That's such a bizarre story. Those kids will be fortunate to be prosecuted now and learn their lesson, they easily could have been the ones injured after an altercation with someone prepared to do it. SO stupid.
On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 9:57:49 AM UTC-8 Litho wrote: > Hello All. Surgery went really well, better than anticipated! They were > able to stabilize and align the fracture without a plate, just pins that > will be removed in a couple of weeks. The results in the joint look good, > too. All of this bodes for a better recovery and less stiffness in the > future. Great doc and amazing nurses. I'm a little woozy today. I've > been sober for many, many years, so having all of this stuff in my system > is odd, but the pain is manageable. Thank you everyone for the > well-wishes. > > TL:DR - I'm a middle age guy who had a run-in with BMX punks. I've > accepted the mantle of being an old guy and have installed a "get off my > lawn" sign. > > On the assault / crash: I saw some of it coming but wasn't prepared for > the speed and dynamics of what happened. The group was riding toward me on > a 10-foot wide multi-use trail at a spot where it runs in between a highway > and a frontage road. It's a straight stretch. I saw them from some way > off and watched them crowd a jogger off the path. They were riding three > abreast and two /three deep. BMX and freestyle bikes. 15-16 year olds. > Riding wheelies, bunny hopping, etc. At about 100 feet out I moved a bit > toward the middle of the trail so they would clearly see me. The kid > furthest to my right locked eyes with me and was clearly intent on not > moving out of the way, so I moved right hoping I could either squeeze by on > a 1-foot wide gravel strip just off the trail or hop the curb down onto the > road. He maintained eye contact the whole time. When I tried to get by on > the right, he veered to my left and reached up to hit me when I came > parallel. I moved my face out of the way but he hit my shoulder. The > rider directly behind him swerved toward me and clipped my left handlebar, > making full impact with my left hand ( I was riding the hoods and braking > hard) and then my frame on the left chain/seat stay. The impact sent me > flying left and forward off the bike. The first impact with the ground was > my right side, upper back and then helmet. From there I don't know what > happened until I stopped rolling / sliding and was on the road next to the > path. My jersey (brand new wool Kucharik on it's maiden voyage!) was > ripped from the shoulder across my back. I got up and started yelling some > regrettably choice things at the kids who had stopped. I had no idea I was > hurt at that point. It took some time to register. The kid who hit me > initially came storming back toward me. It was about that time I really > saw and felt my hand through the glove and realized I was hurt and about to > get my ass kicked. So I got REALLY aggressive verbally at that point > hoping they would leave me alone. Thank God, two wonderful men in a work > truck who had already stopped to check on me got out and in between me and > the kids and told them they saw the whole thing. > > The kids took off. I called 911. The police sent one car to find the > kids and one car to help me. Unfortunately the mean who helped me took off > and I had no witness with me when the police arrived, so the kids were not > detained at that point. I made a post on a local FB group trying to find > witnesses. Several people came forward to share that they had the same > run-in with this group of kids that same afternoon. They all filed police > reports. This included a pregnant woman who was kocked off the trail a few > minutes after my run-in. A mom pushing a stroller. An elderly gentlemen > walking a dog. Finally a woman reached out to me via FB to let me know who > a couple of the kids were. She overheard them talking about it to her > child. I brought all of this to the attention of some higher-ups in PD and > city government. They are now taking substantive action. If it took my > broken hand for something to be done, its worth it. > > And yes I'm using dictation. :) I talk a lot. I'm a teacher, so I come > by it naturally. > > On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 8:42:03 AM UTC-8 Mark Roland wrote: > >> While it doesn't hurt to be attentive to what is happening around you >> (ear buds, anyone?) there is not much most of us would be willing or able >> to do other than what we end up doing in the case that something were to >> happen. In other words, unless you go to extremes--take a kung fu class, >> apply for a weapon permit--you'll have to trust your instincts, and perhaps >> the kindness of passersby. In any case, constant conjecture of this >> magnitude will not be rewarded. >> >> On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 10:07:35 