[vecchio]

I rode a Vespa 150cc, on local roads in Alpharetta, for a 7 mile commute, from Ootober until December 27, 2006. On December 27, a 16 year old kid in an Infiniti failed to yield the right of way to me and wiped me out by left turning to t-bone me. He was going MAYBE 15 MPH when he struck my Vespa (which was a 2004 GT-4 in perfect repair - brand new condition, actually). I was also traveling at about 10-15 miles per hour, and was in complete control of the scooter right up until he hit me.

I won't go into TOO much detail, but I will tell you that almost every bone along the right side of my body was broken or shattered. My helmet (full-face style) was cracked in half like an eggshell. My right knee was shattered so badly it could not be reset
properly. I got osteomyelitis in the bones in my leg and almost faced amputation. THE SCOOTER GAVE ME ZERO PROTECTION IN THIS HIGH ENERGY CRASH.

Now it is 18 months later. My medical bills have exceeded a million dollars. I STILL walk with a limp and a cane, and half of my leg is now titanium and plastic - a fact for which I an GRATEFUL, since prior to this my leg was FUSED STRAIGHT, and it was only the expertise of a doctor in San Diego that saved my leg from amputation.

I have had ten surgeries on my leg. I have such extensive nerve damage to the leg that it is possible I may never work again - I have to take handfuls of pain medication just to keep the pain down to a manageable level - and for me, that's a three or a four on a 1 to 10 scale.

Please don't expose yourself to this risk. These cars and SUVs don't even NOTICE scooters, and you will not be safe. It will likely not be your fault
- but you may not survive a crash. My entire life was turned upside down by one stupid decision - ride a scooter for a few months to save money on gas instead of driving a car.