It was Tuesday, and the weather was nice. As usual, I rode my bike to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities. I was wearing my helmet, so I felt pretty safe. But to be honest, my mind was a bit elsewhere, and I wasn’t paying much attention to the traffic around me. Just as I was crossing an intersection, a Honda sedan suddenly turned right and collided directly with my rear wheel.
“Thud!” I was thrown to the ground. My elbow scraped raw, bleeding and throbbing. The driver immediately pulled over, pale-faced and clearly shaken. He stammered apologies, saying he hadn’t seen me.
In a moment of rashness, I actually told him, “It’s fine, go ahead.” And he really drove off.Looking back, it was incredibly foolish.
What I Did Wrong
After the fall, I rode home slowly, enduring the pain. My arm hurt more and more along the way, but I still thought it wasn’t serious. It wasn’t until my cousin saw my injury that he exclaimed, “Did you get the license plate? Did you call the police?”
I froze—I hadn’t done any of those things. No photos, no driver’s info, no witnesses. I just let him go.
My cousin shook his head in frustration: “You know what? Sometimes injuries look minor on the surface but can be serious inside. And without evidence, you won’t be able to claim compensation later.”
That’s when I realized I’d made a huge mistake. Not because I was kind-hearted, but because I didn’t know the rules.
The Doctor’s Words Brought Me Back to Reality
The next day, my wrist swelled up like a bun and was completely immobile. I had no choice but to go to the hospital. After examining me, the doctor said, “This is soft tissue damage, and there might be a minor fracture.” As he bandaged my wrist, he added, “Many people like you think it’s nothing and don’t report it. But some feel fine at first, only to discover nerve damage days later, eventually needing surgery.”
He emphasized, “No matter how minor the injury, if you’re hit by a car, the first thing you must do is call the police, take photos, and preserve evidence. Don’t wait until your body fails you to regret it.”
In that moment, I truly understood: You can’t rely on feelings when it comes to your body, nor can you let “politeness” override the rules.
Reporting Too Late Leaves Police Powerless
On the third day, I went to the police station to file a report. After hearing my account, the officer frowned and asked, “Do you have the license plate number? Were there any witnesses?” I could only shake my head.
He said, “The car is long gone now, and the scene hasn’t been preserved. We can’t investigate.” He also told me, “Next time, you must call immediately. If we respond quickly, we can examine skid marks and review surveillance footage.But now, you say someone hit you, yet you have no evidence. We can’t handle this.“
His final words stuck with me: ”We don’t decide who to believe based on who seems more honest. We only look at evidence.”
How Insurance Determines Liability
Later, I called my insurance agent. She explained liability distribution simply:
- If the driver wasn’t paying attention, ran a red light, or failed to yield, they’re fully at fault and their insurance pays.
- If I broke traffic rules, like running a stop sign, I’d cover most of the costs myself.
- But if both parties are at fault, liability is split proportionally. For example, if I’m 30% at fault, they’d cover 70% of the damages.
What surprised me most was when she said: “Even if you’re 70% at fault, the other party’s insurance might still cover part of your damages. But here’s the catch—you need evidence proving the accident actually happened.”
So, whether you have evidence directly determines whether you’ll get compensation.
Now I know what to do
This fall taught me a costly lesson. Now I understand that when something like this happens, no matter how much it hurts, I can’t panic, and I definitely can’t just let the other person go.
Here’s what I’ll do now:
- First, no matter how minor the injury, call the police immediately.
- Take lots of photos with my phone: the car’s position, the bike lying on the ground, the road markings, and the other driver’s license plate.
- Ask nearby people if they saw anything and get their phone numbers.
- Always exchange information with the driver—record their name, phone number, license plate, and insurance company.
- Even if they apologize, never say “It’s fine, you can go.”
I still keep photos of those scrapes on my phone. Every time I see them, it reminds me: Kindness must be measured—protecting yourself is paramount.
This incident taught me: Rules aren’t meant to be burdensome; they’re there to give you recourse when misfortune strikes.
