Be careful out there!

F

forest rex

New Member
Got in a crash yesterday morning on my MB and smashed my first metacarpal into the joint on my left hand. I had surgery yesterday and have three pins holding the bone together. Unfortunately, this means I can't do physical labor for a summer job and I won't be able to ride or fix my car for the next 8 weeks.

The crash itself was pretty gnarly. I was turning a blind left at about 25 mph (mistake #1) and an SUV appeared so I jammed the brakes (mistake #2), and the thin front tire slid out from under me. I smacked my hand on the pavement then slid off the road, flipped sideways over the bike and smashed backwards through a fence. It must have looked insane as a bystander. No damage to the bike save for a ripped seat and twisted seat tube, but I have the broken hand and some impressive road rash on my left leg,

Sooo, what did we learn? 1) look longer before turning, cars don't expect bikes to be moving this fast and 2) bicycles have very thin tires with not a lot of grip.
 
Sry to hear you got hurt.
And glad you are here to talk about it!

Difference of opinion with a couple tons of iron can be much worse.

Hope you heal quickly
rc
 
Man I feel for you. These things happen and the best we can do is try to prepare for them. I hope you were wearing a helmet. That at least will protect the vitals but the rest of your body is just hanging out there and vulnerable.

Dealing with traffic is always a challenge and I'll repeat what I've said often which is, "ride as if you're invisible". Never assume that other drivers, or even pedestrians are going to respond to you.

Rotten time of the year to have that kind of injury and we all hope you recover fully.

We'll leave this thread where it is. No problem.

Tom
 
The funny thing was that I tried to get back on the bike and restart it. I tried to pull the clutch with my broken hand and, ahhh, nope, that didn't happen. :-|| I was wearing a helmet, but it surprisingly didn't have a scratch. The right side of my body was untouched save for a deep gash in my leg where one of the sprockets caught it.

It really was my fault though. The SUV ended up turning into the other entrance so she wouldn't have hit me anyways, and although she should've used her blinker, it's not like I would have reacted any differently.
 
I'm sorry to hear it. But I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Sorry if I now sound preachy. But I'll say it since the subject has come up.

25 mph is too fast. Really, really too fast.

But that's not meant for you anyway, forest rex. You get nothing but best wishes.
This is meant more for those who are new or haven't given the matter much thought.

Going that fast really does require a more substantial vehicle.
 
You are right, 25 mph is too fast when turning. I could've avoided the road rash by wearing jeans, but I only had athletic shorts. The road rash wasn't that bad really. Ideally I would cruise at 30 mph with a 36T sprocket, any faster and bumps in the road become too violent for safety.

Take care when turning or braking, skinny tires means less traction. It was bound to happen some time, but I'm glad it ended with only road rash and a broken hand. Could've been much worse.
 
I used to teach and practice high-speed avoidance techniques like tossing the bike sideways with both tires sliding to scrub speed in emergencies. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to do it from ANY speed but once you know, it can literally save your life.
Knowing how to toss it flat sideways at 35 or so on pavement without crashing is an advanced technique but one that is mostly unknown. All it takes is practice and nerves and you can slide it sideways to a stop in much less distance than using brakes alone.
But practice and being used to high speeds is a must to do this safely.
High-siding at 30+ is no fun...no matter how many hits you get from youtube.
 
Maniac, your technique will work IF you have the time to see and process what's happening. When I had my crash last summer it happened so fast that there wasn't time to react. One second I was riding, the next I was on the asphalt sliding. No kidding, it happened so quick that I didn't have time to comprehend what was happening.

If you see the accident, or impact coming, laying the bike down is better than hitting something head on but you need the time. That isn't always possible depending on the circumstances.

Tom
 
Agreed. Even knowing how does not mean you'll have time....
I always ride like every other person on the earth is actively seeking to kill me and it has served me well for several decades!
 
maniac57 said:
Agreed. Even knowing how does not mean you'll have time....
I always ride like every other person on the earth is actively seeking to kill me and it has served me well for several decades!
Click to expand...
It's not your imagination. They're out to get you. :)

Tom
 
As he said, it happens really quick. It's like a mousetrap, one millisecond you're up, the next you're on the ground sliding. It was better than hitting the fence head-on and launching myself over the handlebars, though.
 
It takes time, and a lot of experience to learn how to not get run over. Everyone seems to have their own method of learning how to ride. My method was, I crashed a lot early on, and got it out of my system. Now not so much.
 
Sorry to hear about your accident. It's always better to have a helmet and not need it than your family and friend whishing that you had worn one.

Hope you heal well and quickly.

Steve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top