Gypsie Goss hit by car, recovers

By Annette Herrick

In March, Gypsie Goss was riding her bicycle when struck by a car which sent her flying through the air, then hit the pavement and bounced, sustaining a broken pelvis

The driver was determined by police to be an illegal alien with an illegal license hit her.

Goss is the wife of Aaron Goss, who runs Aaron's Bicycle Repair at Morgan Junction. She also works at the shop. Goss was riding ahead of her with son, Braxton.

Was it just her time to be hit? Gypsie thinks so.

"I've been riding too long. It was my turn."

As she was crossing the intersection of 30th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Findlay she heard the car's engine rev up but was too late to avoid the collision. If her bike had been a car the speeding car would have hit it too.

It is such a shame that this could happen to a family who loves their man-powered, carbon dioxide free, mode of transportation. There are many others like them.

If you are one of them, or simply go out for a few rides a year, remember to attach lots of lights to your bike. Watch for cars and act like you are invisible. Gypsy was too comfortable and didn't look herself. Another thing you can do is wear bright clothing. Not enough cyclists do.

I went out for an hour and counted 10 cyclists on the road. How many do you think were wearing clothes bright enough to attract the eye of a driver? Only two. I observed that bright yellow stuck out the most.

Then there were two others that were wearing things that were almost bright enough. One of these was wearing a solid lavender long sleeve. Another I considered "almost bright enough" because he was wearing a red pack.

Most of the others were wearing black with an assortment of other dark shades. Although black makes you feel cool and is very slimming, especially with thin stripes of blue and red, consider how cool you're going to feel if you're hit.

Believe it or not, Gypsie says that side streets are the most dangerous. Fauntleroy and California are actually safer because drivers can see you better.

Expected to make a full recovery, Gypsy tells us not to let a car scare you.

"I'm not going to. I'll get back on and be more cautious!"

Remember, before you go out for your next ride stop in at your favorite bike store to pick up a bright yellow jersey, a few lights and some really colorful socks.

You can also participate in a worldwide Ride of Silence that honors cyclists that have been injured or killed by motorists on Wednesday, May 17. It leaves Gas Works Park at 7 p.m. and ends at the University of Washington.

Annette Herrick is a professional trainer and writes about physical training regularly in these newspapers. She can be reached at annette@fitnessforvitality.com