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My crash - 1 year later..

2K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  cookeetree 
#1 · (Edited)
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.
 
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#2 ·
Wow man what a story indeed. I can't imagine what was going through your mind when you realized that a car was making it's way directly towards you through a fence. Were you really "under" in the hospital for a solid month?! Whew...
 
#3 ·
gonathan85 said:
Wow man what a story indeed. I can't imagine what was going through your mind when you realized that a car was making it's way directly towards you through a fence. Were you really "under" in the hospital for a solid month?! Whew...
I can't imagine what was going thru my mind either, G. I can't remember.
It was just short of four weeks. Other than hellish flashes I don't remember anything about that first month. I do remember my spirit returning to my body three times. The first two times my body was uninhabitable, so I left. The third time I stayed. When I woke up, it was one of those 'Twilight Zone' moments. I couldn't move anything but my right arm. I ran my hand over my head and felt all this hair. I've been shaving my head for more than a decade. It was then I realized that something was wrong....
 
#6 ·
Rundog said:
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.
:laughing: Glad your sense of humor was retained too, even on this subject. You are fortunate and so are we that you've hung in there. Thanks for the details on the incident (one which is hard to forget) and we look forward to your two-wheeled recovery next.
 
#8 ·
Awesome! And you are getting back on a bike! you are the definition of percevirance (however you spell that)

Rundog said:
It was just short of four weeks. Other than hellish flashes I don't remember anything about that first month. I do remember my spirit returning to my body three times. The first two times my body was uninhabitable, so I left. The third time I stayed. When I woke up, it was one of those 'Twilight Zone' moments. I couldn't move anything but my right arm. I ran my hand over my head and felt all this hair. I've been shaving my head for more than a decade. It was then I realized that something was wrong....
By far the creepiest part of the story. At least there were no zombies.


Glad you are in good spirits buddy!
 
#11 ·
Rundog said:
I can't imagine what was going thru my mind either, G. I can't remember.
It was just short of four weeks. Other than hellish flashes I don't remember anything about that first month. I do remember my spirit returning to my body three times. The first two times my body was uninhabitable, so I left. The third time I stayed. When I woke up, it was one of those 'Twilight Zone' moments. I couldn't move anything but my right arm. I ran my hand over my head and felt all this hair. I've been shaving my head for more than a decade. It was then I realized that something was wrong....
Wow...super eerie! I never came close to that kind of feeling when I wrecked my bike. I do remember that when I was still laying on the ground, everything around me seemed to be taking place in slow motion...the kid's car that ran me off the road sloooowly drove by...dust kinda whisked around in the wind...probably a combination of the epinepherine and shock flowing though my body.

Haven't had an out of body experience yet...that's intriguing.
 
#12 ·
Mister Tee said:
I drive, or ride the I-80 next to that road almost every day. I can't imagine how someone could manage to lose control of their car so badly that it would jump that fence and reach that road.

Glad you're okay, and walking again.
Believe it or not, T. 20 people ran off of he road in that same spot last year, including a police car! Seems to me that that particular stretch of road runs so close to the freeway, that it produces a sort of optical illusion. Instead of putting up a concrete barrier, Caltrans just keeps replacing the wire fence.

Thanks for the thoughts, mkeeney...
Kan., a permanent loss of humor would have been the worst wound, by far!

Cookee, till your shoulder gets better, you can get on the back and let Ms. Tree do the driving, like she does in the rest of the marriage.. :laughing:

What's up, V.? How you doin, G.
It was an interesting experience, it showed me that your body is a vehicle for your spirit, much the same way that your bike is a vehicle for your body. Now I didn't see any bright light (or any light) There was absolutely nothing in common with the physical world, so I can't think of any way to explain it.
I can tell you this, though....Dying is easy, it's just the path leading there is so uncomfortable.... Don't be in a hurry to go there, enjoy here while you can....

PS There were zombies, Vash. they were nurses taking care of me, but it seemed to me at the time that they were strangers who were doing very personal things to my body and I didn't know why....
 
#13 ·
Rundog- I was glad to see a post again from you, and I'm glad you're up and about now. I remember your first post about the accident. I ride that same stretch of road occasionally, so your pictures were eerily familiar. It's a nice road, but it always seems to have some gravel on it for some reason. And before your story, I never even thought of a car coming at me through the fence. It's so scary to think of going out riding, then waking up in the hospital without remembering what happened. Did you have a sense that a lot of time had passed between your ride and waking up in the hospital? Tell us more about the feeling of "returning to your body." I don't know anyone who has experienced anything like that.

What happened to the driver of the other car?

It's weird how chance comes into play in things like that. This week, someone in my squadron at the base died while he was taking an after dinner walk. It was dark, and he tripped and fell into a culvert next to the dirt road he was walking on, striking his head on a rock.
 
#15 ·
ESanders2 said:

It's weird how chance comes into play in things like that. This week, someone in my squadron at the base died while he was taking an after dinner walk. It was dark, and he tripped and fell into a culvert next to the dirt road he was walking on, striking his head on a rock.
I tell people something like this when they say riding motorcycles is dangerous.
You never know when your time is up, whether it be at speed or a walking pace or in bed.
Sorry to read about these things though, damn.
 
#16 ·
sportbikes4life said:

What I want to know is about your out of body experiance and hell-ish flashes.....what do you mean?
The hellish flashes? I remember waking up long enough to rip the feeding tube out of my throat - good thing, as I had an infection at the end of the tube. I remember Moms making me blow into a tube - turns out I had developed pneumonia. That and the broken ribs made for a fair bit of discomfort.

I can't tell you any thing about out-of-body. There were no commonalities with our waking world, so there are no terms I can think of to describe the experience. I can tell you this, though - there was no sense of time, kinda like when you dream. When I woke up it felt like I had been asleep for 8 hours, not four weeks - at least at first, till I ran my hand over my head and felt the hair....Then the pain came..:eek:

Bottom line - you have all eternity to explore the metaphysical side....make the most of your in-body experiences during the limited amount of time you have. Don't know how old you are sp4l, but I'm 47 and believe me, the joy that comes with each new spring also brings a sadness in knowing that they will come to an end. Make each day count!
 
#18 ·
Thanks, Tsunami. When I was in acute rehab they had a computer in the dining room. I used to wheel over to it after dinner & logon to this site. It hurt to type, so I never posted, but it was good to see the familiar names. After I first posted the good wishes from so many of you out here really made me feel a lot better.THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!.....:cheers:
 
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