So - John and Daryl got hit today. They went into town early this morning to get the tandem worked on. The bike was finished by 2:00 and they started back to our friend’s house. One and a half blocks from the bike store - a car plowed into them.
John and Daryl were thrown from the bike (John was clipped in, so couldn’t go anywhere and fell with the bike). John opted not to go to the hospital, but is limping very badly and will most likely end up there tomorrow. At this point, it appears that Daryl is fine.
The bike? We don’t know. John was able to get the bike back to the bike store and left it there. He doesn’t know if it is damaged or not - they’ll evaluate it tomorrow.
Apparently it was clearly the driver’s fault and he does have insurance through Allstate. The police report has been filed.
So - where do we go from here? We are staying with a friend, but can’t stay here forever. We really need to get out of her hair in a day or two. We now have no transportation around the city and no place to stay soon. It’s Friday evening and the insurance company will do NOTHING until Monday, at the earliest.
We’re open to suggestions right now. Do we rent a car and charge the insurance company? Do we move into a hotel and charge them? If the bike is damaged, we’ll need a new one - but tandems have a long wait time. It could be two months before we can get a new one. In the meantime - what? We have no home to go to to wait.
If you are an attorney, or know of someone who has some suggestions, please email us at familyonbikes@gmail.com We really aren’t sure where to even begin!
Thanks for your help!
33 responses so far ↓
1 sujatha // Nov 14, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Oh, thats terrible news. I’m glad John and Daryl didn’t get hurt. Hope you can get all th eother logistis sorted out. Good luck!
2 nancy // Nov 14, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Thanks sujatha! John is limping pretty badly, so I’m trying to get him to go to the hospital. Fortunately, Daryl appears to be fine - we’ll find out in the morning if he’s hurting too.
I’m trying to keep in perspective that our bike is just a bike. It’s stuff. It can be replaced. That’s what’s important.
3 Mike Vermeulen // Nov 14, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Sorry to read of your latest news update. Sigh. At least sounds like John and Daryl were not badly hurt. A potentially frustrating setback for this part of the trip, so hope things work their way out in the right direction.
4 Tiffany // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:05 pm
That is awful news but so wonderful that no one was hurt seriously. If you do have to come back to Boise, maybe we can clear out enough space in the basement for your family. Let me know if you do have to come back and I’ll discuss it with my husband.
5 nancy // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Thanks Tiff! We aren’t making any decisions right now - we’ll wait and see how badly the bike is damaged and how long John takes to recover. But if we have to head back - we may be knocking on your door!
Mike - you’re right that this is a setback, but we’re hopeful it isn’t too long of one! Bummer, anyway.
6 lora // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Wish I was closer to help Nancy!! Make that stubborn husband go get checked out. Saying a little prayer that things are fixed soon.
7 nancy // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Thanks Lora! He is pretty stubborn - drives me crazy!!
8 Tiffany // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Though it would be great to have you here, I surely hope you are able to get back on the road quickly and continue your journey.
9 Evelyn // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Sorry to read about the accident, glad to hear Daryl and John are alright. It might be wise for John to go to the hospital just to get checked out.
Hope everything works out for you. Keeping you in my prayers.
10 Dave // Nov 14, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Sorry to hear about the accident. If the bike turns out to be badly damaged, I’d call the manufacturer and try to get them to quick-ship you a bike. You are a very high-profile customer, after all.
11 DeliciousBaby // Nov 14, 2008 at 10:24 pm
I am so sorry to read this, and I’m glad that nobody was more seriously injured.
I wish I had some advice to offer beyond putting your physical and emotional needs before the financial ones. Somehow the money and insurance will work itself out
12 John Egan // Nov 15, 2008 at 7:32 am
Dear Familia Vogel -
I am sorry to hear about your accident. I am relieved to hear that John and Daryl are mostly O.K., but I can’t help but feel a bit angry at the person who hit you. I’m no lawyer, but I would go with the best legal advice. I have learned, thru bitter experience, that “just working it out” doesn’t work out in the America of 2008. Keeping you in my prayers.
J
13 Kathryn // Nov 15, 2008 at 8:05 am
How sorry I am that you are facing such challenges! My prayer is that you seek proper medical evaluation, then let go and let God. My dear friend always reminds me that “Faith is treating a thing that is not so as if it were so IN ORDER for God to make it so.” I wish I were near enough to help God solve your problem. Count on my prayers.
