I got hit by a car this morning.
What? Yes…I got hit by a car this morning while jogging. It happened about 7am, in front of an exit point for a bunch of condos near where I live. It was part of a 2 mile route I often take when running. Nothing fancy, just a big loop from my house, out to a main road, along a jogging path I should mention, and back around again.
I was at the half-way point when the hit happened. Here’s how I remember it. I approached the condo exit and noticed that a small grey car was heading out of it, so I slowed down. I noticed that he started slowing down well ahead of the exit, which told me he’d seen me and was ready to let me by. In fact, he came to a near stop, which a jogger can usually take as a green light.
So I sped up, got in front of him, when he suddenly slammed on the gas pedal and lurched forward, whacking me in the right butt-cheek, hurling me into the ice-encrusted snowbank on the other side.
Now comes the part that I can’t really explain. I simply got up, kept running, and listening to “Over The Line”, by The Crystal Method on my iPod, as if nothing had happened…I just kept running. I never looked back, but I heard the driver yell something that sounded like, “Sorry car flinder stern mace!” I can only imagine what he meant by that.
Did he hit gas when he meant to hit the brake? I’ve done that. Did he mean to slam into me? Was his idea of a new years resolution so twisted that I’m simply lucky to be alive?
No idea. Honestly I’m more concerned about why I just kept running. There’s a lesson in this somewhere. I think the lesson is, “Keep running”. Or something.
Category: Journal 39 comments »
January 4th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Wow,how the hell did you get back after a hit to the butt cheek and dude you go for early jogs!!
January 4th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Wow man. Glad you are alright. As to why you kept running, I think it might have just been pure shock. We get so used nothing unusual happening that when it does we just act like it’s no big deal. I wouldn’t have known what to do either. I mean would you stay and get his insurance info and sue or what. But then you have to do a bunch of paperwork. So you prolly did the easiest thing and got outta there. I wouldve prolly done the same.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Makes me glad I didn’t go running this morning! It was too cold so I decided to stay in bed for an extra 30 min. Not doing much for the training for the 8k spring season starter in April, but it was sooo comfy.
I suspect you will feel the hit tomorrow.
Cheers
January 4th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Woah man, that’s unlucky (or lucky) depending on how you view it!
But what a story for your second entry on your blog! Are we to expect a humorous cartoon to follow this event?
In the meantime I will try and decipher ?Sorry car flinder stern mace!?
January 4th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
One cheek? Sounds like he did a half-a**ed job hitting you with his car.
Just kidding! Glad you made it, the Instance keeps me sane.
-Josh
January 4th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I wish I had your serenity. I would be up in that driver’s face. I guess like you said he probably meant to hit the brake, it wasn’t negligence or intentional. Were you on the right or left side of the road?
January 4th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Glad to hear you’re ok. I’d chalk up you running off as just part of the shock of the unexpected.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Wow! Glad to hear you are ok…
Hmmm…. Maybe the Crystal Method imposes some sort of super-human powers into its’ listeners?!
January 4th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Wow, glad you’re ok. I’m impressed by the manlyness of your buttocks being able to shrug off a hit by a car.
Can buttocks shrug?
January 4th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Wow, that sucks. I hope you’re feeling okay?
Rob might have a point there about shock. I got hit by a car while on my bike once…I went over the hood and landed on the ground. My bike was okay, so I got back on it and rode away as fast as possible. It was clearly the fault of the lady driving the car, but I felt embarrassed and just wanted to get away from the situation. To make life go back to normal, I guess. Plus those of us who hate confrontation are not exactly thrilled about going to accuse somebody in a car of hitting us, even if that’s what they plainly did.
Anyway, hopefully your hip isn’t hurting today.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
That’s awful, but also the most awesome thing I’ve seen online today. I wonder what his blog would say about the whole thing.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Good Grief, I hope you’re okay. I mean, it sounds as if you are since you were able to get up and keep running, but dang, you might want to get checked out just in case. Any time you’re hit hard enough to be “hurled” I’d suggest a quick visit to your doctor just to make sure nothing important got knocked loose.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Glad you’re ok, Scott.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
hope you’re ok!
January 4th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Jogging = bad for you.
Hope you are ok dude.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Spanked by a car? God’s way of saying, “Bad Scott!”?
January 4th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Glad you’re ok, Scott.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Is this your Stephen King’s Dark Tower moment?
January 4th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I would have expected you to feign death and everything would have been fine.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
2 things:
Going by your posted pictures, etc, this had to have been an EXTREMELY tall car! I believe your buttcheecks to be roughly roof-level on my car.
Are you sure he didn’t say “I’ll paint my car with your blood!”
Very happy you’re unhurt. You should probably make a visit to the doctor just for a checkup, though.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Fight or Flight. You flew.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
been there, done that. Getting hit I mean.
It was right before a marathon and i needed to hit the john. One almost always does before a long race. I knew of an immaculate bathroom that almost no one knew about in a hotel nearby. so i needed to run there to take care of my business in time to get back. the hotel was a little further than all the porta-potties but obviously worth the effort.
on the way there i got hit by a car running across the street, i had the green. she was turning and must have been in a hurry to get to the race as well. i picked myself up and just kept running. my excuse is i really had “to go”.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Glad you’re ok Scott! I really thought your twitter link was gonna take me to a picture of a little remote control car hitting you in the foot or something.
