We built a country with almost no public transportation, made it extremely car oriented, have actively pushed against bike lanes, and now parents are wondering why e-bikes aren't very safe. They're not even the best alternative, it's just in this weird car-centric society we built they're the only alternative.
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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I got hit from behind by a pickup truck on a bike road last September. These oversized emotional support vehicles are the first that need to go.
Oh shit! Are you ok man?
Firstly, thanks for checking on me. I appreciate that so much.
I’m doing alright. My hip was shattered by the impact. He also broke my foot and several of my ribs. The recovery was horrible though and I’m still at a major loss of function overall when it comes to using my left leg.
I have a permanent dead spot on the left side of my thigh since they had to cut the nerve to do the surgery. I walk with a cane now and it’s unlikely I’ll ever get on a proper bicycle again due to the discomfort I experience these days.
Also this is a bit weird, but my ankle is super problematic. It didn’t get broken or hurt at all but I can barely move it anymore. The doctors said it would get better with time but as I’ve mentioned it’s been about a year and I still haven’t seen any improvement.
I still have a wheelchair I use from time to time if waking or standing becomes too much of an issue. I hate using it though because someone gave me a hard time about it in a parking lot when I got out of it to load it in my car. I wasn’t parked in a handicap spot or anything since I can exit and enter my vehicle just fine. I just don’t want to roam around Costco with their stupid beeping cart and I move faster in my manual chair overall. The guy was being a jackass obviously but still, the interaction makes me reluctant to use it.
I'm sorry for you. That's a really messed up and aggravating story. I was cursing whilst reading it.
It’s okay. I lived and I’m a hell of a fighter, I won’t give up despite all the crap I’ve gone through. If I can ride a bicycle one day, even just for a short ride. You damn well better believe I’ll do it and do it proudly.
I’m working on a YouTube video that will recount the story. It’s been difficult to make because I have to look at all the photos. Writing it down is one thing but actually recounting it has been problematic.
I doubt it will gain much traction but I do want to share the very graphic details so people can understand why it’s so important that we have regulations on the size of vehicles civilians in the US can purchase and to open up better, safer infrastructure for bicycles and e-bikes.
That is one hell of a story! It just burns me that one second of dumbfuckery by a dude with no idea of the responsibility that comes with driving a large vehicle created this life-altering saga for you.
Also this is a bit weird, but my ankle is super problematic.
Keep bitching about this to the doctors or get a second opinion. Maybe they'll send you for an x-ray or some physio? You have to be your own advocate with this sort of thing. And as they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
If I can ride a bicycle one day, even just for a short ride.
Last time I was at the ebike dealer, they had a bunch of these 3-wheeler cargo models and I saw several people take off on them. I asked the owner about them. He said he rides one himself in the winter since they are much more stable over snow and ice, and the extra storage in the back between the 2 wheels is handy. He also said the last 2 he sold were to people with mobility issues. One was a husband with some sort of condition that kept him house-bound a lot of the time until his wife figured out he could do this and now they ride everywhere. The other was a 91-year-old cyclist who was saying his balance was not what it once was. I kid you not! Anyway, something to consider.
I’m working on a YouTube video that will recount the story.
Please drop a link here if you do this. I would love to see this.
The worst part is that he tried to blame me for the accident. After hitting me from behind on an official shared bike road. He managed to convince the dumbass cop to write ME a ticket for failure to yield. I got all that shit thrown out. I pushed to have the cop show up to court but the prosecutor couldn’t get the driver or the cop to show up. Funny that 😅
That guy may have convinced the rookie cop I was in the wrong but my lawyer got his insurance to accept 100% fault for the accident. They covered all my medical expenses and I got some money on the side as well. It wasn’t life changing money but I could put a down payment on a house now very comfortably. So it’s not like I got completely shafted.
There so so much to say about this. We could go back and forth for hours. I will look up what you suggested. I also was looking into full sized electric scooters as well such as the Vespa and the Paggio. It’s not a bike but it’s electric and it probably will give me a similar feeling. I’m in Taiwan right now and I rode my wife’s regular scooter the other day just fine so I think I’ll be okay with balance. It’s the pressure on my hips that’s the biggest holdback from getting in a bicycle.
Since you were cool I’ll share a few pics of the accident I plan to put in the video I’m making. I warn you it’s a bit graphic but it’s not blood and gore levels of graphic.
Edit: took down the photos.
The worst part is that he tried to blame me for the accident.
Good God. Now there's some drama you could've done without. Sounds like you had a competent lawyer though. Glad that part worked out!
I looked up what the model the local dealer was selling. They're made by a company called trivel which I see now seems to specialize in orthopedic designs. Specifically, they were selling the e-azteca model. What I remember from watching others ride around the parking lot was the seating position looked a bit more recumbent than a regular bike and there was some back support? Wish I had tried one myself! Would have more to say about it then.
Since you were cool I’ll share a few pics of the accident I plan to put in the video I’m making. I warn you it’s a bit graphic but it’s not blood and gore levels of graphic.
Thanks for sharing those. I think the importance of such photos is that they give you a baseline to compare where you are today. I had some major surgery to remove a growth from my neck and looked like hell afterwards. I also had some facial numbness and the doctor wasn't sure that would ever heal? It did after several years but in a weird way. Like I can touch my neck and feel it on my earlobe. Weird stuff like that. lol
20-mile-per-hour speed limit permitted for riders under 16
So, unmodified, slower than a bicycle where your average cyclist can sprint to over 30 mph without much trouble.
This is just media fear mongering about [new thing]. When I was a kid there were plenty of bicycle wrecks where kids got hurt, sometimes severely, and the media wasn't pearl-clutching about the "danger" of pedal bikes.
I think the pros outweigh the cons? Anything that steers us away from car culture is desperately needed at this point, and this is one of the only practical alternatives in suburbia.
I would be for bike safety being taught at schools, though I feel licensing for minors would be a quagmire? Let's not go there. I would be for speed limiters that are harder to bypass. For example, I can disable mine by phone app. If I had any trouble I could ask, well, a teenager? lol
But perhaps most importantly, cycling infrastructure, at least in North America, is a joke and there is so much that can be done on the safety front it's not funny. I wish the decision makers were all bike commuters. Then they would understand the level of impracticality in their well-meaning but futile attempts to improve the situation.
This basically sounds like the regulation in Germany. Bike safety is being taught at schools, and there is a discrete distinction between e-bikes and Pedelecs. Pedelecs, which only support while pedalling, are legally bicycles with a speed limit of 25 km/h (15 mp/h). Everything above this limit or with the capability to drive without pedalling are called E-Bikes and need insurance and some sort of license.