man down...man down!!

okay...since there's two dispatchers i wasn't working with 6637 at the time so i was kept out of the loop for a minute. i hear a little bit of a ruckus at work and i go check it out...turns out 6127, a driver, saw 6637 get hit by a bus. he immediately pulls over and throws 6637 in the van along with his bike. this is where i pick up.

j.dot...wtf? you alive?

6637...(mumbling) i cant feel my teeth. i think i lost my teeth.

j.dot...what the FUCK? damn, your bike is jacked up...

6637...i got hit by a bus, i feel like shit!

j.dot...dude, i hope you get better soon. let me know what happens.

the driver then takes him to the clinic and 6637 undergoes a series of tests to check if he's bleeding internally and how many broken bones he has. he shows up to base towards the end of my shift. he could barely move but at least he's walking. the doctors didn't give him a neck brace because they dont want the muscles to stiffen up. he has a broken nose and a broken pinky. his bike is completely trashed...i couldn't get a good look at the bicycle but the wheels where beyond being taco'd. the benefit he has right now is that he's an employee and not an independant contractor. this means the company pays for everything or at least they should.

okay...so what happened? he's not 100% what bridge this all happened on but it sounds to me like it was the lasalle bridge. a bus came from behind him...not sure which way he was headed(north or south). the bus then hit/bumped 6637 in the back of the head with the sideview mirror forcing 6637 to make moves. he then was pushed by the bus into a hole/gap in the bridge and his front wheel went right in forcing 6637 to flip over his bars and into the grated bridge. the bus stopped for a second and then kept going.

i told 6637 to call cta and let them know of the incident. maybe they will be able to track the driver who hit him by letting them know what time and what street? also, i let him know to post something on craiglist to see if any witnesse come forward. someone had to have seen something.

at this point...all i know is that we almost lost a soldier. one of the first things he asked me was if i had a front wheel he could buy...i know he'll be back soon. i told him to take his time coming back cause the last thing he needed was to get hurt again. i hope the medicine/pain killers they provide are strong enough for him to sleep at night...i also hope the driver is able to sleep at night knowing that he might of killed someone...peace.