Yep, it's pretty much as stupid as it sounds. The sign wasn't in the road, but on the edge of a sidewalk not far from an intersection I have to cross. The crosswalk in the intersection is part of the local bike trail system; the stretch of sidewalk isn't, but I ride along it briefly before hopping onto the road.
I crossed the street and shifted into a higher gear just before reaching the curb. The shift was a bit rough and I looked down to see if the chain was on the right ring. While looking down I drifted to the right without realizing it, and when I looked up again I had just enough time to see that I was going to hit the sign, and to make sure I didn't hit it with my head.
I hit the signpost with my right shoulder and, I soon discovered, my right index finger, and fell over to the left. Getting up my shoulder and collarbone area hurt quite a bit, so I felt it for signs of a broken bone. I was relieved to find everything still intact, but after a few seconds I saw that my finger was bleeding rapidly, dripping all over my glove, the bike, and the sidewalk. After sitting on the sidewalk for a minute, I rummaged through my bike bag and found some paper towels to wrap around my finger. Still a bit dazed, I thought "Hey, I gotta get to work!" and headed on, despite being closer to home.
I cleaned up at work and saw the extent of the damage. My finger was slashed open between the tip and the first joint. I didn't see the impact, but since I had the right brake lever depressed, I think my finger got caught between the signpost and the half-inch of exposed inner brake cable. The impact with the post pressed my finger into the brake cable, causing the slash.
The closest walk-in clinic was about 10 blocks from work, and I didn't feel up to the walk. I tried to work for a bit, but had a lot of trouble typing and mousing and my finger wouldn't close, so I called my gracious spouse to come collect me and the bike. If I'd just turned around and gone home right after the accident, I could have walked into the clinic across the street from our condo. It took five or six stitches to patch the finger up (photo courtesy of Ms. Kim Lew). I also got a tetanus shot and some antibiotics to enjoy. Luckily, my shoulder was just bruised and not dislocated.
The accident prevented me from riding for about five or six weeks. It also showed that there is a good chance -- better than I had realized -- that I'll be killed one day because of my own stupidity. Stupidity being unavoidable, it's time to review my life insurance coverage.
