| DATE OF ACCIDENT | LOCATION | DAMAGE | ACCIDENT INFORMATION | ADVICE | EMAIL ADDRESS
winter 2001
| Chicago, IL
| Rear wheel cracked to pieces
| I got hit in the rear wheel, bike flew forward 30 feet, I flipped backwards and landed on my butt. I had clip pedals. I think that if I had clipless, I would have been pulled to the ground and ran over.
Advice->Do NOT wear CLIPLESS when riding on the street with cars passing by. Wear a helmet.
| Do NOT wear CLIPLESS when riding on the street with cars passing by. Wear a helmet.
| bastan11 | @yahoo.com 9/26/2006
| East of Rainier and Dearborne, Seattle
| Shattered right elbow. Torn left thumb end. Slight scrapes to bar ends.
| Second time commuting to work on my (new used)mountain bike after riding my road bike all summer.
Got cut off by a car and hit my brakes too hard and too fast. Executed a perfect endo over the front wheel and slammed into the pavement elbow first. Because I was clipped in, the bike stayed with me and landed on top with almost no damage.
| n/a
| bhofro | @mac.com August 17, 2006
| Mackinac Island, Tranquil Trail
| husband on Mountain Bike going up rocky narrow trail flipped backwards into a small tree & hurt his tailbone area. I applied ice immediately which helped. It is very purplish black & has expanded from a small area to a huge open winged black bird like shadow.
| n/a
| Go slow on trail & be aware of rocks that catch your bike tires or be ready to WALK your bike at various times. Also, wear long pants on these trails, as my 9 year old got a bad case of poison ivy. Also, there are snakes, as I saw a skin shed of one
| Dreamdate1955 | @Yahoo.com Summer 2004
| Waltham Ma
| front fork bent, front rim bent, headset damaged on bike i got a sprained left shoulder.
| hit by drunk driver in my front wheel in a crosswalk, but i managed to land on my feet, but he took off. didn't get the plate, though.
| GET THE PLATE IN A HIT ANMD RUN!!!! WEAR YOUR HELMET AND DONN'T USE PEDALS WITH CLIPS ON BUSY ROADS!!!!!!
| karenmilnes6 | @aol.com Summer 2004
| Islington ave. Toronto, ON, Canada
| Nothiong much, but please read on
| i was riding and jumping off the bike to watch it go for a few meters and fall... once when i did that the bike turned left before it fell and fell on the street. There was a car comming... good thing the driver wasnt smoking weed while driving... he slowed down and let me get my bike off the street.
| dont try stupid and pointless stuff (especialy near cars)
| kamikaze_attacking | @hotmail.com summer 1987
| Boulder Colorodo
| Bike:Front end of bike bent rim,forks brakes, handle bars. Rider: Twenty stiches on upper lip.
Twenty stiches on chin, road rash on face and hands, two stiches in side upper lip, and killed a front tooth requiring a root canal, I was only 17.
| Left my bike out side of an apartment complex while visiting with friends, This is when someone thought it would be fun to undue my fast flips on my front wheel.
I was locked in the old style toe clips and was riding very fast when I went off a corner curb into the street. This is when I saw my tire roll off in front of me and into the street. I was air born and tried to get my feet out of the clips but could not. When my forks slamed into the pavement I let go of the handle bars and prepared for the worst I was catapulted into an endo and I braced myself with my hands to the pavement, my face followed and hit the pavement in between my hands. when I came to a stop I was still locked into my clips.
| Check your fast flips before getting on your bike, WEAR YOUR HELMET! GO BIG OR GO HOME! Have Fun.
| mark | @zoeticdesign.com aug 2002
| Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia. (yes, i am an aussie)
| Nothiong much, but please read on
| This happened to a friend of mine- i was watching. He was acting really macho and we had just ridden to the local shops. He powered across the road like a bat out of hell and hit one of those fences made out of log pilings.he flew at least 2 metres in the air and landed on HIS HEAD. HE was lucky to not be a totally macho goon who "doesn't need a helmet" but his neck was injured by this fall and he is lucky he didn't have anything permanent like being paralyzed. he had some tingling in the muscles so he was very close to
being seriously hurt. He was unable to bend over or anything for some time. Boring that i don't have anything or my own to write about, but maybe i am lucky
| don't think u r 10 feet tall and bullet proof, because you aren't. WEAR A HELMET if you don't you could end up LIKE AN ADULT BABY> this is extremely traumatic as family members will have to look after u besides the fact that your life is ruined
| tiggr | @pnc.com.au summer 1987
| Boulder Colorodo
| Bike:Front end of bike bent rim,forks brakes, handle bars. Rider: Twenty stiches on upper lip.
