Accident #2

[towerworker]

I have had a week to think about whether or not to post this. Decided to take the risk and tell the story on myself.

Those of you who have been here a while may remember me posting my accident story back in early November of 07. Long story short-I rolled a stop sign, was hit by a car, totaled my 03 but miraculously walked away with virtually no serious injuries. Learned a valuable lesson and that lesson was echoed back to me by the many who responded with good wishes and "thanks for sharing and reminding us".

I have hesitated to tell this before now for a couple of reasons:

1. A tad embarassed
2. Hurt to darn much to try and type for very long

Well I'm nearly 53 yrs old now----well past the age where I really give a flip of what people think of me.

Leaving work last thursday at 5pm. Cloudy day about 30 degrees F. On my new bike (a beautiful 04 with ABS--Dark Ferro) Came to a full stop at the end of the driveway into my office. Placed both feet on the ground, looked both ways (twice) and after seeing the way was clear I pulled out onto the street turning left. Only 1/3 of the way thru a 90 degree turn the back end broke loose unexpectedly and I started to come off. I think I remember hearing the engine speed up as I must have tried to grab harder for the grip and the spin worsened. Next think I knew was I was on the ground on my back with my bike laying 6 or 7 feet away. Immediately knew I had screwed up this time as I could not move. Intense pain in my lower left leg. Long story short--bike sustained very minor damage- scratched up left valve cover (paintable) and scuffed and chewed up left side system case lid (repairable). I wasn't quite so fortunate though, I wound up with a compound or open fracture of the left tibia.
To add insult to injury literally 5 minutes prior to the accident I was defending my choice of hobbies to my office manager who very seriously dislikes motorcycles due to the safety risks. (I'm the company safety manager--I set the example) or attempt to.

Anyway I now have a very nice collection of high grade stainless steel in my leg with an actually very good prognosis. The miracles of modern medicine. I won't be riding anytime soon and expect to return to work this coming monday.

Still trying to figure out the lesson learned here. Don't ride in cold weather? Not sure there. I made the same turn each winter for the past 4 winters riding nearly every day. Keep good tires on the bike? Rear tire was nearly new and properly inflated. The road looked good and don't remember seeing any ice. Was just starting the turn--moving 3 to 4 mph max. Just one of those things? Could be I suppose.

I realized one thing though----knew it already but know it now at a deeper level. I have some very good friends here who have called me almost daily expressing concern and support. Guys like a very good friend named Paul who just bought his first BMW two weeks ago and will be soon joining this board, others like MikeCam, Beemeridian, Mike Chew, Mark, Vann, Brian, Rob and others. Matter of fact planning on seeing most of these guys tomorrow.

Anyway it's the quality of the folks around here that take most of the sting out of getting busted up. Thanks guys!

towerworker
04 r -- slightly scratched
wayne -- a little bit more so.....but healing

[Biff's R]

Good to hear that you are a little more coherent now Wayne. Hope to see you soon.

[iowabeakster]

I am sorry to hear this. You have no reason for embarrassment... you are amongst friends and these things do happen.


You have my sympathy and most sincere wishes for a fast, full recovery.

[taosports]

Thanks for sharing Wayne. We all ride knowing the risks but for most of us, the joys far outweigh those risks. I hope the joy of riding gets you right back on that bike of yours.

Heal quickly.

[ladybeemer]

Wayne,

Don't feel embarassed for a moment. There is something weird about hearing that a fellow rider has had a tumble that makes us all a little closer and akin to one anothers vulnerability.

Glad to hear all is well with you and the bike!

[snowprick]

towerworker,

You are lucky you are still young otherwise it might have hurt for longer. Soon as you can just get back on it and keep riding. You just had a bad run of luck.

Glad your OK.

[boxermania]

Wayne

I'm sorry about your mishap but happy that once again albeit pain and discomfort, you have been spared serious injury.

Sometimes you get a feeling and your innerself holds you back, let me explain. I attended the Ozark Bash early November 07 even though I had sold both my mounts this past May. The reason for my attending is pretty much the same as yours, the people that frequents this site and in my case more so as there were going to be guys dating back to the first BB's, that I have become good friends with along with the excitement of meeting new faces.

Even though I didn't have a bike I had several offers to borrow one and politely I declined each one of them. My friend Buddy and also an attendee at the Bash even trailered a second bike that I could have used if I decided to ride and after stradling the bike in the parking lot I declined.

My reason was one of those rules that I have religiously abided by during my riding years and I wasn't about to break. Quite simply I evaluated the odds and they were against me......little riding over the last 2 years, as I was overseas and returned home during the fall and winter months, a deterioration of my right knee as a result of an old soccer injury which on ocassion has been known to give way, riding a bike that I know but was unfamiliar with and on roads that I have never been on.

Once the decission was made I went about my enjoying the time with the attendees and even partaking of the rides....on my cage....and I had a blast.

So the moral of the story is: "things happen for a reason and most of the time is to remind us mortals that life is good but also very fragile"

Get well soon

Al

[Canyon Runner]

Blessings and a fast recovery to you.

I am glad that you are OK.

