Having barely survived a crash August sixth, I've lately been wondering how others deal with the recovery process. I've got two permanent eight or ten inch screws and one six incher that held my pelvis together while it grew back into one piece. My twelve formerly broken ribs, six fractured vertebrae, perforated bowel and lacerated liver, one punctured and two collapsed lungs and forever missing spleen don't bother me as much as the ichy road scars on my left side and my recently noticed very tender zyphoid process. Helmet saved my brain and maybe my life. Spleen is gone. Something ripped my groin open about four inches from the family jewels, so that was a close one! Back to my normal weight and nearly fully mobile again after all the laying around for eight weeks. Rode the four wheeler last week, kick start only.
Since I have a few people around who love me, I'm kicking the two wheeled motorized riding habit for now. I've been a gambler my whole life, and I know when to fold.
If perhaps I do decide to get back on, my main concern is what happens if I land on my ass again? Do all those screws just tear out and leave a bigger mess than a regular person would be left with? I'm sure they'd let me know of they're presence somehow.
How have you dealt with serious injuries, loved ones, the desire to ride and mortality after an unplanned dismount when your need for speed returns?
I read the title and was deciding which was my worst crash-which story to tell? After reading your story, Greg, I got nothing. Nothing even close. I'm glad you're still with us!
I would add that after my worst (streetbike) crash, once I got the bike repaired, I approached high speeds with great caution. I had done every modification, adjustment and maintenance procedure to prevent another high-speed wobble and I really didn't want to experience one again.
I remember some head-shakers, some people who couldn't understand why I wanted to ride again. I was young and cavalier then, and I told them "I prefer the thrill of living to the safety of existence"
Wow Greg, you certainly been through it! Take it easy Man.
What looks like a botched appendix scar (yes it's in the same place) and on the 'correct' side is my only real scar from a bike. No broken bones either.
A great rider? Certainly not! Very cautious, relatively slow and lucky I guess.
Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
I guess a broken collar bone doesn't even count. What did your body get subjected to cause all that damage? Slam on the ground and tumble? Hit something? Maybe ask the doctor about "what if". I would think the healed bones are going to be strong.
I got a scar on my right shin about 4 inches long from a whiskey throttled Suzuki 90 trail bike in a farm field. That was my first riding experience ever. Was going well til then lol.
I had one close call where my snowmobiles ski almost caught a little 3 inch wide tree at the edge of a trail up north. I was going around a U corner at about 40 and was in the process of blowing the corner. The ski just skimmed the tree which propelled the sled back towards the turn a bit and scared the shit outta me. My buddy was in front of me and didn't see it. I had to tell him when we stopped for lunch and a few pops.
On the road the closest calls I've had were all distracted drivers. Myself included. Long boring roads make it hard for me to focus sometimes. I watched a golf cart drive over a pedestrian bridge for too long and almost rear ended a line of cars. Off onto the shoulder and around them all like an idiot.
Next I was showing off the old 2 smoke. Passed up a bar near the lake and the parking lot was full of Harleys. I noticed a few riders glance at me so I pegged the throttle and dumped the clutch a bit to take off. I turned my head toward the road and this classic car I was following was slowing down, turn signal on, to turn. Locked up the rear tire, skidded back and forth a bit before I missed him by maybe a foot to the left. Almost high sided too.
I won't forget the evil eye glare from that classic car driver as I slid on by him. Got to Harsen's Island but was shook up the rest of the day.
Obviously Greg has me, but I've certainly had my fair share of crashes over the years. I however have never been hospitalized as a result, knock on wood.
Probably my most painful motorcycle related incident wasn't a crash at all. When I was like 12 I saved up my money from mowing lawns and bought a used. Suzuki DS80. I was putting it away one day after a long ride, this required backing it down a ramp through a small sliding door in the back of my father's shop. I had riding boots but was wearing shorts. I got my shin right up against the bend of of the pipe not but 6" from the exhaust port. Before I knew it I melted off a good 4" section of skin right down to the bone. I probably should have gotten a skin graft or something, it took freaking forever to heal, and to this day no hair or anything grows in that section on my leg.
