Dog day afternoon...aka helmets are a good thing

[Tickdoc]

Took advantage of a beautiful winter day for a solo fifty today. Got chased by a few rambunctious dogs. Nothing new. A group of three gave a good chase, but no nipping.

On my way home about 10 miles after these guys I had the wind at my back, and was cruising nearly 30 when two dogs approached.

Big lab ran right in front of me and stopped.

Happened so fast I didn't have time to react. Too big to bunny hop over, I creamed him and crashed pretty hard.

He yelped loudly but ran off along with his buddy. I sat there on the road going back and forth between " am I ok?" And "is my bike ok?"

After a minute or two I surmised that I wasn't dead, and nothing on me was broken. Bottles strewn, glasses broken. I hit my head hard so I took off my brand new two rides helmet to investigate. Cracked and dented all the the way through in the back. I bought it two weeks ago and haven't even decided if I liked it over my old prevail. First mips helmet for me, which I never thought of as a priority, just a bonus.

Amazingly the bike was ok. Wheels true, shifting ok, no obvious dents or cracks to the frame. The handlebars hit hard on one corner where the plug goes, but no damage to the levers, cranks, or derailleurs.

Dusted myself off and rode home fine, just a little slower than usual. It's been two years since I've crashed and all I could think about on the way home was how much fun this next week is going to be showering and dressing.

Typical road rash on ass, lef knee, left ankle, both elbows. Now that I've been home I showered and slathered on Vaseline and bandages, took some Advil, and added a jack and Coke just in case. Neck is a bit sore, can't wait to see what hurts tomorrow.

I'm thankful to be ok first and foremost, secondly glad the bike is ok, but pissed at the lost of the incidentals: Helmet, glasses, bars, bartape, my new custom fizik saddle are all toast. My favorite Vecchio's bibs are holier than thou. Weirdly, my new to me above category vest is scuffed but still wearable, but the hard as heck to find poler jersey I had underneath is toast as well? Thank goodness I had arm and knee warmers on.

Stay safe brothers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Handgod/IMG_5253_zpsxizsg4iq.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Handgod/IMG_5256_zpsizewywiz.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Handgod/IMG_5255_zpsdno7q98b.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v234/Handgod/IMG_5258_zps6nhndjv3.jpg

[Jad]

Glad you're not worse, but sorry for the pain and equipment. I know the anticipation of stiffness/soreness to come, so good luck as the crash comes to the surface, so to speak. Take it easy.

It sounds like the dogs are a fact of riding there; Is there recourse to try to get people to control their animals? There are a few here in places that sometimes run into the road--aggressive/hostile dogs, as well as dogs who just want to run and end up getting in front of the bike. Either way, they can be dangerous, especially if the timing is wrong.

[sokyroadie]

Sorry to hear, heal quickly. That is why I am a cat person :D.
I live in the country and unfortunately dogs are a constant headache.

Jeff

[Tickdoc]

Glad you're not worse, but sorry for the pain and equipment. I know the anticipation of stiffness/soreness to come, so good luck as the crash comes to the surface, so to speak. Take it easy.

It sounds like the dogs are a fact of riding there; Is there recourse to try to get people to control their animals? There are a few here in places that sometimes run into the road--aggressive/hostile dogs, as well as dogs who just want to run and end up getting in front of the bike. Either way, they can be dangerous, especially if the timing is wrong.

We are deep in redneck country where this happened. You don't go to inform the owner, you just go.

[Bentley]

One thing is for sure, the helmet saved your coconut.

heal quickly

best

Ray

[onsight512]

glad you're okay. that pic of the helmet. wow.

[Tickdoc]

glad you're okay. that pic of the helmet. wow.

Pretty sure I'd still be laying there without it.

I'm going to take it back next week for a refund :D

[Bentley]

Let us know how that goes:)

Ray

[efaust_o]

What orientation did you land, on your leg/hip? Reason I ask, got some valuable advice from previous similar incident. Looks like the back of your helmet hit the road?

[Tickdoc]

What orientation did you land, on your leg/hip? Reason I ask, got some valuable advice from previous similar incident. Looks like the back of your helmet hit the road?

I don't even know. Left ankle and left ass cheek along with head and neck took the brunt. How my right elbow and right knee were involved has me baffled.

[Sparshall]

We have a lot loose dogs in our area...always hate seeing/hearing this. Heal up quickly!

Here's my helmet from 2 weeks ago...also have to look out for pickup trucks with loose boxes in the bed.
http://i63.tinypic.com/fkr59e.jpg

[gasman]

We are deep in redneck country where this happened. You don't go to inform the owner, you just go.

