A running ninja bites the dust...

wolfgate
wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Last night, I'm running in the evening, about 7pm. Reflective gear, headlight, flashing red LED on front and back. Running through a suburban neighborhood, so not particularly traffic heavy, but people are heading home after work so higher than normal. Roads are very narrow as it's a residential area. Two cars can barely pass if someone has parked on the street.

I'm running facing traffic, and the road is curving to the left. I kind of see some movement on the other side of the road and finally realize I'm overtaking a runner who is on the other side of the road. He is dressed in dark clothes, black running pants, dark blue underarmor shirt, no lights. Only thing at all reflective is the small amount of 3M on his shoes.

I see a pickup heading towards us and can also hear a car coming from behind. A quick glance tells me we're all going to pass each other about the same time. The truck sees me and has started to move to give me a little room. I make a sharp jump out of the road and into the yard next to me because I can tell this is going bad fast. The car is still driving along in his lane. I look over and see the car brake and start to turn left. I hear a "thud" and the runner yell out.

I beelined for the runner. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt. Scraped up a bit and he'll have some nasty bruises I'm sure. The car had slowed and caught him mostly with the front quarterpanel and mirror. The driver of the car had already slowed because of the truck moving over a bit, so that helped.

Driver never saw the other runner - they saw me early because of my gear, but the headlights of the truck were pointed right at them because of the curve of the road. Ninja runner also had headphones in and had no idea a car was coming from behind. Even though volume was low, he didn't hear it and the approaching-from-the-rear headlights were also blotted out by the trucks oncoming headlights.

Ninja had done about everything wrong. He was very lucky. Glad he's OK and hope he learns from it. Be visible and stay in a position where you can tell what's happening around you. He wound up getting the ticket (policeman indicated it would get likely dismissed, but he'd been cited as much to give the driver some protection from a frivolous lawsuit as anything else.)

So be safe out there, OK? I run in the dark all the time and it can be done safely. But not as a ninja runner.

Replies

  • jcjsjones
    jcjsjones Posts: 571 Member
    *Applause* :drinker:
  • rubberbiscuit
    rubberbiscuit Posts: 128
    Oh wow, glad he wasn't seriously hurt. A cautionary tale.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    That is my pet peeve. Having been struck by a car myself while running (while visible, in a crosswalk, with overhead lights flashing, after waiting for traffic to stop) it is not something you want to have to deal with. Even though I was very lucky and suffered only soft tissue damage and some nasty road rash, it is not something I wish on anyone. Sometimes I want to stop and tell people that they are almost invisible.
  • scott1111111
    scott1111111 Posts: 53 Member
    This is the reason why I never advocate running on roads, they are for vehicle traffic not running tracks.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    This is the reason why I never advocate running on roads, they are for vehicle traffic not running tracks.

    I try my best to avoid road but where I am there are very few other options. I do choose my routes carefully and always make sure I am visible and aware.
  • wolfgate
    wolfgate Posts: 321 Member
    scott1111111 - it's hard to train for road races and run 30+ miles a week without running on roads. Legally pedestrians are allowed on most roads. The key is remembering to run like you're invisible to everyone around you and always he not just aware but to be proactive at adjusting to what is around you. That is where ninja failed.

    It's also important to find smart running routes. I avoid heavily traveled roads because of the risk. The ones I run with more traffic also have sidewalks. Wasn't too hard to make routes of the right distance that stay on lesser traveled roads. As last night showed, bad things can happen there too, but it's all risk management.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    This is the reason why I never advocate running on roads, they are for vehicle traffic not running tracks.

    I would have to agree, here in the Northeast, the roads are pretty dense and packed with traffic, even on weekends. While I do road run as much as possible, I only run on the sidewalk, if I can't run on the sidewalk, I remove that route from my normal running pattern. I'll also use the high school track when it's not horrible out and there's no snow (or even, if I'm feeling daring and hearty, when there IS snow, although that becomes more of a leg training day quick). It's just not worth it any more, with the volume of traffic these days. If you are, for some reason, against running on the sidewalk or on a track, or feel it's somehow your "right" to run in the street, maybe running isn't something you should be doing. Running in the street is a convenience, mostly because the roads are usually smoother than the sidewalk. But they are, by no means, your domain as a runner.
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
    Always face on coming traffic ! I run by the sea and now its nearly spring along country foot paths across fields but the lanes can't be avoided if I want to get home lol,
    and speeds are 70 mph of very light traffic! I always jump in the verge when a vehicle is approaching even though all give a wide berth!
  • verdemujer
    verdemujer Posts: 1,397 Member
    I'm glad they gave ninja the ticket. He is very lucky. And Kudos for you to be so observant and aware of the situation. This is a nice post and just as true for a bicyclist. Reflectors are important. I recently read an article that said the blinking lights actually tend to be a distraction since they cause driver's to 'focus' more on the light and they will then sometimes drive to the light. A steady light is better. And the movement will cause the light to move and let a driver know that something/one is there. Last spring, we had to bicycle fatalities in our town, at crosswalks, becuase the rider was dressed in black, no lights, and no reflectors, on the same morning. The driver's never saw them.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    Ninja Runner is an idiot. A luck idiot, but an idiot just the same.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    This is the reason why I never advocate running on roads, they are for vehicle traffic not running tracks.

    I would have to agree, here in the Northeast, the roads are pretty dense and packed with traffic, even on weekends. While I do road run as much as possible, I only run on the sidewalk, if I can't run on the sidewalk, I remove that route from my normal running pattern. I'll also use the high school track when it's not horrible out and there's no snow (or even, if I'm feeling daring and hearty, when there IS snow, although that becomes more of a leg training day quick). It's just not worth it any more, with the volume of traffic these days. If you are, for some reason, against running on the sidewalk or on a track, or feel it's somehow your "right" to run in the street, maybe running isn't something you should be doing. Running in the street is a convenience, mostly because the roads are usually smoother than the sidewalk. But they are, by no means, your domain as a runner.

