Turns out that the rumors of the demise of Shadowfax were greatly exaggerated.
In the immediate aftermath of The Great Bike Crash of 2008, I was too shaken up and too busy running my own damned scene to pay attention to my bike, and judging from the amount of trim parts scattered about and the seat laying on the highway, I figured it was totaled.
In the weeks afterward, I was too busy healing up, speaking with insurance adjusters and my lawyer, to drive the thirty miles to the wrecking yard and have a look at it.
And then I discovered that the bitch’s insurance had been canceled for non-payment back in May. Faced with the prospect of no quick settlement and the faint hope of ever recouping any of my losses,* I started cataloguing expenses and thinking of ways to make do.
Replace the laptop? Feh, a new screen costs $290. I’ll just do that.
New CPAP? Well, my insurance company wants a new sleep study before they’ll pay for one. By the time I pay the deductible, I can get off cheaper buying a used one off Craigslist…hey, there’s an idea! (by the way, thanks Phlegmmy!)
Lost wages? Suck it up, buttercup. Unless I can get a lien on her doublewide or garnish her paychecks from the Dairy Queen, I’ll never see that $1500 again.
Pain and suffering? Fat chance of getting compensated for that, but perhaps a lawsuit can cause some pain and suffering on her end. For the price of a filing fee, I can fuck up her credit for another seven years or so! How sweet would that be?
New bike? Fuggedaboudit. Well, maybe I can sell the old one for parts, and perhaps pay the electric bill with that.
I tell you, folks, I was thisclose to putting up a tip jar on the old blog here. AD is one broke dude right now.
So it was with a heavy heart that I trekked south to view the carcass of my trusty steed. Imagine my surprise to find that not only was it not totaled, the damage was entirely cosmetic!
A mere $264.32 later, I am now officially scooter trash again. I really didn’t have the money to spend, but I’ll save that much this month in gas costs by parking the truck.
Yesterday I rode to work, sans windshield, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I will admit to having a mild case of the willies when I passed the wreck scene, though.
Okay, maybe it was more like a full-blown attack of the heebie jeebies, but I had good reason. I measured off the distances the other day. There were 84 feet of skid marks, extending all the way into the intersection. That’s how much room I had at 70 mph to avoid the woman. From the beginning of the skid marks to the spot in the ditch where I came to rest, measured right at 244 feet.
What can I say, I’m aerodynamic. What with the recent weight loss, I can fly a long way. I’m very lucky to be alive, with nothing more lasting than a broken toe and silver-dollar-sized divot scooped out of my left knee that is taking its own sweet time to heal.
Still, I’m riding again, and it feels good.
Edited to add: Thank all of you who e-mailed offering to buy or give me a CPAP. I’m truly honored, but I have managed to buy one already, and the lovely Phlegm Fatale had it shipped to me.
And thanks also for the suggestions to put up a tip jar. I’ll give it some thought.
As far as uninsured motorist coverage…you know those kids that harangue their parents into letting them open at least one present on Christmas Eve, because they couldn’t wait another eight hours?
Yeah, I was one of those kids. So, when I signed the papers on the bike, I had it insured with the minimum required, liability-only coverage, with every intention of going back and having the comprehensive and uninsured motorist options as soon as I had catalogued the value of all the aftermarket accessories the previous owner had added to the bike.
Well, you know what they say about good intentions…
