News Flash!! Dogs < Motorcyclists
The short story is: don't get me started on people that let their stupid dogs run free all over town and countryside.
The long story is this: Riding to work Thursday morning. 6:50am. . .just like usual. Riding along a rural county road, I crested a small hill at about 55mph and saw a dog running across the street. I slowed some to make sure it wouldn't double back and then out of the corner of my eye, a second dog, a yellow lab I think, runs right out in front of me. I had no time to avoid or brake any more. I hit the dog squarely in the gut but I was angled just a bit. I felt the impact and the bars jerked violently to the left, sending me and the bike hard over the right side. At impact, I heard the dog yelp and then I heard the horrible sound of bike on pavement.
I slid head first across the opposite lane into a grassy ditch. When I stopped, I lay there for a second wiggling stuff and making sure my neck felt okay. I could feel some pretty bad pain in my right ankle/foot. My knees were cut up some but the rest felt fine. By this point, I hear cars stopping and people running up to me.
I sit up and remove my gloves and helmet. And see a lady running out of her car towards me. Two other people show up, one dials 911. They tell me to lie down and be still. One guy asks me how many fingers he's holding up. I say "two" and then correct myself by saying "one and a half" since one of his fingers was cut off at the bottom knuckle. I give the guy with the half finger my cell phone and he calls my wife and leaves a message on her cell phone (which was turned off). Then, somebody shows up that works at my plant and they call my boss.
My bike was another 30 yards down the hill. It was lying in the same ditch I was, but was pointed a way from me. The back end looked fine. I kept asking about the bike, but nobody could tell me how badly it was damaged. The dog lay silently in the grass some 10 yards up the hill from where I was. Somebody said it was dead and honestly, I felt glad about that.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, an ambulance shows up. I'm still faced away from the road, so I don't know how many cars were pulled over but there were a lot. The EMT opened my right boot and palpated my ankle. I could feel the swelling and pressure building inside my boot but the EMT could not feel any protruding bones, so that was comforting.
I got loaded on the stretcher and then loaded into the ambulance. At this point I could see several cars parked along the side of the road. Two guys in my dept. poked there head into the ambulance. They informed me that they were going to get the bike. My neighbor, who also rides and works at my plant, showed up. He also said he would take car of the Buell. I felt better knowing capable hands were taking care of my bike.
Off to the hospital. The wrong hospital. I had asked the EMT to take me to the bigger hospital even though it was a little farther away, but instead, we went to a small mini-hospital kind of place. The ER room was one nurse and one Dr. Seriously. I lay in bed for a little while and my sweet wife came walking in. What a relief to see her! A couple of minutes of waiting around and they wheel me back to take some x-rays. The Dr. informs me that I have some fractures in my foot and ankle.
Eventually, the nurse takes care of my abrasions. Luckily, I didn't have too many, 'cuz cleaning that crap out hurts!!! And then the Dr. takes over and puts my foot/ankle in a two part cast.
The Dr. informs me that she has referred me to an orthopeadic surgeon in a town 60 miles away. I asked her to contact the ortho I had been too when I broke my hand last Nov. So she calls and finds out he's in surgery at the hospital I originally asked the EMT to take me too!
In order to see the ortho I wanted to see, I had to go travel the 20 miles to the bigger hospital and wait in the emergency room. I got more xrays. The nurses prepped me for surgery (3 tries for the IV needle!). The shots I had gotten at the mini hospital were causing me to be really drowsy and I would go in and out of sleep. Eventually, the ortho walked in and said that I wouldn't need surgery. All the bones were in my heel were still in place...so no pins needed. Wahoo! They put a soft boot on my foot and kicked me outta there.
By now, it was 4pm. I couldn't wait to get home!
So, one day later. I'm sore everywhere...especially my right side. My left wrist hurts when I use the crutches. My foot is swollen and blue.
And the bike? Well...she's a write off. The frame is broken at the steering stem.
My gear did its job though. The doctors said had I not been wearing my TCX Competizione boots, my foot would be a gonner. The boots saved my foot from being completely crushed.
My Held Profi's are done. After three crashes, they have sacrificed themselves for the better cause. My Cortech perforated leather jacket has several abraided areas on it but overall is not too bad. One see is starting to come on ravelled though. The chin on my Shark RSi is scuffed up some but the helmet did not take a heavy hit. It'll get replaced of course.
A huge thanks goes out to my wife, my mom and dad that helped watch the kids all day and my coworkers, neighbors and perfect strangers that took care of me while I was lying in the ditch. I am lucky and blessed.