Quote from: 1976RD400C on January 06, 2022, 07:24:26 AM
I guess a broken collar bone doesn't even count. What did your body get subjected to cause all that damage? Slam on the ground and tumble? Hit something? Maybe ask the doctor about "what if". I would think the healed bones are going to be strong.
The last xray I saw definitely showed enlarged bright white areas where the cracks were. My wonderful wife soaked towels in a very strong comfrey tea and I laid on them for a couple hours for several days. It's a powerful plant.
I have no idea what happened after I saw the truck pull out into my lane from my right, about 45 yards ahead. I was going around 45 I think. I remember thinking, there's a little sliver of lane, I might get past him there. The one witness said he didn't see me hit anything but the ground. Looked to him like I hit a small depression/ patch in the road. Only way that would have crashed me was if I was sideways,, which makes sense cuz the last thing I remember was the rear tire getting loose from over-braking. He did save me from getting run over by a different truck that I was under after the slide. They were moving slowly in a drive through lane and the rear wheel was against my side when he stopped the driver somehow. Whew! There're a couple of those three ft by two by two foot concrete barriers close to where I ended up, but he couldn't tell if I hit those.
Someone claimed I hit and slightly damaged their vehicle, but I'm waiting to hear from my attorney about who/where.
Quote from: 85RZwade on January 06, 2022, 12:13:33 AM
I read the title and was deciding which was my worst crash-which story to tell? After reading your story, Greg, I got nothing. Nothing even close. I'm glad you're still with us!
I would add that after my worst (streetbike) crash, once I got the bike repaired, I approached high speeds with great caution. I had done every modification, adjustment and maintenance procedure to prevent another high-speed wobble and I really didn't want to experience one again.
I remember some head-shakers, some people who couldn't understand why I wanted to ride again. I was young and cavalier then, and I told them "I prefer the thrill of living to the safety of existence"
Thx Wade. Life is a wonderful journey.
Do you lately notice more distracted drivers where you live? I had some close calls in my truck and car both over the last year, and barely any before that. That's the main reason I hung up my boots. Too many bonehead cagers. Well, that, and the worst and longest lasting pain I've ever felt.
I only had 2. this was the 1st one in 2015.
I got lucky.
(https://www.2strokeworld.net/wp-content/uploads/gap-all/gap-2015/helmet-crash-1_zpsse4r0qpm.jpg)
Mark, the way you landed perfectly in the ditch made it look like you were just leaning back in a lounge chair. Glad you had your helmet on!
None of the guys I know that work on bikes or rides them seriously does so without a helmet on. Well, except one guy, he sold his Harley a while ago, but was all about the 'freedom' of riding without the brain bucket when Michigan, stupidly, passed the no helmet necessary law.
So, you believe the odds are in your favor and continue to ride?
me? yup. that was my 1st crash in (at the time) 25 years of riding. and i ride very frequently. the second time was the same front tire, about a year and a half later... and i learned that the compound was too hard. washed out on a mild RH sweeper .. again, totally my fault, i put the wrong tire on. changed tire out and has been fine since. so 31 years of riding, crashed 2x on same bike with same front tire. odds are in my favor.
I remember that day. It scared the shit out of me when I saw the bike in the ditch and you were nowhere to be seen. I ran into the woods and hollered and carried on looked for you but you weren't there either. I started hauling ass back to the resort and met y'all on the way back up the mountain.
Greg, sounds like you're lucky to be with us. That was a bad accident! Glad you've recovered reasonably well and hope you continue to see improvement. :thumbs:
Out of curiousity, what gear were you wearing besides a helmet?
And...we've had distracted drivers here for years. Everytime I go out on a ride I assume everyone else on the road is out to kill me. (most are). I've seen it all while commuting on the freeway in SoCal -- about 1/3 of drivers are usually looking at their phone, and Ive seen people reading books, working on laptops, and even a guy totally asleep behind the wheel of his Tesla in the fast lane while northbound on the 405 doing about 50mph. Nothing surprises me anymore. People are F-ing stupid!
