ever been in a serious accident?

grimm · #1 03-03-2008, 01:19 PM

i'm noticing more and more people stopping by to share their stories from past accidents and injuries. i'm glad we have more people coming to check us out, over here. we can all be a tremendous help to each other. how about a place for us to share our stories...

i'll go first. on 09/16/06 (almost a year and a half ago), i was sideswiped by one car and hit head-on by another as i stood up.

multiple serious injuries:
2 broken ribs
broken scapula
broken clavicle
severed the artery and nerve system feeding my right arm
amputated arm
almost bled to death (over 60 units of blood)
split my chest to clean me up from the inside out
collapsed lung
dislocated left shoulder
in a drug-induced coma and intubated for two weeks

crashed twice in surgery and once in ICU

.....and3 fractured vertebrae (c4, c5, c6)

anyone else wanna share how they earned their broken wings? and i don't wanna hear about how you dropped your bike pulling in to your driveway, either.....

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towboattrash34 · #2 03-03-2008, 05:00 PM

not on a bike..but got hit in the ass end we were in an 90's pinto stop on the side of the road and a thunderbird doing about 80/85 hit us..
the back floorboard was touching my headrest.....only had whiplash for a month

badinfluence63 · #3 03-03-2008, 06:04 PM

Where do I start. 2 high speed flat tires, 1 taxi jumping his stale red and 1 front wheel falling off at 60mph.

The high speed flat tires are quick and jerky wobbly and both times I got dragged sideways at about 30+mph. Lots of road rash, surprisingly not too bad bike damage, mostly cosmetic, fender trim saddle bag etc...

The taxi jumping his stale red light caused me to center punch his cab and get flung over his front hood. Banged up and broken hand.

The tire falling off was in part of not using a lock washer and no lock tight. I got f'ed up on that one. I got flung through the handlebars, grips dug into my back about 3 inches deep an next to the spinal cord and a broken hand with pins in my thumb bone.

Each accident left me in various bed ridden stages for days/weeks. I know compared to Grimms and btefft I am lucky. I only got knotts on my head, a broken ear, huge scars on my back and now my knee and arm/hand joints are killing me and ache when its cold out. But I still got them. My hats to anyone who endures such catistrophic loss of limps and almost life, for hanging in there under the circumstances. Takes big cahonnies.

I figure the next one for mewill be a finisher. I am older and don't bounce as good as I did when I was younger. Drivers(cagers) seem more reckless then ever.

grimm · #4 03-03-2008, 08:12 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: badinfluence63

I figure the next one for mewill be a finisher. I am older and don't bounce as good as I did when I was younger. Drivers(cagers) seem more reckless then ever.

i hear you on that one. i feel the same way. i know that if i go down again, i'm not likely to get up again.

Keystone · #5 03-04-2008, 06:33 AM

Not on a bike. Been down three times though. All back in the 80's.

I was in a nasty one in a truck though.

25 March, 1981.

Take a look at the drivers door. Steering wheel was touching the seat and I was behind it.....

CRASH · #6 03-04-2008, 06:48 AM

I know I've talked about mine before, but hey you asked. LOL. In 2003 I got T-boned by an 88 Caprice station wagon trying to make a left turn, crushing my left leg in between the bike and his car. Folded my lower leg in half. I was life-flighted to Hershey Medical Center and spent two weeks in ICU waiting to hear if they were going to amputate. Since the crash I've had 8 surgeries including a muscle transpant from my calf, 3 skin grafts, a titanium rod, 3 plates and 8 permanent screws. (I have pictures in my gallery.)

btefft · #7 03-04-2008, 07:52 PM

Man, let's see if I can remember. Docs told me the 11 operations I had to undergo in order to put me back together would have an effect on my memory and it has. Most of what I know is what I was told by my wife, sister, witnesses, friends, docs, etc.

I was hit by a cager who ran a red light. I never saw him and he said he didn't see me. I remember sitting at the light, it turning green and me taking off ..... and that's it. I think I remember the impact, but I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it.

I must have done a defensive move because withnesses say I turned the bike twoard him (don't know why I would have done that) and impacted the right side of his car with the right side on my bike. Apparently that's what got my right leg. I don't remember turning, but those who saw it say the turn probably saved my life, or else he would have broadsided me, and they say he was going at a good clip. I was thrown a distance and, they said, I landed headfirst. Oh yeah, thankfully I was hearing my helmet - otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here typing this. That helmet took a LICK!

Most of the life-threatening damage was to my right leg. The bones in the leg were broken, up and down, it in numerous places. I recently found the x-rays, and it hurt just to look at them. I was knocked out and awoke laying in the road, in my blood, as a passing EMS guy (he was off-duty) was tying a tourniquet to my leg below my hip. I really feel this guy saved my life. I meet him and broke down. I mean, what do you say? Thanks a bunch, doesn't even cut it.

He told me that there were a lot of people out of their cars, but no one was doing anything. He said he thought it wasn't that they didn't want to get involved, it was the way I looked. He said when he came to me, my right leg was laying on my back and my right foot was just below my right ear and I was laying in a pool of blood, and still bleeding. He said the coroner arrived and was prepered to record "Time of Death", many thought I was gonna die right there on the road.

I may seem strange, but when I woke up, if wasn't hurting at all. I remember being real confused. I remember asking "What happened?". He said I asked it over and over again. First look I had of the EMS guy was him laying on the ground, looking me dead in the eye and saying "Don't move, help's on the way" - I remember those words so clearly.

I also remember trying to push up and then seeing one of the bones of my right arm - right above the wrist, my radius was sticking out, right out of my arm - I was so addled I didn't even realize what I was seeing. I know it was the radius, because I was a medic in the army. But most of my medical training deserted me, for I was still trying to get up.

I remember the ride to the hospital, in that ambulance - it was rough, not smooth like I had imagined it would be. My sister, was coming to town and saw the pearly-white smashed up Harley and said that something came over her and she just followed the ambulance to the hospital. While I was in the ER, I remember her yelleing saying someting like "That's my brother - don't let him die, Please God don't let him die!" Shortly thereafter my wife arrived, they got the info from my wallet and called her. As the word went out, more family memebrs showed and I was told that they had a prayer meeting right there in the hospital. I still believe prayer works - I'm living proof.

The local paper read "Area High School Teacher in Serious Condition after Motorcycle Collision" - yep, I made the papers. I had tons of kids coming to see me and wish me a speedy recovery. That really made me feel good.

I was hospitalized from Oct 9, 2003 until Dec 18, 2003. Had rod and screws holding my bones together, a cathet

eglidetrike1 · #8 03-05-2008, 02:48 PM

First accident in 82, laid the bike down, sprained left ankle. Second accident 83, Honda civic turned into me, broke 4 toes on left foot. Third accident 05, Nissan maxima broad sided me, compound fracture to left femur,(rod in there now) fractured right shoulder, fractured pelvis, dislocated right hip, both ankles screwd up, road rash. But the part that hurt the most was that I had to retired from the police department.

grimm · #9 03-05-2008, 03:41 PM

that sucks. were you on duty, at the time?

i was going through the hiring process for the fire department, at the time of my accident. i was ranked 81/2800 people. had gone through the written test, the physical test (CPAT), the psychological (BPAD) and was waiting for my formal interview. it sucks to wake up in the hospital and hear that your entire life has been turned upside down. everything you've worked for and dreamed about is gone........

xxxflhrci · #10 03-05-2008, 03:46 PM

Nothing too bad. Just a little bruise for me and a broken arm for her.

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