Show us your cycling scars!!
Discussion
OK, I have never been in the position to start a thread like this before but after a big crash on Monday am finally in a position to wear my scars like a badge on honor!
I had a big ‘off’ and faceplanted from about 6ft in the air in the middle of Swinley Forest, I have no recollection of the accident as I was knocked out cold for 10 mins. I had the full trauma treatment, 1st responder followed by paramedics, trip to the major trauma unit at the local hospital, scans and x-rays galore. Final tally for my injuries is;
> broken face in two places (cheek bone and eye socket)
> fractured jaw
> cracked lots of ribs
> torn ligament in my shoulder
> torn muscle in my neck
> impacted teeth in my upper jaw
> torn ear
> loads of cuts’n’bruises
So, lets be ‘aving ya - what have you done in the past??
30 mins after the 'off'
2 days later
I had a big ‘off’ and faceplanted from about 6ft in the air in the middle of Swinley Forest, I have no recollection of the accident as I was knocked out cold for 10 mins. I had the full trauma treatment, 1st responder followed by paramedics, trip to the major trauma unit at the local hospital, scans and x-rays galore. Final tally for my injuries is;
> broken face in two places (cheek bone and eye socket)
> fractured jaw
> cracked lots of ribs
> torn ligament in my shoulder
> torn muscle in my neck
> impacted teeth in my upper jaw
> torn ear
> loads of cuts’n’bruises
So, lets be ‘aving ya - what have you done in the past??
30 mins after the 'off'
2 days later
Geeze, looking at those pictures I got off lightly! Don't have the facial x-rays but they made interesting reading! My entire right hand side is brilliant sunset yellow today as the bruising comes out, ribs and shoulder are still killing me. Prior to this crash my worst injury was a graze on my elbows from cutting corners and catching trees, oh and the inevitable shin/calf scars that go with running V8 pedals! Touch wood I have never had an injury on my road bike.
I have a fairly impressive dent on the front of my skull with which to scare small children, should I ever go bald.
I was cycling down a steep hill near my parents. From there it gets a bit hazy, but the accident investigation unit (more on them later) reckoned I'd come round a bend and hit some loose soil on the road. The front wheel had slid through it, then dug in on the other side, sending me over the bars at around 35mph. Pretty much the first point of contact was my head an the corner of a cobblestone drain surround.
Fortunately, there was someone driving down the road behind me. He helped me out of the road (I was still conscious at this point) and got someone to call an ambulance then come and look after me so that he could get on his way to the meeting he was running late for.
I woke up 3 hours later in hospital without a clue what had happened. The last thing I could remember was the guy looking after me saying he could here the ambulance.
After they let me out of hospital 3 days later, my mother took me to get my bike back. The chap who had looked after me answered the door, and practically burst into tears, saying he hadn't expected to see me alive again. He then explained that I'd started having a fit just before the ambulance arrived, bringing with it three police cars who shut the road off in both directions. At this point, I was the only person other than the first driver who knew that he hadn't knocked me off, and I was in no condition to tell anyone, hence the accident investigators.
The bit that really got to the bloke looking after me was the police inspector asking him questions about the driver and the like "in case I didn't survive".
Fortunately for me (and possibly the driver, who had nothing to do with me coming off), I did survive, and learnt two things that day.
Firstly, cycle helmets are quite a good idea! I've not ridden a bike without one in the 15 years since.
Secondly, my skull is around 30% thicker than average, fortunately for me!!
I was cycling down a steep hill near my parents. From there it gets a bit hazy, but the accident investigation unit (more on them later) reckoned I'd come round a bend and hit some loose soil on the road. The front wheel had slid through it, then dug in on the other side, sending me over the bars at around 35mph. Pretty much the first point of contact was my head an the corner of a cobblestone drain surround.
Fortunately, there was someone driving down the road behind me. He helped me out of the road (I was still conscious at this point) and got someone to call an ambulance then come and look after me so that he could get on his way to the meeting he was running late for.
I woke up 3 hours later in hospital without a clue what had happened. The last thing I could remember was the guy looking after me saying he could here the ambulance.
After they let me out of hospital 3 days later, my mother took me to get my bike back. The chap who had looked after me answered the door, and practically burst into tears, saying he hadn't expected to see me alive again. He then explained that I'd started having a fit just before the ambulance arrived, bringing with it three police cars who shut the road off in both directions. At this point, I was the only person other than the first driver who knew that he hadn't knocked me off, and I was in no condition to tell anyone, hence the accident investigators.
The bit that really got to the bloke looking after me was the police inspector asking him questions about the driver and the like "in case I didn't survive".
Fortunately for me (and possibly the driver, who had nothing to do with me coming off), I did survive, and learnt two things that day.
Firstly, cycle helmets are quite a good idea! I've not ridden a bike without one in the 15 years since.
Secondly, my skull is around 30% thicker than average, fortunately for me!!
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