I crashed

[wc1934]

After years of riding and logging a gazillion miles, the inevitable finally happened - I suffered a pretty good crash.

I was stopped at a traffic light. I waited for the light to turn green and then crossed the main roadway section and headed straight towards the side street- that's the last thing I remember - somehow I crashed (either a car going in the same direction got to close and I veered to the right and hit the curb (that's what the nurse said I told her), or I somehow lost focus and control and hit the curb. Either way that is where my computer identified the crash, but I don't remember it, nor anyone assisting me. I rode the next five miles home but don't recall a thing (not that nasty hill that I often suffer on, or even putting the bike in the garage). Went to ER -ended up with cuts/bruises on my leg and thigh, a severely dislocated finger and a concussion.

I think my injuries were considerable given the fact that I was not going fast (went from a standstill to just crossing an intersection). Upon inspection I noticed my helmet did sustain some cracks, so it kinda did its job - or should I have expected more from it (i.e. - no concussion at all.) Now in the market for a new one. I liked my old one (Kask) - great fit, but I see that Bontrager advertises one that is supposedly five times more effective and reduces concussions by 48%. What does the paceline braintrust (get it) have to say?

Lesson learned - be careful even at slow speeds.

[thwart]

Sounds like you were lucky... you pulled a Chris Horner... amnesia after a significant concussion.

Safe to say the helmet did its job.

I would take it easy (both physically and mentally) for a few days and not worry too much right away about a helmet purchase.

When you do, the Bontrager models with Wavecell are a good choice, as are the many models with the MIPS system. Others here likely have more expertise.

[Hawker]

Sounds like it could have been a lot worse. Very glad you're OK, rest easy.

[charliedid]

Glad to hear it wasn't worse. Try some helmets on and like always, the best helmet is often the one you are wearing.

[R3awak3n]

I too hit it hard early this year. Hit my head hard and for a second or 2 I was seeing stars. Helmet (gyro mips) did its job as I felt fine after that and no concussion. I ripped the skin fully out the palm of my hand and knee. Ouch.

I then immediately started looking for a new helmet. The bonty looked good so I bought it. I never even rode it but just putting it on it felt really heavy and I could see why reviews were saying that it ran hot. I then returned it (reason I never even rode it was cuz I had no skin on the palm of my hand lol... and was winter.
Good thing about bonty is you can try the helmet for 30 days and return it, no questions asked.

I ended up getting a poc spin. I would get another mips in a heart beat because they always done their job. The Poc spin is similar tech to mips.

[Seramount]

after my hit/run incident, have a period of 5 hours of 'lost' time...

remember leaving my house and reaching a certain road intersection about 7 miles away...next recollection is talking to a doc in the ER much later in the evening. no idea what transpired in between.

Giro Aeon did its job...fractured into 5 pieces.

[smead]

Can you be sure you were not hit by a car? Given that you remember nothing about how you crashed ....

[C40_guy]

Glad to hear that you're okay. Take it easy for a while...concussions can be tricky.

Friend lost his wife in a single bike crash. Found by the side of the road, she was in a coma for a while. Never did figure out what really happened...

[zmudshark]

Sounds like you were lucky... you pulled a Chris Horner... amnesia after a significant concussion.

Safe to say the helmet did its job.

I would take it easy (both physically and mentally) for a few days and not worry too much right away about a helmet purchase.

When you do, the Bontrager models with Wavecell are a good choice, as are the many models with the MIPS system. Others here likely have more expertise.

Sounds a lot like your crash, Tom. Cars are sneaky, and not so smart.

[Mr B]

Screen time (reading particularly) is bad for TBIs. Rest a while and revisit this subject when you've fully recovered.

[stephenmarklay]

Scary. I am glad you are posting about your story though.

[Tickdoc]

Lucky you! Very lucky. Glad you are ok and be sure to lay low for a while and rest up.

That trek helmet looks hot to me, and cooling is a must for my helmet, besides crash protection, IMO.

Big Mips fan here. Saved my bacon good one time after hitting a dog at high speed.

[djg21]

When it’s time, maybe reach out to Kask and see if it offers a crash protection discount like Giro does. Regarding helmets, I use the Giro with MIPS. I figure MIPS can only help, and doesn’t hurt.

[Blown Reek]

That sucks.

In the motorcycle world, there are two types of riders- those who have gone down and those who will go down, and biking's the same way. Now that you got it done, keep on doing what you've been doing, and you'll be fine.

[mulp]

Relief to hear you are ok.

I heard MIPS is pretty much the only feature that makes a difference, would highly recommend a helmet with MIPS.

[tuxbailey]

I think it is worthwhile to invest in a camera. Despite some bad press, the Fly6 works well and it would give you some clues in events like this when you can't remember what happened.

[Toddtwenty2]

Take some time off from screen, reading, tv, and work. Let your head rest and heal.

I had a wicked concussion in hockey. My head was off for a solid 2-3 months but eventually healed (or I adjusted to the new normal). I am fortunate, but I took healing very seriously. Either way, be very careful with TBI’s.

If you notice some changes in your mood or personality, I recommend checking out the Amen Institute. A mentor at work used them after he had a concussion, and they sincerely helped him in a rough time. They do a brain scan to identify areas of your brain that aren’t functioning properly and set you up with a specific treatment plan for it. It is much more accurate and effective than simply talking through symptoms with someone.

