but the front and side airbags
deployed in the other 2 cars. One driver had to go to the hospital. I
waited for the police officer to come over, so I could give my account
of the wreck (I was not charged). I was basically able to walk away
from the wreck...but I'm afraid the car, a 2004 Buick LeSabre will be
totaled. So, that leaves me with no transportation.

I called my insurance (Allstate) yesterday, and was on the phone with
Geico today. Uber took me back and forth from this injury clinic for chiropractic work on my neck and back. I have a follow-up appointment
on Monday (the clinic does work through Geico). Amazingly, the police
report was available shortly after I got there (I was originally told
it might not be available until Monday). That was my first wreck in 43
years.

And then you have cars that pulsate due to the loud music inside it.

Friggin' earthquake music. I guess that tribal beat is the only thing
they can understand.

At one time radio's in cars where viewed as a safety hazard. Drivers would be paying more attention to the program than the road.

My radio was OFF at the time of the wreck, and the cellphones were in
the passenger seat, but out of my reach. So, I wasn't distracted or
impaired in any way.

3) If a train has blocked the crossing for a long period of time.

The last car is seen, drivers get ready to move, then the train stops with the last couple of cars still blocking the street and will sit
there for some time. ==sigh==

Unfortunately, it costs money to build those overpasses.

Daryl

... Stewardess Trainee: "Where does this door gooooooooooo??"
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Joe,

I've been watching YouTube vidoes of emergency vehicles (police, fire,

ambul

ance) responding to emergency calls. It's shocking how many drivers
will just SIT THERE, and NOT move to the right to get out of the way.

I see that all the time.

I'm glad I never trained to be an emergency vehicle driver. :P

I always think what would they think if if were a loved one of theirs was in the ambulance, their house burning down, etc and some idiot just sat there blocking them.

Exactly.

I noticed the passenger never moved and thought that strange and walking past the car saw it was a blow up doll, with a wig and hat on
it.
I started laughing so hard I could hardly write the ticket. :)

Never mind one heck of a blow job. <G>

It was several minutes before she came out and looked at the two tickets with a puzzled look on her face. :)

You have to pay both of them, honey. :P

Meanwhile we inside were laughing ourselves silly.

I just love the stories where they try to lie their way out of a ticket,
with its not my car, etc. Break out the camera/video -- busted!! <G>

Daryl

... He does the work of 3 Men...Moe, Larry, and Curly.
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For whatever reason, an ambulance driver rolled up behind me and expected me to run the light and enter the BLIND intersection. I guess he was hoping for a few more customers. I waited for the light to change before moving.

I can relate. I was at a red light in the left lane of a 2-way commercial street, and a volunteer fireman (I guess) came up behind me with his light flashing and siren directed at me - like he wanted me to get out of the left lane just so he could pass me properly, instead of being a gentleman and passin me from the right lane.

It makes me worry that this guy might not be the smartest fireman :( Not too reliable in an emergency if he can't pass someone via the right lane.

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Hello Aaron!

** On Saturday 09.01.21 - 05:41, Aaron Thomas wrote to Mike Powell:

I can relate. I was at a red light in the left lane of a 2-way commercial street, and a volunteer fireman (I guess) came up behind me with his
light flashing and siren directed at me - like he wanted me to get out of the left lane just so he could pass me properly, instead of being a gentleman and passinme from the right lane.

Maybe he didn't have room to manuever (to back up a bit and steer
around you) Maybe he was signalling you to give him a bit of
extra room.

It makes me worry that this guy might not be the smartest fireman :( Not too reliable in an emergency if he can't pass someone via the right lane.

Surely, their training would have included how to deal with that
scenario and all the legal rules that they still had to adhere
to.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.48
* Origin: Does photographic memory take time to develop? (2:221/1.58)

Hello Daryl!

** On Friday 08.01.21 - 22:33, Daryl Stout wrote to JOE MACKEY:

Joe,

lunch. Suddenly, I heard tires squealing, and the next thing I know, I
had been rear ended on the right side. With the wet road, my car was now spinning out of control across traffic. I was then hit on the right front side, then stopped.

That's quite an account. Glad that you are ok.

I'm surprised the medical work happened so quickly for you. My
mom was in an accident many years ago when a car rammed into the
rear of the car she was driving. She was driving my car - one of
the few that still had a proper "frame" construction. The
vehicle was deemed "totalled". The trunk was folded up like an
accordian - so the impact must have been fairly significant.

