No matter what day it was or where I was headed, my aunt always told myself and others to be careful on my bicycle.
- She would repeat to myself and others over and over how drivers can’t see me, or at least aren’t careful enough to look if there’s a kid on a bike or not.
I always thought she was being over protective until the unexpected happened one day on my way home from college. I was crossing a busy road while cars were stopped at the traffic light. Because I stupidly entered the crosswalk at the end of the pedestrian signal, the light went from orange to orange during the middle of the road. I had no choice however to keep crossing to get out of the road; however, the woman in front of myself and others claimed that she never saw me. She collided with my bike and the force threw myself and others forward, hitting the pavement face first and losing a tooth in the process. Needless to say, my Dad and aunt were eager to find a personal injury attorney to sue this woman and her auto insurance company. After checking local listings and consulting with a lawyer referral service, my folks found a good personal injury attorney to take over my case. Both of us managed to win a settlement from her auto insurance company. It wasn’t a lot of cash, however it covered my dental procedures to get my teeth fixed in the short term. Even though it has been 15 years since the accident, I still guess about it from time to time. It absolutely made myself and others more wary of riding my bike near busy traffic, however it never stopped myself and others outright.