REVELATION!

[HardAspie]

I got a ride into town with a friend, a wonderful thing since I have still a poorly performing body and no wheels at all. En route home we stopped to visit a couple of his friends. Friends who asked me about the sling my arm is in. I told them about the motorcycle accident. That sparked my rethinking  the parking lot fall. I have had many questions unresolved.

I had come out of the store to find a pair of very large Yamahas with rider and passenger each in the parking space to my left. After they departed I put the stuff I had purchased into my purse, then  mounted the bike and pushed it backward from the space. I then hit the start button and began to depart; making a slow turn to my left behind and away from the small  older Japanese car of bluish silver which was in the space to the left of the departed Yamahas.

Then was a sharp knock and I was down. It was a violent fall over. I have ridden a lot and across many years. I have gone horizontal before.

I found myself spread out as if trying to sleep. My head was as far from the bike as is physically possible given that my right foot was trapped under the left side of the saddle.  I felt great pain in my left arm and also fear. The small silveryblue Japanese car was in its space with driver in and backups on. I thought that I would be hard to notice, being horizontal on the ground. I sat up but could not right the bike with a trapped foot and a bad arm and neither could sound the horn. There was no one to yell to, “Tell that car to not reverse!” The car did not reverse.

I thought the sidestand of my new  Honda CB 350G had clicked into down and locked when it had instead returned to up and stowed. Dropped with no damage to anyone whilst to trying to park. I was a new rider when this occurred.

Same Honda went near Horizontal later when a fellow rider rode into me whilst in a turn. I got my leg out and held bike off the ground. I never fell. Bike’s only damage was the place where other bike’s grip dented my bike’s tank. I never ride with him again.

Threw a Zook GT 550L down the road on a patch of ice about the size of West Texas. Went over so slowly that whilst falling and sliding I thought that I had been remiss in not bringing a sandwich and coffee. Slight damage to bike, none to me.

Evil Gold Wing did its low speed shimmy and I just stood up and hit the kill. It fell within the triangle of my legs and the ground. No damage to anything.

The fall with Wolfie was explosive. I have wondered. It was so fast that I have no movie of the fall; all I have is a mental snapshot of the ground coming up to meet me, The fall was so different from any of the above.

How did I end up as far from the bike as was possible given my trapped foot?

Why was my right foot under the left side of the bike?

Why was I stretched out straight?

Why was the fall and the impact so violent?

Why was my butt so far from the bike’s seat?

Why was the bike forward of me, so that I was near the rear fender?

And, besides that, I’m a better rider of two wheelers than that.

And I have an idea. It explains it all. I think that the little silveryblue car did back. I think that it’s rear bumper tagged my bike’s rear tyre. The geometry is right. I had passed the car and no way might I have seen it past my helmet. The energy diagramme explains my being where I was and that the bike had moved forward from me. This is why the car did not back on me. During the ensuing hubbub the car drove off.

[ITSec]

A reasonable analysis, and certainly one possible explanation. As you note, since that car drove away - and may in fact have tagged you fairly lightly - it would be difficult to be sure. However, knowing that there is at least one good explanation that doesn't involve major error on your part is always good for the soul...

[Muzz]

Could certainly explain an explosive get-off while going slow Laura. When going slow things tend to happen in slow motion, not so quickly that you don't know hat the H**l just happened.

[canuguzzi]

Many stores have video cameras that record what happens in their parking lots.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Many stores have video cameras that record what happens in their parking lots.

It's been a while. If they had anything, I'd think it would be purged by now.

[rocker59]

you could have also spun out on oil or anti-freeze leaving your parking space.

Your lack of memory is probably related to hitting your head, helmet or not.

The fact that the car was still in its space and still had its back up lights on makes me think it may not have even moved while you were crashing behind it.

Had it backed into you, the driver would've likely stopped at the impact point, somewhat out of the parking space.  If the driver had pulled back forward into the space, the backup lights wouldn't have been on.

[jas67]

Sorry to hear of your fall.  I hope you and Wolfie heal quickly.

[K250]

Laura that is it you are right.....makes total sense of the situation.

[RANDM]

That sounds possible to me.
I'm an ex postie and got used to squeezing through some
unlikely places with panniers full of mail. When you start
it's easy to touch one side going through and it takes
Only a light touch on a pannier to make you very unstable.

The car could have tapped your rear hard enough to down
you easily without necessarily knowing it, it wouldn't take
much.

Maurie.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Probably the seldom seen wheel grab gremlyn.  They are clever enough to leave the scene after commiting the attack before being seen.

[HardAspie]

The most puzzling thing to me is where I ended up. I was stretched out with my head as far from the bike as possible with my right toes touching the bike, and my right fit under the left side. That does not sound like a simple walking speed fall. Where did all that energy come from? A gentle touch of bumper against my rear tyre? I cannot figure the energy budget from bike alone.