I'm glad to hear your head is okay if the rest of you is pretty sore.

I have a buddy who had a similar incident happen outside of Dallas about 20 years ago only the dogs chased him uphill. He got away. There happened to be a cop on the side of the road nearby, he didn't see the incident but he knew the dogs. He told my friend to just shoot the dogs if they chased him next time !!
He was surprised to say the least.

[makoti]

Glad you're ok. Trashed a helmet the same way. Bought the same helmet again. Figured why mess with success?

[efaust_o]

Sounds like you'll be fine. It is a insult to injury we don't have recourse. I was on a major hwy. when mine happened. Looked over at the house and sadly some peoples livestock have better accommodations. What I was going to say if you have a direct blow (I did a pile-drive into the road) an Xray is definitely in the works. I found out a year later I had compressed vertebra. I would have done well with some physical therapy. Also if it's worth your while, there is county to make a report, but without knowing owner of dog, get out of there! I hear dueling banjos...

[gemship]

Congratulations for surviving a bike crash. You now know first hand why cycling can be very expensive.

[weisan]

doc pal, glad you are ok.

[p nut]

Congratulations for surviving a bike crash. You now know first hand why cycling can be very expensive.

I was thinking he got away pretty cheap crashing at 30mph. New helmet, glasses, some road rash. Could've been much worse and expensive.

Sorry about the crash. Stuff happens. Live to ride another day = a good ride. :)

By the way, some companies offer discounted replacements. Check with your shop.

[OtayBW]

Glad you're alright. Slammed my head down on the pavement one time as well some years ago and remember feeling very lucky to have been wearing the helmet. Heal up. :beer:

[Tickdoc]

We have a lot loose dogs in our area...always hate seeing/hearing this. Heal up quickly!

Here's my helmet from 2 weeks ago...also have to look out for pickup trucks with loose boxes in the bed.
http://i63.tinypic.com/fkr59e.jpg

Holy hell it looks like you landed directly in top of your head!

Thanks for sharing the pic

[mcfarton]

If it was a bontrager helmet, just turn it in for a free replacement. Glad that you are OK!

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[shovelhd]

Glad you are ok.

I watched that movie today. Love that flick.

[ultraman6970]

Happy u are ok. Get well soon. :)

[charliedid]

Wow that's a rough one. Glad you are okay

[bobdenver1961]

Wow. Nice looking Seven. Glad you and your bike are OK.

[Tony]

Glad you made it out ok! Went down a couple months ago, my helmet was trashed, saved my head for sure.

[giverdada]

Tick, friend, I'm glad you seem like you're okay. But really, and I mean REALLY, go get checked out and documented. Maybe you're actually a doc who works on tickers so you know all kinds of medical mumbo jumbo and whatnot, but this exact thing happened to my lady and ruined our collective lives since September. I'm talking completely @#$%ed. Like months off work, wearing sunglasses and noise-canceling headphones and all kinds of insanely horrible family life issues that I owe it to everyone to not go into. Suffice to say, a dog-crash ruined our lives for some time, and the effects are still lived/felt/suffered every damn day around here. I am glad you seem okay. And there's really not anything anyone seems to be able to do all that directly for brain injuries as yet, but I really do hope you don't have long lasting residual effects, and I hope you've got all kinds of supports to help you out in case things are bad. I was not good as a support until I was told, the hard way, because we all thought she was fine. She was not. I hope that you are. Damn fenceless/leashless dogs...

[Tickdoc]

Tick, friend, I'm glad you seem like you're okay. But really, and I mean REALLY, go get checked out and documented. Maybe you're actually a doc who works on tickers so you know all kinds of medical mumbo jumbo and whatnot, but this exact thing happened to my lady and ruined our collective lives since September. I'm talking completely @#$%ed. Like months off work, wearing sunglasses and noise-canceling headphones and all kinds of insanely horrible family life issues that I owe it to everyone to not go into. Suffice to say, a dog-crash ruined our lives for some time, and the effects are still lived/felt/suffered every damn day around here. I am glad you seem okay. And there's really not anything anyone seems to be able to do all that directly for brain injuries as yet, but I really do hope you don't have long lasting residual effects, and I hope you've got all kinds of supports to help you out in case things are bad. I was not good as a support until I was told, the hard way, because we all thought she was fine. She was not. I hope that you are. Damn fenceless/leashless dogs...

Thanks for the concern, really, all of you. Sorry to hear of your SO and her issues. It's been about eight hours and I feel about the same as my usual post-ride self, with the addition of the scrapes and a sore neck. My ears are ringing, but they always do. I'm dreading work this week from this, but I've been here before. It is my first real head smack but I'll be damned if the helmet didn't do a marvelous job.

