Can't go into too much detail, but was riding this past Sunday morning (6-8-2008) and had an old woman try to kill me. I was riding on a 2 lane road with double yellow lines and not a passing zone in sight. But she tried to pass anyway. Traffic had backed up due to a slow car ahead and I was 6th or 7th in line of the cars. I was having to watch the car in front of me closely because they kept jamming on their brakes. Out of the corner of my eye, I realize there is a car beside of me and they are coming over on me. Before I could react, get out of the way or even slow down, the car makes contact and I go down around 40-45mph. The scary thing was we were so close as I fell, that I saw her rear tire go past my head and there were more cars behind us. I fell on my left side and my leg got caught under the bike and was sliding head-first down the road. Not an enjoyable experience to say the least. I do have some injuries from the crash. I got some road rash on my elbow and knee. My knee, hip, ribs, shoulder and upper back are bruised and sore. May have some injuries to the knee, but got to follow up with a specialist next week. Would have been hurt worse if I had not been wearing my gear. Even though it was hot (over 90 degrees F) I was wearing my textile jacket, full face helmet, gloves and boots. Earlier that day, I had several bikes pass me and most were not wearing helmets and only wearing shorts and t-shirts. Without my gear I would most certainly have been shredded from my face , down my arm, back and chest, and probably would have spent a few days in the hospital. So from my experience I have to say, wear all the gear all the time! Here are a few pics of my injuries and my gear. There was not as much damage to the bike as I expected, however with labor costs, I expect it to be $1000 easily.
Randy
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0333.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0331.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0335.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0337.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0344.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0345.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0352.jpg)
this picture is from where I stopped sliding back into the direction of the crash
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0320.jpg)
Ouch, that looks painful. I'm glad you weren't 'seriously' injured - your gear did it's job, no broken bones or worse.
Did the woman stop? Will she be paying for your losses?
yes, she stopped, although I was concerned at first that she might not. Luckily there were cars following her and 2 of them stopped and gave me their info, and shared their disbelief in what she had done to cause the crash. Her insurance is supposed to be paying damages. I have hired an attorney to help make sure I recover damages and such. I am not the type of person looking for an opportunity to sue someone, however this was caused by someone that completely disobeyed the traffic laws and acted in a dangerous and arrogant manner. She was on a trip to visit relatives a few hours away and I believe she did this because she was in a hurry.
Oh, and the first car behind her was an older fellow that is also a rider. He helped get the bike off me, moved it off the road, put it on the kick stand and checked to make sure it would start again. He stayed to talk to the police and talked to me until I left in the ambulance. I am glad there are people out there that still care about other people and was concerned for a fellow rider.
ATGATT :thumb:
Get er!
Stupid people :mad:
What kinda of pants were you wearing?
Only had on denim jeans. I have been looking for some mesh pants to go over the jeans, but had been unable to find anything that fit so far. But before I go ride again, will have something.
Pics of the jeans for riders who think jeans are ok to wear :cookoo:
+1 on ATGATT!
I believe in freedom of choice, but I can't even imagine going through what I'm going through after my own accident and adding road rash to it. ???
Glad that you made it out alive, Frodo. :kiss3:
Wow, sorry to hear of your accident but glad you are (relatively) okay. Glad you were wearing gear. By the looks of your jacket you would've had some gnarly rash on your shoulders and fore-arms. I'm sure you've been running the scenarios in your mind of what your poor body could've been like had you not had your jacket and gloves and obviously your helmet. Those sores you have now look painful and uncomfortable enough. Yeah, definitely get some proper motorcycle pants. When I went down I had all my gear and came out virtually unscathed. Hope your examination goes well. Get plenty of rest and wishing you a good, quick recovery.
And thanks for sharing your story. It's good to be aware of as many of the different potentially dangerous encounters we might have as motorcyclists out there. I think you're like the third or fourth person in just the last month that has been downed due to an elderly driver. Not cool
Sorry to hear about your crash... get well soon! :thumb:
Glad to hear you're doing good.
