Your Worst Crash

king4wd

I come in on the tame end of things here. a list of top three:

Third) on the Santa ana river trail near Angelus Oaks, a few years back, I caught a rut and sailed headfirst into what we now call the "Tom King Memorial Boulder" I must have passed out for a minute as I don't remember my buddy asking me if I was alright. He says I was just twitching for a minute.

second) On a very spirited ride in Sycamore canyon with about eight friends, I took a bump the wrong way at about 30mph (48kph) and landed almost upside down. I've got scars on both knees, my right hip and right shoulder from that one.
First) On a road ride with a group from a local shop coming down out of Lake Perris, the rear tire went flat. When I tried to slow down for the 90 degree right hander at the bottom of the hill, the bike fishtailed pretty hard I didn't think much of it, as that bike tended to slide the rear wheel under hard braking. While trying to make the turn, the rim cut through the sidewall and the bike immediately slid out from under me. That one hurt! No major injury to me, but I needed a new rear wheel and new tires.

Honorable mention: on my first full century attempt, I lost it hitting a dip, while looking back to check on my buddy. I was lying in a pool of sweat with the wind knocked out of me. A local cycling club came along in their paceline and shouted "look a wreck!" They stopped, ran to my bike, gingerly picked it up and set it against the fence asking each other if the bike was OK. Not once did they ask If I was OK or even so much as acknowledge me. I guess for them it was about the bike

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Basso Coral with Veloce 9s

Campy rules!

telecaster

My crash happened about 6 years ago, before I really got into cycling and bike maintenence. I was riding a cheap bike and never checked the chain or adjusted anything. I was cranking down a busy street in Seattle when my chain broke. I didn't know that's what happened at the time....I just remember my feet flying off the pedals (flat pedals) and bouncing off the road creating some kind of crazy frog dance. Anyway, I hit a light pole and got knocked out cold. I remember wriggling on my back to try to wake up, and when I did, there were a few people looking down at me and the paramedics were already there, putting me on a stretcher. I ended up with a broken wrist and pins put into it. I guess it could have been a lot worse. Helmets rule! I'll never ride without one....and I now own a nice bike that I am skilled at working on.

Allan Bradberry

triguy98

1) Gatorback at Alafai (MTB) I had really only been MTBing with my new-to-me bike for a couple months at a typical Florida trail (flat and rooty) when a friend invited me t go with him t this cool park. HE tld me it was tough, but having been to Moab, I questioned his judgment. How wrong of me. Going down one drop, I lost control of the bike, slammed into a tree and slid down the hill (exposed limestone) on my shoulder and face. Still have scars on my shoulder.

2) Razorback, Ocala. Not quite as spetacular, but longer term effects. Bombed an innocent looking hill. Had enough speed and stupidity to not see the bump in the trail. Airborne. Right into a tree. Tree hit my leg three inches aboue the knee. I couldnt stnad up for a couple minutes. Took a while to get going again, five minutes down the trail i nearly passed out from the pain. Finished the day and went to the doctor. Bruised bone and thigh. Took two months to be able to run again without severe pain.

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Life is short, ride hard. BONZAI!!!!

Yojimbo_

Moving this up.

ahinalu

Ok not as bad as some, but...

My worst crash was downhilling on a skateboard doing 50mph when I went down broke two ribs and had the worse road rash ever (no helmet, shoes, gloves [used my flipflops as gloves], shirt...just a pair of OP corduroy shorts and long 1970's hippie hair.

Worst bike crash was...
Last August I was riding every day in preperation for a trip to Whistler. I was stepping up a lot of my jumps and went of one that shouldn't be too big unless you hit it too fast and put too much chawoomp off the launch. I had done this jump twice before and nosed it pretty bad (thank you monster T) and I was landing to the left of the tranny.

I remembered the last thing as I was hitting the jump and tried to compinsate (too late) and I went off sideways. Since the jump has a kick to it I also started to pitch. Since I was going WAY too fast, I missed the tranny by about 8' and landed on my left shoulder and head from 8-9' on hard pack red dirt flat.

My Carbon sixsixone got cracked but not my skull! My colar bone was compressed and displaced 1 1/2".

This is like group where we feel better by taking "ownership" of our worst moments.

