Most of you should be glad that you live in a developed country after reading this. This happened in a Pakistani city.
I took a left on to a main road and quickly moved into the right lane (right-hand drive) to take a U-turn at a (signal free) intersection. I had been driving for about 10 seconds on the right lane and had indicated that I wanted to go right. Just as I was about to come to a full stop, with part of my car slightly turned, someone hit my from behind. rear glass shattered. Thankfully, I was not hurt.
I thought it was a car. I immediately got out to check WTF had just happened. It wasn't a car. A motorcycle rider was on the ground bleeding from his head. People gathered. "Someone call an ambulance." I did not panic. An eye-witness said take him to the hospital in your car quick. No other cars had stopped. Only other bikers. The laid him on the back seat. Blood. I was scared. I didn't know the nearest hospital but nobody was willing to come with me.
I was impressed by how fast the ambulances got here. Four minutes max. They took him away. A traffic warden arrived at the scene--told me to stay calm. I was. The eye-witnesses told me to drive the car--I didn't know where. Just as I was about the start the ignition, the warden took my keys. The people gathered, told him to give my key back. Eventually he did. One of the eye-witnesses told me hurry come. Then he told me to leave--it wasn't safe for me here: people had gathered--after any accident they almost always support the biker no matter what. Nobody had started blaming me yet. I was concerned for the bike rider. I wanted to see what had happened to him.
I returned home. Asked my friend to checkup on the nearby emergency hospital. He had a head injury and he was going through a CT scan. I called back this morning and they have moved him from there. Don't know where. Apparently, they said it wasn't too bad. He should survive. Will never find out what happened now. Big city. Too many accidents. One of the rider's friends at the hospital who had seen the accident, told my friend that it was the rider's own fault.
None of the eye-witnesses were blaming me. Even the traffic warden who was passively-hostile. Being rear-ended when I was driving perfectly safely. I did not panic. I'm not traumatized (A colleague was shot dead a few months ago for no reason. That was traumatic). But I couldn't sleep at night. What if he died? What if I made a mistake? What if my lights were off? By the look of the car, he must have been riding at at least 80-90kmph. It was a small 250-300cc bike.
There could be three scenarios:
1) He thought I would have turned before he got there. He probably underestimated his speed.
2) He was trying to evade another car before crashing into mine.
3) He lost control.
I would love to meet the person that hit me. But, a bystander warned me not to linger too long. Even with a rear-end, people who hadn't seen the accident would probably blame the car. The potential for trouble--when justice is so hard to get.
I took a left on to a main road and quickly moved into the right lane (right-hand drive) to take a U-turn at a (signal free) intersection. I had been driving for about 10 seconds on the right lane and had indicated that I wanted to go right. Just as I was about to come to a full stop, with part of my car slightly turned, someone hit my from behind. rear glass shattered. Thankfully, I was not hurt.
I thought it was a car. I immediately got out to check WTF had just happened. It wasn't a car. A motorcycle rider was on the ground bleeding from his head. People gathered. "Someone call an ambulance." I did not panic. An eye-witness said take him to the hospital in your car quick. No other cars had stopped. Only other bikers. The laid him on the back seat. Blood. I was scared. I didn't know the nearest hospital but nobody was willing to come with me.
I was impressed by how fast the ambulances got here. Four minutes max. They took him away. A traffic warden arrived at the scene--told me to stay calm. I was. The eye-witnesses told me to drive the car--I didn't know where. Just as I was about the start the ignition, the warden took my keys. The people gathered, told him to give my key back. Eventually he did. One of the eye-witnesses told me hurry come. Then he told me to leave--it wasn't safe for me here: people had gathered--after any accident they almost always support the biker no matter what. Nobody had started blaming me yet. I was concerned for the bike rider. I wanted to see what had happened to him.
I returned home. Asked my friend to checkup on the nearby emergency hospital. He had a head injury and he was going through a CT scan. I called back this morning and they have moved him from there. Don't know where. Apparently, they said it wasn't too bad. He should survive. Will never find out what happened now. Big city. Too many accidents. One of the rider's friends at the hospital who had seen the accident, told my friend that it was the rider's own fault.
None of the eye-witnesses were blaming me. Even the traffic warden who was passively-hostile. Being rear-ended when I was driving perfectly safely. I did not panic. I'm not traumatized (A colleague was shot dead a few months ago for no reason. That was traumatic). But I couldn't sleep at night. What if he died? What if I made a mistake? What if my lights were off? By the look of the car, he must have been riding at at least 80-90kmph. It was a small 250-300cc bike.
There could be three scenarios:
1) He thought I would have turned before he got there. He probably underestimated his speed.
2) He was trying to evade another car before crashing into mine.
3) He lost control.
I would love to meet the person that hit me. But, a bystander warned me not to linger too long. Even with a rear-end, people who hadn't seen the accident would probably blame the car. The potential for trouble--when justice is so hard to get.
Last edited: