Spoke with cops

[annathepiper]

So, I finally spoke with one of the cops who investigated the incident, and managed to get some data. Apparently I spoke too soon about the hit and run verdict, at least based on what the cops are able to tell me.

The long and short of it is, they have no evidence to rule it a hit and run, so they have to rule it a "Dara fell off her bike" incident unless Dara herself says "I was hit by a car" when she wakes up. Her bike has been inspected and was found to have no damage consistent with being hit by a car, and the only interesting vehicle in the vicinity (which had some front fender damage) was found to not have damage consistent with striking a bike. Also, they spoke with the neighbors and nobody was able to say that they saw anything, heard brakes squealing, etc.

Not a very emotionally satisfying verdict but a verdict nonetheless. It would be almost easier if there were somebody to blame for this, rather than just random mischance. But on the other hand, not having a specific person to blame lets me try to let go of some of this pent up anger and vexation. I'll feel better about it all, I suppose, once Dara herself can confirm that "yes, I just had a really nasty accident". At that point, we'll all know for sure. And I'm certainly in a position to know, anyway, what damage you can do to yourself if you're not being adequately careful on your bicycle.

I have arranged to go by the station and pick up Dara's stuff tomorrow night at 9pm, and have thanked the officer for getting in touch with me and putting my mind at ease. So. One more hurdle cleared. Bunches more to go.

Comments

[technosage.livejournal.com]

Thanks for keeping us updated. I'm glad you can let some of the anger go, hon. Here's hoping the verdict is because there wasn't a hit and run.

Also hoping Dara will be able to let you know that herself, very very soon.

[annathepiper]

Yeah, it's.... marginally better at this point not having somebody to be furious at. I didn't like feeling that way.

The cops gave me her bike back last night, and now that I've seen it, it does look like it wasn't hit. Paul looked at it this morning and thinks maybe her chain slipped and made the wheel hit the brake, which could have stopped the bike dead and thrown her off. I could buy that, especially if she was heading uphill and changing gears at the time. It's a pretty steep hill.

[technosage.livejournal.com]

Oh man. Just owwww. Poor girl.

Whatever happened, I hope she's home safe soon.

[annathepiper]

*nodnodnod* No solid word on when yet--but things are starting to look hopeful for Soon. Maybe even this weekend. Don't know yet, it'll depend on what progress she makes the next few days!

[technosage.livejournal.com]

Been kinda out of it the last few days. How's things?

*hugs*

[annathepiper]

*hugs back!* Things are improving well enough that there are rumors that Dara could come HOME this afternoon! Maybe by the time you get this comment, she will in fact be HOME HOME HOME! :D

[technosage.livejournal.com]

She is, in fact, home, hooray! :)

[lyricae.livejournal.com]

So, not to be the big wet blanket here, but I would seriously consider leaving her bike in police custody until after you have heard what Dara has to say. If she says, "I was hit by a car" you do not want any argument to be made that ya'll could have in any way tampered with the "evidence". This is, of course, only my opinion which you can freely discard.

[waterowl.livejournal.com]

If you're going to follow this tactic, you should leave all Dara's stuff, not just her bike. There may be evidence on things besides her bike.

[annathepiper]

Well, as I'd told lyricae... I'd already promised to pick the bike up, and I'm sure it'd make me look like a major pain in the ass if I then told the cops, "Um, no, I decided not to do it till Dara wakes up". If nothing else because they've already gone over the bike and backpack and such, and they'd already said that the bike had not sustained damage consistent with being hit by a car.

Now that I've actually seen it, I have to admit that I can agree with that finding. The frame is more or less okay. The back wheel is askew, but not hugely. Paul thinks that maybe her chain slipped (since it's loose), made the wheel hit the brake, and perhaps stopped the bike dead and threw her off. If she was going uphill at the time and changing gears, I could totally buy that. I've had my chain slip off changing gears on slopes more than once.

[annathepiper]

Well, I'd already promised to pick up the bike, regardless, and I didn't want to seem like too much of a space case to cops, you know?

