Something I left off of Part 1 was going through St. Louis, we merged off of I-70w onto I-44w. This was going to take us in a more south-west direction. Towards Arkansas.
Annnyways....so Emily 'n I mount up & get back on I-44w thinking we'll be relaxing in less then 2 hours.
We get to exit 208 and there is a Super-8 (where we are staying) right off the interstate but our directions, courtesy of maps.google, tell us to turn left, go down to Old Highway 66. Yes, I said, old Highway 66 for those that know what that is. Turn right & go down about 4.9 miles and turn left. "Okay...guess the Super-8 we're staying at is down there." I think to myself.
We follow the directions, passing a tourist trap on the right for the "World's largest rocking chair" which I didn't really see. We continued on for about another mile till we get back to another on-ramp for I-44.
I stop the bike & look over the map & directions again. Emily said we must have passed the road back there. So I turn the bike around & head back to get my bearings. If anything we'll go back to that first Super-8 I saw & perhaps find out from them where the other one is at.
We head back in the other direction on old Highway 66 again and the road veers just a little to the left right in front of the "World's largest rocking chair" tourist trap. I'm only going about 30mph at the moment because I see a van slowing down that looked like it was going to turn right on a road about 500 feet or so in front of me. It pulls off to the side so it's half on & half off the road.
I muttered aloud, "What the hell, sweetheart?" which is a standard saying when I see a van, or any vehicle for that matter, confused as to what they are going to do.
I start passing them, rather close to the center line, still doing about 30mph giving them room in case they want to quickly merge onto the road. This has ALWAYS been a standard move for me because people are inconsiderate drivers.
Suddenly, with no signal, which I was watching for, she makes a 90 degree left turn from the right berm in front of me into the "World's Largest Rocking Chair'" parking lot on our left!!
I laid on my horn, clutched in and hit my front brake as quickly as I could!! My reactions didn't move my right foot to hit the rear brake fast enough! It just happened so fast!! 30mph was still too fast and she was entirely too close!
I didn't steer to the left or we would have hit her broadside, nor did I steer to the right for the same reason. I was really hoping against all hope we would stop short or she would move in time. Neither happened. We slammed into the van, front tire first which forced the bike to the left and ripped the grips from my hands. From here I'm a bit groggy for the next few seconds.
I vaguely remember hitting the road on my right side & sliding a bit. I vaguely remember hearing & seeing the bike go down and instantly in my head I'm thinking, "Oh my god...this is going to really mess up Emily' knee even further!" All this in about a 2 second instant.
I don't know how long I was down. Emily said I hopped right back up but I do remember doing a "Can I feel my hands/feet and can I move them?" body "system" check before getting up.
I remember hearing Emily behind me as I turned to check on her. "John, are you ok?", I replied back, "I think so. Are you okay?" so she was conscious and coherent. "I think so but my knee is really bad now."
At this time I think I spun around to see if the van pulled over because I was going to try to get a license plate if it took off. She did pull over. By the time I was able to see the driver she was getting out of her van, cell phone in hand CLAIMING she was dialing 911. Personally I'd like to see her cell phone records to see if she was on the phone between 4:25pm & 4:40pm on that day.
Me, being me, I let lose on her!! I know I should have been tending to Emily but I knew she was conscious & she wasn't bleeding. But still, my adrenalin was running the show at this time. I did not get close to this woman but screamed at her for cutting us off & being on her cell phone!! Not once...NOT ONCE did she deny being on the cell phone!! Then she said she was in the middle of the road turning left, "Because her kids wanted to see the world' largest rocking chair.". I stopped her & said, "WHAT?? Are you kidding me?!?!" Emily, still lying in the road, calm as can be considering what just happened, said, "Ummm....you were on the side of the road and you DID NOT use a turn signal." The lady, claiming she's still dialing 911, said, "Well maybe I was on the side of the road."
Now, a piece of history about Emily 'n I riding together. She is my co-pilot and navigator. This way I can focus on the road. I know a motorcycle can be a deadly vehicle if used improperly, but it is also a HUGE stress reliever for me at times. Therefore I ride a bike cautiously. And I'm not stupid on a bike. Never have been, never will be. I have nothing to prove. And nothing I did was wrong if you ask Emily. Nothing. I was not going fast, and I was not being careless. This woman was negligent, plain and simple. Add in a distraction with a cell phone and satisfying kids in her van to go see the "World's largest rocking chair" just adds up to a careless driver!
As a side note...we were both wearing our helmets and we both had chaps on.
Up next....the aftermath.
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