-Kyle

[CycleRob]

Wayne,

Ouch!!

I expected larger surgical scars than our inner circle pics showed. Still not a prettty sight in it's early stages!! The internal hardware will be setting off airport security scaners . . . unless you show them your medical ID and the scar first.

With any injury, the first 3 days are the worst, then the pain is just plain annoying, rather than excruciatingly restrictive. When you're off the pain meds, you're on the road to recovery and you'll be a much less grouchy person.

We'll be riding again in PA before the Summer heat.


.

[gaijin]

Towerworker,

The next one (#3) could be your last chance of riding your bike. I am at the same age as you. I always fighting my temptation of go riding.

"In Northern Japan, we stop riding on 15th of November or first snow..."

We are not getting any younger and it is harder for the body to heal. I still had pains and stiffness since I hit Ford Mustang in my early year, high school (he said, he did not see me when he did the lane change and I parked right next to him at stop light).

Be real careful and thank almighty that you are still be with us. We are taking chances when we are out riding motorcycle.

Gaijin

I have had a week to think about whether or not to post this. Decided to take the risk and tell the story on myself.

Those of you who have been here a while may remember me posting my accident story back in early November of 07. Long story short-I rolled a stop sign, was hit by a car, totaled my 03 but miraculously walked away with virtually no serious injuries. Learned a valuable lesson and that lesson was echoed back to me by the many who responded with good wishes and "thanks for sharing and reminding us".

I have hesitated to tell this before now for a couple of reasons:

1. A tad embarassed
2. Hurt to darn much to try and type for very long

Well I'm nearly 53 yrs old now----well past the age where I really give a flip of what people think of me.

Leaving work last thursday at 5pm. Cloudy day about 30 degrees F. On my new bike (a beautiful 04 with ABS--Dark Ferro) Came to a full stop at the end of the driveway into my office. Placed both feet on the ground, looked both ways (twice) and after seeing the way was clear I pulled out onto the street turning left. Only 1/3 of the way thru a 90 degree turn the back end broke loose unexpectedly and I started to come off. I think I remember hearing the engine speed up as I must have tried to grab harder for the grip and the spin worsened. Next think I knew was I was on the ground on my back with my bike laying 6 or 7 feet away. Immediately knew I had screwed up this time as I could not move. Intense pain in my lower left leg. Long story short--bike sustained very minor damage- scratched up left valve cover (paintable) and scuffed and chewed up left side system case lid (repairable). I wasn't quite so fortunate though, I wound up with a compound or open fracture of the left tibia.
To add insult to injury literally 5 minutes prior to the accident I was defending my choice of hobbies to my office manager who very seriously dislikes motorcycles due to the safety risks. (I'm the company safety manager--I set the example) or attempt to.

Anyway I now have a very nice collection of high grade stainless steel in my leg with an actually very good prognosis. The miracles of modern medicine. I won't be riding anytime soon and expect to return to work this coming monday.

Still trying to figure out the lesson learned here. Don't ride in cold weather? Not sure there. I made the same turn each winter for the past 4 winters riding nearly every day. Keep good tires on the bike? Rear tire was nearly new and properly inflated. The road looked good and don't remember seeing any ice. Was just starting the turn--moving 3 to 4 mph max. Just one of those things? Could be I suppose.

I realized one thing though----knew it already but know it now at a deeper level. I have some very good friends here who have called me almost daily expressing concern and support. Guys like a very good friend named Paul who just bought his first BMW two weeks ago and will be soon joining this board, others like MikeCam, Beemeridian, Mike Chew, Mark, Vann, Brian, Rob and others. Matter of fact planning on seeing most of these guys tomorrow.

Anyway it's the quality of the folks around here that take most of the sting out of getting busted up. Thanks guys!

towerworker
04 r -- slightly scratched
wayne -- a little bit more so.....but healing

[GypsyRR]

Wayne;

I'm sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you have a faster and more complete healing than expected. I'm happy to hear you had some good friends to call on you and encourage you through the roughest days.

Thanks for sharing the story. I needed to hear it. It's another reminder for me, that I'm not invincible and I can't take life, health, friendships, opportunities, or love for granted. Man, life can change so fast, can't it? I'm glad that this is not a permanent change for you, though.

[fj_pastor]

Hello Wayne,

Sad to hear about your accident.

If we did a poll on this forum, we would see that for most of us our age
is not on our 20's or 30's.

I think the feeling of a broad number of people in this forum is the
following:

"Once stated our age , we are turning to an age were we feel even
more our responsability (Wifey, kids, parents .. ) EVERY time we ride
our bike.

It is a very nice past time, makes you feel and savour every moment
on the bike,

but risk is also associated

However, risk is also associated with every aspect of our lives, we see
how fragile we are when we see friends with a bad illness, parents
getting old, children with problems ....

Where do we set the balance between the risk and the joy ?

It is a very personal and touchy question.

I am asking myself this question each time I go for a ride (and I mostly
do short landscape touring)."

My 0.02 cents:
If I ever have an accident I am aware I can have it and
I asume the risks. (as you have).
There are several others things on life that can go wrong that
I do not say we should ignore the risks of the bike, just put
them on perspective.



