Some girls get hit on by boys; I got hit by a car. Not many people can say they’ve been assaulted by a vehicle, but I can. I rode my bike to my daily tennis practice freshman year, and I crossed the street as the light permitted. However, in a flash of metal and screeching tires, a woman hit me with her gold Toyota RAV4. I remember it so specifically, because who could forget being hit by a car? Like an impromptu James Bond, I rolled across the hood onto the other side of the car. The woman was on her phone, so she was clearly distracted and caused the accident. After assessing my injuries and deeming that all my bones were sufficiently intact, I got up and talked to my assailant. She was obviously quite rattled, as was I, but after assuring her of my well-being we parted ways. Picking up my surprisingly functional, although admittedly mangled, bicycle, I went on my way to tennis practice. With my bike’s newly squeaking tires and brakes, I rode into practice only 20 minutes late. Upon my arrival, my coach and friends asked my reason for being tardy. Casually, I mentioned my encounter with the car; everyone seemed to be far more unnerved than I was. In fact, I even joked, saying that now I know how the squirrels feel.

After getting home, I forgot to tell my mom about the whole situation and carried on with my life. The next day at school, as I joked about getting hit by a car with some people in gym and Coach Williams overheard. She came up to me very shocked and angry that I did not tell my own mother about getting hit by the car. She made me swear to tell her, which I agreed to quickly out of fear of Coach Williams’ wrath.

Basically, after the trauma of this accident, I now realize the importance of bike lanes and watching out for pedestrians. Now, as I drive I look out for people on bikes so that they do not suffer the same fate that I did. Also, for all the bikers/runners out there, watch out for cars, one mistake could end in a unforgivable mistake.