I conversed with a couple cops yesterday, 1st time in many years.
Was riding my bicycle to the gym, a 5 mile ride and was on the 3 mile portion that's a pedestrian and bicycle path that crosses city streets every block. Reached one of the 2 intersections that have signals and a car was stopped in the crosswalk while I had right of way by virtue of the light. I continued on, going behind the car. Suddenly the car backed up and pretty quick. So quick, and I was going fast enough that there was no way I could avoid a collision. A woman outside the car shouted to the driver to STOP!!! I swerved best I could but BANG! The bike and myself fell on the street. People gathered fast to try to help me up, I was lying on my back, stunned and trying to assess how I felt. I wasn't aware of injury, but instinctively felt/thought I shouldn't just try to get up instantly. Something similar happened to me a few years ago when I fell when roller skating (a front wheel had come off the quad skate). Kids tried to help me up and I wasn't in a giant hurry, said something about my bad shoulder (true) as a kid tugged on my left arm. I asked him to go pick up the wheel for me, I could see it had rolled up to and behind the wheel of a parked car. Then I managed to get up, was only a couple blocks from my house and managed to get home, got a hand from a neighbor I know who chanced to be there.
After 1/2 - 3/4 minute yesterday I was standing. I felt OK but figured that my bike might have been rendered inoperable or at least sustained significant damage. Within a minute there was a cop there and someone said that the cops had come up almost immediately. There were a couple squad cars. I doubt they saw it happen but they were there soon enough they could ask bystanders what they saw.
The woman who was driving the car had parked and emerged and I scolded her for backing up in a pedestrian zone without making sure it was safe to do so. She agreed that she'd made that mistake and was quiet but conciliatory, kind of in shock herself and clearly worried. The cop asked me if I wanted to file a report. I wasn't sure but in light of the fact that I had no idea if my bike was OK I said yes.
Looking at the bike, at first I wasn't sure I could ride it, the back wheel didn't spin freely, and I saw that one of the two struts that support the back rack was bent. I commented to the cops that I could fix that bend. I told the woman that I'd been planning to buy a new bike (true!).
I told the main cop that I was very lucky to have not gotten badly hurt. I mean really, I could have been really messed up. Yes, I was wearing a helmet. Gloves too (I always do), which may have saved my hands some damage.
I was provided with the woman's insurance info, her name and a telephone number. The cop gave me his card and the case number. Just before I left I told the woman that I felt alright, thought I wasn't injured and told her "it's unlikely you'll ever hear any more about this" and told her she "shouldn't be bummed out about it," got on the bike, rode away continuing to the gym, finding that the bike appeared to work OK, which I'd anticipated because the back wheel had started spinning freely as I tested it holding the bike. I always do my own bike adjustments, replace my tires & tubes, kind of know my way around bikes.
Once at the gym and had changed into my shorts I could see that I'd sustained a very mild skinned knee, so mild that I could barely see a drop of blood formed.
Edit: Later today I went on my every-other-day 6 mile hike with 1000 foot elevation change. On the way back there was a red ambulance labeled "Royal Ambulance." I walked right by it and made eye contact with the two guys manning it. Nobody said anything but the looks they gave me were priceless. I guess my body language spoke volumes. I could very easily have been in an ambulance yesterday.