My First Real Crash.

Update: I seem to be healing pretty well. Shoulder still is iffy, but I've had arthritis in that shoulder for quite a while. As long as out doesn't interfere with paddling a kayak, I can live with it. I still use the walker some, but have been walking with a cane more with not much discomfort. Checked out the bike today, and surprisingly found nothing amiss. Even my mirror on the left handlebar came through okay. Looks like my body absorbed most of the damage, and cushioned the bike as it fell on me. Motor and battery seem okay as well. When I can get the bike out of the shed to check it out in better light, I'll look closely at the frame for any cracks. Ran the motor with the throttle (by tilting the rear wheel off the floor using the kick stand as a fulcrum. Sounded good.

Still negotiating medical costs, checking out what insurance is going to do for me. I talked to the investigating patrolman (motorcycle cop), who said the collision was my fault. But he didn't cite me. He says I ran into the side of the car (a Kia something-or-other), and did no damage to it. The cop actually delivered the police report to me at home. A really nice guy. Hew came riding up on a Beamer, so we talked motorcycles for a while. The driver said he saw me at the intersection, and assumed I was going to turn right up into the bike lane along NW ave. I swear, even after careful, cautious looking, I did not see him. Next time I have to go that route, I know a slightly modified dog-leg that will let me check out traffic from both directions before making the crossing.

Oh, my helmet, a Bern, got scuffed up on the left side, but no other visible damage to it. I realize I'll have to toss it, though.

I really want to get back on the bike, but my wife says not until I've seen the orthopedic person in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and many thanks to all of you well-wishers who responded earlier. It's a great feeling to have a community, even though it's only virtual.
 
Kayakguy said:
Update: I seem to be healing pretty well. Shoulder still is iffy, but I've had arthritis in that shoulder for quite a while. As long as out doesn't interfere with paddling a kayak, I can live with it. I still use the walker some, but have been walking with a cane more with not much discomfort. Checked out the bike today, and surprisingly found nothing amiss. Even my mirror on the left handlebar came through okay. Looks like my body absorbed most of the damage, and cushioned the bike as it fell on me. Motor and battery seem okay as well. When I can get the bike out of the shed to check it out in better light, I'll look closely at the frame for any cracks. Ran the motor with the throttle (by tilting the rear wheel off the floor using the kick stand as a fulcrum. Sounded good.

Still negotiating medical costs, checking out what insurance is going to do for me. I talked to the investigating patrolman (motorcycle cop), who said the collision was my fault. But he didn't cite me. He says I ran into the side of the car (a Kia something-or-other), and did no damage to it. The cop actually delivered the police report to me at home. A really nice guy. Hew came riding up on a Beamer, so we talked motorcycles for a while. The driver said he saw me at the intersection, and assumed I was going to turn right up into the bike lane along NW ave. I swear, even after careful, cautious looking, I did not see him. Next time I have to go that route, I know a slightly modified dog-leg that will let me check out traffic from both directions before making the crossing.

Oh, my helmet, a Bern, got scuffed up on the left side, but no other visible damage to it. I realize I'll have to toss it, though.

I really want to get back on the bike, but my wife says not until I've seen the orthopedic person in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and many thanks to all of you well-wishers who responded earlier. It's a great feeling to have a community, even though it's only virtual.
Click to expand...
Your attitude is a lesson for all of us 20 less-years-old youngsters. Amazing! I salute you Kayakguy.
 
Kayakguy said:
First crash—and it was a doozy. Happened Tues, Oct 13. Some of you might remember that I was the guy who pointed out that bikers can now treat stop signs as “yield” signs in Washington State. So, ironically, my crash involved an intersection where I did not have the right of way. But it did not involve running the stop sign. Quite the contrary, I had stopped and looked very carefully both ways.

The problem was I was unable to see clearly traffic coming from my left. This was on NW Avenue in Bellingham, and the cross street was E. Connecticut. I was heading west. NW just to the south of Connecticut makes about a 45 deg. turn (technically, Elm turns into NW at that point—Bellingham is a crazy town). On the east side of NW, south of Connecticut, is a tap room, one of my favorite stops before covid19. And all along the street in front of the tap room were parked cars, patrons of said tap room. They blocked my view of traffic coming around that bend.