I always look at any cars/trucks nearby and think to myself "what's the stupidest thing that driver could do right now?, and then I plan for it.
Drivers seem to be as stupid, selfish and inattentive as always. I was told when I started riding to assume half of the car drivers couldn't see me and the other half wanted to kill me, and I think that has served me well this far.
I take comfort in my motorcycle's abilities to accelerate, maneuver and brake better than the cars around me, and I try to stay awake and away from them. I don't spend any time in blind spots and I'm still here!
"what's the stupidest thing that driver can do right now" awareness, has saved my arse on many occasion!........................D
Quote from: SoCal250 on January 06, 2022, 10:23:11 PM
Greg, sounds like you're lucky to be with us. That was a bad accident! Glad you've recovered reasonably well and hope you continue to see improvement. :thumbs:
Thank you.
Out of curiousity, what gear were you wearing besides a helmet?
I wore the Dr marten steel toes, perforated chaps, gloves, and a mesh padded Joe rocket jacket. Jacket zipped to pants would been great.
And...we've had distracted drivers here for years. Everytime I go out on a ride I assume everyone else on the road is out to kill me. (most are). I've seen it all while commuting on the freeway in SoCal -- about 1/3 of drivers are usually looking at their phone, and Ive seen people reading books, working on laptops, and even a guy totally asleep behind the wheel of his Tesla in the fast lane while northbound on the 405 doing about 50mph. Nothing surprises me anymore. People are F-ing stupid!
I always look at any cars/trucks nearby and think to myself "what's the stupidest thing that driver could do right now?, and then I plan for it.
That was also my strategy. Only took a split second of forgetting that at just the right moment to f up.
I got run down from behind by a guy reading his electric bill while driving a truck. We passed the power company pay site on the left, but the branch was closed, so you had to cross town to get to the other branch. My guess is he was about to miss closing time or something and his power was getting turned off if he didn't pay. This was downtown Columbia, SC. We went through one traffic light on the corner at the pay office, then in the middle of the next block I signaled and moved into the left lane because I was turning left at the next light. I started braking, which allowed the traffic that was behind me in the right lane start to pass. In my rear view, I saw the guy in a truck coming through the light at the corner of the power company block and he seemed to be accelerating. We reached halfway across the block and I'm in the left lane braking and see the accelerating truck behind still accelerating. There is passing traffic on my right side, so I tried to move left as far as I could go, but still avoid oncoming traffic, basically splitting the double line. I got about to his driver side headlight when his bumper met by back wheel. My bike got sucked under his truck like vacuum. I shot forward and fortunately stay horizontal so I landed hands first and was able to roll through the right lane and into the curb. Had I not shot forward like that, I was probably getting run over by the truck or another car in the right lane. The truck was still accelerating for about 50 more feet with my bike jammed under his engine cradle before he finally started to brake. Amazingly, I walked away with nothing more than bruised palms, though they took almost 3 years to totally heal. I was young and in my 20s.
Wade you are correct. I have always pretended I was invisible while riding my motorcycle. People look straight at you and do what you are hoping they don't do. I have been riding on the street since 1978 and the dumba&* are always out there. I now prefer to ride local backroads and some in town. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
@ irk, Columbia is a hazard to drive in on any day, its about an hour south. I have spent more time there than I wished I had.
Quote from: m in sc on January 06, 2022, 02:43:56 PM
I only had 2. this was the 1st one in 2015.
I got lucky.
(https://www.2strokeworld.net/wp-content/uploads/gap-all/gap-2015/helmet-crash-1_zpsse4r0qpm.jpg)
No better advertisement for full face helmets than that, I shudder to think of the damage if you'd been wearing a open face helmet or none at all
Wow some bad wipe outs here!