Twenty stiches on chin, road rash on face and hands, two stiches in side upper lip, and killed a front tooth requiring a root canal, I was only 17.
| Left my bike out side of an apartment complex while visiting with friends, This is when someone thought it would be fun to undue my fast flips on my front wheel.
I was locked in the old style toe clips and was riding very fast when I went off a corner curb into the street. This is when I saw my tire roll off in front of me and into the street. I was air born and tried to get my feet out of the clips but could not. When my forks slamed into the pavement I let go of the handle bars and prepared for the worst I was catapulted into an endo and I braced myself with my hands to the pavement, my face followed and hit the pavement in between my hands. when I came to a stop I was still locked into my clips.
| Check your fast flips before getting on your bike, WEAR YOUR HELMET! GO BIG OR GO HOME! Have Fun.
| mark | @zoeticdesign.com aug 11th 2002
| deep creek lake state park
| BIKE: bent right brake lever knocked brakes out of whack MYSELF:got poison ivy
sliced several huge gashes in the palm of my right hand
several other scrapes
| i was trying to set a top speed record on my new bike by going down a massive hill. i was going about 30mph when i realized that i wasnt going to make a turn, so i applied the brakes full power(but not to lockup) went off the road and into a ditch down the ditch about 15 feet hit a rock and went face first into the ground
| limit your speed carefully and learn how to use brakes properly
| big_papa1080 | @comcast.net summer 1987
| Boulder Colorodo
| Bike:Front end of bike bent rim,forks brakes, handle bars. Rider: Twenty stiches on upper lip.
Twenty stiches on chin, road rash on face and hands, two stiches in side upper lip, and killed a front tooth requiring a root canal, I was only 17.
| Left my bike out side of an apartment complex while visiting with friends, This is when someone thought it would be fun to undue my fast flips on my front wheel.
I was locked in the old style toe clips and was riding very fast when I went off a corner curb into the street. This is when I saw my tire roll off in front of me and into the street. I was air born and tried to get my feet out of the clips but could not. When my forks slamed into the pavement I let go of the handle bars and prepared for the worst I was catapulted into an endo and I braced myself with my hands to the pavement, my face followed and hit the pavement in between my hands. when I came to a stop I was still locked into my clips.
| Check your fast flips before getting on your bike, WEAR YOUR HELMET! GO BIG OR GO HOME! Have Fun.
| mark | @zoeticdesign.com june 05 2002
| huber woods NJ
| torn ligment in right shoulder
| hit a jump on a new bike pulled up to hard landed pretty much on back tire slammed front tire down went over handle bars landed and slid on shoulder
| practice before you try something on a new bike
| godim | @msn.com summer 1987
| Boulder Colorodo
| Bike:Front end of bike bent rim,forks brakes, handle bars. Rider: Twenty stiches on upper lip.
Twenty stiches on chin, road rash on face and hands, two stiches in side upper lip, and killed a front tooth requiring a root canal, I was only 17.
| Left my bike out side of an apartment complex while visiting with friends, This is when someone thought it would be fun to undue my fast flips on my front wheel.
I was locked in the old style toe clips and was riding very fast when I went off a corner curb into the street. This is when I saw my tire roll off in front of me and into the street. I was air born and tried to get my feet out of the clips but could not. When my forks slamed into the pavement I let go of the handle bars and prepared for the worst I was catapulted into an endo and I braced myself with my hands to the pavement, my face followed and hit the pavement in between my hands. when I came to a stop I was still locked into my clips.
| Check your fast flips before getting on your bike, WEAR YOUR HELMET! GO BIG OR GO HOME! Have Fun.
| mark | @zoeticdesign.com 9/21/01
| on a steep hill,Warrenville Road, Greenbrook, NJ
| several fractured ribs where they join the vertabrae and sternum and a non-union fractured, distal clavicle fracture. Also many cuts and bruises.
| going down 15% grade hill about 30mph.Coming around a blind curve and seeing a pothole too late. I may have braked before I saw it causing me to flip with the bike and I landed on my back. in shock I tried to move my bike off the road and then I could no longer get up.
| Always wear a helmet it, it saved me from head injuries as well. Find a good surgeon who you feel comfortable with and who can help. Practice downhill precautions. Go as slow as you need to. Being badly injured isn't worth the trills. Being mentally and physically fatigued on a ride can influence your ability to react quickly. Accidents will happen though. You can really take your health for granted and having been laid up for a long while helps you to appreciate the little things in life. Its not real important for my to constantly be proving how long, or hard or fast I could ride a bike. Hopefully I will be able to ride in the future.
| spdamato | @aol.com 10/2/01
| Indian Springs Metro Park,White Lake, Mi
| Bent fork and wheel. smashed helmet
| while riding on a paved bike path on my recently purchased road bike,
I was used to riding a mountain bike,I came to a fairly sharp curve on the path. I was riding in front of my friend and tried to pick up the pace. I was going about 15 t0 17 miles per hour when I realized I wasn't going to make the curve. I went thru the grass and hit a tree with my head and shoulder. It happened so fast I didn,t have time to hit the brakes.