Now that I've seen the bike, anyway, I can see what they were saying about it not sustaining damage consistent with being hit by a car. The frame seems okay, and the back wheel is only a bit askew. Paul looked at it and thinks maybe her chain slipped and made the wheel hit the brake, which could have stopped the bike totally dead and thrown her off. If she was going uphill at the time and was in the middle of shifting gears, I could buy it.

[boxer-ferret.livejournal.com]

Good luck with however it turns out. Chances are she won't remember what happened at that moment anyway.

Another possibility might be that she tried to swerve to get out of the way of a car and there was no contact at all.

[annathepiper]

Thank you, hon.

At this point I'm suspecting bike malfunction, now that I've seen the bike and Paul gave me this thoughts this morning on what might have happened to it. Its chain has slipped, and if that made the wheel hit the brake, it could have stopped the bike dead and thrown her off.

Stupid bike. Meh.

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

*hugs* At least it's good to know there probably isn't someone out there who could do that to the woman you love and walk away from it...

[annathepiper]

*hugs back* Yeah, at this point I'm a bit more relieved that there isn't an actual responsible party. I don't like having that kind of anger. Meh.

Paul looked at Dara's bike and has a theory that her chain slipped and made her wheel hit her brake, which could well have stopped the bike dead and thrown her off. If she was going uphill at the time and shifting gears, I could buy it.

[wrog]

the only interesting vehicle in the vicinity (which had some front fender damage) was found to not have damage consistent with striking a bike

or maybe it was a different vehicle.

Admittedly, when I had my (1) head-striking-pavement accident, it was due to a fork-mounted headlight -- this sort of thing is very popular in Britain for some reason -- whose mounting came loose and intersected the spokes, making the bike go from 20mph to 0mph virtually instantaneously, all while yours truly continued on in an ultimately parabolic arc, landing directly on the head and then spending the next 5 minutes or so sitting by the side of the road going whoafuck and watching the pretty colored lights dancing around inside my skull. (Not quite sure how I survived that but I'm pretty sure the helmet had something to do with it.)

Anyway, that bent my front wheel most impressively while the front fork was rendered into a very unlikely S shape that would have been very puzzling to someone who didn't know about the headlight.

[annathepiper]

At this point, I'm pretty resigned to the idea of bike malfunction. Now that I've actually seen the bike, I can see what the cops were saying about it not having taken damage consistent with a vehicle hitting it.

Paul thinks that her chain slipped and maybe caused the back wheel to hit the brake, which could have stopped the bike dead and thrown her right off--not unlike how you describe here.

[l-prieto.livejournal.com]

*hug*

Thank you for the update. How're you feeling? I hope your fight against the cold is going well, and that Dara will be able to tell you something soon.

[annathepiper]

*hugs back*

Feeling fried and twitchy, and restless enough to have hauled myself down to the hospital today. It helped to actually work on one of the books, which I expect is going to get me through the entire weekend. About to go fall into bed now, along with another dose of the orange cold goop I've been taking (Delsym).

Yow.

[zeekar.livejournal.com]

Just finally caught up on happenings after being out of town this week (for a funeral, but never mind). I know I'm a total stranger, but I'm very, very sorry to hear about what happened to Dora. And glad to hear that she seems to be recovering, however slowly.
I wouldn't count on her memory to demystify the events surrounding her injury; chances are she won't remember the accident at all. My Little Brother was hit by a car while bicycling - fractured his skull (and lost some hearing in his right ear) and didn't remember a thing. One second he was pedaling along, the next he was waking up in the hospital.
Also, even if there was no impact, that doesn't mean a car wasn't involved. My wife was run off the road by a car while biking to work. She avoided being hit, but only by plowing into the shoulder and taking a nasty spill. Fortunately, she only got banged up and needed nothing more than some stitches.
None of which is really important. What's important is that it looks like Dora's going to be OK. So let the nice hospital people whose job it is take care of her, and you take care of yourself. Especially that voice!

Re: Yow.

[annathepiper]

Sorry to hear about the funeral. :(

And thank you for your good thoughts. Stranger or not, they are very much appreciated!

Now that I've seen Dara's bike, as I posted tonight, I can better buy the idea that it was not a hit and run--I see what the cops were saying now about the relative lack of damage to the bike. So we'll see what happens.

And heh. My voice, like the rest of me, is a little fried. But it'll hold up.