bit it

[pepperell]

had my first bad crash yesterday (Saturday 1.6.07). we had taken page mill rd up past skyline and were heading down on alpine rd. my buddy was about 300 yrds behind me and didn't see the crash but of course found the aftermath.

i came around a sharp left-hander at a relaxed pace. probably going 30 mph tops. alpine, in that section, is beat to hell and is rough, narrow, and i'd seen lots of dirt etc washed over. well i slowed for this corner, went around it and was on the gas slightly when i spun up the rear tire and the bike began to switch ends. the back cleared the large patch of gravel and caught the clean pavement, the sudden traction threw me up and over in a textbook highside. all of this happened almost instantly, i felt the back slip the i was a few feet in the air over the bike.

the bike hit hard on its right side well away from me. i supermaned-it on to the pavement and must have gotten my left arm under me because it suffered the brunt of the damage. i jumped up and ran to the bike, which was bouncing off the rev limiter in gear and hit the kill switch. i then quickly realized that i was getting tunnel vision and took a seat. according to my friend i blacked out for a few seconds.

a concerned couple in a pick up truck stopped and called 911. with the help of a passing harley rider, we moved my bike to a wider spot in the road. park rangers were at the scene almost immediately. by this time i was a bit dazed, but awake and coherent. i told them my arm was hurt but their main concern was that i'd passed out, though my helmet looked like it had just come out of the box-- no dings, scuffs, nothing.

the fire dept got there a few minutes after and took over. they braced my neck and put me on a board. they had to remind me about 100 times to SPEAK my answers rather than nod. doh, i'm an idiot. chp and various other officers showed up. i explained what happened a few times... "my fault, was going slowly, ~20-30, hit some gravel and highsided". i could hear a moto officer chuckling with a fellow cop about "funny how they always seem to be going the speed limit." he could have at least said that to my face instead of joking around about it, within earshot. not sure if i will get cited.

ambulance got lost en route and took awhile but i got loaded in the back and taken to kaiser redwood city. thought i was going to puke on the way down which would not have been fun as i was strapped to a board.

got neck and left arm xrays there. neck was fine, and much to my relief, got to get off the board and take off the brace. unfortunately my arm was broken in two spots. one up by the wrist near the thumb that i guess is tough to heal. might need surgery. the other, the ulna near the elbow. i have a long hard splint thing that might as well be a cast cause it ain't coming off without a saw. didnt hurt so bad in the ER, but by last night it was killing me. in fact my other wrist is sore too. hope both arent broken or i will be SOL.

will make an appt with the ortho surgeon tomorrow. also need to call my insurance and get bike from tow yard. could not assess how bad damage was on the scene.

my wife is using this accident as a huge "i told you so" about the dangers of biking. i've tried to tell her that i ride with full gear and take every other precaution to be safe but that means little. this might be the last nail in the coffin. hope that once this passes she'll see how much joy riding gives me and will lighten up.

 

[SoarAndEnvision]

wow man - REALLY glad you are ok - that sounds extremely unpleasant to make a poor understatement of it.

That's pretty irritating about the motorcop - like he's never had a close call.
MAN - that's like SUPREME Asshole-dom to be a smart ass in someone's hour of pain.

Anyway forget about that loser and hope this isn't the end of riding for you.

Stay strong bud.

 

[aszrael1266]

Sorry to hear about your fall. I hope your other wrist isn't broken.

 

[Bikerx260]

That does suck. I've had plenty of slow close calls on Old LaHonda and Alpine in the past. The kind that make pull over and take a breather.

On those two roads I usually take a sightseers pace, and let others pass, if there are any other riders.

In the motors defense, most of us do go pretty quickly up there.

 

[aszrael1266]

I had one close call up near muir woods where i hit some lose dirt and pine needles. I got lucky i was going so slow.

 

[afm199]

Yep, shit happens. I did a similar thing on my SV on redwood road, came around a corner hit some gravel and highsided... We all tend to forget that motorcycling is DANGEROUS.

 

[edmo]

Glad you're ok. Thanks for the story.

