Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

dougmc hit by a motorist

Someone just passed this along to me:

Doug Mc is in the hospital. He was hit by a motorist last Wednesday. I don't have any more information about his condition.

I'm at a loss for words.

JasonATXBS

Member

Registered: 2016-09-21

Posts: 4

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

I'll leave sharing the details to Doug, but I did want to quickly assuage folks worry. I spoke with him online earlier this morning, and he is in good spirits and recovering.

Donald Lewis

Member

Registered: 2009-07-11

Posts: 184

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

I'll leave sharing the details to Doug, but I did want to quickly assuage folks worry. I spoke with him online earlier this morning, and he is in good spirits and recovering.

Jason, thank you!

Mr. Bluejay's post had me feeling really bad!  Not feeling good, but better, now.

Don

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

Unfortunately, this is true.

It’s probably unwise to go into details but the driver did stop and I am being well taken care of and the doctors are happy with my progress and say I should have a good recovery.

Donald Lewis

Member

Registered: 2009-07-11

Posts: 184

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

Damn!  Doug, is there anything we can do for you?  Visitors?  90% quality real chocolate?  Would be far more nourishing than hospital food!

Don

And my cell, five-one-two-4l3-7oo1

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

Glad to hear the good prognosis.

Donald Lewis

Member

Registered: 2009-07-11

Posts: 184

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

Doug dropped by to meet us before we went on our Sunday AM ride.  He was walking on his own, wearing a back brace.  Working from home.  More than 5 months before he can get back on a bike.  All things considered and given that he could have easily become paralyzed and a paraplegic, he is doing quite well.

Don

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,466

Website

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

Thanks very much for sharing this, Don.  And best/speedy recovery, Doug.

This is why I stopped riding, after 27 years of being car-free.  Somehow all the CARnage around me didn't push me off my bike for decades, but then suddenly I couldn't continue.  Now I wonder what took me so long, and I wonder why the rest of you are still riding?  I do know for the non-riding public, the #1 reason cited for not biking is that it's too dangerous.  Even before I stopped biking myself, I couldn't blame anyone for declining to bike for that reason.

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 631

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

I don't want to give up riding, though I'm not sure what I'll be thinking in five months.  Up until that day, I was riding more than I have since I was a kid ... and I was loving it.

But now, even being in a car makes me nervous now in ways that I haven't been since I first got my license and that's when I am surrounded by two tons of steel ... I wonder how that will be five months from now if/when I try to ride again?  I guess we shall see.

But I am slowly improving, and yeah ... my crash came very close to having been so much worse.

RedFalcon

Member

Registered: 2013-10-10

Posts: 233

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

I don't want to give up riding, though I'm not sure what I'll be thinking in five months.

Just take your time and ease back into it if you decide you want to. After I was hit (and I wasn't even seriously hurt) I felt very uneasy about riding again at first.  When I did ride, I would go out of the way to avoid the intersection where it happened.  The uneasiness soon passed and before long I could ride through that intersection again. But, again, I wasn't hurt that badly.  Just take you own time.

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 344

Re: dougmc hit by a motorist

I have never collided with a car while riding on my bike*, but I feel you.  After I was hurt by crashing my bike at speed, I had a really hard time getting used to going fast again.  I gradually got as comfortable at speed as ever.  After a serious car crash, I was white-knuckled for my first few weeks of driving even at low speeds--heart pounding, short breathing, with really nothing actually abnormal going on around me.  I gradually got comfortable doing that too.  It's a very normal reaction.  Just don't feed the fear unnecessarily, and I'm sure you can find riding as pleasurable as ever.  I hope your recovery is as speedy as it can be.

*knock on wood, but many tens of thousands of miles riding