We pulled into a Shell Gas Station in a town called Benson in Arizona to fuel up. As is becoming customary now we have to pre-pay at the desk inside how much fuel we wish to purchase. It's always a bit of guesswork but we are getting more accurate as the journey rolls on. If you manage to squeeze it all in great, but if not you back inside to the cash desk for a refund.
I was in getting my refund when a woman driver reversed, clearly without looking at all, straight into my beloved motorcycle knocking it over and into the pump..!!!!!!!! The guy in the queue behind me calmly and casually said "hey buddy that woman just ran into your motorcycle"
Not a sight you want to see….ever! There was quite a significant amount of cosmetic damage to the bike and especially the pannier custom paint job. Being a Harley CVO it will not be cheap to repair.
Fortunately the woman in the back ground of this photo witnessed it all and gave her statement to the police officer.
Apart from the offending driver people standing around were really helpful to us Brits in need. The manager of the gas station called the police for me and within 5 minutes an officer had turned up and within 10 minutes another one had arrived. Now in the UK if you have an accident and no one is physically harmed you are not obligated to call the police. In Arizona it is the law to do so. The officer dealt with and oversaw the exchange of insurance and personal details. He even called the offending drivers insurance company to check her insurance was valid - which thankfully it was.
I suppose I should consider myself lucky. I could have been sitting on the bike and no doubt she would have still not looked and ended up backing into me possibly causing me physical harm like a broken leg, and our whole adventure would have come to an end! It's fair to say it has shaken me and I will ensure that I try and be even more vigilant of possible dangers even when stationary in a gas station.
Bummer John :( ..at least you weren't on the bike at the time, as you say. & it'll get fixed up alright, but still a lot of inconvenience
ReplyDeleteIs it something you can get fixed out there without disrupting your plans too much?
Hi Tony, yeah really annoying! I don't plan to get it repaired here due to time constraints, but need to hear from my US insurance company as to how they will pay me for the work if it gets done back home.
DeleteThe world is full of idiots - most of whom have somehow arranged to get drivers licenses. Hopefully the damage is such that it won't delay your trip, but consider yourself lucky she didn't just drive off.
ReplyDeleteCheers Canajun - loved your comment! The bike is perfectly normal to ride, so I don't plan to waste time getting it repaired. Hopefully the insurance company will cut me a check and I'll sort it out in the UK once I get home in July.
DeleteSorry to hear that JD. Glad you're ok.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael. All okay just the bike that's looking cosmetically ugly on one side, which gives me the perfect excuse not to clean it now!!
DeleteJohn:
ReplyDeleteglad your bike is rideable and the driver had insurance. Here in BC the police will NOT attend, unless there are injuries. They will not stop even if they are driving by. Hope you are able to get everything repaired
bob
A weekend photographer or Riding the Wet Coast
Hi Bob, thanks for your comments. I'm getting a Harley dealer in Santa Monica next week to provide a repair estimate, and then hopefully my own insurance company will authorise the repairs and they can re-claim off the offending driver.
DeleteSeems that anyone in a cage, what we call a car, don't seem to be able to see a bike. They just look through them. We had a car pass us this morning with not enough room to miss on coming traffic. Tim went to the shoulder and so did the on coming pickup. Best thing is that paint can be fixed. We're home now, so enjoy the rest of the trip. I really enjoy reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, well glad to hear you two guys got home safely too! There are some real inconsiderate and selfish drivers out there, but that's only when they get behind a wheel. Most of them I'm sure are lovely people but just don't realise that are awful drivers! Glad you are enjoying the blog….thanks for your support.
DeleteHow disappointing for you. Certainly not the kind of "conversation starter" you would have wanted.
ReplyDeleteThanks 'cladd' for your comments. It's a real bummer, but at least I wasn't on the bike, and it was stationary - it could have been a whole lot worst. Looking at the damage now each time on the bike is most annoying though!
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