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| disarming |
Tuesday, June 3rd, around 9 in the morning, I was commuting to work on my 2001 Jamis Nova. I was wearing my clipless bicycling shoes, my Bell helmet, full bicycling gloves, knee-length shorts and a t-shirt. At about the 3/4 mark of my six-mile commute, I noted a BMW SUV with its hazard lights flashing and its driver-side door open. The profile of the driver was not visible in the cabin. I approached at my usual speed of about 25-30 mph, looking for the driver. This proved very distracting to me. When I finally spotted him, on the sidewalk, well away from his vehicle and shouting animatedly into his cell phone, I turned my attention back to the road. I was close enough to the open door at this point that I had to swerve to avoid it. My tires lost traction on the slightly-wet road, and my bicycle toppled over to the left. I fell on my left side, breaking my left clavicle, bruising my left hip, and incurring scrapes and abrasions on my left knee, elbow, and knuckles. I assume my helmet also impacted the ground, as it's now cracked. I scrambled out of the road with my bicycle and gear quickly, and evaluated the situation. After exchanging heated words with the SUV's absent minded driver, I made my way to the emergency room, where this radiograph was produced.