My People 150 vs. Drunk driver in pickup

[GLV55]

Guess who won that stand-off?!? Saturday evening I was riding along, coming up to a stop light, slowing down (luckily). From the perpendicular road comes a guy in a pickup (with no lights on after dark) turning left...and he just kept turning left, directly into my lane! I honked and yelled, but he just kept coming, so I hopped off my scoot just as we made impact. I landed on my feet beside the truck, and my poor scoot took a little ride across the pavement. He just stared at me blankly wondering what had happened - yep, he was drunk as a skunk! Then he realized what had happened and just took off. Well, a Good Samaritan lady in a car took off after him and led the police right to him! God bless her!

Results for him: charged with Open Container, DUI (his 2nd offense), Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Evading/Eluding Police.

Results for me: front fender smashed and broken off, left handle bar and brake lever messed up bad, left turn signal hanging by a wire, kick stand bent around the kick-start lever, front fork loosened, and a sprained wrist.

All in all, I was extremely fortunate, folks! The policeman commended me for wearing all my protective gear (hi-vis padded jacket, over-ankle boots, padded gloves, and helmet) because his father-in-law is currently in intensive care in a nearby hospital after getting hit by, you guessed it, a drunk driver just last week. Only his F-I-L wasn't wearing his gear.

Lesson learned - always gear up and look out for everyone! Expect the unexpected. I guess it really is a matter of not if, but when...  Ride safe, everyone!

[tclhb]

DUI laws are way to soft. 1st DUI the car (truck in this cease) should be the property of the police department. Second offense should be a prison sentence. That's if no evading or hit and run. Those should add even more. It's ridiculous.

[Vivo]

Glad you're safe!  The bottom line is that, no matter how bad the crash went or whose fault it may be... you are alive!

[ScooterCommuter]

Kudos on doing everything right. I'm guessing a lot of folks might have left it a fraction too late to bail out and gone with the scoot!

[Stig / Major Tom]

Great reflexes!
Hope I'm still agile enough and smart enough to bail in the same situtation.
Very glad you came through this scary experience mostly OK.

I wonder, will you be riding a scooter again?

[TroutBum]

Good thing you reacted when you did and got out of harms way. Scooter can be fixed or replaced, people not so easy. Glad you're okay and that a Good Samaritan came along to help right a wrong.

Be safe out there folks.

[big blue]

I hate it when that happens! Glad you are ok. Do you think the scoot is fixable?

[Calothrix]

Good to hear you came out of it relatively unscathed!  Hope you're able to get the scoot fixed quickly and get back on the road again.

[GLV55]

Thanks, everyone, for the good thoughts and support. The scooter should be fixable - going to have the insurance adjuster look at it tomorrow, then I'll take it to the real scooter people for a real quote on getting it up and running. I will be riding again...no drunk fool is going to win by keeping me off my scooter! Just very very thankful that things turned out the way they did!

[Rbt Jean]

Glad to hear you came through it ok.

[GLV55]

DUI laws are way to soft. 1st DUI the car (truck in this cease) should be the property of the police department. Second offense should be a prison sentence. That's if no evading or hit and run. Those should add even more. It's ridiculous.

I completely agree!

[OregonDad]

Any update on your scoot or the charges against the drunk?

[GLV55]

Update time. Unfortunately, there was enough damage to the fork to cause the adjuster to total my P150. The good news is that they gave me almost the full price I paid for it (used), so I went shopping. That amount was not enough to get another People, and even though I searched for one, the nearest one I could afford was two states away. So I now have a SYM PCH 150, which was only about $300 over the amount I received from insurance. It's a good scooter, and I'm thrilled to be riding again, but I really miss my Kymco.

The drunk driver is going to trial, but I haven't heard any date yet. I just filled out all the paperwork from the prosecuting attorney, so they are moving ahead and going after him for criminal charges and for restitution. I should hopefully hear from the county in the next two weeks. The wheels of justice turn very slowly. I will keep you all posted on the results of the trial when it happens, though.

[Vivo]

Thanks for the update GLV55 and congrats on the new scoot... ride safe...

[AVGuy]

Glad you're ok, but sorry about the scoot. Enjoy your new ride and I hope they don't do some plea deal and he gets off easy.