Props to you for wearing your gear!!! :cheers:
Frodo -
Hi there, welcome to the forum if I haven't already. Also, welcome to another chance at life. The driver should be punished criminally and sued for damages. Please do BOTH to the fullest extent.
People get in a hurry and loose their civility so quickly. Such a shame.
Hope you don't have any qualms about riding again.
ps - thanks for riding slow enough your guardian angel could keep up. :)
Quote from: ohgood on June 14, 2008, 07:07:12 PM
Frodo -
Hi there, welcome to the forum if I haven't already. Also, welcome to another chance at life. The driver should be punished criminally and sued for damages. Please do BOTH to the fullest extent.
People get in a hurry and loose their civility so quickly. Such a shame.
Hope you don't have any qualms about riding again.
ps - thanks for riding slow enough your guardian angel could keep up. :)
Couldn't have said it any better.
Also, lets see some photos of the jeans!
I hope your knee is OK. The kneecap looks a little "crooked" in the photo! :o
Please keep us up to date as you get things sorted. :cheers:
Glad your alright dude!! :thumb: I would be highly pissed to say the least.Hope you rip her a new one! :thumb:
sue her retarded ass so bad she cant even give her crosseyed retarded grandchildren 5 dollars on their birthday
Glad you're relatively ok. Hope you're riding again soon.
Sorry I don't have any pics of the jeans. I just looked at them in the laundry room and there is not much to show. The leg of jeans where most of the damage was, has been cut off and discarded at the hospital. I can add this though, before I stopped sliding on the asphalt, I looked down at my leg to try to figure out how to get it out from under the bike. One thing that stuck in my head was it looked like cotton dust flying everywhere, so I knew my pants were toast and probably my leg also. I will never ride in just jeans again.
GeeP- my knee does look crooked, but thats just my knobby knee :oops:
Thanks for all the comments on getting better soon, it does make me feel better!
I have not decided about riding again. My wife has really not said anything but my kids have. They have made comments that they don't want me to get hurt again and not to ride anymore. Right now its not an option, my leg is in no condition to ride yet and the bike will need some repairs first. Plus I willl have to replace all the gear. As a friend of mine pointed out, it does not seem fair in many ways. I have tried very hard from the beginning to be a safe and cautious rider. I took the MSF class right away, bought riding gear, try to ride on the safest routes, and at times when traffic is light and chose a bike that was not too heavy or powerful for my riding skills. And where I live, most everyone rides Harleys or at least metric cruisers, most do not even wear helmets and hardley no one wears any kind of gear. Even the sport bike guys too often have on only shorts, tank tops and I have even seen them in flip flops! But we have had a number of fatalities around here over the past couple of years, and as far as I know almost all of them were not wearing helmets or any other riding gear. But even if my street riding days are over, I have rekindled my love of riding and will at least ride off road. Here in Eastern Kentucky, we do have lots of trails in the mountains to ride and my oldest daughter is 9, almost 10 and is big enough for her first dirt bike.
Randy
Here is a pic of the bruise on my hip and upper thigh.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0374copy.jpg)
today I spoke with one of the people that witnessed the crash. She confirmed what I suspected but was not sure about. But when the woman came over on me, she hit my handle bars and thats what put me down so quickly. And I also spoke to the nurse that came with the rescue squad and she said that the driver made it plain that she tried to pass because she was just tired of following me.
f%$king own her, so shes not tempted to do this again :mad: :nono:
Glad you're okay, man! :thumb:
And thanks for another reminder of ATGATT (though Pandy already did this month's lesson... :kiss3:). Especially as the weather gets better, it's tempting to just skip a piece of gear. :nono:
I read something when I first started riding that stuck with me. A rider who'd been in a recent accident wrote something like this:
If you could push pause right before a crash and put on more gear before the fall, then you're not wearing enough gear!!
I always think about how STOOPID I would feel if I took a fall in jeans while my armored pants were hanging in the closet.
Here's to a speedy and full recovery! :cheers:
indeed pronator. :bowdown: :bowdown:
sorry to hear you crashed, but I'm glad you're ok and the driver at fault didnt try to flee. such a STUPID reason to get careless as to be impatient. what was she going to get? maybe 10 seconds ahead?
