Went down about 2 weeks ago

[pprider]

I Figured id let you guys know since i hhavent been posting and this is why. I was in oldtown (alexandria, Va) and headed home from looking at cars (my car was about to die) riding my 91 gs 500. I was on duke st. headed for 395, right before a stoplight where there is a post office on the right. I was riding behind an SUV in the left lane and pulled out to get in the right lane since the exit for 395 was just ahead on the right. The rest was almost a total blur, last thing i remember was seeing a minivan 20 feet inn front of me while i was doing 35 to 40 mph. Next thing i know im in mid stride running 4 the sidewalk, i was like why am i running? i thought i was on my bike? Then i heard others yelling at me to get back on the ground. I made it to the sidewalk and collapsed. By the time the EMS came i thought my right arm was gonna explode, they cut everything off even almost my boxers lol. I asked the guy in the ambulance if my arrm was real bad or what. He proceeded to ask me if i was right handed which i of course said yes, he then told me i needed to learn to pick my nose with my left hand lol.

Long story short, i "dusted" my right wrist bone, i now have 4 screws and 3 pins, i also sprained my left arm and my left leg and bruised my pelvis. All in all i say i got extremely lucky considering the possibilities. By the way i had gear on which was of course all cut up lol, but it did its job and i am alive to ride again.... in a year or so lol.

The bike was a total loss. The accident i percieved was apparantly a lot different then the truth, i thought the guy came from my left and headed for the right... well i was wrong he was crossing from the right to the left leaving the post office. Apparantly no witnesses saw what happened and the van said i was the one to run a red light, as i was drugged up when the officer y didnt defend myself. to me at the hospital  i really didnt defend myself. It doesnt help i cant remember probably a good 5 seconds be4 the actual accident all the way too running probablfy 30 seconds - min after it. In short i got the ticket and dont think i can fight it, the guy also was self-insured.

My prognosis is yet to be determined, doc said my right hand will never be the same and if that will be 90% or 50% of originl movement he doesnt know. One thing is for sure, I will save the money and buy new gear and a new bike and i WILL ride again.

i am also going to attempt to add the pics of my bike and my hand taken from my camera phone.

Sorrry so long but i needed to tell the story to some1.

[pprider]

ok im having trouble with pics can any1 help? i can give u a site they are on if anyone is nice enough to put em up here :dunno:

they are located at the bottom of the following link  

http://www.sportbikez.net/phorum/read.php?f=18&i=27752&t=27752

[Rema1000]

[pprider]

sweet thnk you! can u grab the wrist shots too rema?

[jake42]

man I"m sorry to hear about that, glad you're doing "alright".  so I'm assuming you rearended the minivan?  would like to see the wrist pics.

[Rema1000]

[jake42]

ouch, you've even got the external fixator on there.  How long does that stay on?  will you be in  cast after that?

Jkae

[pprider]

I T-boned straight into the side of the van.

the fixator will be on atleast another 4-6 weeks and yes he said a cast is most likely.

i "dusted" the bone, shatered whatever you wanna call it, what was left was in 12 pieces which wasnt much he said... did a bone graph and put some bone growing goop in there too. hope to ride soon!

[stefman722]

Man you hope you get better. That really sucks.  

[nogs5yet]

Hey man, never mind riding just yet; you have some serious healing to do first. Several years ago, a drunk driver pulverized my leg and ankle; I still have the internal hardware (not to mention the EXTERNAL scars) to prove it. The important thing is to be diligent about your therapy; do whatever they tell you so you can regain as much function as possible. I walk without a limp (OK, so I have a cane here somewhere, but it is now covered with a fine coating of dust), and that is because I had great therapists who worked with me and knew how badly I wanted to get back on a motorcycle. Odds are good that you CAN ride again, but that WON'T happen if you blow off the physical therapy. You have to fight through the pain and do whatever is required. As long as you're dedicated to healing, you'll be your own best friend. Disregard that, and you're your own worst enemy.

Good luck with this; keep us posted on your progress. I was stationed at Belvoir many moons ago, and fondly remember clubbing in Old Town (though my girlfriend seemed happier shopping at the Springfield Mall!), and we ALL want to see you recover and heal. Though your GS is a total loss, I hope you'll be able to salvage the seat or the horn or whatever you can, to keep as a reminder not to do this again.

No one likes to see a good motorcycle wrecked, but you can REPLACE a motorcycle; we CAN'T replace YOU! Keep lurking and posting; your advice (and those photos) can really help the newbies who don't take wearing protective gear seriously enough.

My friends and I are planning a riding tour next fall to parallel the Appalachian Trail, from south to north and back again. NONE of them have ever ridden east of the Mississippi, so I nominate YOU as Grand Marshal of the Skyline Drive segment. We'll gather in Daytona Beach (don't ask...), and you can meet us in Waynesboro for the north-bound leg, and again in Front Royal, when we return to Virginia heading south. Of course, you can ride ALL the way, if time allows...

One more thing... I met some incredibly beautiful nurses and therapists during recovery. Though YMMV, those women really inspired me, each in her own way... now, the rest is up to you. This will require a lot of work on your part, but I think you'll agree the payoff is worth the effort. Heal well, and don't forget, you're STILL a member of this online community, and you can contribute a lot by continuing to post advice.

[TheGoodGuy]

ouch pprider.. hope you start feeling better soon.. and get on vicodin if you arent on it already.

ouch ouch ouch.. i hate hearing one of us going down.. but this is what we live for.. the freedom of being in the elements.

[rritterson]

I was riding behind an SUV in the left lane

First, find an attorney. He/She will most likely be able to invalidate the statements you've made to the police under the grounds you didn't know what you were saying because of the drugs.