My friend said both feet were unclipped from thr pedals when I hit.This was only the second tin I had ridden this bike. After I hit my head, I felt a pain in my neck.
I was fully conscious after impact.
I kneeled up and removed my smashed helmet to see blood flowing down my face. Johan made me lie down and he took his shirt off to stop the bleeding. I had a
5 inch cut on my head and a sore collar bone. After the ambulance
came and strapped to a back board
they took me to the hospital. The discovered I had a fractured C6 vertabrae and was shipped to Beaumont Trama Center. I was kept over night and sent home with a neck brace. I have to see a surgeon
Mon,10/8/01 to see how they're going to treat me. I hope I just need to wear the brace. I'm going to be 65 years old am just thankful I am still mobile. I hope I stay that way.I'm just thankful my friend Johan was there and made me stay lying down. Had I been alone I would have tried to ride the 4 miles to my truck. If I would have done that I might be paralyzed or dead.Thank God for good friends that stay level headed in emergencies.
Advice->Don't try to go to fast on a bike you are not used to riding. I rode that bike trail all summer on a mountain bike without a mishap. And by all means wear YOUR HELMET.
| Don't try to go to fast on a bike you are not used to riding. I rode that bike trail all summer on a mountain bike without a mishap. And by all means wear YOUR HELMET.
| fckurz@ | aol.com August 30 2000
| Roseville,MN
| Bike: Totalled; handle bars broken off, front wheel bent badly, brakes wrecked, seat off.
Biker: Type 2 concusion, broken arm, road rash on face, arms, legs.
Gear: Totally cracked helmet.
| I fainted instantly when my helmet hit the ground.
| Try not to do what I did!!!!!!!!!!!
| mewboy2000 | @hotmail.com 10/2/01
| Indian Springs Metro Park,White Lake, Mi
| Bent fork and wheel. smashed helmet
| while riding on a paved bike path on my recently purchased road bike,
I was used to riding a mountain bike,I came to a fairly sharp curve on the path. I was riding in front of my friend and tried to pick up the pace. I was going about 15 t0 17 miles per hour when I realized I wasn't going to make the curve. I went thru the grass and hit a tree with my head and shoulder. It happened so fast I didn,t have time to hit the brakes.
My friend said both feet were unclipped from thr pedals when I hit.This was only the second tin I had ridden this bike. After I hit my head, I felt a pain in my neck.
I was fully conscious after impact.
I kneeled up and removed my smashed helmet to see blood flowing down my face. Johan made me lie down and he took his shirt off to stop the bleeding. I had a
5 inch cut on my head and a sore collar bone. After the ambulance
came and strapped to a back board
they took me to the hospital. The discovered I had a fractured C6 vertabrae and was shipped to Beaumont Trama Center. I was kept over night and sent home with a neck brace. I have to see a surgeon
Mon,10/8/01 to see how they're going to treat me. I hope I just need to wear the brace. I'm going to be 65 years old am just thankful I am still mobile. I hope I stay that way.I'm just thankful my friend Johan was there and made me stay lying down. Had I been alone I would have tried to ride the 4 miles to my truck. If I would have done that I might be paralyzed or dead.Thank God for good friends that stay level headed in emergencies.
Advice->Don't try to go to fast on a bike you are not used to riding. I rode that bike trail all summer on a mountain bike without a mishap. And by all means wear YOUR HELMET.
| Don't try to go to fast on a bike you are not used to riding. I rode that bike trail all summer on a mountain bike without a mishap. And by all means wear YOUR HELMET.
| fckurz@ | aol.com October 93
| Willingdon @ Hwy 1 overpass
| Frontend of bike was totally destroyed. Clothes ripped and helmet cracked. As for the car, windshield smashed and scratches on hood. | The sun was just coming up and it was drizzling. I had my light and reflective cycling clothes.