As an ending commentary, in Spain from spring to fall EVERY weekend
we are informed of 8 to 12 people dead on motorbike accidents EVERY
weekend. --- This is chilling ---


Hope you restablish soon and have to courage to keep riding.

With my most warm regards,

Javier Pastor

[Paul Mihalka]

Towerworker,

The next one (#3) could be your last chance of riding your bike. I am at the same age as you. I always fighting my temptation of go riding.

"In Northern Japan, we stop riding on 15th of November or first snow..."

We are not getting any younger and it is harder for the body to heal. I still had pains and stiffness since I hit Ford Mustang in my early year, high school (he said, he did not see me when he did the lane change and I parked right next to him at stop light).

Be real careful and thank almighty that you are still be with us. We are taking chances when we are out riding motorcycle.

Gaijin

I respectfully disagree that a next accident, no. 3, may be the last one, due to age. Let me tell you about my last three incapacitating accidents, not necessarily motorcycle related. In 1997 I hit a deer with the bike, killed the deer and totaled the bike. Body damage a broken right arm repaired with a titanium plate and screws, a separated shoulder and a cracked sternum. It happened end of May. I had planned for two years to take a three week ride from Maryland to the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to Durango. I did the ride in August on a new/used bike. I was 66. April 2004 I slipped on the stairs in the house and completely tore of the quadriceps tendon in my knee. Worse than braking a bone. It got stitched back. Starting July 4 I rode to the "UNrally" of bmwsporttouring.com in Cody, Wyoming. Age 72. This last December pushing bikes around in the showroom (my retirement job is selling BMW bikes) a K1200S fell over on me and broke my leg at the tibial plateau. Until yesterday I could walk only with a walker. Yesterday was my first day to start walking with a cane. This July is bmwsportouring.com's "UNrally" in John Day, Oregon. I plan to be there on my R1200GS. Yes, age 76.

I know that what I just wrote sounds like bragging. That is not my intention. What I want to say is that don't put limitations in your mind ahead of time about what you'll be able to do with advancing age, just do it! Keep in as good a shape as you can, and your body will tell you when you can't do it anymore.

[SLEDGE]

Good to hear you weren't hert any worse than you were, althaugh an open fx of the tib is no picnic. I was very happy to hear that the bike had only minor damage.
I love to ride in any weather, how ever when it is below freezing or close to it I leave the bike in the garage. I get freaked out about black ice and low light condishons.I think that may have been your missfortune.
Don't be embarrissed, this could happen to any one of us.


Get well soon

[Buckster]

Wayne,
Sounds like a very unfortunate fall. Sorry to hear that.
I have been doing alot of to and fro work riding this winter as well. I also take some flack from my co-workers.
The other morning I'm walking out my front door at 5:30AM with all my gear on and black cat walks right in front of me.
I stood there for a minute debating if I should take the gear off and take my truck....NAH...I'm not superstitious anyway.
Needless to say I was very cautious and made it to work OK. Second to last turn into work I downshifted one to many gears and the tire momentarily locks and I slide just a bit. Scared the crap out of me! Damn cat!
Wayne take care and hope your healing goes quick.
We're all pulling for you.

[RRDallas]

Wayne: glad to hear you are on the mend. Hopefully, these incidents in close proximity mean that you are due for a nice long stretch of accident-free riding enjoyment. We are all at risk every time we get on our bikes, whether that's due to our own behavior or the behavior of others. If you have made it to 53 while regularly riding a motorcyle, I'm betting that you are pretty good at it and pretty careful.

Would love to see a pic of the resurrected, freshly painted machine when you get it good as new. And February is not a bad time to heal broken bones. Here's to a speedy recovery.

[pat ryan]

wayne-
best of luck for a speedy recovery.
best regards,
pat

[towerworker]

My heartfelt thanks to all of you for all you have said. I am looking forward to getting on the bike again, I suspect it will be 8 weeks or so before I feel confident enough in the leg strength to try it. I have a steel rod thru the tibia that I understand has removed the need for a cast but have to keep all weight off of the leg so it can heal.

I'm admittedly nervous at this point about riding and I expect that but I am determined to not let this get the better of me.

I have my reservations for the Bash in Pennsylvania in May and I wouldn't miss it and you guys and ladies for the world! I'll be there.

Wayne

[Dr. Strangelove]

Wayne,
good luck with the recovery. Removal of an IM rod is not nearly the operation inserting one is.

and a +1000 on what Paul M said. I would add that maximizing your health by lifestyle choices will aid immeasurably to any healing process.

Don't smoke (anything)--it delays healing. Keep your vasculature in shape by eating right and exercising at least 3x a week. If blood can't get to a wound it will not heal.

It is all a risk versus reward, a balance in everything we do. Riding a bike is one risk we choose to do because of the reward. Go for quality in every choice.

John

[TonyT607]

Wayne, glad you're around to type your story - it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Thanks for telling it - we all benefit when one amongst us shares the tale of their get off.

Now go buy your Guardian Angel a beer or two.