Ouch

I was in an accident this morning.  My wife and were going downtown to the Blackbird Bakery.  I noticed my rear brake was very soft, but it didnt seem like a big deal.  Along 126, she had a scraping noise coming from her front tire and so braked to stop.  I was following too close behind. Just before she braked a car was about to pass me. I glanced back at the car and noticed she was braking just a little too late.  I served and braked to avoid hitting her.  I just missed her but my rear brake failed, the front took over and I lost control -not head over handle bars but the next best thing.  I ended in a heap. Thankfully I avoided her and the car who was passing me. It was a close call.
I felt just a little scraped up. I had some small damage to my bike but could continue on.  About four miles later we arrived at the bakery and enjoyed a coffee and scone. Then I started to leave. My knee hurt pretty bad.  After riding a little I was in a lot of pain. I barely made it back. I am sitting here now, very sore with ice on my knee and a cup of coffee. It turns out the small damage to my bike was a bent derailleur.