Passing a line of stopped cars at the town center, an SUV pulled out of a parking spot in front of me, and over I went. Knees and elbows scraped and a bruise in my hip. The bike, a new, one is trashed. Somebody called the police, so everyone showed up; police, ambulance, even a fire truck. I was asked questions to ascertain whether I had a concussion, and had to sign a paper saying I didn't want to go in the ambulance.

AAA, which advertises free pickup for car customers who are on bikes and have problems, was rather useless. The operator coudn't figure out what to do. I ended up locking the bike in a nearby rack, and walking a few miles home to get my car.

It wasn't until the walk home that it crossed my mind that I was wearing panties and painted toes. I never even thought of it while I was dealing with the paramedics.