Your Worst Crash

chodadog

Mine was utterly stupid. In the suburb I live in, the gutters are mostly angled, so you can strafe up them while riding without a problem if you need to get onto a footpath for any reason. Well, i was cycling on a main road after coming down a hill. Was going quite quickly, but a truck in the outter lane was coming up pretty quickly and i decided i'd get up onto the footpath. It was dark, and i could have sworn the curb was like the ones in my neighbourhood. The moment my wheel touched it, i realised it was indeed a regular square curb. I went flying over the handle bars and instinctively put my hand out taking my full weight (250 lbs).

First thing to do of course was check the bike for damage. I thought at most i'd sprained it, but had a pretty good hunch i'd broken it within about 20 minutes. A cyclist that was driving by that saw it happen was nice enough to stop and give me a lift to the hospital nearby.

Shattered the socket in the wrist and had a small split in one of the forearm bones. Ended up getting a plate and 6 or 7 pins.

ScottishDan

Long downhill, 30mph, crossroads - Right turn ahead -i CAN GET THROUGH THAT GREEN LIGHT IF I CYCLE LIKE A BASTARD - wet drain cover in middle of crossroads - FXXKING OUCH!!!!!!

One witness, just stood there looking at me, didn't help at all.

Slightly concussed, no helmet, lots of blood, woke up very sore the next day

__________________
Live to ride, ride to work

Shakey

Three years ago on a half century around a big lake, when all of a sudden it began to rain and I slipped on one corner. My front wheel went up first and I fell on my right shoulder and I was sure I borke the bone. I knew instinctively every other rider on the spot would rush up to help me, I quickly pushed my left forefinger into my right shoulder and it sank deep enough to convince me that it's a fracture. I told the first person who tried to raise me that it's a fracture case and please leave me where I was. There was fortunately a medical doctor of the hospital where I was carried by the ambulance -- what a coincidence!-- and he checked if my spine was all right and assured me on the spot that I can walk again. I just received painkillers and this X-band for restricting my movement and a bunch of X-rays to bring home where I would take more serious treatment (I was 100 km away from Tokyo).

I found the accidnet cost me a collar bone -- V-shaped fracture on the Xray. The doctor of the hospital near my home gave me a choice -- operation or just leave it to heal (the latter means no athletics hereafter!), and of course I chose operation. Under total anaesthesia the operation went smoothly and I was out of the hospital in 3 days with a new thick metal wire in my collar bone.

The WORST came later after a few months when the metal bar had to be removed under LOCAL anaesthesia. During the whole operation, the left side of the doctor's plam touched my right neck and I giggled and giggled unstoppably! It was like torture! The doctor was not amused but I was laughing hysterically! Pain is all right but THAT was a different suffering.



Probably

e-doc

March 7, 1991. It was a Thursday. I was in medical school. My daughter was 3 months old. I rode alot then , still do. Last thing I remember was leaving home, first thing I remember is going home from hospital.

Apparently I was headed east on River Road , probably with a good tailwind and about 6 miles from home. An older , somewhat drunk, man was headed west. He apparently turned left in front of me. I hit his right front and was launched into his left lower windshield, which I impacted with my head. He thought he killed me (he almost did) and drove off. I was found comatose in the road. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital, 1 week in a coma. I was out of school for 2 months. I spent an extra year in medical school. My brain didn't work right for a year or so. I didn't ride a bike for 2 years.My medical bills were only about $35,000 (no surgery, surgeries are very expensive and run the old hospital bill way up) I'm not sure what my wifes agony was worth. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet I would have been pushing up daisies. 1991 was a bad year. End of story.

BTW. A witness ID'd the man. He had no license, too many DWI's. He plead guilty to Felony Hit and Run and DWI. He got 3 years. Funny, his court appointed lawyer, paid with my tax dollars, thought that was a little stiff.

JAPANic

I've gotten better at crashing. My first one left me with skin missing on every limb, shoulder and a deep cut under my eye...then carted off in the race ambulance...