I was heading south bound on Willingdon, approaching the Hwy 1 overpass. She was turning left across Willingdon to get onto Hwy 1. She failed to yield to me and I hit her head on at about 50 km/h. My shoes released from my clipless pedals and I went head first into her windshield. I continued over the roof landing by the driver door. My bike hit the grill and bounced back.
The driver of the car was fined $125 for failing to yield. She went to court to fight the ticket, but did not win.
| Always wear a helmet and wear it properly. One thing for sure, I would not be here typing this if I was not wearing my helmet.
| stonewalljackson | @home.com 6 Oct 2000
| Seattle Washington, USA | - 12th & Seattle University Rider: Road rash on the following locations: knees, left elbow, left side of chest. Left elbow has pretty serious gash. | Bike: Left brake hood bent, handlebars slightly bent, front fender destroyed, lots of scratches on racks, lights, etc. Front innertube toast. Riding down 12th Avenue with my touring bike on my way to work. Hit a bump and/or the front tire blew out. I went over the handlebars and skidded to a halt on the fog line. Not sure what happened to bike, it was picked up and moved to side of road. After assessing that I had no broken bones, I rolled into the gutter to avoid being run over by a car. I had bystanders call 911 and I stayed on the ground until I calmed down a bit. Fire Department arrived and took my vitals and dressed my left elbow. Everything else seemed okay.
| My bike was pretty well trashed, but I came out okay. I recommend wearing gloves--my right hand would have been shredded, just like my glove! I was also wearing tights, which saved my knees from serious damage. I was wearing a helmet but my head never impacted the ground.
| adutton | @scn.org 9/9/99
| Mackinac Island michigan Bike Trail
| None to bike, concussion to rider.
| Apparently slid out on grave that had washed across paved path. Bell rung. Memory gone knocked out cold. Wearing helmet fortunately. Ten stitches in head near eye socket. Glasses crunched. Helmet crushed and cracked.
|
| medgar | @one.net November, 1996
| Florida
| Grade III sprain separation, right AC joint
| Biking through adult mobile home park making a video, holding camcorder in right hand. Going downhill began to pick up speed, reluctant to stop film and made the worst mistake by attempting to apply brake with left hand. Front wheel locked did an endo slamming me to the pavement on my right shoulder.
| Always apply both handbrakes equaly. Think safety first and filming second.
| henleyarm | @yahoo.com 8/12/1999
| City of Milwaukee, WI street
| None to bike. Hand and arm bruised and sprained.
| Automobile driver parked on street (in vehicle without license plates) swung open door into path of traffic, causing me to hit right arm/hand on car door. And, then accuse me of hitting her car door!
| Ride 4 feet from unubstructed roadway, despite that fact that Wisconsin law states that one s/b within 3 feet of unobstructed roadway. Milwaukee's ordinances, or lack thereof, leave the police owerless, unless the vehicle is actually "in motion" at the time of the incident. I would recommend carrying a disposable camera to take photos of the vehicle, the driver, injuries, and damage (in case future legal action is required) and a cell phone to call 911 immediately. If driver leaves before 911 arrives, report it as a hit and run. (Unfortunately, I did none of this.).
| wrokic | @csd.uwm.edu july 1999
| a single track in Connecticut
| Bike: None Rider: Fractured acromion/scapula and damaged A/C. Plate and 5 screws to hold in place until the bone fuses.xrays
| Riding over a ramped obstacle. Shifted up instead of down so when i did the "lift" i was unable to put any torque to the cranks. Rolled over the obstacle anyway as i was carring some speed... but did not sit back coming off the back of the ramp.. hit a rock and did the classic endo. A large rock caught my shoulder just right and fractured the bone.
| must remain alert even when traveling over known terrain. One lapse is all it takes.
| charlieb | @home.com (i maintain this database) 1977
| Philadelphia, PA
| Bike: None Rider: Fractured skull, shattered ear drum. required One week in hospital, 3 months in Bed with limited mobility.
| Was riding on rural road rounding a corner. Car coming from behind barely made contact with rear wheel. Speed <20MPH. Contact stopped bike threw rider over bars. Landed head first fracturing skull at base of head and blew out eardrum from impact.
| WEAR A HELMET! My number was obviously not up that day but even a late 70's vintage Bell or leather helmet would have left me with only a sore neck.
| ran_nj | @yahoo.com Summer 1996
| Chicago, IL
| Bike: Scratches, broken brake lever, bent V Brake noodle.
Rider: Broke both wrists, one required casting, minor abrasions left side of body.
| Bike: Scratches, broken brake lever, bent V Brake noodle.
