Close Call

Today after volunteering at the hospital with my mom I left the hospital to drive home (my mom and I had separate cars). As I was preparing to turn left onto Elm street (a 2 lane- one lane in each direction- street with a speed limit of 40km/hour) I was waiting until I felt it safe to turn. It was clear from my right, and the van coming on my left was turning onto the street I was waiting on about 20 meters. Behind the van was an SUV, the motorcycle, then several more cars. I pulled out to turn left because I had plenty of time to make the turn (even in my dad’s large truck) when BAM! The motorcycle that was 2 cars back decided to pass the vehicles in front of him (making his own lane, speeding, illegally passing, etc) and his tire hit my tire. Luckily, he was just picking up speed and managed to stop and not fly over the hood of my truck. To give you an idea of how fast it happened, the car that was coming on my left hadn’t even reached the corner to turn when the motorcycle hit me, and he was going to fast that he hit me in the first lane I was crossing over—NOT in the lane I wanted to turn into. He was speeding behind 2 large vehicles, passing in an intersection and then proceeds to call me the worst names I’ve ever been called, each accompanied by a BIG ‘F’. After he realized that we barely touched (I saw our tires touch so it wasn’t like we “hit” each other) and after he threatened to call the cops, he finally agreed to pull over. He eventually apologized for yelling at me, but had no answer when I asked him what he was thinking passing 2 cars, speeding, etc. He told me that it was my fault and that he could charge me if he wanted, and to top it off, he never took off his helmet the entire time. He was so rude and so careless. What bothers me most, besides the fact that I haven’t stopped shaking is that I still considered it a safe turn. I did everything right, it was a turn I’ve made a million times, and I just don’t know how I could have been safer. I’ve seen it a million times, guys on motorcycles making their own lanes in between cars, speeding, and thinking their invincible, it definitely makes me happy that my brother recently got rid of his bike.