14 Kristina Carpenter // Nov 15, 2008 at 8:28 am
Good Morning Vogel Family,
I’ve been following your remarkable journey from the beginning. We also rode the Dalton Highway — an amazing trip.
So sorry to hear about your bicycle accident. I was hit by a car in Florida a few years ago. It was the drivers fault and her insurance company, Allstate, was very cooperative. My bike was a light weight carbon fiber model and had a crinkle in the frame, making it unsafe to ride. The insurance company bought me a new bicycle and helmet. Luckily I was not seriously hurt, just a bruised tailbone.
John’s injury sounds serious. He should go to the hospital to have it checked out before too much time passes so the insurance company will cover it. There may be something wrong that will give him serious problems later down the road. You want to have the medical exam on record.
The best to you all.
Kristina Carpenter
15 nancy // Nov 15, 2008 at 9:50 am
Thanks everyone! The good news is that John is feeling a lot better today - the limp is gone and his wrist is only a tad bit sore.
What’s unknown right now is about the bike - we have NO idea how badly it’s damaged. We’ll call the bike store in a while and see what they say.
16 Jack // Nov 15, 2008 at 10:18 am
OMG!
I just saw this post. Although I am an attorney I have ZERO experience in the personal injury field. I think Kristina’s comment is right on. Call me if you need to chat.
Take care and best wishes.
J
http://adventuresinvoluntarysimplicity.blogspot.com/
17 TulipGirl // Nov 15, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Oh, no! Praying for y’all. . .
18 judi(fruitabeader) // Nov 15, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Dang, so sorry to see this news! Glad the guys are okay. No advice here, just best wishes for your family.
19 Disney Teacher // Nov 15, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I am so sorry to hear about the accident, but very grateful that no one was seriously injured. My students and I will be praying for John’s speedy recovery and for clarity & wisdom as you figure out what to do next.
20 Groundhog // Nov 15, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Saddened to hear of this news. Here are several things to consider for help from a fellow cyclist who broke a collarbone in an accident in WY this summer while riding the Great Divide….me.
1. Get John completely checked out at the hospital. This will be needed for insurance purposes.
2. Ask to speak with someone in social services at the hospital. I had clavicle surgery 3,000 miles from home and knew no one in WY. Social services at the hospital had a list of people in town who would keep me.
3. A local pastor and family picked me up and provided for me several days until I could fly home.
4. Also call the Salvation Army and Red Cross. Both provide short stay facilities.
Albuquerque is a large place. God will provide a place for your time off and healing. Check into all I have listed. Keep your faith and dream. Best wishes to you good folks.
Groundhog in the TN Appalachian Mountains.
21 Kevin Fitzgerald // Nov 15, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I’m very VERY sad to hear that John and Daryl were in an accident, but I’m mighty thankful they came out of it as well as they did! It reminds me of when a minivan spun one of my kid stokers and me part way around at a Y-shaped intersection in Atlanta during the Olympics. We were both OK and could keep riding after I bent the rim straight enough for us to ride. The rim got replaced. The rest of that tandem was fine, and is still in use. I do hard left turns at Y-shaped intersections differently now. I overshoot the intersection by a good distance and then do a U-turn and then return to the intersection and continue up the desired road.
We have a bike attorney in Decatur, Ga. who wrote a column about what to do in case of a bike accident, and he put his contact info at the bottom of the column. Here’s the link:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=85
As for the tandem, I hope it didn’t suffer any bending of the frame or fork. If there is no other way to tell, and the wheels are OK, have John ride the tandem unloaded with no stoker in a very straight line through a long line of water poured on the road. This will make the tires leave tracks on the pavement beyond. Take a look at the resulting tracks. If they are pretty much one on top of the other or weave an fairly equal amount from one side to the other, then the tandem is OK. But if one track is consistantly beside the other, and if the tandem pulls to one side when ridden no-handed, then something got bent. I hope that WON’T be the case. My prayers are with you all!
-=Kevin Fitzgerald=-
22 nancy // Nov 15, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Thank you all - I can’t tell you much all your thoughts and prayers mean to us right now. I think I just managed to convince John to go get checked out - we’ll ask our friend to take him in as soon as she gets home.
We still know nothing about the bike…
23 vik // Nov 15, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Sorry to hear about the accident. If you have a police report saying the driver was at fault you’ll have a good case for recovering any reasonable expenses from the insurance company. Just get receipts and an explanation why you needed the rental car, motel, etc..