(I'm no heart doc, btw, it's just an old screen name from my watch collecting days.)

[Dead Man]

https://media.makeameme.org/created/dooooooooooooogs.jpg

Two things I've just about f'ing had it with - cars that pass too close, and LOOSE DOGS

Glad you're OK OP. More importantly, glad that Seven is OK



thats what you get for wearing knickers tho :p

[onekgguy]

Glad you're okay for the most part. My collision with a black lab back in 2001 didn't go so well for me. And no, I didn't seek out Judge Judy -- she wanted me. :)

https://vimeo.com/15487359

Kevin g

[Dead Man]

Glad you're okay for the most part. My collision with a black lab back in 2001 didn't go so well for me. And no, I didn't seek out Judge Judy -- she wanted me. :)

https://vimeo.com/15487359

Kevin g

That's incredible... I can't believe those people thought they could make any kind of argument that you were even partially responsible for for their dog running out in front of you

But .. this is how some people think, sadly.

[oldpotatoe]

Glad you and your bike are OK..the bibs? Vecchio's ship's worldwide.:D

Out east here, some real bad dog 'problems'. The 'problem' are the knuckleheaded owners but like there, talking to them results in either anger, a gun or a thousand yard stare.

Distracted dogs..distracted by the shiny thing coming down the road.

[Tickdoc]

Glad you're okay for the most part. My collision with a black lab back in 2001 didn't go so well for me. And no, I didn't seek out Judge Judy -- she wanted me. :)

https://vimeo.com/15487359

Kevin g

That is really incredible and how did it not go well for you? (Other than the crash, I mean)

Thanks for sharing your 10 min of fame, really good stuff there.

[RFC]

That is really incredible and how did it not go well for you? (Other than the crash, I mean)

Thanks for sharing your 10 min of fame, really good stuff there.

I'm sorry for your accident and your pain. Been there more times than I want to count. But I have to say that the Judge Judy video gave me a wonderful sense of Schadenfreude to start my day with a smile! Loved watching the dog owners squirm!

BTW there is a little hearsay (and double hearsay) problem with the testimony about what the kid said. But then, Judge Judy got around it. She hears all and sees all.

[soulspinner]

Heal up man. Glad its not worse. That helmet took a lot of force.

[oldpotatoe]

How ya feelin' today? Usually second or third day the worse for getting stiff and sore.

As a guy who has had a concussion, go see somebody if you get any post concussion symptoms..

-'big brother' out:)

[Tickdoc]

How ya feelin' today? Usually second or third day the worse for getting stiff and sore.

As a guy who has had a concussion, go see somebody if you get any post concussion symptoms..

-'big brother' out:)

Getting up and down and turning my neck is a little iffy, but other than that ok.

Gonna be a fun week.

What are concussion symptoms? So far all I notice are stiff neck and ringing ears ( which I have suffered from for years). I'm not vomiting or nauseous, haven't fallen asleep or passed out spontaneously, no dizziness or vision probs....so I think I'm good.

I just feel like a mack truck hit me, which is understandable.

I'm relieved that so many points of my body absorbed the impact, and I think that is part of what helped myfrom more injury. I had to roll some to have both left and right scrapes. I noticed this morning that my back has abrasions across the whole right side. Gonna be a nice color in a week or two.

I'll go have it checked out if anything develops. I was rear ended in a car once and suffered a concussion. I had a huge hematoma on my forehead for a few days and didn't know who are president was for a bit( restrain yourself :), but MRI was clear and I recovered. Just had headaches for about 6 months after.

[tumbler]

Glad you're ok. Looks like that helmet did it's job!

[Tickdoc]

update: helmet replaced. Bought another Airnet. Specialized offers a crash replacement discount of 20%. Not the best deal in town, but not the worst, and the helmet definitely did it's job.

They send mine in to spec. for evaluation.

Healing up well and finally getting passed the everything in my body hurts stage yesterday and today.

I think I'll wait til next week to venture back out on the road (nasty weekend forecast here anyways)

Party on.

[soulspinner]

update: helmet replaced. Bought another Airnet. Specialized offers a crash replacement discount of 20%. Not the best deal in town, but not the worst, and the helmet definitely did it's job.

They send mine in to spec. for evaluation.

Healing up well and finally getting passed the everything in my body hurts stage yesterday and today.

I think I'll wait til next week to venture back out on the road (nasty weekend forecast here anyways)

Party on.

Glad to see you r OK. Rubba down.

