As the title says, I was hit by a truck today. I was getting off the freeway, and was stopped at a stop sign. Stopped to ask my friend what our plan was. Look left--no cars. Look right--see a few cars, so I wait for them to pass. Glance left again, don't see any cars, so I start going. My friend doesn't follow, so I look left again, and see a big ol' 1500 headed towards me. There are two lanes on the side of the road I'm on, so I hit the brakes, and stop with my front tire barely in the second lane. Turns out it's some little kid (16) driving dad's full-size truck. He panics and SLAMS on his brakes instead of just swerving a little to go around me (he had SO much freaking room!!). Little kid doesn't know how to handle a car that's slipping, and he (luckily) ends up sideways, and slamming into me with the driver's side door. So luckily, the side of the truck was parallel to the bike when he hit. I got knocked off the bike, rolled once, and slid a few feet (so I was told).
My friend, driver, dad, and a witness all come charging at me at once to see if I'm ok. I brush them off, compose myself, and let them know I'm fine. Dad calls the police, so while we're waiting for the cops to come, I decide that I need to get my bike out of the road. So with two strong guys, and one 16 year old male around, I decide that I'm gonna be the one to pick up the bike, and I don't need their help. Well, I get the bike up, but can't stand it up, since the truck is still blocking it. So I'm leaning against my bike, holding it upright, they're looking at me like I'm crazy, and I'm still trying to convince everyone that I'm fine.
We had the bike towed to my friend's house, since he has a garage, and we can work on fixing there when he's back from vacation. Since it's at his house, though, I have no pics. Preliminary assessment of damage (we didn't dismantle anything yet) is: I will need new: front left cowling, front cowling, "dash", handlebars, bar ends, both levers, possible throttle control, possibly new left footpeg (it's a bit bent back), and naturally all the mounting hardware. Apart from the throttle and right bar end, 100% of the damage done was to the side that the truck hit.
Ditto my body: My left shoulder is killing me, my left knee is bruised to shaZam!, my right knee is a little bruised (from the roll), and my right ankle might give me problems in the morning, since it probably got a little caught on the bike as I flew off it.
Most expensive item to replace is going to be my helmet. I heard it crack against the pavement, but there are no scratches to the helmet itself, just the visor. Is there a way to see if the helmet itself is damaged, or if it's just the visor? If there's any damage to the helmet, I'll replace it. If it's just the visor, well, it's a $400 helmet, and I'd rather not have to buy a new one.
Sorry for the long post.. But, well, I kinda got hit by a truck...

So the turn signals I asked about a few weeks ago?  totally moot point.
So anyone know where I can get a hold of these parts?  And maybe get a good deal? 

who was at fault?  if police deemed him, the best place to get parts will be the suzuki shop, if you gotta pay it yourself, then check ebay, and here of course

I doubt the police will deem the truck driver at fault.

Sorry to hear about your accident!  Glad you're okay.  Feel better and take care of yourself!

-Turd.

Glad you dressed for the crash and can tell us about it. 

Your helmet should now hold a place of honor in your garage or favorite display shelf. Get a permanent marker and put the date, time, and place of crash on it somewhere.

Once it hit the road with your head in it, it's life was over and your's was saved.
Again, retire your helmet with honor. It deserves no less.

(It's like a condom, used once for protection with your head in it.) 

Quote from: stangbaby67 on February 12, 2007, 03:23:52 AM
so I start going. My friend doesn't follow, so I look left again, and see a big ol' 1500 headed towards me. There are two lanes on the side of the road I'm on, so I hit the brakes, and stop with my front tire barely in the second lane. Turns out it's some little kid (16) driving dad's full-size truck. He panics and SLAMS on his brakes instead of just swerving a little to go around me (he had SO much freaking room!!). Little kid doesn't know how to handle a car that's slipping, and he (luckily) ends up sideways, and slamming into me with the driver's side door. 

I'm glad to hear that you're ok. I'm a little confused by your description, though. You say that your friend saw the truck coming and didn't proceed.....it sounds as though the truck had the right of way and you entered the truck's right of way? There's no doubt that inexperience can add to a driver's inability to completely handle an emergency situation (true of motorists and motorcyclists), but it doesn't sound as though it was the driver's at fault here. He wouldn't have had to swerve at all if there'd been nothing blocking his right of way... Feel free to clarify if I'm wrong! 

And heal up quickly!! 