Best of luck in healing

[weisan]

I think it is worthwhile to invest in a camera. Despite some bad press, the Fly6 works well and it would give you some clues in events like this when you can't remember what happened.

I have a discontinued Garmin Virb camera on my bike sometimes especially when I am doing a group ride. Over the years, it has recorded a few crashes.

Here's one.
https://vimeo.com/362180410

Another...
https://vimeo.com/282933196

And this one...is me, crashing. Don't really know what happened but according to the video, it looks like my front wheel hit a rock, that's the working theory anyway.
https://vimeo.com/245543444

1934 pal, glad you are ok.

[Fixed]

It happened Several times during my life to me The last time it took nine years To get me back on the bike after a lot of yoga and therapy
Hope you mend up
Cheers

[572cv]

My low speed crash .... my front wheel caught in a shadow-hidden crack and I pitched over the bars onto my head..... yielded a concussion too. It took about a month for me to get past portions of the day when I was fuzzy in the head, needed naps, just wasn’t quite myself. But then I woke up one morning and knew I was better. That seems to be a mercifully short recovery time for a concussion, but perhaps a data point for your crash too.

[fignon's barber]

OP, if your incident happened in a city or town, chances are there is an intersection camera recording 24/7. If you were hit by a car, they will have that data. You would check with the traffic engineer at the city/town/county municipal building.

[zambenini]

OP, if your incident happened in a city or town, chances are there is an intersection camera recording 24/7. If you were hit by a car, they will have that data. You would check with the traffic engineer at the city/town/county municipal building.

I would certainly do that, and even if there's no camera, start working on a police report. Getting your bell rung is nothing to fool with and if there's even a whiff of a car or traffic situation in the chain of causality for this, your own car insurance coverage should be helping you out at minimum. As usual for us cyclists, a good lawyer will be worth it.

Edit: I wish I didn't know that both personally and from friends' experiences.

[R3awak3n]

I once woke up with blood in my head in my house. I remember nothing but there was blood in the bathroom floor so I know I fell there and hit my head. It drove me crazy that I did not know what happened. I had a bad concussion, lasted for a month or 2, it was hard to do a lot of stuff because I could not focus and was super sensitive to light. Take it easy for the next few weeks, agree about what people have mention, a lot of rest and less screen time.

[J.Higgins]

That sucks.

In the motorcycle world, there are two types of riders- those who have gone down and those who will go down, and biking's the same way. Now that you got it done, keep on doing what you've been doing, and you'll be fine.

My first post here, and I never thought I would be speaking about the motorcycle crash I had in 2007. I remember taking the turn, but nothing else. I had 13 broken bones, and coma for a week. Traumatic Brain Injury, which has taken me a lot of time and therapy to make livable.

Helmets are a must! I was wearing mine AND full leathers with crash protection.

[LouDeeter]

Reminds me of my worst crash--less than 10 mph in a grocery store parking lot, riding circles while awaiting other riders. Hit a speed bump and wham, on the ground, fetal position. A lady came out of the store and asked if I needed help. I told her to call my wife. She asked, "What's the number". I couldn't remember, so I said, "Call 911". Then, I remembered I had my phone with speed dial. I called my wife. I could barely remember where I was, but got it out and she arrived as the medical team put me in the ambulance. 10 broken ribs--4 front, 6 back. The next 2 months were not the most fun I've ever had. Anyone else ever tried to go to the bathroom after breaking a bunch of ribs? Whoa!

Glad you are still this side of the grass.

[oldpotatoe]

Thrilled you are ok and now have memory..I had a period of about 30 hours after my concussion where I was awake but had no memory..that scared me the most, to stay that way, not having any 'awareness'..

Be careful of the concussion...look for signs of longer term issues, like anger, anxiety, depression, headaches.....Your road rash wll heal a lot faster than your brain.

Again, glad you came out the other side...:)

[Peter P.]

Re: Helmets

Fit is everything.

More vents is better.

More adjustment options is better-the top tier helmets allow adjustment up-and-down of the Roc Loc or similar device. I found paying top dollar worth it for that feature.

[nobuseri]

Been there before; good to hear you're OK.

Take it slow for a bit.

[redir]

Recovery from concussion can take some time and it can do strange things so keep well and probably best to stay off the bike for a while. I'm sure your doc will have a plan for you. Best luck on your recovery.

[jemdet]

Glad you're alright. TBIs are no joke. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[elcolombiano]

I hope you get better soon. Crashing is no fun.

[ariw]

Hope you get better quickly. Years ago, we had a Doc present for a team that I was on. The first thing he said about crashing was that you should assume you can't make decisions for yourself and call someone right away, even if you don't need an ambulance. His personal example was a "minor" fall, car stopped to see if he was OK, he said no problem, then tried to ride away only to discover that rear triangle was bent badly enough that the wheel didn't spin freely.

-Ari

[fijichf]

I was on a ride last July with two buds when I heard that awful sound of a bike going down and when I looked behind me, my one bud was on the deck. He hit a stone in the road (2”x3”) at 20mph or so and it was enough to cause him to go OTB.

Broken finger, lacerations to his right side, a broken collarbone and a concussion. He was “punchy” if that’s a good term to use and it took him several weeks for the headaches to subside. He was wearing a helmet and when the EMT saw the crack, it triggered the next level of questioning from the ambulance crew.

I’m surprised that they didn’t keep you overnight for observation. Be careful and rest well.