Super-Lucky
Posted: Tue 22 September, 2009 Filed under: Driving, Thoughts, Travel 3 Comments »On the way home last night, I witnessed what was so nearly a fatal accident – and only wasn’t fatal because of the 50/50 chance of which way the man fell.
On the roundabout for A12/North Circular, a cement mixer came round too close to the kerb, and hit a cyclist. For once (so far as I could tell) the cyclist had been doing the right thing, hadn’t jumped a red light or anything (somewhat miraculous in itself) and the driver of the cement mixer had just come too close to the kerb.
I don’t know how, but the pushbike went under the wheels, and the rider came off onto the pavement. If he’d gone the other way, it would’ve been strawberry-jam time. As it was, the guy then stood up and was fine. The driver of the cement mixer was pretty shocked about the entire thing (with good reason) but it was all just so incredibly lucky that it wasn’t far, far worse.
A couple of other closer witnesses had already stopped to sort things out, so I buggered off past – I wouldn’t have been able to give any more information, or provide any assistance, so I’d have just been in the way.
All the same, it does make you think about the tiny things that lead to a difference between dead and alive…
That roundabout scares hell out of me in a car: and I’ve driven the best part of half a million miles in my life.
Why do cyclists put themselves in such danger? Get off and push/cross with the pedestrians!
I wouldn’t risk it on a bike, but nor would I on foot. Don’t care for it with the protection of a car. But let’s hope the mixer-driver has learned a lesson because there’d be no excuse if he’d killed the cyclist.
Sorry for you too, Lyle, must have been a shocking experience.
It wasn’t much fun – but would’ve been infinitely worse if the cyclist had been killed.