 

[budman]

This time of year definately throws more hazards your way despite the sunshine.. Sounds like you just caught some bad luck.. I saw many many places yesterday that could spell disaster.. and just clicked it back a bit.. Also knowing certain areas will be wet.. and with some friends pointing out a few spots of sand/gravel that might have caused a similar situation is a blessing.

Hope that you heal up quick and the wife will emotionally settle in and listen to her heart about your passion.

Mine has seen me highside at the track.. and of course did the ER scene with me... she started to worry a bit more.. and eventually gave up riding on the back of the bikes.. but understands.. my love of the sport and also knows that I too ride with good gear.

Best of luck sorting that out and with the potential injuries.

:smoking

 

[wackyiraqi]

i could hear a moto officer chuckling with a fellow cop about "funny how they always seem to be going the speed limit." he could have at least said that to my face instead of joking around about it, within earshot.

Wow, what a fucking unprofessional cock.

 

[pepperell]

thanks for all the replies. arm is a bit less sore but my hand is swollen like a inflated rubber glove. docs are looking at it shortly.

my biggest worry is my wife, her family and my parents. i got a voicemail from her dad this morning telling me to "sell the fucking bike" and that he doesnt want his daughter to have to wipe my ass the rest of my life. how can i argue? i just come out looking selfish. ugh.

 

[flying_hun]

Very sorry to read about your accident, and very sorry to read about both the cop and the father-in-law. The father-in-law is the bigger problem.

Know yourself before you reflexively decide to agree with them.

Was it the scaphoid that you broke that might require surgery? That bone can be slow to heal. I think that the scaphoid had a role in shortening the careers of both Spencer and Schwantz.

Best wishes,

Kurt

 

[erok18]

glad to hear you came away relatively ok. bummer that future riding is questionable. hopefully you get back on though. if anything, at least on the track.

 

[arnoha]

Wow. I did almost the same thing on Alpine. I don't know how fast I was going, but not too quick. I came around a bend and hit a mud flow. Fortune smiled on me, because I had *both* ends of the bike slip. I started to lowside, but then, again, *both* ends of the bike hooked up and a small tank-slapper later, and I was heading down the road to buy some new shorts!

I love Alpine, but it can bite hard. Heal up quickly and completely!

As for the father-in-law...he's being a dick, but he's reacting to a threat to his daughter's happiness. I'd prolly cut him some slack. It's a bridge you'll have to cross with your wife, and only you know what the priorities there are.

 

[flying_hun]

i got a voicemail from her dad this morning telling me to "sell the fucking bike" and that he doesnt want his daughter to have to wipe my ass the rest of my life.

One more thing. You posted this, so I'm going to assume that comment is invited.

As I've thought about this v-mail I have found it rather chilling. You decide how to live your life. However, I have more one than one observation to offer as one who is both a longtime motorcyclist (coming up on 40 years) and who has been married more than once.

Your father-in-law's remark evidences a certain contempt for you. Maybe I'm wrong, it's only one data point, but if that's how he sees the situation, it would appear that he doesn't hold you in much regard. Your call.

A second observation goes back to my first post on this. Know yourself. It's understandable to be confused and freaked out right now. That will pass. At some point some of us find out that we're motorcyclists. There is not much we can do about it. Our choice is to either be it, or miss it. If you can walk away from motorcycling and never miss it - no problem. That's not my situation.

Third, while relationships with both parents and in-laws are important, so are boundaries. I don't think my father-in-law would say such a thing to me, even though he might think it. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to define those boundaries so that neither he nor anyone else thinks he can dictate to you in such a tone. You may decide to quit bikes, but it would be a mistake to let yourself be bullied in this way. In my experience, this kind of bullying does not get better.

Good luck,

 

[Dove]

Shared wisdom that can only be put in words after obvious trials and tribulations - I wish I didn't have to live for 50 years to get to the point you're at.