The worst thing that happened to me was 10 years ago at my local motocross track. I wipe out all the time there but one time... the track comes over a massive hill and for some reason i was going fast enoigh to turn it into a jump. The bike ended up pointing straight up in the air and all i could think was to seperate myself from it before landing. I pushed the bike away and felt like i was flying. Hit the groumd so hard my buddy told me later that i bounced off the dirt. Was in utter pain.. certain id broken everything that could break. They shut the track down as usual when some one grenades themself.. orange helicopter shows up 30 minutes later and takes me to hospital for xrays and amazingly nothing was broken. I remember not beleivng them.. everything hurt so bad.
Other than that one burned into my memory all i can say is ive managed to avoid getting takern out by countless cars on my street bikes. Im convinced all my time on motocross bikes have honed my skills and allow me to stay in control no matter what crazy things i have to do to avoid cars etc.
I've only hit the street twice (countless motox crashes) once was a small crash where I was following a novice rider to closely and when he crashed I ran him over. The other crash was way worse, collided with a turning car going about 50mph on my xs650. Crushed my ankle and got some gnarly road rash. 6 months healing time but it was a full year before my ankle was 100%. I learned some valuable lessons on that one. Dress for the slide not the ride!
I count all my motorcycle crashes against my crash total, street or not. The vast majority are MX/trail based. I have done a serious amount of trail and off
trail riding over the years. Dumping the bike over a fallen tree is like a daily occurrence when riding off trail. I see that as a crash.
Probably the worst on street crashes for me are on this Geely (Chinese state owned) scooter I own. It's a 50cc 2t that is particularly gutless. To ride it around town you basically scream it to no end just to keep up with traffic. One time I was on campus (in grad school at this point) and there was some construction for new housing. The dump trucks tracked dirt on the road. Meanwhile I am dragging this piece of shit out as hard as it would take. I turn the bend on the mud soaked street and lowside. Right in front of me an Escalade takes evasive action to avoid me and plows over a stop sign. I get up, my knees are bleeding. Out of the Escalade gets a real hot sorority girl, she asks me if I am okay. I am stunned, tell her I'm cool. She reverses and carries on. I get the scooter up and go get a slice of pizza. By the time I get home my pants are dried to to my legs. The blood has straight up bonded my jeans to my legs. I hop in the shower and soften the blood, the jeans come off. The road rash is way worse than I realized, but I am alive. This was like 1 out of 20 Geely scooter crashes. I rode that piece of junk year around, ice, snow, you name it. I got pretty comfortable crashing that thing. I still own the scooter, but now that I am 36 I don't have much ambition on crashing like that.
I went down on a friend's '79 CB750F in 1984 when I was 19. Quick trip to the store.
Coming up to a gentle right-hander at about 45-50 mph, I downshifted and the bike went into 1st gear apparently. I let out the clutch and it felt like someone snatched the road out from under me. My friend told me later that it had done that before and he thought maybe there was a transmission problem. I dunno. I wasn't prepared.
The brake lever went through the side of my shoe between the sole and my foot and pinned my right leg under the bike. The bike being partially on top of me I dragged my face on the pavement. I was not wearing a helmet because we just didn't then. I didn't own one. It tore out the corner of my eye and ground down to the bone at the outside of my orbit. Ankle down to the bone also through my jeans. I was wearing a leather jacket. ~250 stitches in my face, forehead and ankle, concussion, bruises. A little reconstruction of my lower eyelid which was hanging down. I got back on the bike and rode it back to my friend's house. I thought I was OK until I looked at my face in a mirror. It looked like Tony27's helmet. I was young enough that the scars healed well. I still have a little gravel in my face. Lucky I didn't hit anything.
It was a bad time for my young riding community. 3 of my friends died on motorcycles and 2 more were seriously injured in an 18 month period around my crash. 1 R5, an RD 400, KH400, and a GT 550 (The only 4T was a GS1100 Suzuki). Everyone said 2 strokes were dangerous. The guy on the R5 had his girlfriend on the back when he went head-on with a station wagon on hwy 1 near Pacifica. They were both killed.
