Worst Crash



BanditBoyDavid said:
Anyway, I was just wonderin' what your worst crash has been.
My first and worst (on a bike) was as a college freshman when I mowed down an eight-year-old girl running across the road. Late for class, I was bookin' on a slight downhill with books bungeed to the Pletcher on the back. I spotted her on my side and her mother on the opposite side with a baby stroller, yelling across the street that it was safe to cross. The girl stepped off the curb, stepped back, and then darted out in front of me.

She hit the pavement screaming but was able to scramble across to her mom. My bike flipped and books and I went sliding across the pavement. A woman driving a VW bus full of kids helped me gather my stuff and lock the bike to a post, and drove me to an emergency room. She explained that the kids belonged to faculty families who had a cooperative child care arrangement going. She gave me her phone number in case I needed a witness or any other kind of help. I was grateful and remarked to myself that she was a credit to her husband's department and faculty spouses everywhere.

A cop was waiting for me when the doctor finished patching me up. He drove me to the station where I gave a statement and my bicycle had been impounded. The mother had told them I was speeding. The limit was 35 and I estimated that I could not have been going much faster than 25. This was before I had learned how to spin. I had to call friends for a ride home, and the police wouldn't let me take the bike until I showed proof that I owned it.

The next day I read about it in the paper. The mom, also a faculty wife, had painted a pretty evil picture of me and was talking about filing a suit, but as the kid's injuries were minimal and they were on opposite sides of the street, I never heard another word of it.
 
This thread is useless without pic's

DSC02811.jpg


My bike has crumple zones... does yours?

50km/h (30mph) into the back of a car. Sprained left ankle, bruised left hip, bruises on both shins bad enough that 4 weeks on I still can't knee properly and i'm still picking glass fragments out of my skin that the emergancy and trauma department at the hospital couldn't get out (too small/fine).

Hmmm this weekend, 4 stage - 2 day road race... and i've got a new bike to ride on... wooo!
 
Powerful Pete said:
Impressive Dom. How long did it take for that to reabsorb?

Not too long... it was gone about 10 days after the pic was taken.

My hip was sore deep inside for about a month... but I don't think there was any lasting damage. Doc said recovery was good cos I'm reasonably fit and have lots of natural shock absorption.

My helmet (1 year old Giro Atmos) had to be replaced as the first thing to hit the ground was the back of my head.

I used the hate breaking stuff 'til I realised it best excuse to get new stuff... :)
 
Okay, now that we're doing show-and-tell.

The story: I was doing an interval, a car passed me, I put my head down and dug in to take advantage of the draft, the car stopped to let a turtle cross the road, I didn't. I hit the back of the car at a speed of about 23 mph, I flew over the top of the car, landed about five feet in front of the car, on the left side of my face and helmet.

The result: I think I must have been knocked out for an instant, because I only remember two things about the accident: Going "oh ****" an instant before, and sitting upright in the road a moment after. No broken bones, no teeth knocked out, a sore mandible joint for about a year, lots of road rash.

The photo:
 
Pendejo said:
Okay, now that we're doing show-and-tell.

The story: I was doing an interval, a car passed me, I put my head down and dug in to take advantage of the draft, the car stopped to let a turtle cross the road, I didn't. I hit the back of the car at a speed of about 23 mph, I flew over the top of the car, landed about five feet in front of the car, on the left side of my face and helmet.

The result: I think I must have been knocked out for an instant, because I only remember two things about the accident: Going "oh ****" an instant before, and sitting upright in the road a moment after. No broken bones, no teeth knocked out, a sore mandible joint for about a year, lots of road rash.

The photo:
That's a scary photo dude! Looks like you had a close shave and escaped serious injury to your left eye.
 
Pendejo said:
Okay, now that we're doing show-and-tell.

The story: I was doing an interval, a car passed me, I put my head down and dug in to take advantage of the draft, the car stopped to let a turtle cross the road, I didn't. I hit the back of the car at a speed of about 23 mph, I flew over the top of the car, landed about five feet in front of the car, on the left side of my face and helmet.

The result: I think I must have been knocked out for an instant, because I only remember two things about the accident: Going "oh ****" an instant before, and sitting upright in the road a moment after. No broken bones, no teeth knocked out, a sore mandible joint for about a year, lots of road rash.

The photo:
Was the turtle ok?