I was fuming and ready to attack something but the driver looked like he was going to have a breakdown. He jumped out of the car "are your ok ... are you ok". So I got his phone number, made sure it worked, and walked away. Meanwhile, there were many witnesses and someone called 911. The police were looking for me but I was bundled for a cold winter's day and wearing sunglasses.
I called the police from home and a policeman came to interview me. He asked me to fill out a report by email. I was struck from the left side, my left leg is undamaged but my right leg has some swelling below the knee. It does not bother me when walking but I will get the doctor to check for lingering issues.
Advise For Pedestrians -- Put away your phones. Practice defensive walking. Assume every driver is an idiot. This seems harsh but there are some idiots hiding in the herd of drivers on busy city streets.
Advise For Drivers -- Put away your devices. Assume every pedestrian is an idiot. This seems harsh but you must have seen some zombies ambling across the street with hoods over their faces, eyes down, and hands clasped as if praying. Drive where you are looking if the right of way is clear. So don't turn right at an intersection while looking left. Never stop on a crosswalk.
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January 27
The right leg which the doctor noted had superficial abrasion eventually developed a skin infection. Now I am on Cephalexin 4 X 500mg per day. The infection is diminishing.
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February 06
A pedestrian hit by a car usually ends up in the hospital and/or dead. But a Utube stuntwoman suggests how to avoid this fate. Unrealistic Staged Hit By Car
Yes, one can minimize the damage by rolling with the hit to distribute the force. The stunt people in the movies do that with careful planing and setup to choreograph exactly how the event will unfold. Then the film editors merge it into the movie so that it looks normal in realtime.
However, the street has all sizes of vehicles moving at speed. Some of them controlled by careless drivers. There is no time to train, practice, and prepare like the movie stunt people. The best advice in the Utube clip is to get evaluated by a medical expert.
Finally, notice the old Honda Civic used in the demo. It has a low front end like the one that hit me. However, most of the vehicles on the street are trucks and SUVs (light trucks) which ride high on big wheels. Pray you don't get hit by one of them.
See Yonge-Scot-Bantry pedestrian safety report (this added 2021-dec-9)
