Door'd

I'm on a roll here, but this time, it's for all the wrong reasons. Had a nice little jog this morning in order to keep things loose for tomorrow's 5K that I've been looking forward to and it went well. Humid, but I got a good stretch in after I got back. Got my paycheck in the mail yesterday so I thought I'd swing by the bank on my way to work. Erica's car is in the shop getting a new ball bearing that I correctly diagnosed, so she had mine and I had the trusty Trek 4500. I get in and out of the bank without a hitch and I'm rolling down Grandview Avenue towards the Global Living Building, cars on my left, parked cars on my right... cars on my left slowing because of a parallel parker ahead, I slow as well and move to pass on the right and BAM... car door swings open and my bike and I lose that battle. I sat there for a second as my brain did a quick diagnostic check. Everything seemed ok, so I got up. Lower right leg took a pretty good beating but I was walking, so that's half the battle. It was a pretty busy section of Grandview and by this time, folks had rushed out to see if I needed help. Being the hard-headed individual I was raised to be, I decided that I'd chain my busted bike up somewhere close and walk it off. The guy who had opened the door was FREAKED. Shaking like crazy, offering to take me to the hostpital. I gave him my card, told him to email me thinking the best of him would prevail and waved him off. So I made it down the hill and to the bp station where I picked some ice and Advil. I can take care of this myself, thank you. It just sucks that I won't be able to break a world record in the 5ooo meters tomorrow morning.

The guy did email me back and is more than willing to pay for any damages, so I guess the point is moot, but at the end of the day, whose at fault? Cars don't get behind me in traffic, they pass me on the left... so when traffic slowed to allow for the parallel parker, and I have a lane to the right of those cars, why can't I continue on? It's not like I was being reckless. I slowed as well. It's a good thing, too. That little accident could've been a lot worse than what it was. If you ride a bike on the street, it's not a question of "if" you'll have an encounter with a car, but rather "when" you will have an encounter with a car. One thing's for sure, after 30 years, my nine lives are about up.