Topic: I just wrecked my bike!

[oldfordguy]

Also, studies have shown that the major contributor to brain damage is not due to speed, but rather the height from which your head falls to the ground.  Bicycles are actually somewhat more dangerous than motorcycles, since generally a person sits higher in the saddle.  Just last year at one of our lakes, two bicycyclists collided, and the one without a helmet was killed when their head hit the sidewalk.  My family and I wear helmets both on the motorcyle and when riding our bicycles, I want to protect my melon and set a good example for my 5 year old.

[mmtsquid]

I will snap some pics of the helmet this weekend - I don't for a second think the crash would have killed me, but it would have peeled my head pretty good!
There is a gouge (deep scratch) approx. 2.5 inches long on the right side, about 3 inches right of center, midway between forehead and crown.
The face shield has a .25 chamfer on the upper edge, about 3 inches wide.
So yes, I'm sure I would have lived had I not been wearing the helmet, and yes, I'm sure I would have left a large chunk of skin and hair in that parking lot.

I rode the bike home, and I do think the handlebars are slightly bent - which REALLY pi$$es me off as they are about 1 month old! (superbike bars).

So, the total tally to fix the bike is about 50 bucks.  Not bad!

I was pretty worried about telling my wife - she's pregnant, and I figured I would get the "it's time to sell the bike" lecture.
But no, she was cool about it - although she did say I may want to reconsider riding to work "rain or shine" and just stick to "shine" for safetys sake.

[754]

WTH?? just tell her it fell over when you moved it on the parking lot..



I probably would not even mention it to the wife..

Her Father died about 10 + years ago on  a Vespa, so I dont bting up more than need to know stuff..

[mmtsquid]

She's a pretty cool lady - When I found out she was pregnant, I suggested selling both bikes and getting a boat.
I figured our days of riding together were over for several years, so we may as well get something the whole family could enjoy.
Her response?  "You love your bike - don't sell it!  If you think we should have a boat, save some money and go get one".

Like I said, she's a cool lady.

[medic09]

Glad you're okay!  Glad your bike is mostly okay.  Glad you wore your helmet.

The other day I flew a patient out of state for specialized care.  Crashed his bike.  Fairly low speed. No helmet.  No major injuries, including no broken skull.  The impact passed through to his brain is another story.  He's like a stroke patient.  Just not quite recovering.  The helmet MIGHT have spared him that.  It is certainly worth stacking the odds in our favour...

[heffay]

medic... thanks again for that dose.

reality is what we need here... not conjecture.

[754]

So wearing a helmet  (which BTW Honda has a sticker on the bike telling you to wear) is an idea that needs reminding??

Interesting in the news that no matter what happens at any speed , the helmet they where wearing saved them. Wether it made a difference or not.

[Gordon]

Interesting in the news that no matter what happens at any speed , the helmet they where wearing saved them. Wether it made a difference or not.

It's fun to twist other's words around, isn't it?

[754]

I am not trying to twist anyones words, if I did i am sorry..
 I just get tired of hearing, the boy on the sidewalk at school got knocked down by a car, good thing he was wearing a helmet..

 That and the story this thread is about are 2 examples of , maybe it helped.. maybe it didnt..

[techy5025]

Once a bike starts to go over at low speeds, our natural instinct is to try to stop it. Oftentimes, that results in us being trapped and falling sideways under the bike. The next result obviously depends on what your head hits.

My understanding is that one of the past owners of the BMW dealership in Orlando was killed while moving a bike in his small parking lot. A curb was in the path of his falling head.

I never leave my driveway without a helmet or jacket.......on. Having come off a bike once at 20 mph or so, I wouldn't want the marks left on the helmet to be transferred to my noggin'. I just don't find that a helmet is uncomfortable or any way reduces my enjoyment of riding. It's kinda nice to have the XM radio...at low volume..to listen to also. 

Jim

[mystic_1]

That and the story this thread is about are 2 examples of , maybe it helped.. maybe it didnt..

Whether or not the helmet in the opening post saved his life, it certainly helped.  He fell at least three feet onto concrete while moving 5M MPH or so. and landed on his head.