So after checking carefully both ways, I shot out onto NW and crashed into the side of a passing car. I didn’t get more than a split second glimpse of that car before all went blank. I woke up as the EMTs were loading me onto a gurney for the trip to the ER. Don’t know how long that was, but there are fire departments both directions on NW that are less than 2 miles distant, so it couldn’t be more than 5 minutes or so. As I was being loaded up, I could see a fireman picking up my bike. As I was returning from a shopping trip, my cargo bags were loaded with groceries, which apparently got home okay; even the beer seems to have made it. My wife said that as she walked the bike out back to put it in the shed, it seemed to roll okay, but for a ticking sound. I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, but I suspect a bent front wheel, and I’ll carefully check for any cracks in the frame. The bike, by the way, is an Ariel Rider C-class, which I was (am, because I intend to get back on it as soon as possible) enjoying very much.

The damage to me was a mild concussion, broken pelvis, and bruised ribs on my upper left side. Bruises often appear slowly, and this morning I noticed a massive one on my left chest. It’s sort of sore there, but a CAT scan at the hospital shown nothing broken. I did not “fall” off the bike, but rather the collision slammed me forcefully onto the pavement on my left side, because that’s where all the damage is. My helmet suffered contusions and abrasions on its left side, too. Glad I was wearing that thing.

Lesson learned: beware intersections where you can’t be sure of traffic. I can avoid the NW-Connecticut one by crossing a block further south, where I can see clearly both directions. I could also have used the crosswalk at Connecticut (would have walked the bike across, not ridden). As for the financial damages, the insurance people are sparring over that. Could be a substantial hit. My next missive may be from deptor’s prison.

And a philosophical note for those who are into such things. During my blackout period, there was nothing but blackness. No light at the end of a tunnel, nor any flames of hell. Just nothing. If I had been dead, it would have been the most instant death imaginable—no fear or regrets, no lamenting my misspent existence, not even any pain. Just silence and nothingness. My wife, by the way, gets a little upset when I say this to her.

I’ve been home since Friday, and seem to be healing up nicely.
Click to expand...
I have yet to win an argument with concrete. Still pained by a similar dump in August. On the bright side, crashing into the side of a car
is much better than crashing under one. Itś a jungle out there. Be safe, & get well soon.🤪
 
Reminds of August just gone.I was in a small English village and as I was about to mount the bike I happened to catch the throttle.The bike took off with me half on and half off the bike.Both me and the bike bike just landed in a heap in the middle of the road.I fell face down and looked up to see a car heading towards me and I put my hand up.Thankfully he stopped.A woman came running towards me asking if I was ok.I got up with no apparent injuries apart from being a bit shook up but not rocking and rolling.Arriving back at the caravan a quick body inspection revealed some serious bruising of many colours but luckily no broken bones.This taught me to give my steed more respect so I have put a few fluerescent stickers on it to warn other road users of a possible nutter coming in their direction.
 
I see riders with no helmet pretty often and I cringe at the thought of them falling off, even at low speed! I'm so glad you were wearing yours because they save lives for sure, sorry to hear about this awful incident! I hope your recovery will go well and you will get back out on the bike again soon!
 
Kayakguy said:
Update: I seem to be healing pretty well. Shoulder still is iffy, but I've had arthritis in that shoulder for quite a while. As long as out doesn't interfere with paddling a kayak, I can live with it. I still use the walker some, but have been walking with a cane more with not much discomfort. Checked out the bike today, and surprisingly found nothing amiss. Even my mirror on the left handlebar came through okay. Looks like my body absorbed most of the damage, and cushioned the bike as it fell on me. Motor and battery seem okay as well. When I can get the bike out of the shed to check it out in better light, I'll look closely at the frame for any cracks. Ran the motor with the throttle (by tilting the rear wheel off the floor using the kick stand as a fulcrum. Sounded good.

Still negotiating medical costs, checking out what insurance is going to do for me. I talked to the investigating patrolman (motorcycle cop), who said the collision was my fault. But he didn't cite me. He says I ran into the side of the car (a Kia something-or-other), and did no damage to it. The cop actually delivered the police report to me at home. A really nice guy. Hew came riding up on a Beamer, so we talked motorcycles for a while. The driver said he saw me at the intersection, and assumed I was going to turn right up into the bike lane along NW ave. I swear, even after careful, cautious looking, I did not see him. Next time I have to go that route, I know a slightly modified dog-leg that will let me check out traffic from both directions before making the crossing.

Oh, my helmet, a Bern, got scuffed up on the left side, but no other visible damage to it. I realize I'll have to toss it, though. I really want to get back on the bike, but my wife says not until I've seen the orthopedic person in a couple of weeks. Oh, and many thanks to all of you well-wishers who responded earlier. It's a great feeling to have a community, even though it's only virtual.
Click to expand...
Glad to hear that you are recovering well! ;)
Next time let the bike take the impact of the fall instead of your body... some good tips below.