I’ve had some accidents that were not my fault and my experience is that the insurance company really wants you to sign a form saying you have no more claim against them in return for whatever $$$ you guys agree to. Assuming your hubby’s injuries are straightforward and the doctor doesn’t foresee any complications you can use the signing of a liability waiver as your leverage to get a decent fast settlement.
So you figure out what you need to feel good about things:
- motel/rental car
- replacement bike
- medical costs
- pain and suffering [I got $5K for very minor whiplash]
Don’t feel bad padding your requested amount for pain/suffering or for some unforeseen expenses you may incur down the road because of this - maybe having to stay in more motels until he is 100%. At least this unfortunate circumstance can add something to your travel fund - making it not 100% bad.
Then offer to settle for that amount. The risk of course is that if the injuries end up causing some long term problem for him you can’t go back and ask for more. The doctor should be able to give you an idea what the risks are.
If in doubt get a lawyer, but this of course will mean a settlement will take some time so you have to weigh the pros and cons. If you can get a free consultation you might as well take it.
If your tandem needs to be replaced keep in mind you can get something different than you had if you can’t get the same brand/model fast enough or if having used it for a while you guys see a reason to get a different one. If you contact the manufacturer of the tandem you want your situation would certainly motivate them to do whatever they can to help you out.
I hope John heals quickly.
safe riding,
Vik
www.thelazyrando.com
24 soultravelers3 // Nov 16, 2008 at 2:07 am
Wow, so very sorry to hear this. You are all in our prayers!
My brother rode across the US several times, until the day a car hit him and killed him. I never see a biker on the road, that I do not think about him.
Please get BOTH John and t Daryl THOROUGHLY checked out. I might see a really good chiropractor and or DO as well as MD.
Sometimes one feels just fine after an accident, then the real problems set in later. I was rear ended once and did not think I was injured. I was!! I still deal with the pain, even though it was many years ago.
This is the time to handle in fully, so that you do not regret it later.
25 CanCan (Mom Most Traveled) // Nov 16, 2008 at 9:30 am
I am hoping for a speedy recovery for your family, your bike, and your finances!
26 Kristen // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:18 pm
So sorry to hear this - Hope John and Daryl are both all right and that everything works out okay.
27 nancy // Nov 16, 2008 at 4:38 pm
OMG!
I’ve been so busy, I haven’t checked in in a while.
I hope John is feeling better, and I’m so glad that Daryl is fine!
I hope the bike can be fixed, or that you can get a new one quickly.
Good luck! You are all in my prayers everyday!
28 Lou Ann // Nov 16, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I’m glad that John and Daryl are OK. It looks as though you have lots of good advice!
29 nancy lewis // Nov 16, 2008 at 8:32 pm
What a terrible experience. Yikes!
Take some time to recover and regroup. There are 4 or 5 warmshower.org host in Albuquerque which provide free hospitality to cyclist. Contact all of them and see if they can lend you a hand. Find a way to keep going.
Are the boys old enough to ride alone? You could get seperate bikes instead of a tandem. Another cycling family has a bike trailer that the front wheel of thier sons bike sits in. I do not know the specs but it is an interesting way to add a tag along. Rebekkah, Florian and Chans site is http://dreirad.fenris.ca
Greetings from Salta, Argentina. We have ridden 21,000 kiliometers and 4000 more to go.
Nancy and Randy
30 nancy lewis // Nov 16, 2008 at 8:34 pm
What a terrible experience. Yikes! Hope that John is recovering well. Take some time to recover and regroup. If the bike is steel, it might be able to be bent and welded.
There are 4 or 5 warmshower.org host in Albuquerque which provide free hospitality to cyclist. Contact all of them and see if who can lend you a hand. Find a way to keep going.
Are the boys old enough to ride alone? You could get seperate bikes instead of a tandem. Another cycling family has a bike trailer that the front wheel of thier sons bike sits in. I do not know the specs but it is an interesting way to add a tag along. Rebekkah, Florian and Chans site is http://dreirad.fenris.ca
Greetings from Salta, Argentina. We have ridden 21,000 kiliometers and 4000 more to go.
Nancy and Randy
31 Blair // Nov 18, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I have been following your story since before you left Idaho. My stomach dropped when I read the title of this blog entry… I am afraid I don’t have any helpful information, but just wanted to send you my warm thoughts that everything will be ok.
~blair
32 Jacquie Kubin // Nov 24, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Why didn’t you call me? Do you need help now? Is everything ok.
33 Liegeread Freund // Apr 22, 2010 at 1:41 am
Liebe Grüße vom Liegerad Freund aus Deutschland und dem Elbe Radweg
Matze
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