Good on you for having your gear on. dont let it keep you from riding again, its only a temporary setback. your gear did its job, kept your skin (mostly) there, and you alive.
Quote from: pronator on June 16, 2008, 09:15:35 PM
I read something when I first started riding that stuck with me. A rider who'd been in a recent accident wrote something like this:
...
If you could push pause right before a crash and put on more gear before the fall, then you're not wearing enough gear!!
This is gooooood...very, very good!
Wow, this is an inspiration. I am guilty of not always wearing gear. It feels so good to just wear a teeshirt and riding glasses at times.. but this makes me think I should reconsider.
Quote from: DarkStarr on June 17, 2008, 04:38:09 PM
Wow, this is an inspiration. I am guilty of not always wearing gear. It feels so good to just wear a teeshirt and riding glasses at times.. but this makes me think I should reconsider.
Please do reconsider. It hurts....a....LOT....even FULLY geared up.... I can't even imagine the hurt if I'd not had gear on..... Please, please reconsider...you have at least two first-hand experiences recently to let you know what happens. We never think it will happen to us, and hopefully it doesn't, but gear up for the crash, not for the ride. :kiss3:
Not only is wearing gear important for protection, but for visibility, too. I wear one of these whenever I ride at night.
rider + black jacket + black pants + after dark = bad idea
It's small, easy to carry around and slips right over my jacket. Doesn't look bad either - better than most of the construction worker vests I'd been looking at! :laugh:
Although, when it comes down to it: I'd rather look really, really, really dorky than just a little teeny tiny bit dead.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j111/pronator_photos/amphipod.jpg)
Yes, I have a bright orange belt and a fluorescent green vest for night riding....I definitely look dorky, too, but I'd also rather look dorky than dead! :thumb:
Wanted to update what has happened since the crash. Sorry its been a while since I have added anything, but mostly just trying to heal.
It took a few days to realize that there was a problem with my knee because of the pain from the abrasion. I went to see a orthopedic Dr. and he sent me for an MRI. Turns out I had a torn MCL and possible damage to some cartilage. The Dr. put me in a hinged knee brace until the would healed and I just started physical torture.... er.... I mean physical therapy. Over the 8 weeks or so, since the crash, my left leg has atrophied some and working to get the strength back.
As far as the bike goes, I took it to a local dealership and got an estimate and then they finally sent an adjust from 4 hours away to go over the bike also. I expect it to be "totalled." No word on exactly how much they will pay or when though. There was more damage than I realized at first. Turns out that the bars were bent on top of everything else.
I have not decided what I am going to do about riding again. Its really a tough decision. Some days I want to ride so badly I can taste it, and other times I never want to ride on the road again. I am considering taking the money for my bike and getting a dirt bike, since there are lots of places for that in my area, and also my 10 y/o daughter wants a dirt bike also. But that is the biggest consideration for me right now. Both of my girls have said to me that they don't want me to ride my GS again, because they don't want me to get hurt again. No matter how much I may want to ride again some days, I really don't want the kids to be frightened everytime I leave on my bike that I may not come home. Also the recovery from the fall has taken me much longer to get over than I had expected. It took most of those first 8 weeks to just get my energy back. Also I had to sleep in the recliner for about 6 weeks because lying in the bed made my ribs hurt too much to sleep. It was all I could do just to go to work and get home some days. Also, my knee is better, but it still hurts and has limited some things I can do. Guess it seems I was hurt much worse than I initially thought. I will post some more pics as soon as I can, as I am updating this while at work.
So, everyone, be safe out there and no matter how hot it is, wear your gear!
Randy
this is the bruise on my hip that showed up a couple of days after the crash.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0393.jpg)
Randy,
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm sure you've thought a lot about those kids since the accident. I'm also sure they've thought a lot about their dad.
So happy to hear you're mostly in one piece.
Jerry
Cagers are on freaking crack.
One of them today was stripping in her car.
Yea, naked, and trying to get some clothes on ... dunno if she left the house that way and "is dressing for success" or if she lost the clothes on the way or if she just has been on the road so long (cant be, SC plates and in SC ... so ) and she changes in the car everyday or ...