Falling Off A Bike - CadenceFoundation.org

www.cadencefoundation.org www.cadencefoundation.org


velosurance.com

What you must know about crashing your bike | Velosurance

While accumulating riding experience will cut down on the frequency of crashes, even the most experienced riders crash.
velosurance.com velosurance.com
1604711947697.png
 
Last edited:
RabH said:
I see riders with no helmet pretty often and I cringe at the thought of them falling off, even at low speed! I'm so glad you were wearing yours because they save lives for sure, sorry to hear about this awful incident! I hope your recovery will go well and you will get back out on the bike again soon!
Click to expand...
Not fond of a helmet, but it´s saved my life a couple times.
 
FlatSix911 said:
Glad to hear that you are recovering well! ;)
Next time let the bike take the impact of the fall instead of your body... some good tips below.

Falling Off A Bike - CadenceFoundation.org

www.cadencefoundation.org www.cadencefoundation.org


velosurance.com

What you must know about crashing your bike | Velosurance

While accumulating riding experience will cut down on the frequency of crashes, even the most experienced riders crash.
velosurance.com velosurance.com
View attachment 70790
Click to expand...
This somehow looks vaguely familiar. Had helmet & gloves; wish I´d had knee & shoulder pads. Concrete isn´t as much fun.
 
john peck said:
This somehow looks vaguely familiar. Had helmet & gloves; wish I´d had knee & shoulder pads. Concrete isn´t as much fun.
Click to expand...
Here is another good article on Urban survival tips when cycling. ;)

Survival Tactics - BikinginLA

Survival tactics for the urban cyclist Let’s face it. Biking may be fun. Okay, a lot of fun. But it’s a lot more enjoyable when you can arrive back home alive, and in one piece. In three decades of riding, mostly city streets, I’ve learned
bikinginla.com

1604777056419.png
 
Bike-hits-car... that's not a very common one! Hang in there while those bones knit back together!
 
From one kayakguy to another, all the best. Heal up completely and carry on, a little wiser for the experience. Lotsa posters here may not realize the outright life threatening fun hobbies both sea kayaking and bicycling can be! I have a good feeling that you've employed situational awareness to every kayak trip you've taken. Going forth, my belief is that those skills will translate over into your ebiking trips going forward after this.

In the meantime, a couple pics for ya. The first is a nice sunset on a bitterly cold Delaware River at Bordentown, New Jersey, the hat hiding my Werner Kalliste carbon fiber paddle. So cold that the ice was rapidly forming to where the next day, the Delaware was completely frozen over in the middle photo, following a sub-zero degree night. And the third pic is the same spot as in photo 1, after a warm front and rains came in and melted and washed everything away. Situational awareness though.....as the water was still an icy 32 degrees or slightly above. Dry suits required. P&H Vela kayak, fiberglass construction, skeg, paddle float and all around navigation deck light..... I hurt my left shoulder, torn ligaments; and that brought me first to my fat bike and later, the Haibike Full FatSix....and now this forum and this thread. So, from one kayak guy to another..... our boats and bikes await our return.
 

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Mike TowpathTraveler said:
From one kayakguy to another, all the best. Heal up completely and carry on, a little wiser for the experience. Lotsa posters here may not realize the outright life threatening fun hobbies both sea kayaking and bicycling can be! I have a good feeling that you've employed situational awareness to every kayak trip you've taken. Going forth, my belief is that those skills will translate over into your ebiking trips going forward after this.

In the meantime, a couple pics for ya. The first is a nice sunset on a bitterly cold Delaware River at Bordentown, New Jersey, the hat hiding my Werner Kalliste carbon fiber paddle. So cold that the ice was rapidly forming to where the next day, the Delaware was completely frozen over in the middle photo, following a sub-zero degree night. And the third pic is the same spot as in photo 1, after a warm front and rains came in and melted and washed everything away. Situational awareness though.....as the water was still an icy 32 degrees or slightly above. Dry suits required. P&H Vela kayak, fiberglass construction, skeg, paddle float and all around navigation deck light..... I hurt my left shoulder, torn ligaments; and that brought me first to my fat bike and later, the Haibike Full FatSix....and now this forum and this thread. So, from one kayak guy to another..... our boats and bikes await our return.
Click to expand...
Bikes are fun, but one must be ultra-vigilant & situationally aware. That includes being sure your bike is tuned & road ready. I´m in the process
of tuning my ´yak´.
 
Grateful that you came out of it, even with some injuries, at least your alive to tell us. The older we get, the longer it takes to heal as you know. Take your time and get well. The bike and paths will always be there patiently waiting.
 
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