Tuesday 21 June 2011

An unexpected accident

I've just had my most serious injury kayaking to and from work (refer here).

In a personal first, I was knocked over by a car while carrying my kayak tonight.

I used to feel that my marine path home, even at night in winter, was safer than that of my colleagues who braved the perils of the road on bikes. Not any more. 

I was leaving my work, after dark, and crossing the road immediately outside the car park exit. Only one car in the street, though another was beginning to leave the driveway opposite. As I reached the other side, the car parked further up the street , pointed the other way, chose to reverse with no lights on  across the path of  the other car exiting from the driveway . Pretty creative  piece of driving. Reversed straight into me, taking me by surprise. 

Knocked me down, kayak went over the car, paddle went flying down the road. She wasn’t going very fast and fortunately stopped before she ran me over, and I just banged my elbow and had a bit of a hip strain from the twisting as she struck me. Her car ended up blocking the way of the car trying to get out of the drive. 

Lots of witnesses, most of whom had trouble believing the scene as they found me lying in the street with a kayak and paddle after the collision.  Felt some pity for the driver, notwithstanding the  crap driving, she was really shaken and I think astonished to have cleaned up a kayaker.

I seem to be OK, the Dancer is a tough bugger of a boat and took no damage I can see.
Moral of the story: be careful of cars when commuting with a kayak.

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