Remember my first trip to the ER? The leg laceration that left me crippled for 2 months? That came just a few days after a sprained ankle.
Last Monday, I once again sprained my ankle, but it was well on its way to recovery when I crashed very badly on my bike yesterday. I think from now on, I will make a mental note whenever I sprain my ankle that it is a sign of worse injuries/accidents to come.
I was out biking with Danilo, Alex, and Jack yesterday when we decided to do a little “race” back to S&P. So I built up to about 25mph going down the straight-away of Albany street, but me being stupid and inexperienced, tried to round the corner onto Pacific while still going full-speed. A combination of not leaning enough and the road not being wide enough, I crashed, head first, into the sidewalk at 25 mph. I saw a big white spark when I felt the top of my head hit the curb.
Reasons I am lucky:
- I was wearing a helmet, which absorbed the majority of the impact. You should see the helmet (maybe I’ll take a picture of it and post it). It is f-ing scary. I took it off after I got up from the crash, and I looked at it and shuddered. There is a big dent at the top, and the foam is cracked in multiple places. That would have been my head.
- Despite the major head-first impact, I injured no neck vertebrae, spinal cord, anything major that would have left me paralyzed.
- Once again, I have some wonderful wonderful friends who stuck by me and made sure I was okay. Eternally grateful to: Danilo, Yoni, Alex, Oaz, and Jack.
The trip to the ER in the ambulance was so that I could get some xrays to make sure I had no major neck injuries, just in case. They also flushed out all of my wounds. I have a few pretty nasty cuts on my left elbow, and ridiculous road rash all up and down my left leg.
Casualties:
- My bike. After convincing myself that I am okay, this was the saddest part. Some not-so-pretty scratches on the seat and handlebar, but most of all, a HUGE dent in the top-tube :( It was such a beautiful bike.
- My ring. The turtle ring that my dad bought me took some major dentage. I probably have to find a jeweler to get it reshaped :(
- Some major skin cells that are now driving my fibroblasts and neutrophils into full-combat mode.
Once again folks, I am okay, and I was so extremely lucky. So how about that luck of the Irish?
6 Comments
I’m really glad you’re okay. I hate hills and bikes. Growing up in Mt. Pleasant spoiled me. I like biking on long flat stretches. Sorry about the bike :(
how scary! glad you’re okay and that you were wearing a helmet.
OMG, glad to hear you’re not seriously hurt. Hope you still got to enjoy your 4th.
I’m going to be very upset if you get killed before we ever get to meet face to face! Be more careful Kiddo. You’ve got a lot of guts to push a bike past 25 on concrete, but leave the heroics to the test pilots (or become one yourself – at least they have ejection seats!) Glad you’re OK though. Should I send you get well chocolates? :-)
Shan!!! Be Careful, IM glad you had people there to take care of you
Greetings from Kunming, Shan; crikey, you’re at it again! I won’t tell you to take it easy, because I know you won’t. Just promise me you will live to an old age with no severe injuries.
So I’m heading to Hangzhou for three weeks on Saturday; I will certainly contact your grandparents (for a delicious meal, of course :-) if I get the time! Thanks for sending me their contact details mate.
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[...] As luck would have it, the winter I decide to get a season pass is the winter that New England gets no snow. It’s the middle of January, and Killington reported lows in the upper-20s today. The summit was toasty and balmy, and my helmet made me roast, but the important thing is that I wore a helmet. I didn’t wear a helmet last weekend, and I hit my head twice. You would think that me of all people would know the importance of wearing a helmet… But then again, you would think I’d never go near a slope again, but there I was. [...]
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