Whew...I feel like I don't have three steel plates in my body...

bigdraft

I've had a couple of bad crashes. The first one was on the SDBC ride in N. County San Diego. We were coming down the coast hwy thru Encinitas, when we had to deviate from our normal route due to an on-going triathalon. At the bottom of a short little hill we were forced to detour left. While the pack was turning left, some dufas either didn't understand what was happening or just got out of control, and T-boned me in the middle of the curve. I wasn't going very fast, but it was OTB (over the bars) and onto my back. I broke four ribs and pumctured a lung. Ouch...I never had broken any bones before that, and for those who have broken ribs before you know how much fun it can be.

The other crash was a bit more spectacular. It was on the Rose Bowl ride here in Pasadena. We were on the downleg leg, doing about 35 mph or so. I off to the right, in the wind, taking a drink when I see the pack compress going over a rise due to traffic coming the other way. When the pack compressed some guy who was in over his head, didn't stay calm and adjust with the rest of the guys, but started to get a bit wobbly. I see this and think..ohhhh no. I reach down to put my bottle back in it's cage. When I look up I see the same wobbly guy right in front of me and I knew right then and there I was going down. The guy biffed right in front of me and I had zero time to react. I hit him and I went flying. Talking to some of my teammates later who saw it from behind, said it was one of the more spectacular ones they had seen. I'm 6'4" and I did a full layout front flip. When I hit I didn't roll, slide, scrape, bounce or nothing. I pancaked like a sac of dead weight. I separated my left shoulder (again) and put a huge hemotoma on my left booty cheeck. I'm still out of alignment from that rig. But again I was able to get back on my bike pretty quickly after that..about a week or so.

swskier

crashed on sunday, hit my face against a 3 foot tall wooden post at 25mph. Was alone so I called 911 and walked to the nearest intersection. I broke two bones in my face and a rib but im on painkillers so its all good plus my bike is okay with only damage to my $100 saddle.

Spin_Dr_Tio

I am more of a road rider but I do the occassional trail riding...and fittingly, I am on the forums today because my most recent wreck has left me bed-bound (not hospital bound like some respondants - bless each one of you).

I was leading the group of guys I ride with on at a new park in southern North Carolina. In the middle of the trail stood (for a lack of a better word) your typical tree that has fallen... typical in that it resounds the pervasive debate "to jump or not to jump?" in a poor Elizabethian accent. Well, I sped up under the guise that I could make this. Now, I am modest and aware of my abilities and I was certain that this would certainly test my limits as a rider but that I could ultimately make it (or at least sustain a humble crash). Well, I was a bit naive to say the least (that and plain dumb). Upon getting up on the tree I too late realized that this was a monster (it must have grown while i was riding towards it )... At the speed I was going (and I will not conjecture some absurd speed for the sake of this story) I could not slow down in time. So, I tried the intended jump.

The bottom of the front tire hit the top of the tree and flipped me completely over in the air. I landed facefirst into the dirt. Now, the minor facial and shoulder scabs are no problem... a badge even... but the immobile back, neck, and shoulder has me a bit worried. Now, as a pauper doctoral student, I am uncertain what is worse - the crash or the fact that I do not have the cash or insurance to see a doctor!!!

I cannot wait to get on my bike again.

Cheers!!!

wjbieb

I have had two since I started racing in 1987. The first was when I was still a Cat III. I was doing a crit and there were 5 of us in the break. Two guys were trying their hardest to bridge up, and as they took the corner, they cut too sharp and one of the guys hit a manhole cover off to my right. In my peripheral vision I saw him coming right at me. I put my right shoulder down to try and put it into his left armpit but was too late as I was going right for the curb. There were too many people standing on the sidewalk, and as I bunny hopped up over the curb I remember grabbing the top tube of my bike and hitting a driveway type of entry to a building...and sliding for a couple meters before hitting the foundation and potato chipping my wheel. One of the spokes that sprung went into my left calf and as I lay there trying to get up, people were holding my shoulder saying "wait til the meds get here!" Anyway, about an hour in the first aid tent! Also, was dating this gal at the time, and it was her first race. I don't think she ever went to another one!

