Hit By a White Crossover Car

This Thursday* at 6:05 pm CST, while heading home from work, I was hit by a car.

I was crossing Washington Blvd. on foot to get to Ogilvie Metra station. The light had changed, the walk light was on. I walk quickly, and was the first pedestrian in the crosswalk. A taxi turned right in front of me, nearly hitting me. I was not so lucky with the next car.

The white hood of the crossover-sized car (smaller than an SUV, larger than a sedan) was suddenly on my chest, and I leaned my left arm onto the hood and started screaming at the driver. I was lifted up and back, and began pounding with my left arm on his hood for him to stop driving.

Which, when he did, landed me on the pavement past the crosswalk.

Miraculously, I escaped with only a pencil-eraser-sized gouge in my left pinkie finger. My fellow pedestrians began chewing out the driver, who stopped and rolled down his window. I got a photo of his license plate and started yelling at him, explaining how in the right I was and how wrong he was:

• me, crossing in the crosswalk with the light
• him, running me over and turning without looking
• me, red hat and bright clothes
• him, not looking while turning
• blah blah blah

I still made my 6:10 pm departure, but was very shaken up.

* December 13, 2007

2026 Update

I've been assaulted by more drivers of cars since 2007, sometimes while on foot, sometimes while riding a bicycle.

I can forgive myself for being shaken up. There was so much adrenaline. I was so young and offhand about it.

This is still such a big emotional impact on me. My heart rate is elevated even now, remembering his assault with his car. I can still remember the guy's incredulous look and then an oh-shit look when he pumped his brakes. He had a cel phone in his right hand and was animatedly talking on it and looking hard to his left. He was a clean-head-shaven white guy. It was winter. Being struck to the curb in December meant soaking my feet in winter curb slush.

I searched my photo archives, and I don't see a license plate photo. I'm sure I took one, but its backup never made it from 2007 to 2026.

While searching, I saw our home decorated for Christmas holidays. Our tree was up, our Christmas stockings hung up. Our two oldest girls, at that time, a toddler and a preschooler, were extremely vulnerable.

I was the sole salary, with Carrie freelancing and blogging. I was 33 years old. If I had been seriously injured, our family trajectory would be completely different.

There was no Illinois distracted driving law in 2007. The first law to take effect in Illinois was in 2014, and included a free first pass, and wasn't reflected on your driving record. Illinois distracted driving law effective in 2019, could have fined this driver a minimum of $75, or if I had been injured or killed, up to one year of jail time and a fine of $2500. Each incident would be recorded on the driver's record.

$100 isn't a life changing amount of money for my current household; I can imagine larger fines and penalties might impact middle class and higher drivers.

The car industry has done well protecting itself from liability, phone manufacturers too.

Although there's been progress, we can and should go further protecting the vulnerable.