Second, did the accident occur at an intersection, or did the van pull out of a driveway mid block?

That SUV probably saw something, as did the people telling you to stop running and get back on the ground. If you can find just one of them, you'd have a solid case.

[pprider]

accident was at an intersection, either i blatantly ran the red light or he did plain and simple, and i have no money to pay for attorney.

[pandy]

pprider:

I'm so glad you weren't hurt worse, and I hope you make a speedy recovery (and hopefully with very good use of your right hand!!). Usually, in personal injury cases, attorneys will work on contingency (if you don't win, they don't make money). The initial consultation is usually free, so you have nothing to lose by trying. It sounds as though you might be getting a raw deal, and it wouldn't hurt to explore your options (if for nothing else so that you don't feel so helpless and trampled on).

Best wishes in your recovery, and keep us updated. We're here!

[nogs5yet]

Any GOOD attorney will take your case on a contingency fee (if they don't win, they don't get a dime), and your consultation SHOULD be free; call someone else if ANY lawyer wants money up front. The cop is supposed to try to gather statements, but since you'd just had your bell rung, I doubt anything you said would hold water in court.

As long as you weren't riding impaired, there is at LEAST a 50 / 50 chance that this will be resolved in your favor. TALK TO A LAWYER before you do anything else; don't even think YOU know enough about the situation, because YOU were injured.

Last time I did a serious get-off (on my XL250R, deep in the rocky woods), I hit my head pretty good; afterwards, I THOUGHT an old girlfriend was riding on the back of the bike with me. I didn't know how she got there, but I was happy she was OK. In fact, my brother was following me on his KLR250, and we were the only two people within MILES of the place where I went down. I re-set my dislocated left thumb and wrapped my sprained left wrist while he straightened out the controls and forks on my XL. My left knee had a pretty good gash in it, but I had enough duct tape to slow the bleeding to a trickle with a bandanna. The slight concussion was the REAL problem, and that is why I thought my ex-girlfriend (a nurse) was along for the ride; she was 2000 miles away, completely oblivious to what had happened to me. In a court of law, I would have SWORN that she was my passenger that day, but that is the kind of thing that happens when the brain slams into the skull...

CALL A LAWYER; no matter how much some people may dislike them, there are times when they are invaluable, and this is one of them. Find someone who specializes in traffic cases, and tell them what happened. He/she can help you decide what to do next; neither you nor I are qualified to make that decision WITHOUT good legal advice...

Bottom line: the phone call is free, so you have nothing to lose. Get a lawyer involved, and see what happens.

EDIT: OK, so maybe I shouldn't have stopped to take a phone call while I was typing this; you're getting consistent advice here, so pick up the phone on Tuesday, and find a lawyer.

[pprider]

thanks for the advice guys, i just dont know, i mean what can i do? i dont remember jack and it could very well be my fault :x  i just dont know what to do

[nogs5yet]

LET THE LAWYER ADVISE YOU; if they tell you that you DON'T have a case, get a SECOND opinion, and then a THIRD! If THREE lawyers tell you that you don't have a case, THEN you'll probably want to drop it. Talking to a lawyer doesn't commit you to ANYTHING, and your conversations are PROTECTED by law. You MIGHT have committed a traffic infraction, which is NOT the same as a felony; stop thinking that YOU did something WRONG. An ACCIDENT is called that for a REASON! A traffic ticket does NOT make you a CRIMINAL! Odds are good that the other driver is at least EQUALLY responsible for this, but ONLY a lawyer can tell you that, so PICK UP THE PHONE (but wait until Tuesday, when they're open).

Again, the call is FREE; hell, send the lawyer an e-mail with a link to this thread, and you'll make things even easier to get the ball rolling. You're blaming yourself, but you obviously know NOTHING about traffic law (the FIRST rule is, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT; name, rank, and serial number ONLY); you smacked your head, so that didn't apply in your case. TALK TO A LAWYER, and let THEM help you decide what to do next. If this other guy IS at fault, and you let them get AWAY with this, what happens to the NEXT motorcyclist, who might not be as lucky as YOU were?

Cut yourself some slack here; call a lawyer on Tuesday, tell them what happened, and make an appointment to see them soon. Even if you ARE at fault, you NEED a lawyer to advise you, and the consultation SHOULD be free; as I mentioned previously, if ANY lawyer wants money just to TALK to you, walk away and call another one. This country is FULL of lawyers, and if they don't HELP people like you and me, they won't have a practice for very long. Give one a chance to help you...

Let us know what they tell you when you post here again Tuesday night; we ALL want to know what happens next...

[pantablo]

Dude, glad you're still with us. too many RIP posts on various forums these days.

You DEFINITELY need a lawyer. Dont let your incapacitated state rule how you come out of this. most likely the other car ran a red and is taking advantage of your condition. I cant believe the police would allow that sort of questioning while under such extreme circumstances. Get help!

Definitely stick with the PT as best you can, if not for now for your future.

Good luck.

[rritterson]

thanks for the advice guys, i just dont know, i mean what can i do? i dont remember jack and it could very well be my fault :x  i just dont know what to do

So what? I'd rather explore the options than be left wondering.

[Igloo]

I went down 6 May on my 2004 GS500F, and broke my collarbone...difference with mine is I remember it all, including mistake Number one (looking at the edge of the road, not where I wanted to go).  I too was very lucky, as although I don't remember it - I missed a telephone pole by inches....how I don;t know cuz I went back a week later and  was able to see where my tire tracks went as I decided to go traipsing through the fileld at 40-50 mph.

Anyway - I get my bike back 14 Sep, I already bought a new helmet, and I have now become one of the "Those that have" and left the ranks of "Those that will"

And look after yourself pprider, don't ruch your healing!  

take care

illo