[Lanternrouge]

I skipped a ride leaving from work today (I had to drive) because I didn't have a helmet with me. Threads like this make me feel better about that decision.

[donevwil]

That helmet pic is eye opening, I definitely need a new, more current one. Your experience has me researching helmets in more detail, unfortunately I haven't found much A vs B vs C info.

Heal well.

[Tickdoc]

Glad to see you r OK. Rubba down.

Thank you I feel very lucky and I really do credit the helmet a ton for saving my ass.

[onekgguy]

That is really incredible and how did it not go well for you? (Other than the crash, I mean)

Thanks for sharing your 10 min of fame, really good stuff there.

I'm glad you're doing better, and with what appears to be no lasting injuries. The most difficult thing about getting back on the bike for me was a fear that a dog would unexpectedly jump out from the ditch at any moment and take me out. It probably took me 18 months to get over that.

I too cracked my helmet and that was a good thing -- it could've easily been my head. I'd only been wearing a helmet for a week at the time on the insistence of my wife. Great timing on her part!

I had some severe dizziness associated with the otoliths in my ears having been dislodged. A doctor maneuvered my head through a series of movements and worked them back into place. The dizziness was gone immediately.

Stay safe!

Kevin g

[Dead Man]

I had some severe dizziness associated with the otoliths in my ears having been dislodged. A doctor maneuvered my head through a series of movements and worked them back into place. The dizziness was gone immediately.

benign paroxysmal positional vertigo..... Doctor had me lie down on my side, turn, and sit back up - I almost threw up right there in the exam room. Pretty easy to diagnose, but not so easy to fix, for me. I was horrible about doing my daily "Epley maneuvers," but eventually the problem corrected itself.

[BobO]

Glad you're feeling better. If the neck issue persists you should consider a cervical MRI. Herniated disks can masquerade as muscle pain. If you catch it early you can save yourself from a surgery.

For a time I had a sociopath, redneck, hillbilly, POS of a neighbor who used his pack of dogs as an extension of his will and dominance over the neighborhood. From this perspective I can offer two suggestions for dealing with dangerous dogs.

1. Old fashioned dog whistles work.
2. Pepper spray.

If dogs are a frequent danger, carry one or both. After a while even the most troublesome dog will learn to leave you the f alone. :)

*It isn't the dog's fault. It's the owner's fault. The dog is usually an innocent. Don't do harm to the dog unless there is no other choice.*

[oldpotatoe]

That helmet pic is eye opening, I definitely need a new, more current one. Your experience has me researching helmets in more detail, unfortunately I haven't found much A vs B vs C info.

Heal well.

All tested to the same standards. It's all about comfort and price. A zillion $ helmet won't automatically protect your head any better than a low $ one.

[mjalder2]

All tested to the same standards. It's all about comfort and price. A zillion $ helmet won't automatically protect your head any better than a low $ one.



Does that go for MIPS helmets too?

[oldpotatoe]

Does that go for MIPS helmets too?

MIPS is kinda 'up in the air', AFAIK..in terms of effectiveness. Depends on who you talk to.

http://www.roadbikereview.com/reviews/does-mips-helmet-technology-really-work

[Mark McM]

Your experience has me researching helmets in more detail, unfortunately I haven't found much A vs B vs C info.

There is little motivation within the industry to improve helmet protection, and none at all for doing comparison testing.

Look at the auto industry - they weren't at all interested in safety, and fought tooth and nail against instituting safety standards. The imposition of improved safety has all come from the government, and from the insurance industry (which is frequency on the hook for costs of accidents).

There are now automobile crash ratings, with quantitative rankings. But these are not done by the automobile industry, they are done by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).

Until some outside party becomes interested in improving helmet safety, don't expect any changes in safety standards, or for any comparison testing to be done.

[jimcav]

having had several hard crashes over the years, my advice is to ICE and do gentle foam rolling NEAR the affected areas as much as you can today (ice areas including directly on bruised areas, but don't foam roll right on the bruise). it will help with mobility and soreness
jim

[19wisconsin64]

There are some accidents you can't avoid and it's good that you wore your helmet! Hope you heal up well!

Back in the day I used to ride on back roads near the Wisconsin / Illinois border past farms. My technique was to get very quick at reaching for my water bottle as "farm dogs" approached, and then doing a pre-emptive squirt in the air if they got close. But this technique would never work with several dogs coming at you all at once!

[572cv]

I wrote up my crash last fall and the impression my helmet made on me (pun intended). It was mips equipped. The mips layer actually tore on the side of impact, from which I concluded that it absorbed some force. While this might not be true in every event, I will take all the protection I can get. Mips again, until the next better thing. Hope you heal fully!


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