The other wreck was some buddies and I on the college team, rode our mountain bikes to a party.....cause chicks dig shaved legs! Anyway, it started to rain, and we decided to race back to campus. I decided to pop up into a parking lot and take a corner by a drive through window at the local hang. At the corner where the cars parked for the drive through, the oil had dripped from time to time and it was slick. I hit the patch of oil doing about 15-20ish..I don't remember! But anyway I went slightly sideways and momentum carried me right into a phone booth. I was laying there laughing in my embarassment and my buddies came back and helped me unfold my diamond back and body outta the booth. Ahhhh....the college life!!!!! OUT.

Stevedvg

My worst crash happened a few years back. I was cycling back from a friend's home when a car pulled out in front of me - He must have totally misjudged my speed. I ploughed into the sideof the car, flew straight over it, somehow got detached from my bike in the process and landed flush on the point of my jaw. When I regained consciousness a number of concerned bystanders where hovering over me. The driver of the car had just driven off and left me unconscious and bleeding in the middle of the road. Amazingly apart from 15 stitches in my chin, a cracked molar and the odd bruise or two, I was fine.

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FTSDad

Pretty impressive thread. I have two experiences to share:

1. Coming back from a summer training ride, I was t-boned by a 1965 Plymouth Fury. When I landed on the ground, I knew something bad had happened to my lower left leg (where the left front fender hit me). The impact had shredded the meat off the bone. It was pretty surreal being able to see inside my leg (bones, veins, tendons, etc.). I scooped everything back to where I thought it should be and started screaming real loud. At the hospital, two doctors wanted to cut my leg off at the knee. A third came in and fixed me up. My leg looks funky, but I can still ride! My bike at the time (1983 Medici Pro Strada with Nuovo Record components) was toast. I sold the parts to help pay for college. I still have the folded frame as a trophy hanging in my garage.

2. This one caused less physical damage, but is has caused lots of psych damage. About halfway through a late afternoon mountain bike ride, I was seeting up for a tight turn ahead during a real rocky descent. As I gripped the rear brake, the level went all the way to the bar and the brake cable snapped. All I had was about 5 seconds and my front brake to keep from going off the cliff. I ended up laying the bike down and taking a real beating on the whole right side of my body. As I was halfway through the ride, I had to manage the remaining 10 miles with only a front brake, a gimpy right side, and nightfall. The worst part is that now I'm paranoid about my brake cables snapping.

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I might not be any good, but at least I'm slow.

ChangMan

Mine was about a little over a year ago in a local race. The group had started the sprint and a guy to the right of me had wipped out taking me out in the process. Lucky for me I wasn't at full speed, but I was still at around 35mph. I ended up with a concusion, a broken collar bone, a broken arm, and two broken ribs.

Phuong L

Ouch! I'm not sure where my crash is ranked in the scale of ouch-ness!

I only learnt how to ride the bicycle last year and my boyfriend at the time had warned me that I was going to fall off my bike one way or another. So I was riding on my pink BMX in the Double Bay area (in Sydney, Australia) with my then-bf following behind and was crusing downhill and enjoying the speed when I reached the bottom and turned left and decided to start pedalling again to keep the momentum going. Not realising I was still moving too fast to pedal, I pushed my foot down a little too hard and it slipped off the pedal and into the spokes of my front wheel. I just remember coming off and having some guys run up to me asking if I was ok. I quickly recovered and said I was fine and the first thought that came to my mind was "Yay! My first fall off my bike!" My bf quickly caught up to me and had one look at me and said "We've gotta take you to a dentist". Apparently I'd gone over the handle bars and smashed three of my front teeth and had blood dripping all over my chin! Surprisingly it didn't hurt much at all!

Second fall was about 3 months after the previous one when I was cycling past the University of NSW after an action with The Wilderness Society outside Peter Garrett's office. I merged into the middle lane to overtake a stationary bus when he started moving again so I was busy looking at the bus and traffic behind me. All of a sudden my foot came off the pedal (I belive it was because I'd cycled over a pot-hole of some sort) and I tried to put it back but placed it somewhere wrong... when I came off this time I remember thinking "Must protect face. Too expensive!" So I landed in an impressive contorted position and later discovered very impressive bruises all over my legs ;-)

If only I had been using clipless pedals...