We were really just kids looking for thrills in the hills around the East Bay in Northern CA. While I was recuperating I loaned my RD 400 to a friend so he could get to work and he let the oil tank run out and seized it solid on the SF Bay bridge at about 70 mph. Fortunately he wasn't hurt. I didn't own another bike for 32 years. I didn't avoid it really. It wasn't like that. I just had other things going on. Now I love my Shoei RS1200.
IR8D8R
I had one that surprising turned out ok. It was the second to last session at a track day with my SV650. There was a short chute leading to a 30mph hairpin right turn. I had it down to, just as the SV would hit the rev limiter in 4th (100mph), snap the throttle shut and slam on the brakes. That was right where the proper brake marker was. I was on the edge of the left side of the track (1-2') to set up for the right turn. Just as I shut the throttle this idiot on his $35K custom Ducati scoots by me on the right and as he is trying to stay to the left as much as possible, to be set up for the right turn ahead, his rear wheel clips my front wheel. In a split second, my bike is off the track and on the grass right where I should be on the brakes as hard as possible to get the speed down for 30mph turn. Up ahead is a tire barrier that is on the outside of the hairpin. "OK, do something to reduce speed because you're going to hit the tires". I touched the rear brakes and gently grabbed the front brake. Instantly I'm on the ground and sliding in the grass at 90-95mph. Thank God I stopped just as I came to the tires. Staff member picked my bike up and it looked ok. Went back to the pits and the director came over and said a witness told him what happened. I didn't even know what bike he was riding. They all confront him and he denies everything. Says I must have moved over if my wheel hit him. Anyway, I check my bike and nothing is wrong with it except a 2" scuff on the fairing. It slid on the rigid foot peg and clip-on along the grass perfectly. As for me, nothing, no strains, no aches the next day, nothing. My leathers were not damaged at all. I attribute all the hard plastic in the forearms, elbows, shoulders, knees to protecting me so well. So, I came off my bike at about 90 and didn't get hurt and my bike was barely damaged. Man, I felt lucky. BTW, I think after this guy's girlfriend ragged at him so much, he finally came over and apologized. :toot:
Gnarly Andrew!
My worst crash was my only. I have a food allergy to sesame seeds and sesame oil. It used to just cause itching. July 31, 2003 I took a frozen entree for lunch that has less than 2% sesame oil. Started itching, didn't have any benadryl, so I rode home for some. The reaction went anaphylactic and my vision went from 20/15 to gone on the interstate. I brailled my way to the shoulder but didn't see the abandoned car that I hit at 60 mph per the witnesses. I totalled the bike and the car I hit; I was treated, released from hospital and back to work in three hours. Injuries were a skinned knee, scraped shoulder and sprained thumb. God wasn't done with me yet...
I just wrecked this past Sunday. HAHA. 1970 Honda CB350. Front drum brake. Going about 35, then went to brake as I approached my driveway. Next thing I know, I ended up in a high side and shoulder to curb. The craziest thing.
Quote from: irk_miller on January 12, 2022, 04:48:41 PM
I just wrecked this past Sunday. HAHA. 1970 Honda CB350. Front drum brake. Going about 35, then went to brake as I approached my driveway. Next thing I know, I ended up in a high side and shoulder to curb. The craziest thing.
same thing happened to my brother years ago on a cb175. bolt rattled out of front brake stay and over the handlebars he went along with his passenger. had several surgeries to reconstruct his cheek and nose. still runs the piss out of my bikes though!!!! lol
2
That's the number of real bad crashes for me.
The first in 1977 on my 74 Honda CB 750.
I lived in NY borderline with Connecticut. RT343 was the road that went between Amenia NY (my home) and Sharon Connecticut.
Great twisty turns road with lots of hills, the biggest going east into Sharon uphill. I was by myself and going home to the west down and after a couple nice turns you hit the botton a a big right hand hard turn.
I came in to hard and fast but worse hit a patch of leaves skidded through and hit the guard rail flipped over and my body took a tree busted arm and some ribs. Actually was lucky to not break my back.
