Down for a bit...

[XLjedi]

Unfortunately, had a bad accident on Saturday with me bike.  Did have my helmet on tho and I'm certain it saved my life.  Have to take a break from Kerballing for a bit as I cant really use both hands right now.

[Green Baron]

Get well soon !

Space can wait ;-)

Edited August 22, 2018 by Green Baron

[Shpaget]

Get well soon.

A helmet saved my life too... 

[Cunjo Carl]

I hope you have a quick recovery! I'm also in the 'helmet saved my life' category, so I'm glad you decided to wear one.

If swelling winds up slowing down your hand's healing, consider using a sock full of rice warmed in the microwave. It really helps with persistent sprains and things.

[XLjedi]

Thanks to all for the kind words!

My head/helmet hit the passenger side mirror on a Tahoe... I then started to wobble, and high-sided at about 40-50mph and completely blacked out, don't know if it was fear or what, but I totally lost consciousness.  Next thing I remember was being in an ambulance with my helmet still on.  The driver of the Tahoe said I went airborne and rag-dolled for about 30-40 feet along the pavement.  I have no injuries to my hands at all.  If I were awake I probably would've broke my arms and scraped my hands up trying to stop.  I did break my collar bone though, so the sling makes it a bit hard to use the mouse, and my breathing is a bit labored.  Mostly dealing with abrasions to my right side.  

The bike was completely destroyed...  everyone I've talked to that witnessed it was surprised I was alive, I came down on my head/shoulder and if it wasn't for the full-face helmet I had on, I'd be dead for sure.  I'll have to get a pic of what's left of the bike.  The guy who towed it away couldn't believe he was talking to the rider yesterday; he thought for sure I died.

Praise God, just wasn't my time. 

[Green Baron]

Man, that sounds heavy. Glad your still among us. You're not alone with that experience. I crashed with a paraglider 2004 when trying to land on a narrow hill top. I have nobody to blame, it was just too much self confidence.

Get well !

 

[Shpaget]

Since we're sharing...

I crashed three years ago. I still don't remember it, but the police report says someone switched into my lane. There probably was very little or even no contact, but I ended up hitting my head on something face fist. Helmet (a proper AGV full face) took most of the energy, but still cracked and was pushed into my jaw which broke, along with a couple of molar teeth.

I was wearing a leather jacked so my upper body was fairly well protected, but had shorts so my legs got scraped quite decently. Got some damage on the hands as well.

An ambulance happened to come by from the opposite direction and the doctor inside turned out to be the son of my family doctor, and was able to recognize me. Apparently, I did not lose consciousness, and was able to tell him my name so my family got notified rather quickly (police couldn't find my documents since they were under the seat and not in my pocket).

Bike did not sustain any major damage, but that was the last time I rode it.

I get shivers when I see guys riding without a helmet or those that sit on top of your head. I haven't regained full functionality of the jaw, and probably never will, since the bone is still in two pieces. Surgeons say that an operation to connect them would likely cause too much nerve damage and that it's not worth it.

Kids, always wear helmets.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Shpaget

[StrandedonEarth]

9 hours ago, XLjedi said:

Praise God, just wasn't my time.

 

2 hours ago, Shpaget said:

Since we're sharing...

And that’s why my mother insisted her kids would never ride a motorbike if she could help it... Although as a kid I did manage to smack my head on the pavement at least two different times while riding my bicycle. No concussion that we knew of. Thank the Maker for those flexible kid skulls....

Yeah, I started wearing a (hockey) helmet when I rode my bike after that second one, long before it was the thing to do. Before there were (affordable) bike helmets!

Hope you’re  back in the game soon!

[Dman979]

In case you have a concussion, you probably shouldn't be reading things like this forum. Anyway, get well soon!

[Green Baron]

2 hours ago, Shpaget said:

... but that was the last time I rode it....

If one wants to carry on, one should always fly again/ride again/dive again whatever as soon as possible after an accident to regain self confidence. Carefully but decidedly.  Talk with trustees who know the sport helps as well to get to the causes and how to avoid them.

Otherwise the uneasy feeling sets in the mind, and if anxiousness blocks the mind one can and will never do it again.

[Cunjo Carl]

12 hours ago, XLjedi said:

Thanks to all for the kind words!

My head/helmet hit the passenger side mirror on a Tahoe... I then started to wobble, and high-sided at about 40-50mph and completely blacked out, don't know if it was fear or what, but I totally lost consciousness.  Next thing I remember was being in an ambulance with my helmet still on.  The driver of the Tahoe said I went airborne and rag-dolled for about 30-40 feet along the pavement.  I have no injuries to my hands at all.  If I were awake I probably would've broke my arms and scraped my hands up trying to stop.  I did break my collar bone though, so the sling makes it a bit hard to use the mouse, and my breathing is a bit labored.  Mostly dealing with abrasions to my right side.  

The bike was completely destroyed...  everyone I've talked to that witnessed it was surprised I was alive, I came down on my head/shoulder and if it wasn't for the full-face helmet I had on, I'd be dead for sure.  I'll have to get a pic of what's left of the bike.  The guy who towed it away couldn't believe he was talking to the rider yesterday; he thought for sure I died.

Praise God, just wasn't my time. 

 

Glad you made it! Sorry to hear about the broken clavicle, I can commiserate that they're frustratingly immobilizing for a while. Every possible motion of the body or arm seems to work with a meter long lever action on that poor little bone. Hang in there! Perhaps it's a good chance to catch up on youtube videos?

 

1 hour ago, Green Baron said:

If one wants to carry on, one should always fly again/ride again/dive again whatever as soon as possible after an accident to regain self confidence. Carefully but decidedly.  Talk with trustees who know the sport helps as well to get to the causes and how to avoid them.

Otherwise the uneasy feeling sets in the mind, and if anxiousness blocks the mind one can and will never do it again.

 

Totally agreed! And, I have a story along those lines. That said, there's an important exception where concussions are involved. I've had a couple, and though there isn't a ton of formal research about it, those things take a long time to fully heal on the inside. I've had a couple doctors I trust tell me that two concussions in a year can cause long term damage. So, it's quite critical to avoid certain risks while healing.  As for how to do this, it comes down to personal choice. My case wound up pretty well though so I'll mention it! I wound up in a situation like the one you described- I got t-boned by someone who ran a red while I was commuting extremely fast on my bicycle (~30mph). Through inspiration and dumb luck I managed a series of rolls that kept me out of the neighboring lane, but wound up concussed in the process. I was alive though! Thanks helmet. From there I decided I should figure out how to do it consistently without risking injury, and came across soft style martial arts. Specifically, it was Aiki Bujutsu. It was rather intense, but the perfect place to learn awareness, relaxation during crisis, and how to roll out of dang near anything (and break fall or rag doll those you can't). Interestingly, all of this can be done at very low risk of injury with the right master/instructor who is aware of your condition. It wound up working too! I've had unfortunate opportunities to test the awareness and rolling skills in the field (one time with with high stakes), and wound up coming out intact in all cases so far. So, my conversational recommendation is to gain that confidence and skill through soft style martial arts in cases where concussion may be an issue.