Look for bikes, says Brian, after near fatal incident

BRIAN Martin is up and about now but two weeks ago, he was nearly killed.

With a back broken in two places, L1 and L3, seven broken ribs, a fractured right humerus, up near the shoulder, and avulsion fractures in both legs he’s still in the wars.

But he’s not whinging.

What he wants to do, by publicising his horrific bike accident in Wonthaggi, on Wednesday morning, May 17, just 200 metres from work on his morning commute, is urge drivers to “look bike”!

“I was conscious after the collision and I remember the bloke who hit me saying over and over again ‘I didn’t see him, I didn’t see him. He must have been in my blind spot’.

“I accept that but what it means is that drivers have got to be looking out for cyclists, and especially in residential areas where relatively low speed collisions can have catastrophic consequences.

“I’ve got this really bright light on my bike, as strong as a headlight, and he was coming directly at me so he should have seen me.

“So, it comes down to actually looking out for bikes, slowing down at intersections and looking for pedestrians as well as bike riders, and only crossing when it’s safe to do so.”

Like many people in the Inverloch, Wonthaggi and Phillip Island areas, Brian Martin is a keen bike rider, not only riding to work to get his kilometres up on the Strava challenge and to maintain fitness, but also getting out with local riding groups like the Coastal Cruisers to ride the Wattlebank circuit and up in to the local hills.

“There are lots of great rides around here and most drivers are very good, slowing down and not passing until it’s safe to do so, and giving you that 1.5 metres they supposed to give when passing.

“But you do get some drivers who, honestly, look like they’re trying to swoop in you or something. And there’s others who pass but cut in, maybe forgetting they have a trailer on.

“As a rider, you’ve got to ride defensively but you’re also relying on the drivers as well.”

On May 17, Brian was heading into work at Wonthaggi early, at about 6.50am, riding along Inverloch Road, Wonthaggi, just near the Fincher Street intersection.

“The guy driving a Ford Ranger was in the slip lane turning right and just kept coming. He basically hit me head on. I was probably doing about 25km/h. I’m not sure what he was doing but he’s completely taken out my bike from the front and I’ve gone up in the air, across his bonnet and over the car.

“Luckily he didn’t have a bulbar and while I did scuff up my new helmet, I didn’t actually hit my head that hard.”

A cycling friend, Brett Franklin, sitting in his car nearby, saw the whole thing and rushed across to help, calling an ambulance, Brian’s son Jarryd and looking after his mate until the ambulance came.

“I drifted in and out of consciousness a few times but the ambulance got there quickly and they took me to Wonthaggi. Because of the back injuries, I was taken by road to the Alfred and spent the first few days in the trauma ward. They were great.”

Brian’s home now, with a back brace, leg brace, arm in a sling and having trouble sleeping, but on his way to what he expects will be a full recovery.

“I actually had another accident in May last year, when I hit this wombat on the coast road to Cape Paterson. He just came out like a train right under my wheel and I went flying. You can’t help that, but we really have to do something about traffic accidents.

“It’s up to the cyclists to ride defensively but it really comes down to drivers actually looking for riders. Make sure you are giving them that 1m (speed limit 60km/h or under) or 1.5m (speeds over 60km/h) separation when passing, take care at intersections and in residential areas, dooring, coming out of driveways and the like, and indicate. Let the riders know what you’re doing and that you’ve seen them.

“I’m hopeful of getting back to work and back on the bike as soon as I can. We’ve got a riding trip to Europe I’d like to do next year, but it was certainly a shock.

“And I’ll need a new bike. It was my favourite bike, a Giant TCR that’s now in five pieces.”