NDE 1562

Near Death Experience #1562

Now I am going to start off by saying there are a number of things I could and should have done differently.

While riding home from work someone tried to kill me with there 2+ ton SUV. Now when I say tried to kill me I don’t mean the all to common occurrence of; someone pulling into my lane without looking, turning without a signaling, opening their door and then looking dazed when I have to dodge into traffic or slam on my brakes. It was none of those forgivable incidents rather I had pissed this guy off enough that he felt taking my life was proper punishment for cutting him off.

I have been riding my bike to work for a good two months or so and already have put 300 miles on the odometer. Yesterday was really no different other then the roads being a little wet from a recent downpour. Heading along my normal route, working my way between the parked cars and traffic while riding behind a fellow biker that I want to pass before the next light so I can get up to my normal speed. There is a gap in traffic and I look over my shoulder see a vehicle about a car length back as I pass the guy . HOOOOOOOOONK

Knowing what I know now, that the guy behind the wheel of this particular big black SUV is in dire need of an anger management course, I would not have done what follows.

There was plenty of room not only between my back wheel and his front bumper but also in the overall width of the lane which even while passing I was not taking up all that much room, though I guess when you drive such a large behemoth all traffic lanes must feel so minuscule. So I pull fully into his lane for all of fifteen seconds while on our way to the stoplight that is no more then 50 yards ahead. Seemingly after making my point I pull back over into my lane and start to slow up since there is a red light ahead. He on the otherhand guns his engine for 10 yards before having to slam on his brakes in order keep from driving into the car in front of him that is already stopped at the redlight.

Shaking my head and thinking to myself this guy is nuts when the light changes and I am off, at this point I think my encounter with this fellow is done.

In my mind I am already back in my normal routine trying to time the lights so I do not have to stop or put my foot down. I make the next light but can tell I am going to hit the next light so I slacken my pace. Almost to the cross walk and the black SUV is back and before I even know what is going on the guy behind the wheel is out of his vehicle and yelling at me; “You want to fuck with me asshole… do you want to fight asshole?”

I am just looking at him dazed thinking, he can not be serious. Why would anyone fight over something so trivial. Knowing though that he is more then serious I decide I need to get some distance from this guy and I look right to see if any cars are coming and I blow the light and race done the street trying to get some speed before he gets a chance to catch up.

Peddling faster I find myself vainly hoping that he has headed towards the highway rather then follow me but I know this is not true because I can hear the roar of his engine and screeching tires somewhere behind me. I have made a couple turns and hopefully gotten some space but the road up ahead is looking deathly vacant like main street at high noon and I know if he is still back there he is going to have room to catch up.

Already I am thinking I need to get off this road but before I get a chance is he up next to me. Yelling again this time through his open window “Can’t go fast enough, asshole. Not going to be able to run away from me, asshole.” This whole time he is yelling at me the gap between him and the parked cars keeps getting tighter as he makes small jerky motions with is truck in my direction. I look over at him as he looks back up the road and I get a gut feeling for what he is going to do next and I slam on the brakes as he veers hard over towards me blocking my path almost completely.

He starts to get out of his truck practically before it has completely come to a stop and I want to yell at him “You’re driving a lethal weapon, you even touch me and thats ‘attempted murder’ you psychopath!!”, but all the comes out is “Back the fuck off!!” as I spit over my shoulder onto his hood.

Now that was a particularly stupid move but thankfully my next maneuver was a little more thought out.

Up ahead I see my way out and jog between two parks car up onto the sidewalk. I need to get somewhere with more traffic so I use a east-west street to get over to LaSalle where I know there is going to be plenty of traffic to bog this guy down.

Once over into the relative safety of staled traffic I feel a small bit of relief but I am not taking any chances and I crank even faster down the narrow passage between stopped cars. After a little while I feel confident that if he did follow me he is a couple lights back not moving with the rest of the cars and I slow up to take a breather on the last couple blocks before home.

 

Hopefully I have learned a little something from the experience such as: don’t taunt the cars because even a Geo Metro is a tank compared to my little aluminum 2-wheeler and guys driving big SUVs are exactly what I have always thought.

 

~ by Tim Humphreys on 2007.June.27 Wednesday.