So on the 11th of August I had just finished work at Auckland hospital- I rode my bike in that morning and parked it just outside the front entrance.
I suited up whilst having a chat to an ex patient about the dangers of riding a motorbike (how ironic) before heading down a steep drive onto Park road. A Toyota hilux in front of me couldn't make the turn due to a barricade of road works and so proceeded to reverse up the hill towards me. Assuming he had seen me in his rearview mirror I remained stationary. As he began getting too close for comfort I got on the horn, my attempts to get his attention clearly in vain, as he continued toward me.
Before I had time to abandon ship, my leg got crushed between his rear bumper and my bikes engine. Luckily a girl riding her scooter in the opposite direction saw the commotion and managed to get his attention. He then left his vehicle to see what it was she was exclaiming about..meanwhile I'm still trapped (the bike was pinned up at a 45 % angle) between his car and engine. When he moved the car forward the bike fell to the left which snapped the clutch lever and damaged the fairing- not that it matters considering the bike was in poor condition prior to the incident.
So needless to say it was a 'shit yourself' experience I hope never to endure again. The driver admitted he hadn't bothered to look in his rearview mirror and accepted liability. However if I were to do something different it would be to stay positioned to the left or right, in view of his side mirror- It may have prevented the accident. I guess I just didn't think it was necessary in a drive way in a stationary line of traffic.
To add insult to injury his wife dropped my helmet on the way to A&E. Not happy.
On the bright side my injuries are minimal and the insurance pay out was fair.
I'm not looking for sympathy or comments surrounding 'what I should have done'..merely sharing my experience so others may learn from it.
Cheers,
Gen.
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