Wednesday night at about 1800, travelling on Malibongwe drive on my bike (right in front of the Robindale Spar for those who know), a pedestrian appeared out of nowhere and ran across the road. It was almost completely dark and to make matters worse the streetlight at that exact spot is out. By the time I saw her, she was so close that I knew impact was inevitable. There was not much that I could do, other than climb on the brakes and brace myself. I hit the poor girl, who probably weighs 50kg’s, at anything between 30-50km/h. I hit her full on from the front. She came over/through the windscreen and hit me on my right hand side of my upper body.
She came to rest in the middle of the road, head in the one lane, feet in the other. Somehow I managed to keep the bike upright. I stopped, got of the bike in an instant, and ran to her to assist. When I got to her, she was completely out of it, but thankfully, there was life. For the first minute or two, which felt like forever, no cars stopped. They just politely rode around us where I was kneeling along side her in the middle of the road. The first person to stop was a paramedic which was a relief.
The police arrived, tow trucks arrived, a fire truck arrived, her family arrived, her employer arrived, her colleagues arrived, her families’ family arrived, but after 1hr15min the ambulance had still not arrived. Her employer eventually went home to get a bigger car in which she was loaded and then taken to Helen Joseph.
The following day I went to enquire about her at her place of employment and was told that she had been released that morning. How the girl did not suffer any fractures, I honestly do not know. I hit her head on with a big bike at a speed that could do damage (to me and her!). At the scene the paramedics reckoned she had at least a few broken ribs. I cannot explain what a sickening feeling I experienced the moment I hit her. Stopping and running back to her, I thought she was lying dead in the road. Words cannot explain how thankful I am that she was not hurt seriously.
My bike however, suffered a different fate. As I didn’t put the bike down, I luckily have no “fall” damage. Damage that I could ascertain was as follows:
1. Headlight smashed and broken
2. Headlight mounting broken
3. Headlight cover smashed and broken
4. Both spotlights broken off
5. Nose cone broken
6. Windshield broken
7. Windshield brackets broken
8. The instrument panel broke out of its mounting and shifted backwards quite significantly, so much so that I struggled to retrieve the key from the ignition.
9. The bike does not start, so I assume the electronics have been damaged.
The bike was not rideable. Luckily my brother in law was close by with his Hi-Lux and he retrieved both me and the bike. Sorting out the insurance was a race against time as I left for the UK for three months on Friday (two days later). The claim has not yet been finalised, but at least the wheels are in motion.
I am first and foremost extremely grateful that no-one was hurt critically/fatally. That being said, a couple of days afterwards a mild dose of anger/irritation has set in. This was absolutely not my fault. A pedestrian ran across the road, nowhere near a traffic light or pedestrian crossing, without looking properly. Her actions, however, are going to cost me a good couple of thousand rand to sort out. In addition, my insurance risk profile will now be negatively affected for which I will also incur financial penalties. That irks me tremendously.
Today I also felt that irritation as it manifested quite physically. As mentioned I flew out to London last night. I will be here for business for a three month period which means I am not travelling light. My upper body is still a bit stiff/sore from hitting the lady and her “bouncing” off me. Combine that lingering soreness/stiffness with 43kg of luggage in two suitcases (had to bring study material as well), a laptop, an 11 hour flight, a tube station and lots of stairs, and you can understand why the irritation surfaced.
What did I learn from this experience: No matter how well you prepare, some things are unavoidable and happens in an instant. The best I can do is be prepared and responsible by riding as safe as possible. I got the fright of my life. It is a sickening experience which could have turned out a lot worse. My guardian angel did a sterling job on Wednesday night, and I am thankful for that.
So Dogs, ride safe and look after yourselves.
She came to rest in the middle of the road, head in the one lane, feet in the other. Somehow I managed to keep the bike upright. I stopped, got of the bike in an instant, and ran to her to assist. When I got to her, she was completely out of it, but thankfully, there was life. For the first minute or two, which felt like forever, no cars stopped. They just politely rode around us where I was kneeling along side her in the middle of the road. The first person to stop was a paramedic which was a relief.
The police arrived, tow trucks arrived, a fire truck arrived, her family arrived, her employer arrived, her colleagues arrived, her families’ family arrived, but after 1hr15min the ambulance had still not arrived. Her employer eventually went home to get a bigger car in which she was loaded and then taken to Helen Joseph.
The following day I went to enquire about her at her place of employment and was told that she had been released that morning. How the girl did not suffer any fractures, I honestly do not know. I hit her head on with a big bike at a speed that could do damage (to me and her!). At the scene the paramedics reckoned she had at least a few broken ribs. I cannot explain what a sickening feeling I experienced the moment I hit her. Stopping and running back to her, I thought she was lying dead in the road. Words cannot explain how thankful I am that she was not hurt seriously.
My bike however, suffered a different fate. As I didn’t put the bike down, I luckily have no “fall” damage. Damage that I could ascertain was as follows:
1. Headlight smashed and broken
2. Headlight mounting broken
3. Headlight cover smashed and broken
4. Both spotlights broken off
5. Nose cone broken
6. Windshield broken
7. Windshield brackets broken
8. The instrument panel broke out of its mounting and shifted backwards quite significantly, so much so that I struggled to retrieve the key from the ignition.
9. The bike does not start, so I assume the electronics have been damaged.
The bike was not rideable. Luckily my brother in law was close by with his Hi-Lux and he retrieved both me and the bike. Sorting out the insurance was a race against time as I left for the UK for three months on Friday (two days later). The claim has not yet been finalised, but at least the wheels are in motion.
I am first and foremost extremely grateful that no-one was hurt critically/fatally. That being said, a couple of days afterwards a mild dose of anger/irritation has set in. This was absolutely not my fault. A pedestrian ran across the road, nowhere near a traffic light or pedestrian crossing, without looking properly. Her actions, however, are going to cost me a good couple of thousand rand to sort out. In addition, my insurance risk profile will now be negatively affected for which I will also incur financial penalties. That irks me tremendously.
Today I also felt that irritation as it manifested quite physically. As mentioned I flew out to London last night. I will be here for business for a three month period which means I am not travelling light. My upper body is still a bit stiff/sore from hitting the lady and her “bouncing” off me. Combine that lingering soreness/stiffness with 43kg of luggage in two suitcases (had to bring study material as well), a laptop, an 11 hour flight, a tube station and lots of stairs, and you can understand why the irritation surfaced.
What did I learn from this experience: No matter how well you prepare, some things are unavoidable and happens in an instant. The best I can do is be prepared and responsible by riding as safe as possible. I got the fright of my life. It is a sickening experience which could have turned out a lot worse. My guardian angel did a sterling job on Wednesday night, and I am thankful for that.
So Dogs, ride safe and look after yourselves.
