Car hit my bike

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I got into an accident this morning while riding my bicycle. I was going to say, "I was hit by a car," but the way it happened I did most of the hitting. It was on Queen, just a few minutes from my apartment, as I was going east towards work. A car in the opposite lane was inching forward into my lane to make a left turn into a parking lot that was coming up on my right. I slowed down, but the car kept going right into me and I couldn't stop in time, and swerving to avoid was not an option at that point, in the sense that no matter what I did I still was going to make contact. I recall yelling something and looking down as I watched my front tire make strike the right front side of the car, a silver Toyota Echo. The car must've seen me at the last moment because luckily it swerved to its left, missing the parking lot entrance and ending up on the sidewalk, facing east, narrowly avoiding a parking meter, one of those printing ones with the solar panel on top.

I didn't fall much, although I do not recall the actual collision with any detail. The driver got of out of the car, a young woman who was crying something awful. As she came over I felt extremely sorry for her, and gave her hug saying everything's ok. Turns out she was rushing to the hospital which she was having problems finding, something to do with the baby sitting in the backseat. There were lots of witnesses, some of which asked me if I was ok. One of them helped the still distraught woman, and offered to drive her car for her as she was in no condition to do so.

I suffered a hefty bruise on my left forearm, which I believe is the only part of my body that hit the car. My bicycle, thus far, seems to have taken very little, if any, damage to it. The accident was more of light bump than anything. Still, I was somewhat shook up from it, and still am, a little. I've been getting pretty fearless with my cycling of late, but I don't think this accident was in any way the result of reckless cycling. She just didn't see me, and it's a real pity, I still feel kind of terrible. Sure, I'll ride safely, at least for a while. I'd hate to think I'm tempting fate by not wearing my bicycle helmet. *sigh* I guess go back to putting it on.

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