A crane dropped a load of steel on me while riding past - now what :)

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Lunatic

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I've kept this kinda quiet up until now while dealing with the matter, but everyone I've spoken to is quite astonished by this event.

I was riding my bike down Rivonia road and got to a construction site near the Gautrain and West Road. There was a flag lady present who had stopped the traffic whilst the crane overhead was loading steel rebars from the 15th floor to a dump truck. Being on my bike I managed to get to the front of the queue. Then she proceeded to wave the red flag so the traffic could continue.

As I rode past the dump truck i was knocked unconscious. 

Luckily I woke a few seconds later and the motorbike had not yet fallen over, and I hadnt hit a tree or any other vehicles. I had no idea what had happened as I hadnt seen any vehicles approaching me, and I knew I had left the cars behind me. I then realised that I had steel bars over my body, and a rebar had actually gone throough my protective jacket, through my work shirt, and out the other side.

So i pulled over to remove the rebars and assess what had actually happened. Then i realised the crane above that was loading these steel rebars had dropped a load on to me as i was riding underneath. My helmet took a rebar and is buggered and my right arm hurt like hell, where i saw I had been bashed by one there too. Luckily nothing pierced my skin.

The construction site staff would not assist me, and would not call the site manager. After a commotion Metro Police arrived and suddenly they could radio the site manager, who arrived 40 mins after the incident to take me to meet his directors to work out what needs to be done.

The site was closed down whilst i had to get the J88 statement completed at the SAPS as well as get the relevant medical tests wrapped up. The construction team thankfully have offered to pay for the damages to my helmet, jacket, shirt, and the basic medicals which is great.

I guess in SA we are a lot harder than in the States....where they would have been taken to court.

In my case its basically negligence I assume and I post traumatic stress, but far from the hundreds of thousands you'll see on TV and possibly not even worth pursuing. The construction team have however been very accommodating to date.

So glad I literally walked away from a freak accident.
 
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