Anyway, she didn't look bad, not skinny, heck may have been a bit of a fatty, but OK ...
You never see a biker do that ... thank god ...
Hey, atleast she wasn't drinking cappucchino and on the cell phone ... which I was ... :icon_twisted:
Cool.
Buddha.
Glad you are ok. Makes me feel even better about deciding to quit being a squid and buy some gear.
dang glad your still up and kickin
Quote from: Frodo on August 23, 2008, 12:49:10 PM
I just started physical torture.... er.... I mean physical therapy.
Ahh you went to see the physio-terrorist, i spent many hours with her a few months after my crash lol.
QuoteGuess it seems I was hurt much worse than I initially thought. I will post some more pics as soon as I can, as I am updating this while at work.
Thats the problem with bike accidents, at least you went to hospital. After my crash i never went to hospital and it only culminated 6 months later that i was still in pain and went to see the doctor/chiropracter who said i had 2 slipped discs in my back, had broken at least 2 ribs, my collarbone and my pelvis. I mean i was in shitloads of pain but was wearing full leather gear and boots when i crashed and thought it was just really bad bruising. I low sided after hitting some mud at a farm entrance approaching my village and was doing 60 or so. Slid for a long distance but what did the damage was sliding over a raised steel grate cover in the middle of the road (a bike trap in itself i might add)
+100 on ATGATT, also leather or the like (kangaroo etc..) is the best riding gear you can have if you get a modern set which should be TIGHT fitting, therefore you don't get road rash like you can still do with textile.
Glad you made it through even with some injuries.
It amazes me that she came out and blatently said i was bored of sitting behind you, so i broke the traffic laws, tried to overtake when clearly i couldnt and then KNOWING YOU WERE THERE pulled back in on you. Fooking crazy. Cagers should realise that actually you won't get their any faster by overtaking. Only on a fricking freeway. If your not sat behind me your only going to sit behind the car infront. I don't get it. I get on my bike and overtake alot of things but i actually get their much quicker and safer because you can overtake in so many more places on a bike. When i get in my car i don't bother. Cars are slow, they are big, and overtaking is nowhere near as simple or safe and you probably cant overtake the next car you meet anyway. Someone should go round and point this out.
this is the bruise on my hip that showed up a couple of days after the crash.
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m200/acepharmer/napoleon%20mirrors/IMG_0393.jpg)
[/quote]
Also check into it with the insurance company they should replace all your gear along with the repairs to your bike. Especially the helmet, Their only good once ya know.
Hope you get well soon man. Going down does suck, but you got up and that's all that matters.
Glad to hear you're doing better.
I was almost on the other end of what you experienced. Saturday night I was driving home east on I-4 from Tampa. I was between Tampa and Lakeland around 11pm just minding my own business going about 70mph when all of a sudden I see a flash a foot to the left of me that streaks ahead really fast. About a second later I hear the sound of a motorcycle exhaust. Some dumbass mofo that was going at least 120 mph (that's about 200kmh for you Euros) lane split between myself and the car slightly in front and to the left to me. If I switched lanes or the guy next to me braked that rider would be in the morgue right now. It's easy to see why we get a bad rap with idiots like that guy riding like he did.
A year ago my wife and I were in SoCal on vacation stuck in a gridlock headed back to Orange County when some squid lanesplit the whole cluster of cars...at about 80. I know it's legal there but it scared the crap out of me. I am shocked how impatient people are. I ALWAYS wear textile pants,jacket, and gloves with a full face helmet, and can't begin to comprehend how some go with shorts and a tank top with a helmet around here (required by law) I even bought a yellow helmet and jacket to increase my visibility and ride like I am not only invisible, but those that do see me are still going to try and kill me. It is somewhat safer than riding a bicycle on the road however- cars actually recognise you as a vehicle with rights to the lane of travel, unlike on abike where everyone acts like you should be in the ditch and often try to put you there. At least on a motorcycle you go the same speed as traffic. of course if you go down the penalty is quite a bit steeper. Glad you are doing okay but don't let some dumbass that Can't Understand Normal Thinking (it's an acronym) take away something you love because she is a goddamn idiot. Take as much money as you can from the insurance company, and if it isn't enough, they will cut her loose and then you can empty her fat effin' pockets too. goddamn Buddha Loves You.
wow Kasumi, you had some serious injuries there. Amazing you were able to walk around in the that much pain!!