Yeah i agree with pandy.  But had that happened in this state the other driver would have been cited for failure to maintain control of his vehicle.  Depending on what you, the other kid and witnesses say the charge might have been on you, cause I have seen if the witnesses say that you pulled in front of him and argue that he lost control of his truck because the kid was trying not to splatter you then you very well could have been cited.  Or you both got a ticket, as in you caused the accident but the other kid also got cited for failure to control his vehicle.   Check the police report, you should have that or be able to check on it with a call to the PD. 

Get a new helmate, learn from this experience and be a safer rider for it.  PS: If you have committed to pulling out and realize that another vehicle is there, never stop on the road, thats how you get smashed good.

Quote from: natedawg120 on February 12, 2007, 09:19:49 AM
Yeah i agree with pandy.  But had that happened in this state the other driver would have been cited for failure to maintain control of his vehicle.  Depending on what you, the other kid and witnesses say the charge might have been on you, cause I have seen if the witnesses say that you pulled in front of him and argue that he lost control of his truck because the kid was trying not to splatter you then you very well could have been cited.  Or you both got a ticket, as in you caused the accident but the other kid also got cited for failure to control his vehicle.   Check the police report, you should have that or be able to check on it with a call to the PD. 

I dont know what state you live in but I wouldnt got there...

How is the guy in the Truck going to be charged w/ not maintaining control of his vehicle? Someone pulls out in front of you and you cant avaid them its their fault not yours. Even here in PA where we are a (No faullt) State. It would be the person who pulled out who is at fault.

If it works the way you say in your state, then I am going to come up and throw myself and my GS infront of a pickup and collect the $$$

Side note.. Glad you are OK! 

Yup, judging by the description, in Illinois the truck driver would likely not be cited.

-Turd.

Glad you're alright. I disagree about the helmet being the most expensive to replace. Wait till you start seeing prices for fairings. Also, I agree with everyone else, if the helmet hit the ground, I'd replace it (Even though I'm being a hypocrite and still riding with my Scorpion).. Most manufacturers will test the helmet for you, if you send it back to them. Call their customer service number, see what they say.

Good luck with everything.

(Oh, if the helmet's toast, write the date of the wreck on it, and cut it in half down the middle, hang the two halves on the wall)

Hope you feel better.  Glad it wasn't worse.

Inspect the helmet for any scratches or dings in the paint.  Otherwise, just get a new visor, a visor isn't going to transmit enough energy through it to ruin a helmet.

I'm going to wait for the police report, and the insurance to sort out the fault.  We should both be found at fault.  I wasn't in his lane, which was why I stopped.  Two-lanes going the same direction.  He was in the #1 lane, I was in the #2 lane.  He could have kept a straight course and easily avoided me.
As for the helmet, there are just a few small scratches on the visor, nothing on the paint.  I think it hit the ground as I was rolling, not as I was falling.  I'll call Shoei when I get the chance in the next day or so.  I decided to take off work early today and sleep instead.
I'll only have to replace two of the fairings. I found one on ebay last night (so don't bid against me on the front cowling ).  The side fairing is $186 from the factory, plus decals.  The rest of the parts all look pretty cheap.  The black "dash" piece is $12 from factory.  Universal handlebars and bar ends shouldn't be expensive.  We'll find out if I need a new throttle when we take it apart.
I'm sorer than I expected to be today.. My entire body hurts.  Whiplash set in, so my neck is all jacked, and I still can't lift my left arm without pain.
All in all, though, I'm incredibly lucky to have been able to walk away from the accident.  Had the truck not slid sideways, it would have been a much different story.
Pics should be on the way--my friend said he'd send me some, since the truck is in his garage.  But he's preparing for a trip to Brazil on Wednesday, so I might not be able to get pics until he gets back.

www.newenough.com always has great prices on all kinds of gear... i got an icon alliance for $70 inc. shipping.

Remove the liner from the helmet and inspect the EPS liner for damage.  The liner is painted matte black, damage will show up as white "cracks" in the paint due to the EPS foam absorbing energy.

Damage to the shell of the helmet is not always conclusive as it depends on the surface impacted.

I dunno...any kind of compramise in the helmet's intergity can be disasterous when you need it.  Small striations and fractures may not be visible.

I was told by someone on another forum that they were able to send their helmet to Shoei for an evaluation, so I'm going to contact Shoei and see what I can do.  That guy took a spill on the track, and Shoei gave his helmet the thumbs up, so hopefully mine'll be ok, and it'll only cost me a few bucks in postage.  That way, I can take the $$ I would've spent on the helmet, and get some pants.  I'm going to order boots in the next week or so.  I can't help but think my ankle wouldn't feel as busted if I had proper boots.  Funny thing: I went shopping for boots and pants the day before, and was going to order them this week.  Guess I'm a week too late.