    I live in the country. No sidewalks, no running tracks. Running/walking on the road, or the shoulder of the road, is not a convenience, it is a necessity. I am also well versed in the motor vehicle act. Pedestrians (which runners are considered), here at least, have a right to use the road when there is no sidewalk available (whether that is there are none there are they are not passable). I certainly do not challenge vehicles, but they are responsible as well.
    Then again, the great cyclist/walker/runner vs car "right to the road" is a huge debate here. As runner/walker/cyclist, I follow the rules of the road and make myself visible for cars. I try to be the least obstructive I can be. As a driver, I am aware of my surroundings, slow and give space.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member

    I live in the country. No sidewalks, no running tracks. Running/walking on the road, or the shoulder of the road, is not a convenience, it is a necessity. I am also well versed in the motor vehicle act. Pedestrians (which runners are considered), here at least, have a right to use the road when there is no sidewalk available (whether that is there are none there are they are not passable). I certainly do not challenge vehicles, but they are responsible as well.
    Then again, the great cyclist/walker/runner vs car "right to the road" is a huge debate here. As runner/walker/cyclist, I follow the rules of the road and make myself visible for cars. I try to be the least obstructive I can be. As a driver, I am aware of my surroundings, slow and give space.

    It's not a question of legality, I could care less whether it's legal or not to run if I'm in a hospital bed with a fractured hip and 4 broken ribs because some guy was changing the channel on his radio and didn't see me. the car doesn't care that you have a right to be there, and the curb doesn't care that you have a right to the road as you are rushing to meet it with your skull. It's a matter of personal safety. You may have the legal "right" to be there, but that doesn't make it the "right" thing to be doing.
    Saying things like "people should be more careful when they drive" is not a valid argument. People aren't more careful, that's just simple truth. The only way to be reasonably sure that you won't be hit is to not run in the road.

    Look, you do what you want, if you feel safe running in the road, more power to you. But ask yourself this, is it more expensive to buy a treadmill because there are no sidewalks in your area? Or is it more expensive to pay for the 3 years of physical therapy it takes to learn to walk again after an artificial hip replacement (and I'm talking about more than just money, emotionally, this can be life altering)?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member

    I live in the country. No sidewalks, no running tracks. Running/walking on the road, or the shoulder of the road, is not a convenience, it is a necessity. I am also well versed in the motor vehicle act. Pedestrians (which runners are considered), here at least, have a right to use the road when there is no sidewalk available (whether that is there are none there are they are not passable). I certainly do not challenge vehicles, but they are responsible as well.
    Then again, the great cyclist/walker/runner vs car "right to the road" is a huge debate here. As runner/walker/cyclist, I follow the rules of the road and make myself visible for cars. I try to be the least obstructive I can be. As a driver, I am aware of my surroundings, slow and give space.

    It's not a question of legality, I could care less whether it's legal or not to run if I'm in a hospital bed with a fractured hip and 4 broken ribs because some guy was changing the channel on his radio and didn't see me. the car doesn't care that you have a right to be there, and the curb doesn't care that you have a right to the road as you are rushing to meet it with your skull. It's a matter of personal safety. You may have the legal "right" to be there, but that doesn't make it the "right" thing to be doing.
    Saying things like "people should be more careful when they drive" is not a valid argument. People aren't more careful, that's just simple truth. The only way to be reasonably sure that you won't be hit is to not run in the road.

    Look, you do what you want, if you feel safe running in the road, more power to you. But ask yourself this, is it more expensive to buy a treadmill because there are no sidewalks in your area? Or is it more expensive to pay for the 3 years of physical therapy it takes to learn to walk again after an artificial hip replacement (and I'm talking about more than just money, emotionally, this can be life altering)?

    I understand what you are saying but I do find it extreme.

    I am more than well aware of the emotional cost of an accident.
    Yes, I can get hit by a car while running carefully, BTDT, but I also refuse to live my life in what ifs. Running on the sidewalk is not risk free either. Do I have to drive a half a kilometre to a friends house to visit or to the store or the mailbox? Is it that much safer? What if the distracted driver hits my car instead? I could fall off a treadmill and break a hip, should I just give up running altogether? Life is full of risks. I try to minimize mine but I am not going to stop living.
    THere is a huge difference between running safely and being reckless like that person in the OP
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member

    I understand what you are saying but I do find it extreme.

    I am more than well aware of the emotional cost of an accident.
    Yes, I can get hit by a car while running carefully, BTDT, but I also refuse to live my life in what ifs. Running on the sidewalk is not risk free either. Do I have to drive a half a kilometre to a friends house to visit or to the store or the mailbox? Is it that much safer? What if the distracted driver hits my car instead? I could fall off a treadmill and break a hip, should I just give up running altogether? Life is full of risks. I try to minimize mine but I am not going to stop living.
    THere is a huge difference between running safely and being reckless like that person in the OP

    its a question of what risks you are prepared to take. I'm not prepared to put my life into the hands of 3000 lb vehicles travelling 30 or 40 mph within 3 feet of me. You and I live in different areas, you probably don't have nearly the volume that I do of traffic, so your risk may be quite a bit lower than mine. I recognize that you can't live in a bubble, but there are certain risks I find acceptable for the reward and certain ones I don't. Someone being hit on a sidewalk is a far lower risk than someone veering 2 to 3 feet to their right while they weren't paying attention closely. I just don't see running in the street as a risk worth taking when the alternatives are not that much of a pain.

    Now I go to do my 5 mile run on the tread mill at the gym, which I am driving to. :tongue:

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