I really appreciate everyones comments. Its a tough decision whether to ride now, or wait until the kids are grown, but by then I may not be able to, LOL.
I have retained a lawyer and am hopefull that he can make the best out of a bad situation. One of the things the attorney has had me do was make a list of all the personal items that was damaged that day and the cost of each item. They are supposed to pay for replacement on everything.
That morning when I had first started out, I had 2 H-D's pass me. On both bikes the drivers and passengers were wearing shorts, t-shirts and NO HELMETS. (Kentucky repealed the helmet law a few years ago) I am sure they looked at me and thought, poor stupid bastard wearing all that hot gear and its going to be 98F today. But just about an hour later, I am picking myself up off the pavement and very thankful I was wearing my hot gear.
One thing that does not seem fair is, I bought a GS because it was a smaller and agile bike to re-learn on, I took the MSF class, wore my gear no matter how hot it was, rode carefully, tried to pick roads that are lightly traveled, riding at times when there was not much traffic, basically everything possible to be careful and I am the one that got hit by a car. I see all these squids wearing tank tops and shorts on their sports bikes, passing everything in sight, and 3 times in the past week I have seen them riding holding both hands out to their sides, and I am the one that has a get off. Oh, but who said life is fair.
Randy
What part of KY are you in? I used to go to college in Knott Co. KY.
Take your time on deciding to ride again or not. It's definately a tough choice to make.
Quote from: Frodo on August 25, 2008, 05:12:00 PM
wow Kasumi, you had some serious injuries there. Amazing you were able to walk around in the that much pain!!
I really appreciate everyones comments. Its a tough decision whether to ride now, or wait until the kids are grown, but by then I may not be able to, LOL.
I have retained a lawyer and am hopefull that he can make the best out of a bad situation. One of the things the attorney has had me do was make a list of all the personal items that was damaged that day and the cost of each item. They are supposed to pay for replacement on everything.
That morning when I had first started out, I had 2 H-D's pass me. On both bikes the drivers and passengers were wearing shorts, t-shirts and NO HELMETS. (Kentucky repealed the helmet law a few years ago) I am sure they looked at me and thought, poor stupid bastard wearing all that hot gear and its going to be 98F today. But just about an hour later, I am picking myself up off the pavement and very thankful I was wearing my hot gear.
One thing that does not seem fair is, I bought a GS because it was a smaller and agile bike to re-learn on, I took the MSF class, wore my gear no matter how hot it was, rode carefully, tried to pick roads that are lightly traveled, riding at times when there was not much traffic, basically everything possible to be careful and I am the one that got hit by a car. I see all these squids wearing tank tops and shorts on their sports bikes, passing everything in sight, and 3 times in the past week I have seen them riding holding both hands out to their sides, and I am the one that has a get off. Oh, but who said life is fair.
Randy
Don't worry, the next time you see a highway crew with a big squeegie to clean a large red stain off the road you will know that you won.
Yeah in sweet home Kentucky, at the age of 21 with a valid motorcycle license (not learners permit) you can choose if you are going to wear a helmet or not. If you have a permit, you have no choice. You have to wear it no matter what age. Weed out the idiots that way. Progress as a species. lmao. j/k
But hey Froto, Where abouts are you from in KY?
update:
Latest development is the insurance company sent a check for the bike and a salvage company came and picked it up last night. It was a little hard to see them loading up the bike, but was nice to have something finally happen. In 4 more days it will be 4 months since the crash and long overdue for some money to come in for the value of the bike.
I still have a week or so of physical therapy and a follow up with the Dr concerning the knee. I am anxious to hear what the Dr. has to say.
Randy
Glad to hear that things are starting to go the way they should. I hope the Dr. gives you plenty of good news about the knee too.
Thanks for the update.
Take care,
Chris