Took a couple months to heal.
Number 2 was the worst
Me and my buddy Joe O'Brian went to do so dirt riding.
Still lived in Amenia. I had my new to me beast 73 RT360 MX and he had a brand new Honda 250 ATCR 3 wheeler. Back the along RT22 north/south corridor the old rail line along side was abandoned for many years and everybody and anybody rode shit up and down the rails on the old coal rail bed. It ran all the way from Millerton to Pawling NY about 50 miles or so. Lots of fast riding.
So we are at the mid way point.. and really getting it on. I'm hammering the 360 but Joe was ahead laying down a vicious amount of coal dust ... I couldn't see shit.
So I downshifted and moved to pass on his left. Right then I saw his brake light came on out of the corner of my eye. But it was too late.
Someone had built a road across the rail bed and left a 2 ft or so berm.
I hit it at speed.. maybe 50 mph. I was launched way over flipping a few times into the discarded rail ties on the side of the bed.
Results:
Shattered scapula, multiple busted ribs, destroyed my shoulder and collar bone. I broke a lege cracked a couple verts. Broke my left arm again too.
My Bell saved my noggin and my boots helped too.
I spent 2 weeks in the hospital and was out of work for several months.
The day I got home from the hospital my brother's from other mothers had a keg and my bike (which they fixed) in the back yard.. we partied had!
Those friends are keepers!
Many years ago I got T-boned by a young guy running a red light. Totalled my 1982 Honda CB900F. I snapped the left handlebar with my knee, which shattered most of my left kneecap. His front bumper also broke a bone in my right foot. I flew about 100 feet and then slid for a while, resulting in some nice gravel rash (I was wearing jeans, leather jacket, full face helmet).
Four months later I rode into work on my newly acquired 1978 Honda CBX twin-shock. A length of string tied to my walking stick meant I could carry it on my back. Still have that bike 30+ years later...
Trevor
Thx everyone for the stories. How do the more seriously injured among you figure it won't happen again and stay focused on riding? Dying is one thing, it only bothers those left behind. My worst fear/first question for the icu nurses was am I gonna walk again, be brain damaged, is everything gonna work right? I don't wanna be the guy that needs his ass wiped by someone else or leaves a bunch of family on there own, just because I wanted some more excitement I my life. I know I can die or get maimed in a lot of ways, but bikes increase the odds. I rode a lot. Almost every time I went anywhere over the last ten years it was on a bike unless I had too many tools or people or big stuff to take with me. I miss it a lot.
I can imagine a quick ride around the block, but traffic is just too full of nincompoops!
The idea is to live young as long as possible.
Eat less fatty foods, so your overall health risk is net loss and you can still feel good about the risk from riding.
For me, it's complex, for sure. I ride dirt bikes and on the street; I wear the gear, pay atttention and don't get in over my head (often). I am conscious of my age and the fact that I don't heal like I did when I was 20, so I think about things a little more. I don't try some things on the dirt bike that I would have a few years ago. I live in a rural area, so I don't deal with traffic much.
After my big crash 30-some years ago, it took awhile to feel comfortable again...and I think you never completely forget. But I am also conscious of the miles and hours spent in a car, and I think statistically my risk/exposure is greater in a cage. Rationalization? Probably, but I'm not ready to give it up yet. Eyes, knees, reaction times are all waiting to take the bikes away from me at some point, but they're going to have to wait. You'll find your way, if you want it and miss it bad enough, to make peace with it. Good luck, man :vroom:
I was going to describe a couple of the crashes I've had but not after reading what others have experienced. Mine pale in comparison. You guys are some mighty lucky dudes.
Classic illegal left turn. Bounced of the right rear of the camaro. Broken left shoulder dislocated right shoulder broken pelvis fracture left wrist broken right wrist broken bone right big toe Broken left knee. I figure the odds of me getting wrecked like this again are astronomical. So I replaced the front end the pipes and am back on the road again.