So, I was struck (twice) by a MV yesterday while riding on Williamson St. Some friends and I were returning from a long road ride and were headed to Monty's. East of Dickinson, a guy in a fancy Cadillac rolls up along side of the group and starts yelling at me that there's a bike path 1 block over and to get off the road. (We were travelling in the right hand lane alongside the parked cars and weren't any impediment to MV traffic.) I yelled something back about there also being other roads he could drive on.He then proceeded to swerve in to my lane of travel. I swerved away from him, but didn't have a lot of room due to the parked cars. He was so close that I knocked on his hood as I was swerving away, in hopes of helping him understand how dangerously close he was. This must have put him over the edge, because he backed off for a second or two before accelerating into my rear wheel. This wasn't a side swipe, but actually driving at me at an angle trying to hit me/run me over. I'm not sure how I didn't fall, but I didn't. This apparently frustrated him even more, so he took another pass, this time gunning it enough to squeal his tires. By this time the parked cars had finished, so I was able to swerve to the right as he came at me. His side mirror hit me on the butt/hip as he gunned it. It was forceful enough to knock his mirror in and, although I didn't feel it until last evening, it left my hip tender (no bruise that I can see).
I was in such shock and disbelief that I kept riding to Monty's and actually ate lunch while talking about what had happened with my friends. (We had done 80 miles and we were all on the edge, so stopping to eat wasn't exactly optional.) We talked about how important it was to report what happened and I debated a little. Somehow, since I wasn't injured and my bike was mostly unharmed (the rear QR skewer and fender stay show the black of his tire where he hit me and the fender was bent) I wondered if there would even be a consequence for his action? Would it just be a pain in the butt and waste of time to report what happened? One of my friends did get his plate and I decided it was important that I call it in. I really felt like this was beyond the worst road rage and that this guy was actually unstable. I called it in when I got home. An officer called me back and I gave her my report and agreed to 'press charges'. I also gave her the info for one of my friends that saw what happened. The officer said she was able to identify the vehicle, but didn't have a phone number that worked for the owner. She would be sending out a letter asking him to call in and we would take it from there. She was great to work with and I feel like she cared about what happened, although, I was kind of surprised that an officer wouldn't show up at the MV owner's house to ask questions and take a look at the car. So, today as I reflect on it I'm left wondering: What will happen to this guy? What would happen if he would have pulled out a pistol and shot it at me, hitting my bike and grazing my arm? Would he get a letter in the mail? Is that a false comparison? What does 'press charges' mean? Is what he did considered criminal? I'm interested in people's thoughts. Stay safe out there. Grant
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