<p>I’m so sorry MoWC! I just saw this thread. Bless your heart (as we say here in Texas), I hope you are feeling better this evening and hope the fellow is ok too. Pedestrian where he shouldn’t have been? I don’t see how he can have a complaint against you!!</p>
<p>We’ve been through similar. I was practice driving with ldgirl in our neighborhood shortly after she turned 16 and rec’d her license. She was a cautious driver but we weren’t ready to turn her loose yet. Little kid of about 5, on a bicycle with training wheels, comes flying down a neighbor’s sidewalk, feet up in the air, look of terror on his face as he realized he forgot how to brake. ldgirl slams hers on, but the little boy hits the side of her car as she is still rolling to a stop, and bounces off. She bursts into tears. The father comes running down the street, looking very angry and ready to chew out my ‘teen driver’. By then I’ve checked the boy over and he’s fine and I turn my attention to the Dad, letting him have it for allowing his very young son to ride around unsupervised. He changed his mind about chewing out my weeping daughter.</p>
<p>What awful stories. And they could happen to any of us when we’re behind the wheel. Please, pedestrians and bike riders (including myself when I am in these roles) - remember to follow the rules of the road that apply to you! You may be a pedestrian, and you may be using a crosswalk, but if the crossing signal is red for you, you don’t have the right of way. And I don’t care if you’re a runner trying to hit your time that day - don’t cross against the light!</p>
<p>In my state, bike riders are supposed to follow the same rules of the road that apply to drivers - stopping at every light or stop sign, and signalling for every change of direction. In the last two weeks, I’ve seen pedestrians and bike riders break every one of these rules, and that’s just in the two miles I travel to work every day.</p>
<p>So sorry this happened to you MOWC - hope you’re feeling better soon.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. My litigator boss was pretty reassuring. Thinks the fact that the ambulance took so long to take him away and had him sitting on the curb means that they were deciding whether to take him at ALL. That gives me hope that maybe he is OK without even broken bones.</p>
<p>MOWC, so sorry this happened to you! As a fellow litigator, I was going to suggest that you NOT try to speak directly with the poor fellow. It may be our instinct as a compassionate human being to do so, but in out litigious society (;)), it may not be the best thing to do. I hope that both you and the accident victim have a speedy recovery.</p>
<p>MOWC-
I think if the person asks to be transported to the ER via ambulance, they have to take them (at least that seems to be true here). And while I agree from the legal standpoint that it isn’t a great idea to contact the person who was hit (could imply admission of guilt, etc–) I have heard people involved in PI litigation say that if the driver had even done something like send a get well card, they might have been more comfortable, less angry and less likely to sue (who knows). Tough to walk the fine line between wanting to be concerned and compassionate vs. having to watch your tail. No fun.</p>
<p>How scary, MOWC. That’s a daily fear of mine as I drive through our neighborhood w/few sidewalks. Glad there were no significant injuries–so hard to go through, for you, though.</p>
<p>I was on the other side of this story as a kid – riding my bike out of a hidden driveway and was hit by a neighbor. Not seriously injured, but terrified to tell my parents lest I get in trouble. I’m sitting here decades later feeling sorry for the neighbor, whom we didn’t know well. It was totally my fault. I say sit with the shivers for a few days, then try to let it go.</p>
<p>I’m coming from a different perspective. DS was hit as a pedestrian on his way to the light rail station in front of Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. It’s the call you never want to receive as a parent. He was in the cross walk and had the right-of-way. He crossed one lane of stopped traffic and was hit by a SUV in the second lane. Broke both bones in his left forearm requiring plates and screws. The Houston FD transported him to the hospital, yet the Houston Police did not respond to the scene. Rather, they came and interviewed him while he was in the ER (and on morphine) some 3 hours later. They called the 72 year old that hit him for his statement. DS was alone (we didn’t even know this had happened yet and were 1700 miles away) when he spoke to the police officer and took responsibility, as is his nature. 20 months later, he still hesitates when around cars.</p>