I don’t know why you kept running, but I will tell you that when I was recently ALMOST hit by a car, I kept walking, even sped up, and later wondered why I didn’t stop and let the driver know I was ok. I caught a look at his face when he realized he had come within an inch of my legs, and wow, I have never seen anyone look more freaked out in my life.
Maybe it’s adrenaline, or like Gretchen pointed out, embarrassment or fear of confrontation. Maybe you’re not so weird for getting up and running.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Wow, but see you must be really strong seeing as how you just keep running after getting hit by a CAR!
Now, that could be a lesson in and of itself. Jog, children. You can get hit by cars and still keep going.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
P.S: Imagine if you were recording the Diary while this happened.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:56 am
I’m glad you’re ok, Scott!
I was hit by a car in the second grade. I chased a ball out into the street between two parked cars. All I remember was the streak of a white car in front of me and blue to my left. Then I woke up in the the driveway of our neighbor with my mom picking me up. I had no broken bones but I went by ambulance to the hospital.
Xrays showed no broken bones and after three days I went home. Later that day I went into shock when my spleen ruptured after filling with blood due to injury unseen on the xray. I should mention, this was about 1972. Needless to say I was rushed back to the hospital for an emergency splenectomy.
Moral of the story??? You may feel/look fine but could have unseen injuries. Be aware of how you feel and go to the hospital if you have ANY unusual symptoms. We don’t wanna lose you, Scott
be safe and stay healthy
January 4th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Go Forrest!
January 4th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
“Sorry car flinder stern mace” = sorry for hitting you ass?
January 4th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
I believe you were hit by the Swedish Chef, Scott.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
You should call the “Pbrlankt” guy to decipher for you.
Glad you’re okay, I don’t know how the podesphere would function without you.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Wow that is insane! It’s good to hear that you’re alright. I wouldn’t be able to go on without my extralife and TheInstance podcasts fixes.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Dammit! I am SO not paying that guy the other half… I mean, uh, glad you’re okay, dude!
Seriously, I’m glad you’re not hurt. I have a friend who got nailed by a car & broke his leg in three places. Be careful out there!
January 5th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Dude, ‘keep running’ is the one thing that you’re NOT supposed to do when a car hits you. That feeling is adrenaline from the fear of BEING HIT BY A MOVING VEHICLE and you should wait until you calm down to see if you’ve done any damage. You’re lucky you didn’t injure yourself further. XD
January 6th, 2010 at 1:20 am
Really glad your OK Scott.
If our lives are actually videogames being played by beings in some great beyond, then I guess you used up an ‘extralife’ somewhere in the scheme of things.
They say that which does not kill you makes you stronger…so I guess your right butt-cheek has a +1 to AC now.
January 7th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Glad you’re okay Scott. I’ve personally been hit by cars on my bike a total of 5 times. Now, I know for 2 of these, I am to blame, but thats besides the point. Each and every time I have remained uninjured and ALWAYS kept going. I simply checked my bike and kept on peddling. It’s a normal reaction to just keep going as if nothing happened, your body is responding to shock by getting away from the trauma area. Then there’s also the adrenaline that is starting to pump through your veins, blotting out any pain and further focusing your mind on whatever it was you were doing.
February 25th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Omg exactly same happened to me I just got up and continued jogging x
May 7th, 2010 at 6:33 am
The same thing happend to me two nights ago. I was jogging around the city (I live in the country without sidewalks so I opt to jog after work where there are sidewalks and crosswalks). Ironicly, I got hit while on a crosswalk. I looked ahead and saw nothing coming so I crossed, but a lady darted across the road and I saw her coming but did not have time to move out of the way. It felt like time stood still. I remember screaming and thinking ” I’m going to die.” I hit the hood and landed on my butt on the ground and braced myself with my palms. I stood up and screamed something at her like “what you were thinking, I was on a crosswalk.” “You could have killed me and I have 3 young children to take care of at home!” She just looked at me and said “well, its not like I did it on purpose.” She didn’t even really seem that apologetic. A guy stopped to help me and he called the cops and before I knew it every siren in the city was around me. The EMT crew checked me out and said I appeared to be fine but that they would take me to the hospital. I opted not to and just walked to the parking lot where I work, got in my car and drove home. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized what had happened. Just saying I got hit by a car scares the daylights out of me. I don’t think I will jog on the road anymore. I’m going to stick to the recreational trails from this point on. I’m almost nervous to jog at all again. Just reading that someone out there had a similarly frightening experience is almost reassuring. Thanks for posting this.
August 3rd, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Actually i found this blog by google but i just got home i was freebording and apparently a truck hit me and hit another car and i thought i simply fell and so i got up and walked to the sidewalk staring at the car wreck some people came up to me and asked me if i was alright they said they didnt really know what happened so they asked the truck driver and he said he hit me but for some reason i dont even remember getting hit i dont feel like i got hit either its kinda weird
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:44 am
Oh man I can relate to this. I guess it’s just the shock or adrenaline that makes you keep going. I recently got hit by a car while biking. It didn’t feel so bad at the time, just some road rash and a sore knee (which I later learned was fractured). So instead of confronting the guy I just got up and kept walking to my destination. Funny how you’re mind just goes into autopilot when something crazy like this happens.