Now, the big question is...what do I get to replace the Buell?
The long story is this: Riding to work Thursday morning. 6:50am. . .just like usual. Riding along a rural county road, I crested a small hill at about 55mph and saw a dog running across the street. I slowed some to make sure it wouldn't double back and then out of the corner of my eye, a second dog, a yellow lab I think, runs right out in front of me. I had no time to avoid or brake any more. I hit the dog squarely in the gut but I was angled just a bit. I felt the impact and the bars jerked violently to the left, sending me and the bike hard over the right side. At impact, I heard the dog yelp and then I heard the horrible sound of bike on pavement.
I slid head first across the opposite lane into a grassy ditch. When I stopped, I lay there for a second wiggling stuff and making sure my neck felt okay. I could feel some pretty bad pain in my right ankle/foot. My knees were cut up some but the rest felt fine. By this point, I hear cars stopping and people running up to me.
I sit up and remove my gloves and helmet. And see a lady running out of her car towards me. Two other people show up, one dials 911. They tell me to lie down and be still. One guy asks me how many fingers he's holding up. I say "two" and then correct myself by saying "one and a half" since one of his fingers was cut off at the bottom knuckle. I give the guy with the half finger my cell phone and he calls my wife and leaves a message on her cell phone (which was turned off). Then, somebody shows up that works at my plant and they call my boss.
My bike was another 30 yards down the hill. It was lying in the same ditch I was, but was pointed a way from me. The back end looked fine. I kept asking about the bike, but nobody could tell me how badly it was damaged. The dog lay silently in the grass some 10 yards up the hill from where I was. Somebody said it was dead and honestly, I felt glad about that.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, an ambulance shows up. I'm still faced away from the road, so I don't know how many cars were pulled over but there were a lot. The EMT opened my right boot and palpated my ankle. I could feel the swelling and pressure building inside my boot but the EMT could not feel any protruding bones, so that was comforting.
I got loaded on the stretcher and then loaded into the ambulance. At this point I could see several cars parked along the side of the road. Two guys in my dept. poked there head into the ambulance. They informed me that they were going to get the bike. My neighbor, who also rides and works at my plant, showed up. He also said he would take car of the Buell. I felt better knowing capable hands were taking care of my bike.
Off to the hospital. The wrong hospital. I had asked the EMT to take me to the bigger hospital even though it was a little farther away, but instead, we went to a small mini-hospital kind of place. The ER room was one nurse and one Dr. Seriously. I lay in bed for a little while and my sweet wife came walking in. What a relief to see her! A couple of minutes of waiting around and they wheel me back to take some x-rays. The Dr. informs me that I have some fractures in my foot and ankle.
Eventually, the nurse takes care of my abrasions. Luckily, I didn't have too many, 'cuz cleaning that crap out hurts!!! And then the Dr. takes over and puts my foot/ankle in a two part cast.
The Dr. informs me that she has referred me to an orthopeadic surgeon in a town 60 miles away. I asked her to contact the ortho I had been too when I broke my hand last Nov. So she calls and finds out he's in surgery at the hospital I originally asked the EMT to take me too!
In order to see the ortho I wanted to see, I had to go travel the 20 miles to the bigger hospital and wait in the emergency room. I got more xrays. The nurses prepped me for surgery (3 tries for the IV needle!). The shots I had gotten at the mini hospital were causing me to be really drowsy and I would go in and out of sleep. Eventually, the ortho walked in and said that I wouldn't need surgery. All the bones were in my heel were still in place...so no pins needed. Wahoo! They put a soft boot on my foot and kicked me outta there.
By now, it was 4pm. I couldn't wait to get home!
So, one day later. I'm sore everywhere...especially my right side. My left wrist hurts when I use the crutches. My foot is swollen and blue.
And the bike? Well...she's a write off. The frame is broken at the steering stem.
My gear did its job though. The doctors said had I not been wearing my TCX Competizione boots, my foot would be a gonner. The boots saved my foot from being completely crushed.
My Held Profi's are done. After three crashes, they have sacrificed themselves for the better cause. My Cortech perforated leather jacket has several abraided areas on it but overall is not too bad. One see is starting to come on ravelled though. The chin on my Shark RSi is scuffed up some but the helmet did not take a heavy hit. It'll get replaced of course.
A huge thanks goes out to my wife, my mom and dad that helped watch the kids all day and my coworkers, neighbors and perfect strangers that took care of me while I was lying in the ditch. I am lucky and blessed.
Now, the big question is...what do I get to replace the Buell?
Comments
Please get better soon, and keep wearing that gear!!!