Hey all,
So, yesterday morning at approx 7:45am, I was hit by a car while riding my bike to work. I'll start with the details of the accident... I was travelling westbound on the bike path that parallels 130th Ave SE and came up to the intersection of 130th Ave and Mount McKenzie Dr (right by the 7-11 for those familiar with the area). When I came up to the intersection, my light was green and the light on Mount McKenzie Dr was red. I proceeded to ride into the crosswalk when I was hit by a car travelling Northbound on Mount McKenzie Dr who was wanting to turn right onto eastbound 130th Ave. We both didn't see each other until it was too late as there was a large fence blocking our line of sight of each other until I was in the crosswalk. So, I proceeded into the crosswalk while riding my bike (I know, that's against the law apparently, I should be technically dismounting and walking across the road, but bear with me) at which point I was t-boned by the motorist and it knocked me off my bike. The results are that I now have a bone contusion and a damaged bike. Her car is fine.
Now, where this gets interesting is that when the policed arrived, they talked to me and the woman (who was in hysterics from hitting a person) and ended up giving just me a traffic violation ticket for failing to obey a traffic device (I.e., I should have got off my bike and walked it across the road). The driver did not receive a ticket for running a red light (the law states that you need to come to a complete stop behind a crosswalk at a red light before making a right hand turn).
So... Here I am now, battered and bruised with a wrecked bike and completely at fault... I think it's ridiculous that this city is pitching bike lanes and riding bikes so aggressively, but when it comes to protecting cyclists, this is how it was handled... I am thinking of calling the constable tomorrow and asking why I was the only person issued a ticket in this accident, because it is making it very difficult to get compensated (either out of her pocket or through her insurance) for the damage done to my bike.
Any ideas guys??? Sorry for the long winded post!