Chatting with the wife this evening, I mentioned how I'm going to start
saving up to attend the funeral of the first person to die from a
unicycle accident.
I'd just finished reading about some of the geared-up Cokers and 36"
Nimbuses. I've been saying for years that with all the super-fast (ie:
faster-than-you-can-sprint) riding going on these days, someone's bound
to get into trouble. It's similar to the muni and trials stuff going
on: We're pushing our luck. But I have a hunch it's the geared unis
that could bring about an actual death. Here's my reasoning:
1. No trials or muni deaths thus far. Seems like the worst that can
happen is a bad bruise or a bone-break. We might see some paralysis
down the line, but a death would take a conflagration of really bad
luck. Let's hope it never happens. Same for the paralysis.
2. Some of the people riding gunis don't have as much experience or
leg-strength as they 'should.' These factors could turn a UPD from bad
to wake.
3. People, evolutionarily speaking, were made to withstand falls out of
branches and other heights, like a bad muni or trials fall. But our
ancestors didn't typically fall while moving 25mph on asphalt. That
kind of fall, coupled with some other bad luck (hitting ones head on a
curb, for ex) could be fatal.
Not to sound more morose than usual, but here's my prediction:
First uni-caused death...
Uni: Geared 36"
Road conditions: Pavement
Cause of death: Head trauma
Country: US
Casket: Open
Buried with unicycle: No
Wherever it is, I'll be there for the funeral.
Then again, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow, as I'm always saying.
Ride safely (but start saving now)....
--
David_Stone
Dictator for Life,
NYUC
Check out my blog (or else):
http://newyorkunicycle.blogspot.com/
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