What To Do If You Get Hit By A Car In Japan

Please note: This post is not to be read to my grandparents!

Not many people think about what to do if they get hit by a car while riding your bike in a country where you don't speak the language, so here are some helpful hints:

• If you work for MeySen, you really SHOULD keep the emergency/identification card that they give you on you at all times.  That way you have the number to Rumi and the school available at all times in English and Japanese.
• Take down the guy's information or license plate number or make him go to MeySen with you.

If you forget to do either of the above 2 things, it's okay, just go to the school and someone there will help you and calm you down.

Why am I offering advice about this? Because I wish I would have known them earlier today.  Don't worry -- I'm okay!  But yes, I did have a brush with a car on my way to work today.  I got knocked off my bike but I'm FINE; at the time i was more emotionally bothered than anything else.

I was riding my bike the 3 blocks to work as I usually do and approached an intersection with a 4-way stop.  I always take this intersection carefully, so I slowed down to almost a stop to see if any cars were stopped.  The car next to me stopped fully, so I started into the intersection.  I was to the front left of him when he started to drive forward slowly.  I thought, "He'll stop," as I realized there was nothing I could do but keep going forward.  But he didn't.  I don't know where the hell this guy was looking, but I was RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM when he hit me and knocked me off the bike.  Luckily hitting me got his attention because he stopped and got out of the car as i was standing back up. 

I expected him to be yelling at me and angry, but he looked just as terrified as I did (I'm sure).  He was talking to me in Japanese and all I could do was shake my head with big eyes saying "Wakarimasen" (I don't understand).

I looked at my bike and saw that it seemed to be okay (though now I know the back wheel is bent) and I wasn't hurt (besides a scrape on my knee and it feeling sore from the fall, since I landed on my bad knee), I did the only thing I knew to do -- go to the school.  Kris had the iphone, so I couldn't call anyone.  And I certainly couldn't say anything to the man who had pulled over and was calling to me from across the intersection.  I didn't think to take his license plate number or anything.

I was crying on my way to the school -- but out of shock not pain.  When I parked my bike, my friend Greg was there and asked if I was okay.  I relayed the whole story to him, and as I recounted it, I was able to calm down.  But as soon as I got in the office, I started to cry again.  "I need to call Kris and I don't know the number," I said through sobs.  My poor supervisor just looked confused as to why I was standing in the office crying. "I just got hit by a car -- I'm okay -- but I need to call Kris to tell him to bring me Ibuprofen for my knee."  Truth is, I just need to hear his voice, his calming voice.

When I calmed down, I assured the others I was okay, just really shook up from the whole experience.  My supervisor offered to take me to the hospital, but I assured him I was fine, my knee was just a little sore.  He and the Immersion assistant asked if I had gotten any information from the guy or his license plate, and I said no.  I felt really stupid for not thinking of even writing down his license plate number at the least.  Jonathan (my supervisor) told me that it is a very serious offense for people here to hit a pedestrian, especially on a crosswalk, and they can be fined a lot of money or put in jail for it.  I certainly wouldn't want that to happen to the guy, but I would appreciate him paying for my bike to get fixed -- and maybe a six-pack too (haha)!

I'm thankful the guy was on the same intersection as me, so he didn't hit me with much force, just enough to knock me off the bike.  And I'm thankful this happened today and not tomorrow, because I'm supposed to be observed tomorrow for critique, and getting hit by a car on the way to work kind of makes you feel frazzled and a little off your game for the day. lol

I was pretty shook up this afternoon when it happened, but now I'm okay and I can laugh about the whole thing.  I mean, seriously, did that really just happen?!?!?!  One thing I know for sure -- I am never riding across that intersection on my bike ever again!