Just got this email from reader Maria M. in Portland:
Last night during the pouring rain and darkness I was hit while on my bike. I wasn’t hurt but my front wheel was damaged. I was at the Marriott on Naito crossing over to the park when a car turned into me. I had the green light and was in the crosswalk with the walk signal. The guy who hit me pulled over. We exchanged info. and the very kind valet guys at the Marriott gave me their info as witnesses. Mostly, I was in shock.
Should I file a police report? Should I ask him to pay for damages to my bike?
[See our answer and share yours below the jump.]
Great question. With no injuries and with a cooperative party in the other vehicle, I doubt the police would be too eager to file a report on this. However, I don’t think it would hurt to try.
And yes. Definitely ask the guy to pay for damages if you feel it was his fault (which it sounds like it was).
The DMV should also be notified. We need as many bike-related collisions as possible to be accounted for in official records. PBOT uses DMV data to make many important engineering decisions, and currently that data woefully under-represents bicycle-involved collisions.
I’m not an expert on these issues, do others have wisdom/experiences to add?