AM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding >> Ding! wrote: >> >>> I have thought about this thread all week on every ride. >>> >>> Firstly, Litho, how did your surgery go? You’ll be typing to us with one >>> hand or dictating, I imagine. I hope we hear from you! >>> >>> Secondly, this thread has haunted me. All week it’s led me to think What >>> Would I Do.... I’ve never thought about being assaulted on a bike. What >>> would I do if I was Litho and found myself being pursued by a gang of >>> teenagers who were coming closer and closer to my rear wheel? What about >>> what Andy said - he perceived an attack and was able to mitigate it before >>> the worst happened. I don’t think my brain could have processed what was >>> happening and formulated a plan for self-preservation. My frame of mind is >>> just not there - I’m mostly riding a sweet, glittery raspberry mixte with a >>> matching polka dot helmet, sitting upright and carefree and often listening >>> to an engaging podcast or Apple Music. If I were riding a black and lime >>> green bike with Lycra and aero helmet I might be looking around like, “come >>> at me bro” - but as I am, I do not have an awareness of others’ mal-intent. >>> I pay attention to things that can cause accidents, but never think about >>> being intentionally attacked. But now I think maybe I should. I did get >>> chased by a dog for a mile and a half one time...that was terrifying, and I >>> did that all wrong, in retrospect... >>> >>> Andy, what was the outcome of the collision you had with that idiot? >>> >>> Leah >>> >>> Sent from my iPad >>> >>> On Feb 3, 2021, at 6:47 AM, ascpgh <asc...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> Glad you are significantly OK, that your bike is in experienced hands >>> and the responsible have been identified and addressed. Nothing good ever >>> comes from conflicts like that. >>> >>> >>> Remedy is mostly repair and only rarely involves taking you fully back >>> to where you started on a bike. Before reaching that degree you find >>> yourself accosted for not having covered your bike as a high value item on >>> your own insurance since it is worth more than the $150 bike-shaped objects >>> at the big box stores considered normal despite the intentional acts of the >>> others. >>> >>> I haven't been deliberately targeted for purposeful injury or damage >>> until last summer when I was by an individual who put his bag down, >>> stepped off the curb into the trafficked avenue lane with his hands and >>> arms up to grab me verbalizing his intent audibly to his friends. I was in >>> traffic, moving around 15 mph with nowhere to move for safety. When he >>> moved aggressively toward me I leaned toward him and let my helmet and >>> his chin be the first contact. Do not attempt. In this case it was me >>> leaning to prevent being knocked into the traffic next to and behind me. He >>> put me into a situation fearing not being able to walk home if my bike was >>> damaged by his actions and not more than a second to deliberate options. >>> >>> Andy Cheatham >>> Pittsburgh >>> >>> On Monday, February 1, 2021 at 12:50:20 AM UTC-5 Litho wrote: >>> >>>> **Cross-posted from FB Riv Page** >>>> >>>> Hello All. Looking for a little expertise / advice on my Riv. I was in >>>> a collision on my Appaloosa last week. A group of kids on bikes >>>> deliberately rammed into me on a multi-use trail here in Napa. My >>>> handlebars took the brunt of the initial impact, but me and the bike went >>>> tumbling across the pavement and into the road that parallels the trail. >>>> Unfortunately my hand was on the brake lever at the time and was crushed >>>> in >>>> between. I have surgery this week to repair the fractures and rebuild the >>>> joint on my knuckle. >>>> >>>> I'm trying to assess all of the damage for the police report. The front >>>> and rear derailers were bent and scraped, the rear derailer hanger is >>>> slightly bent, but should be easy to straighten. There are numerous >>>> scratches, chips, and a couple of small dents on the frame, but I don't >>>> see >>>> any visible cracks or deformations anywhere. The brake lever was rotated >>>> on >>>> the bars but doesn't seem to be broken. The stem and bars were knocked 90 >>>> degrees in the initial impact but don't have any visible damage. >>>> >>>> Anything you would recommend checking or inspecting? The damage may >>>> just be cosmetic, but I don't want to overlook anything. Hopefully, I'll >>>> just end up with some glorious beausage and a good story. >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/hXKnSOlBJvY/unsubscribe >>> . >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/93ba2cc2-d6c2-462f-8bd5-78a5298a951an%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/93ba2cc2-d6c2-462f-8bd5-78a5298a951an%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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