My Left turning collision

[ATL796]

Well, guess im joining the ranks of riders to smash into a left-turner.

I'm OK, no broken bones or broken skin, just sore.......

Lady in large Lexus SUV didn't see me, turned left in front of me as I was going the opposite direction

.....Her turn was started so last minute, nothing i could do but max-effort straight line stop...........ABS worked on my 796, but not enough space.....smashed right into her.......after the impact, I flew off, did a flip in the air, landed in middle of intersection......

Bike most likely totaled.....lot of cosmetic damage, but the dent in the frame where the forks impacted will total it (I think).......

But I still have my Triumph in the garage so I can still ride!.........

Time to work on getting my new monster I suppose

Ride safe guys/gals

[vtwinryder]

Get a lawyer and start your lawsuit.

[ATL796]

Eh, I dunno.

I agree there are situations to sue someone.

But, in this particular case, I don't wanna go down that road. I just want my bike back.

Now, if she was unusually reckless, drunk, texting, etc, then maybe it would be a different situation as far as taking someone to court.

But I know she wasnt texting or drunk, she just royally screwed up, and in turn totaled my bike and thankfully I didn't get hurt more than I did.

I knew when I started riding motorcycles that the dangers were out there and at some point i'd encounter them......

I don't want $10,000 of her personal money or anything, just my monster back.

She was more horrified and in shock than I was. I just brushed off the road debris and got up, thinking well this sucks but all my bones are still inside my body...........

And then there's some karma-thing at work in my head, so my good deed of the week is not to sue her........As weird as it sounds, I'd actually feel bad if I tried to go after her in court..........

[TheOther996s]

Originally Posted by ATL796

Eh, I dunno.

I agree there are situations to sue someone.

But, in this particular case, I don't wanna go down that road. I just want my bike back.

Now, if she was unusually reckless, drunk, texting, etc, then maybe it would be a different situation as far as taking someone to court.

But I know she wasnt texting or drunk, she just royally screwed up, and in turn totaled my bike and thankfully I didn't get hurt more than I did.

I knew when I started riding motorcycles that the dangers were out there and at some point i'd encounter them......

I don't want $10,000 of her personal money or anything, just my monster back.

She was more horrified and in shock than I was. I just brushed off the road debris and got up, thinking well this sucks but all my bones are still inside my body...........

And then there's some karma-thing at work in my head, so my good deed of the week is not to sue her........As weird as it sounds, I'd actually feel bad if I tried to go after her in court..........

As long as you're REALLY sure you have no injuries that could linger, I tend to agree with you. I've grown sick of the mentality that any misfortune is an opportunity to sue somebody. Kudos to you for attitude - it just needs to be made right that you get fully compensated for your bike, gear, etc. Just don't sign off on anything stating you had no injuries until you give it a while to make sure all of the soreness goes away.

[ATL796]

Yea, from what I can tell now, a few days after the fact, nothing new popping up. Head never hit pavement either.

Somehow pulled off a nice stunt-man roll after I hit the ground I guess

[davlewis101]

Let your insurance companies fight it out, and get a complete check up! At the least, you'll get a new bike. Sounds like you were wearing all the gear. I've had a couple of really close calls, one where I almost endoed my bike because I hit the brakes so hard, and each time I was VERY glad I was wearing my gear.

The "funniest" incident was when my friend and I were riding in the city on an pretty open boulevard. He was in front and there was a SUV right next to him. I had a feeling the SUV would enter his lane and, of course, it did. My friend hit his horn and the guy swerved back over. then, wouldn't you know it, as I was passing him, he entered my lane as well. When I honked my horn, we got rewarded with a nice middle finger salute from him. I love it when cars think they own the road and we're just riding around on little toys.

[caferacermike]

I had the same happen years ago on my old Norton. I hit the front tire of the SUV at about 40mph. I never even bothered to pull in the brakes, it wouldn't have done anything. The only thing I remember was my last thought of "Are you effing serious", BAM! They just went for it. We traded info, waived off the ambulance, and as the cops were on the way the guy jumped in his truck and took off. When the cop arrived he said we had traded info and nothing "illegal" had happened and left. I get home and call their insurance to start my claim, the guy looked up some sort of map that tells him what the signals are at that intersection and said that there is never a protected left at that intersection so no matter what it was their drivers fault and that within 4 days I would be contacted to settle. Well 4 days later I called the company and they transferred me to a different line. Once transferred the new agent told me I was lying, their driver was never there and saying that they were never in the SUV at that time. I tell them again what happened and gave a description of the couple in the vehicle. The agent told me there was no damage to the SUV (I hit the front wheel) and therefor it never happened. I was stuck. Thankfully I work in a trade with firefighters everyday and they were able to get me a copy of the "medical treatment waiver" that the other driver and his girlfriend signed. Turned out the girlfriend was the owners daughter. I called the insurance company again to see what was going on with the claim, the told me if I called again they were going to press charges on me for insurance fraud. I told him to check his fax line, he quickly apologized and sent an agent over.

So make sure everything is documented and that you have witness statements.

Now when the agent arrived they told me my bike was worthless and offered me $1,000. Thankfully I save and print tons of Ebay auctions and keep them in my bike folders. I was able to show them that my bike was selling for $8-12,000 everyday and they finally wrote me a check for $6,000. However they tried to get out of paying for my jacket, helmet, gloves, boots, jeans, etc... Remember your riding gear is very expensive and, if you were wearing any, is what prevented further injuries. I sued the agent in small claims court and was awarded 3 times the original purchase price for everything. Just make sure they make everything exactly as it was before the accident and watch out for their tricks.

[ATL796]

Yep,

Bike is totaled........

I was doing the online searching for Ebay/Craigslist/Dealers/etc, but bike is so new, no one is selling used ones in this area yet..........only 1950 miles on it too......

But like I said, still have a nice Triumph Speed Triple in the garage, so all is not lost!...

[caferacermike]

I don't see where you say what year the bike is or when you purchased it, but if it is under a year old with that low of miles and your insurance is going to give you less than what it would take to leave the dealership with a brand new bike, then I would consider suing the driver for the remaining balance for a new bike. It's not the nicest thing in the world, however it is fair and ethical in my opinion. Just as the driver should be paying any out of pocket expenses you are having and any deductibles. You didn't tell your insurance that you have other forms of transportation did you? If not they are obligated to rent you a car for up to 6 months (of course policies vary from location to location) but holding them to paying for a rental car for 6 months vs quickly settling can sometimes put more money in your pocket. Remember it's not settled until you are satisfied enough to sign the paperwork.

[ATL796]

2011 M796ABS......Around 6 months old........