My 2nd crash was much easier... rode right over the guys back who went down in front of me, cartwheeled and rolled Olympic gymnastics style back up on my feet. Rather than wait to see how much damage I had done to myself grabbed my bike jumped back on and finished the race. This time only 2 limbs were damaged plus a large whole in my shorts... that bitchumen's a bitch but not as hard as I imagined....

lava

A friend of a friend had just finished putting together his new ride, and decided to take it out around the block for a spin around midnight. Just a short ride, no helmet. A taxi turned left in front of him as he was speeding down a hill, and he flew over it and hit head first. He was in an induced coma for 2 weeks, during which they cut the top of his skull completely off to relieve pressure on the brain. It was put back on in another 1.5 weeks. Now two years later, he is a totally different person, according to my friend who knows him.

kkunitak

I think this guy wins hands down..

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-162891478515007486

sorry if you've seen it before but its worth seeing over and over again.

reelbf

Well this might not be the worst accident around but it shook me up alot and ive been wanting to tell this story so here goes.

Last year I was late on my way to work so going down a steep hill I pushing for all the speed I could get and I had reached 35+ mph when I thought more speed! so I peddled faster and then I hit something it took me a second or two to realize both my tyres were flat.

I want didnt believe it, I tried using the brakes and this just made the bike wobble alarmingly and every stone I hit had the same effect. So I realised well theres a corner at the bottom and I'm going to crash this thing so I'd better find a soft spot. But I must have hit some dirt because as soon as I touched the grass the bike went from under me and I crashed into a wall. Maybe not such a great spot.

Well I wasnt injured that badly I had a slight concussion, my elbow needed stiches and my leg had some nasty brusing. It seems the bike took most of it I mangled the handle bars and buckled the wheels. On further inspection the tubes had snake bite punctures, the rear tyre had blown out and the wheels had some nice dents in them. I think the tyres didnt have enough pressure in them and then when I hit a pot hole both tyres went. I replaced the broken parts and the bike rides just like it used to but I still have the old handle bars hanging in my shed not sure whether I should keep them or not.

I was wearing a helmet but I still think I got lucky, it hurt alot but I didnt brake anything. I think the worst injury I got was more psychological as decents are now very scary and I hate tight corners.

Well thats my story,
Ben Jones

Galley22

Since I have just began, I haven't experienced the first crash yet but fear the day it does happen. I do have a story though about a friend's accident he had a while back.

He was riding down a hill on a mountain bike and nailed a rather large rock that was straggling outside a driveway. As it was downhill, he was going pretty quick when he hit the rock and went over the handelbars. The front wheel hit the pavement and the handelbars jetted upwards as he went over, nailing him underneath the ribs. The handlebars stcuk underneath his rib for a while until it was removed. It never actually punctured him but he still has a stretch underneath the ribs from where the handlebar did its damage.

PartisanRanger

Here's an interesting question: After a crash, do you all check the condition of yourself or your bike first? In my first major crash, the first thing I did was check if my bike was okay :P.

reelbf

Nah I used to think about the bike first but the last two times I crashed I had hit my head on something so the bike didnt seem that important that said those where cheap bikes. The first real crash I had I just forgot about the bike and tried to walk home across a busy road with concusion and the second time I panicked because I couldnt feel my legs and hailed a passing lorry from the side of the road. I think maybe I've hit my head to many times.

li0scc0

I have been thinking the same thing. Three kids and a wife, I'm the sole breadwinner. Almost seems irresponsible to ride and race.

li0scc0

If it is a rough crash then I check on myself and forget about the bike.. If it is a minor crash and I clearly am not hurt, I check on myself and THEN on the bike.

2 old 2 go slow

It's been over a month and this little accident still hasn't healed up fully. Not my worst ever but it'll look good next to all the other scars.

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I may as well ride fast because I'm 2-old-2-go-slow.