But she THOUGHT she was ok, and just came home - somehow. (I was
in another provice and some nurse called me with the news).
Later, she ended up taking physio for many months. BUT she lost
her work (for being unvailable to return within a certain time),
and she lost special compensation. She fought for it, but it
seemed that her lawyer was unsuccessful.


--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.48
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Maybe he didn't have room to manuever (to back up a bit and steer
around you) Maybe he was signalling you to give him a bit of
extra room.

He was driving a regular pickup truck with a magnetic flashing light on top, and could have easily gone around me, but he had the expectation that a
stopped car at a red light needs to get out of the way so a nerd in an
unmarked vehicle with a magnetic flashing light from Amazon could get through the passing lane, and he absolutely could not get over himself long enough to just use the right lane.

I respect firefighters and especially volunteer ones. I respect all emergency vehicles, and if I'm driving, I'll totally pull over or otherwise get out of their way, but at a red light? They shouldn't expect too much from me when I'm stopped at a red light.

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It makes me worry that this guy might not be the smartest fireman :( Not too reliable in an emergency if he can't pass someone via the right lane.

Here they will usually take whatever lane is clear, after giving plenty of warning.

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I thought you were in New York State? :)

Mike

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Hello Aaron!

** On Saturday 09.01.21 - 18:02, Aaron Thomas wrote to August Abolins:

He was driving a regular pickup truck with a magnetic flashing light on top, and could have easily gone around me..

Sorry. I failed to note that it was an unmarked vehicle/truck.
In that case it could have been ANYONE (someone pretending to be
important).

..I'll totally pull over or otherwise get out of their way,
but at a red light? They shouldn't expect too much from me
when I'm stopped at a red light.

Good point. It would certainly not be safe to roll into the
intersection when other people are get a GREEN light.

--
../|ug

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It makes me worry that this guy might not be the smartest fireman :( Not reliable in an emergency if he can't pass someone via the right lane.

Here they will usually take whatever lane is clear, after giving plenty
of warning.

Same here, but this guy was having a bad day I guess.

I thought you were in New York State? :)

I have an extremely small rental space in Ashburn, VA and that's where my BBS resides. NY is not a safe place for a BBS to thrive.

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* Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)

Mike,

I rode in the front of an ambulance once when my then-girlfriend had fainted and was in the back. I was surprised about how many people
didn't get out of the way.

If a police officer sees you impeding an emergency vehicle, they can
ticket you.

For whatever reason, an ambulance driver rolled up behind me and
expected me to run the light and enter the BLIND intersection. I guess
he was hoping for a few more customers. I waited for the light to
change before moving.

In some areas, if there isn't a special system to automatically change
the signals to green for the approaching emergency vehicle (police, fire, ambulance), they drop the siren, but keep the lights flashing, until they
can move again. Sometimes, they have to get in the lane of approaching
traffic.

I was involved in a multi-vehicle wreck the other day. I got rear-ended
on the right rear, causing me to spin out of control across the road, and
I got hit on the right front. The vehicle that hit me apparently hit another vehicle head on, and the one that hit me careened into a utility pole.

My airbags didn't deploy, so I was able to walk away, so to speak...but,
I'm getting precautionary chiropractic treatment. At least the other drivers had insurance...and since I was rear ended first, I wasn't at fault.

I had trouble getting through to 911 on 2 different cellphone networks.
The call got dropped, but they called me back, and I told them what had happened. They said "help was on the way"...a rescue squad batallion chief,
2 police cars, and 2 ambulances. One driver had to go to the hospital for treatment.

The thing is, my car with just under 72,000 miles, is 17 years old. And,
if it costs the insurance company more than 80% of the total value, they'll just total the car. If I can't get a rental car, or a nice monetary
settlement to buy a pre-owned inexpensive car (at least $10,000 though),
I'm up a creek without a paddle. I likely will end up cancelling a planned train trip in June...and not go outside the Little Rock area ever again. I really don't want to have to go to court, but that may end up being the case.

Daryl

... Eyewitnesses were on the scene in minutes.
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Hello Daryl!

** On Saturday 09.01.21 - 20:33, Daryl Stout wrote to Mike Powell:

The thing is, my car with just under 72,000 miles, is 17
years old.

Cool.. mine just flipped to 100,000km in September'20 (approx
62mi) and it is 12yrs old.