 

[pepperell]

again, thanks for the feedback. it;s great to hear even if i am preaching to the choir.

in my father-n-law's defense-- we have a very friendly relationship. he's an attorney and chooses his words carefully. i think he chose those words more for shock value than anything else. that having been said i think both my families are having a very emotional reaction to this crash. as would be expected.

the big problem comes down to "outsiders" perception of the dangers of motorcycles. we get so much bad press not just in the media, but from the grapevine of family and friends that it is impossible to convince them that riding is NOT the most dangerous thing on earth. i'm just trying to put off making a decision until i might get a more rational reaction.



BTW, i did break the "Scaphoid" bone in my wrist. bad blood flow = slow heal. i also cracked the radial (elbow end) of my ulna. just got a full hard cast put on. actually feels a lot better than the splint did. prolly won't feel the same way in a couple weeks.

 

[flying_hun]

it;s great to hear even if i am preaching to the choir.



the big problem comes down to "outsiders" perception of the dangers of motorcycles. we get so much bad press not just in the media, but from the grapevine of family and friends that it is impossible to convince them that riding is NOT the most dangerous thing on earth. i'm just trying to put off making a decision until i might get a more rational reaction.



BTW, i did break the "Scaphoid" bone in my wrist. bad blood flow = slow heal. i also cracked the radial (elbow end) of my ulna. just got a full hard cast put on. actually feels a lot better than the splint did.

For as long as I've been riding maybe I should hold out for being the bishop, or at least a deacon or something, rather than the choir. I sing like crap.

My experience with fractures that haven't been badly displaced or required surgery is that they stop hurting surprisingly quickly. My guess is that your arm will feel just fine inside that cast long before it's a good idea to ride again.

Now, to your problem with "outsiders": Your cast is going to be on a while, but not nearly long enough for that problem to go away. Right now there are probably lots of non-riding folks who are advising your loved ones, and it's unlikely that any of them are suggesting that it's fine for you to go back to riding. Everyone will have a horror story to share, so you can bet your wife, your parents, your in-laws are getting all their biases reinforced, and their fears amplified.

It's a given.

Going back into old fogey-mode, I cannot remember a time during my active riding life when public attitude towards riding has been as favorable and accepting as right now. Yes, you read that correctly. This is the BEST I've seen it. If you're waiting for folks to be rational about risk, bring your lunch.

Clearly, it's not up to me to say how to deal with this. Your life, your relationships, your responsibilities, your choice. If riding is not worth the risks to you, you are the only one can make that call, and if so you will have an easier life if you quit. But don't kid yourself that it will magically get better and that folks will be more reasonable and understanding at some future point. Riding will always make you look NUTS to a significant portion of the population.

Best wishes on your recovery,

 

[Stormdragon]

+ a few hundred on the Hun's comments. I had an accident quite a few years ago and broke two metacarpals. When you have a cast, everyone wants to know what happened. And when they find out, you get to hear the phrase: wait for it...
Did You Learn Your Lesson?
After three or four weeks, I was ready to break noses with said cast. And the lesson I learned, which I doubt was the one the rest of the world was expecting me to learn was: Stay away from the cars!

 

[stan23]

in fact my other wrist is sore too. hope both arent broken or i will be SOL.

:cry

ahh.. brings back my memories of having both wrists broken. It does suck, but only quit riding on your own accord. I contemplated it for a split second, when I was in the hospital.

I wish you a fast heal. I was back on the bike exactly 1 month later.

I took plenty of supplements:

 

[Yody]

I was on redwood (same area) about a month or two ago, right after it had rained for a week. I was going about 60 mph( in the shady part under trees) through a slight left hander, hanging off the bike just a little when I must of hit some pine leaves or something. Something worse than just water, because the rear of the bike swung out instantly and violently. The bars went to full lock and then just as quicly as it kicked out the rear caught traction. Bike stood back up and had one bad tank slap(damper caught it) it tried to buck me off and my ass was in the air. Luckilyl I landed it and kept riding. I had my Ipod on and was throughly freaked out. I've crashed before and was never as wigged out as I was after this happened.

After reading a similar story like yours it makes me realize just how lucky I was. I'm not a religous person at all but man do I get lucky sometimes! Good luck on the recovery and go tell the father in law to fuck himself