Why are you so determined to think that the helmet was irrelevant?

mystic_1

[754]

if you have seen someone hit the pavement face first, at 20 mph & not break their neck or get a concussion, you may view this diferently.

Every time a helmet gets a scratch at 10 mph or under is not proof it saved a head injury.. that is what my point is..

[mystic_1]

Broken necks are concussions are not the only form of head injury.

I doubt you've seen anyone faceplant at 20mph without a helmet and walk away with no injury at all.

Thus, the helmet in this case certainly helped.

mystic_1

[754]

This is why many assume you will get certain injuries..because they have not seen  someone get away with it..  That being said, you wont alway get away with it, certainly there is proof you can sustain serious injury or death at 5 mph.

In this case the rider contacted the ground first in sitting position, then the feet caught, and rider went over onto the pavement facefirst... hard enough  that when the face hit , feet were 2 feet off the ground....

Yes there were injuries.. torn upper lip(a few stitches), gouged knee (crutches for a day), road rash on an elbow..

[medic09]

Truth is, there are always MAYBEs.  Yes, I have more than once picked up crashed bikers without serious head injuries.  Nonetheless, I (and my physician wife) am convinced by the limited scientifically gathered evidence and by my own fair experience that helmets stack the odds in our favour.  Hey, I've also seen fatalities that wore helmets.  I still say that what I see on a weekly basis leaves me convinced clearly that it is far smarter to wear a helmet than not.  There certainly is a reason that professionals of all sorts wear them with little (I won't so 'none') compromise.

BTW, who saw the piece in Cycle World about the drag biker who left his bike and slid down the strip at 185 mph?  Pretty amazing that he had no serious injuries...

[DammitDan]

Dad told me a story once about a scene he witnessed during Desert Storm.

He was a pediatrician/surgeon working with a FAST (flying ambulance surgical trauma) team and a forward operating MASH.  They had a podiatrist who liked to collect "dud" munitions out in the field.  Mines, cluster bombs, etc.  Well, suffice it to say, his passion for collecting "dud" explosives ended when he picked up a live one.

Dad said when they brought the body into surgery he was missing his head and an arm, and half his leg was gone.  His clothing was torn to shreds.  But when they took off his Flak vest, he didn't have even a scratch on his chest.

Dad told me he wore his vest from that day on no matter how hot or how heavy or how sweaty he was, whether he was in the middle of surgery or walking around "Concrete City".

The same could be said of motorcycle helmets.  It may not save your life, but it damn sure ain't gonna hurt your chances.

[seaweb11]

745, would this hurt less with a helmet?

[754]

I would say yes.

[stresssolutions]

Same sort of thing happened to me in a parking lot, turned too much and tire hit some sand.  It was soooooooooo fast, I went from thinking "oh sh*t" to rolling over and springing back up thinking "that is weird, how did I get up again so fast" to "the bike is choking" to "I hope it is ok" to "I hope I'm ok".  I picked it up, started it, rode in a circle, parked to to prove that I still could. 

I was a little scared for a little while, adrenaline, you know...felt lucky, as I had taken off my helmet when I checked in before entering the parking lot at work. 

[Bob Wessner]

Truth is, there are always MAYBEs.  Yes, I have more than once picked up crashed bikers without serious head injuries.  Nonetheless, I (and my physician wife) am convinced by the limited scientifically gathered evidence and by my own fair experience that helmets stack the odds in our favour.  Hey, I've also seen fatalities that wore helmets.  I still say that what I see on a weekly basis leaves me convinced clearly that it is far smarter to wear a helmet than not.  There certainly is a reason that professionals of all sorts wear them with little (I won't so 'none') compromise.

BTW, who saw the piece in Cycle World about the drag biker who left his bike and slid down the strip at 185 mph?  Pretty amazing that he had no serious injuries...

You get to love your vest. Unfortunately, back in my day they were not 'bullet proof,' but mere flack jackets. Loved it just the same, my best friend.

[754]

I would not call what happened in the OP, wrecking a bike..

 More like dropping it in a parking lot..