A beautiful Sunday morning, about 11 am. I was riding eastbound @ about 40 mph on a nice road that runs out of Fairfield & thru the mountains. On its way there it parallels a four lane freeway for about 1/8 mile, with about 20ft between the two roadways.
I was riding in the direction the camera is pointing. A driver on the freeway lost control of her car. the car left the freeway and came toward me head-on, still out of control. I struck the left hand side of the car, and the car went back through the fence & ended up on the shoulder of the freeway.
(In case you're wondering, that barb wire won't stop a car!)
I'm telling you about the accident based on the police report. I still can't remember anything between taking my bike out of the garage that morning & waking up in the hospital 1 month later. I had a broken neck, jaw, ribs, torn ligaments in my shoulder, damage to my spinal cord, etc.
It is custom out here for riders to post about their accidents. We collectively analyze the accident & identify things that the rider could have done to prevent the accident. We do this hoping that it will save another rider in the future.
This accident is a little different. Other than calling the Psychic Friends network, I can't think of anything I could have done to avoid this.
You'll never find a post telling about how I beat a Hyabusa racing on the street, or how I pulled a long wheelie.
With a few exceptions, in the appropriate locations, I ride pretty conservatively. The lesson here is that anything can happen, at any time.
Let's talk about gear for a minute. I was fully geared up. I have a deep gouge in my left thigh. Apparently something tried to tear into my leg, but was unable to because of my leather pants. If I hadn't been wearing them, the object could have gutted me. At best, the road rash, in addition to my other injuries could easily have had me posting this via Ouji board. WEAR YOUR GEAR! WEAR IT ALL THE TIME, OR GET YOUR ASS IN THE CAR!! Here's something else to consider: I was unconscious when the paramedics arrived. All they knew was that an out-of-state rider was down, but I found out later they commented about how nice my gear was (As they cut it off my body...Not the jacket!!....:crying: ) and how glad they were it wasn't another shorts-and- sandals cleanup. Seeing me well dressed, and on a nice, clean bike, and with a private insurance card, they called in the helicopter and sent me to this regions' best trauma center. Now I'm not saying that I wouldn't have received the best care possible if I would have been 'dressed down', but from what I've learned about the health care system, I'd advise you to give it some thought.
Other than needing a complete set of plastics, my bike is in surprisingly good shape. When I saw the accident was inevitable, I pulled one of those moves I saw in that movie 'Torque', and so I minimized the damage. (At least that's what I tell myself, who says amnesia is a bad thing?)
As for me, the doctor who reconstructed my neck was shocked when I walked into his office 5 months later. He figured I'd spend the rest of my life in that wheelchair. Guess he didn't know us riders can't stand to be stuck in a four wheeler! When I say 'walk', the glide in my stride & zip in my hip I used to have has been replaced by a gait somewhere between Frankenstein & Robocop...I don't care...I 'M ALIVE & I CAN WALK!!! I had to sit out this season, but I plan on riding again next year. See you then.
I was riding in the direction the camera is pointing. A driver on the freeway lost control of her car. the car left the freeway and came toward me head-on, still out of control. I struck the left hand side of the car, and the car went back through the fence & ended up on the shoulder of the freeway.
(In case you're wondering, that barb wire won't stop a car!)
I'm telling you about the accident based on the police report. I still can't remember anything between taking my bike out of the garage that morning & waking up in the hospital 1 month later. I had a broken neck, jaw, ribs, torn ligaments in my shoulder, damage to my spinal cord, etc.
It is custom out here for riders to post about their accidents. We collectively analyze the accident & identify things that the rider could have done to prevent the accident. We do this hoping that it will save another rider in the future.
This accident is a little different. Other than calling the Psychic Friends network, I can't think of anything I could have done to avoid this.
You'll never find a post telling about how I beat a Hyabusa racing on the street, or how I pulled a long wheelie.
With a few exceptions, in the appropriate locations, I ride pretty conservatively. The lesson here is that anything can happen, at any time.
Let's talk about gear for a minute. I was fully geared up. I have a deep gouge in my left thigh. Apparently something tried to tear into my leg, but was unable to because of my leather pants. If I hadn't been wearing them, the object could have gutted me. At best, the road rash, in addition to my other injuries could easily have had me posting this via Ouji board. WEAR YOUR GEAR! WEAR IT ALL THE TIME, OR GET YOUR ASS IN THE CAR!! Here's something else to consider: I was unconscious when the paramedics arrived. All they knew was that an out-of-state rider was down, but I found out later they commented about how nice my gear was (As they cut it off my body...Not the jacket!!....:crying: ) and how glad they were it wasn't another shorts-and- sandals cleanup. Seeing me well dressed, and on a nice, clean bike, and with a private insurance card, they called in the helicopter and sent me to this regions' best trauma center. Now I'm not saying that I wouldn't have received the best care possible if I would have been 'dressed down', but from what I've learned about the health care system, I'd advise you to give it some thought.
Other than needing a complete set of plastics, my bike is in surprisingly good shape. When I saw the accident was inevitable, I pulled one of those moves I saw in that movie 'Torque', and so I minimized the damage. (At least that's what I tell myself, who says amnesia is a bad thing?)
As for me, the doctor who reconstructed my neck was shocked when I walked into his office 5 months later. He figured I'd spend the rest of my life in that wheelchair. Guess he didn't know us riders can't stand to be stuck in a four wheeler! When I say 'walk', the glide in my stride & zip in my hip I used to have has been replaced by a gait somewhere between Frankenstein & Robocop...I don't care...I 'M ALIVE & I CAN WALK!!! I had to sit out this season, but I plan on riding again next year. See you then.