My 12 year safety record has come to an end...

So after 12 years of cycling (sometimes in pretty hairy circumstances) I have finally had my first real accident. Coming home from work on Tuesday a car cut a corner and knocked my off my bike! Although the damage is reasonably superficial to both me and the bike it is still very scary and it made me realise how badly things can go!

My commute is 3/4 very safe shared cycle/walk path and 1/4 quite dangerous road shared with buses, trucks, cars and complicated by jaywalking pedestrians.

Due to this extra dangerous stretch I am always on guard, riding very conservatively, obeying the road rules to the letter and just aiming to get through the section safely. Tuesday was no different. I was halfway through my dangerous stretch and waiting at a set of lights.... the three cyclists ahead of me jumped the lights while I waited for the green. As I cycled over the horseshoe bridge (named that for its shape) a car cut the second corner and basically drove straight into me. I thought I had maintained enough control to stay on my bike... but unfortunately as momentum carried me through I hit the wing mirror of the car and then it was all over... I went careering over the car bonnet, still attached to my bike, I slid across the road and ended up in the middle of the lane in front of the offending car!

Having said a few choice words to the driver I soon went into a bit of shock and was struggling to think straight. Luckily other cyclists stopped to help out. The driver decided that it was my fault and I cycled into him (interesting concept - not sure I know any cyclist that would choose to take on a car and then he proceeded to tell me that as a respected medical professional (acupuncturist) he would never hurt anyone!). 

So by no way was this a serious accident but it was significant enough to really shake me.

Here are some of my visible injuries - Elbow:

 Knuckles and knee:

 Ethan wasn't very happy with the "naughty man who knocked mummy off her bike" he told Jason that he was going to "throw the naughty man into the fence".... 

So all in all, it was a count our blessing moment... one to remind us of the fragility of life and, no matter how vigilant and law abiding you are, how easily accidents can happen.

A couple of days later Ethan showed me that he too had a sore elbow like his Mama!