Accident in Kaohsiung & Still Hoppin' Mad

Over the past few weeks, this clip has been making its way around the Internet. Luckily, the poor guy wasn't hurt too badly. The reason it appeals to me is that, even after eight days, I am still seething about my own accident (see my "Riding to Yangming" post below).

My friends keep asking me why I didn't sue the guy that rammed me off the road and into a tree. My wife is at this moment shaking her head, saying "you used to have such a healthy body." But it's like the police officer said, "C'mon, this is Taiwan." What good is suing the guy going to do? Even if I win, I know I can't collect.

When I say that I can't collect, I'm thinking of two instances in particular. First, my ex successfully sued her boss for not paying her salary. After she'd won, however, the police told her she'd need to provide them with the bank account number(s) and the address of her employer (I am not shitting) before they could collect.

The second instance came when my friend Eric (the Eric of my riding team who wasn't maimed - also see "Riding to Yangming" post) was hit on his big bike by an oncoming truck, which happened to be driving in the wrong lane coming around the corner on a narrow mountain road. Eric was actually launched over the truck. He landed standing up on the other side while his NT$200,000 bike was smashed into bits. The cops told the driver of the truck that he'd have to pay for it, and even worked out a monthly payment schedule of NT$20,000 for him to follow. Eric only received his first payment. When he made later enquiries at the police station, everyone had amnesia.

Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, Taiwan's national holiday celebrating BBQing. I'll be getting out of Dodge for some much needed cooling off. Luckily, today is my last day of antibiotics because I can really use a drink.