..I really don't want to have to go to court, but that may
end up being the case.

Why would you need to go to court?
--
../|ug

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I have an extremely small rental space in Ashburn, VA and that's where my BBS >resides. NY is not a safe place for a BBS to thrive.

I think I know what you mean. :) Again, welcome to the networks!

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * "I'm cold, and there are wolves after me!"-Granpa Simpson
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August,

That's quite an account. Glad that you are ok.

Compared to the other drivers, I "walked away from the wreck". My
car wasn't so lucky.

I'm surprised the medical work happened so quickly for you. My
mom was in an accident many years ago when a car rammed into the
rear of the car she was driving. She was driving my car - one of
the few that still had a proper "frame" construction. The
vehicle was deemed "totalled". The trunk was folded up like an
accordian - so the impact must have been fairly significant.

I was notified by law enforcement shortly after getting texts from
these so called agencies and clinics. The guy involved with these is
a class A felon, and a level 4 sex offender. I canceled the appointment
they had setup for me (his clinics are guilty of insurance fraud)...and
blocked his numbers, as well as reporting this to law enforcement.

I may be able to get groceries delivered, but may have to change my
pharmacy. But, I have no way to get to my Post Office Box, and have to
take Uber to a clinic who works with Geico, the insurance company of
the driver who was charged in the wreck. The chiropractor warned that
sometimes injuries sustained in a wreck like this, take awhile to show
up.

But she THOUGHT she was ok, and just came home - somehow. (I was
in another provice and some nurse called me with the news).
Later, she ended up taking physio for many months. BUT she lost
her work (for being unvailable to return within a certain time),
and she lost special compensation. She fought for it, but it
seemed that her lawyer was unsuccessful.

I contacted a local personal injury lawyer, and will likely go to
court to sue for damages and inconvenience. The NADA value of my car
was maybe $1500...and I'm sure it'll cost at least 80% of that...at
which point, the insurance company will total it. But, I think the
lawyer is one of the contingency ones...if they don't win the case,
they don't get paid. I know the insurance company is going to try to
get out of this with as little cost to them as possible.

The police report notes that the driver who hit me, was charged
with negligence, so it was "his fault". I just hope I don't get counter-sued...but with him being at fault, I don't see how that's
possible.

Regrettably, I canceled a planned train trip this June "to get
away from things"...and have decided not to travel outside of the
Little Rock area again.

Daryl

... The Bottom Line: The vertical crack in your butt.
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Hello Daryl!

** On Sunday 10.01.21 - 03:47, Daryl Stout wrote to August Abolins:

The police report notes that the driver who hit me, was charged
with negligence, so it was "his fault". I just hope I don't get counter-sued...but with him being at fault, I don't see how that's possible.

You said you were hit twice. Which driver are you referring to?

Regrettably, I canceled a planned train trip this June "to get
away from things"...and have decided not to travel outside of the
Little Rock area again.

You wouldn't be able to get away from things anyway. Covid-19 is
everywhere. :( You'd think you'd be leaving things from one
place, but you'd encountering new things in another. Curfews
may become the norm.

--
../|ug

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Daryl wrote --

People are in their own little cocoon and oblivious to the outside world.

That might have been what happened to me on Thursday.

Glad to know you are ok. A bit shaken up but able to move on your own.
I've been involved in a few accidents over the years, never my fault.
When I was in produce, 15 years of driving, I was hit three times I can recall.
Two were while I was stopped at a light. Hit on the left side by a woman
in a VW who wanted to make a left turn but I was in her way. She "didn't
see me".
Another time a couple of women with several dogs loose in the car who
rear ended me, again at a light, and pushed me into the car ahead of me, and that one into the one in front of it.
There were a couple more but don't recall off hand.
Never hurt and the company van didn't need repair. (Some damage but the boss pocketed the insurance money).
There was a time or two there were near misses with squealing of tyres
and quick reactions.

head on, with the vehicle that hit me (it had a portable trailer in tow) careening into a power pole.

I recall seeing the aftermath of a car pulling a Airstream trailer that
made a too tight exit off the freeway, the trailer tipped and rolled along
the freeway a distance, till it had completely disintegrated, with the items scattered all over the place.

My radio was OFF at the time of the wreck, and the cellphones were in
the passenger seat, but out of my reach.

