Vehicles: Yamaha DT200R and Alfa Romeo
Damage: Frame damage to bike and panel damage to car
When: 20th April, 2000
Where: Jarrad Street, Cottesloe (a suburb of Perth, Western Australia)
Injuries: Minimal - small gash on one arm and one pissed off rider!

This one involved me. Normally I ride around pretty fast, but on that particular day I was in cruise mode and taking it easy. I was going along this road at about 50km/hour, heading towards the traffic lights up ahead. I was in the left lane, which was clear. To my right was all cars, lined up to turn right at the lights. One of these cars has stopped and waved through a car on the other side of the road (ie facing me), that was waiting to turn right into the carpark. This woman has made the turn without bothering to check my lane.

There was nothing I could do. With no escape path because of the high kerb to my left and the line of cars to my right, all I could do is brake and wait for the impact. When the bike hit, I launched over the handlebars and flew through the air, completely over the front of the car. I landed on the ground, some distance away.

I still remember it all clearly... there was this huge fear when I knew that a big crash was imminent. In that split second I was wondering how I was going to be in a few seconds time. I figured I would most likely be alive but wasn't looking forward to the pain of the broken arm or collarbone that I was expecting. As it turned out, all I suffered was a small gash that required eight stitches later on.

I was absolutely furious with anger after the crash. As far as I was concerned, this woman driver had just tried to kill me and I just wanted to go physicially beat her up. Luckily, I stopped and took a few breaths, and took some photos with my digital camera (that luckily, was undamaged in my backpack).

Because of minor frame damage to the bike, it was written off by the car driver's insurance company and I used the money to buy another bike that I was actually going to buy anyway. You can see in one of the bottom photos how the back of the bike was slightly bent to one side. It all worked out well for me really, sixth gear on my bike was on the way out and the payout was more than it was worth anyway. But then again, getting taken out like that by an ignorant car driver wasn't quite the best way to enjoy such a fine sunny afternoon!