When I was on my big trip in '19, my phone was on the passenger seat or
the console, close at hand if I wanted a snap of something.
Usually by the time I stopped, got the camera working and all whatever it
was that got my attention was done and/or gone.
It was on the seat so if it rang I could glance if important or not.
Joe
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Daryl wrote --

I just love the stories where they try to lie their way out of a ticket, with its not my car, etc. Break out the camera/video -- busted!! <G>

Once camera phones came out I used mine all the time for iffy
situations. The pictures showed the car and the violation.
I recall once a woman came into the office ranting and raving she was
NOT in a handicap spot, it wasn't her car, etc.
The picture was pulled up and not only her car but I had gotten a snap
of her as well, while she was getting something out of the back seat. :)
Try and get out of that one sister! :)
Joe
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Hello JOE!

** On Tuesday 12.01.21 - 06:10, JOE MACKEY wrote to DARYL STOUT:

When I was on my big trip in '19, my phone was on the
passenger seat or the console, close at hand if I wanted
a snap of something. Usually by the time I stopped, got
the camera working and all whatever it was that got my
attention was done and/or gone. It was on the seat so if
it rang I could glance if important or not.

These days, the police can charge someone for distracted driving
if they can assume the person was using/glancing at a detached
phone. Of course, I would assume that they take other factors
into consideration before making that conclusion: whether the
phone is detached, whether a call was in progress at the time of
accident, etc.

I think there are a lot of people getting away with using their
phones with one free hand while driving.

Even my "attached" iPod connected onto a holder can be an easy
distraction if I need to tap on the screen to change songs or a
podcast.

--
../|ug

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Aug wrote--

These days, the police can charge someone for distracted driving
if they can assume the person was using/glancing at a detached
phone.

In WV using a hand held phone is a secondary offense.
Its not enforced to any great deal. People aren't being pulled over all
over the place for being on their phone.

phone is detached, whether a call was in progress at the time of
accident, etc.

That would be easy to trace since all call times are recorded.
They could also check the times the phone was in use before and after
the accident, if an emergency number (calling for help after an accident), or otherwise.
Joe
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Daryl wrote --

I was notified by law enforcement shortly after getting texts from
these so called agencies and clinics.

Ambulance chasing is high tech now it seems.

The chiropractor warned that sometimes injuries sustained in a wreck like this, take awhile to show up.

True.
But often its a case of CYA for the insurance companies.

I know the insurance company is going to try to get out of this with as little cost to them as possible.

Friend of mine had the same insurance company for years, full coverage, always paid before it was due, never filed a claim, etc.
One day his car was stolen.
The insurance dropped him before the ink was dry on the paperwork for
being a bad risk. ==sigh==
Joe
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
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August,

You said you were hit twice. Which driver are you referring to?

Hit once by vehicle 1 (a pickup truck and trailer that rear-ended
me), and vehicle 3 (a car from the opposite direction that hit me.
Vehicles 1 and 3 then hit head on, and careened into a utility pole.

You wouldn't be able to get away from things anyway. Covid-19 is everywhere. :( You'd think you'd be leaving things from one
place, but you'd encountering new things in another. Curfews
may become the norm.

At least being alone at home, I reduce my chances of exposure.

Daryl

... Radioactive halibut makes great fission chips.
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August,

..I really don't want to have to go to court, but that may
end up being the case.

Why would you need to go to court?

Injuries, and to try to get funding to get a pre-owned car,
if they total mine. It was 17 years old, but didn't even have
72,000 miles on it.

I've contacted both insurance companies (mine, Allstate...and
Geico, the one of the guilty driver), to file the claims (to try
to get a rental car), and talked to the adjustors. However, I have
not signed anything yet. I know the insurance companies are going
to try to "get out of it on the cheap". However, after Chapter 13
bankruptcy in 2009, I never bothered to get another credit card,
or rebuild my credit...as $1150 a month on disability doesn't go
very far. I prefer a debit card, as it's paid for "right then".

I've found out that I can get groceries delivered from Kroger,
and medications from my pharmacy...plus, a friend will take me
to the Post Office once a week to check our respective P.O. Boxes.
The Uber transportation to and from the chiropractor is being paid
for by their insurance.

My next medical appointments (full physical and eye exam) are in
March, with a colonoscopy in April. But, these may be in jeopardy
if I don't have transportation.

Daryl

... If your head's in the sand, your butt's a prime target!!
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