Rider: Broke both wrists, one required casting, minor abrasions left side of body.
| Never ride across steel plates or metal bridges if they are at all wet. Every precaution was made to stay neutral on bike but still fell. Pedestrian who came to my assistance wearing basketball shoes fell on same steel plate.
Plate was covered in a film of oil and water and was slicker than ICE.
| robnj | @hotmail.com 5/13/99
| Basalt, CO
| Nice chunk of skin off of hand, slightly banged knee, and a good scrape on the back right shoulder.
| After checking out the log jumping page and studying up, I thought I'd try out my skills on a tree that has recently fallen over a nice single track. The trail is sloped downward and the tree is above the ground across the whole trail. I can up with pretty good speed and popped the tire up...I went a little to far and the whole front tire went over the tree and my chainring dug into the tree and I went a flying. I did a full over (with the help of a hand plant) and landed on my back. I had a liqui-pack on my back which absorbed 90% of the blow and it didn't hurt to bad. My bike ended upside down hangin from a tree off the trail a bit. It was sweet
| I would practice a bit before hitting any tall logs. Do rest your front tire on the log, do not clear the log with your front tire. Wear gloves. Slow down. Wear a liquid pack on your back. Log jumping page at http://pages.prodigy.com/CharlieB/adb.htm
| dustin | @intrcomm.net Summer 1998
| At the gates of the University of Brighton Sussex UK
| Me - Concussion a few scrapes. Bike - nothing really, though a few weeks later I found a slightly twisted rear mech.Helmet - Knackered (but that is what it is for)
| I pulled out on an 18 wheeler truck. When I realised what was about to happen I slammed on both brakes doing the best stoppie I have ever done (almost vertical). I ripped the trucks wing mirror off with my head. Fortunately my helmet took all for the impact (about 30MPH) Unfortunately there was a police man behind who must have hated bikers. He wanted to charge me with dangerous cycling along with other things.
He didn't and the truck driver was happy that I was alive let alone standing and talking. So it didn't go any furhter.
| Wear a helmet and LOOK before you come out of a turning
| Hardcopy666 | @hotmail.com 4-4-99
| Palos Verdes, CA
| Taco'ed front rim, banged/brised front knee and hands
| If you are in a beautiful area (like looking over the pacific ocean on a warm clear day) and you MUST glance at the scenery around you, SLOW DOWN FIRST. I mean slow way-down. maybe even stop for just a sec or two, expecially on single-track, or OOPS! over the bars.
| 1) WEAR A HELMET 2) Either concentrate on your riding, or 3) Stop and enjoy the views.
| ethomas | @dpc.com 8/97
| New Baltimore Ohio
| Handle bar tape ripped off; Dented helmet; Broke tip off look pedal; Very bad bruise and cuts on right buttock, knee, shoulder.
| Rode bike over steel grated bridge when it was raining. With 25mm slick tires, I instantly wiped out at about 12 mph. If was a car behind me, I may not be here typing this right now.
| DO NOT ride on steel grated bridges when they are wet.
| arkose | @concentric.net sometime in july
| Winnipeg Manitoba at Moray and Bruce
| Lots of bleeding , scrapes on arms legs, and stomach. I almost fainted still have lots of scars
| I was travelling at about 40 km/h and tried to take a turn. It had just started raining. I got halfway through and realised i wasn;t gonna make it so i leaned the bike a little more and my tires slipped out. I slid from halfway through the intersection to the curb on my side still on the bike.
| Don't go fast around corners in rain
| mharris | @autobahn.mb.ca July, 1988; November, 1994; June, 1997
| Cambridge and Belmont, Massachusetts
| July, 1988:Serious road rash on my right shoulder and legs. A totalled bike: bent front fork and handlebars, plus the frame got bent @ 1 inch out of alignment between the rear drops and bottom bracket (I got an insurance settlement sufficient to cover the cost)
November, 1994: Partially separated left shoulder: to this day I have a 3/8" bump on my left shoulder at the collarbone. Various scratches and bruises on my body and bent handlebars on my bike.
June, 1997: Whiplash and other soft tissue neck and shoulder injuries; some exacerbated past ones. The bike survived with no problems.
| July, 1988: I was commuting home from work in Cambridge, just coming out of Harvard Square onto Broadway at Quincy St. and a woman turned left in front of me. I made eye contact with her, but she swore that she didn't see me and that I was riding too fast. When I looked into her eyes, I was sure that she would stop but she just kept coming at me. It happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to perform any evasive manuevers. It was @ 5:30 pm on a bright and sunny day and there were plenty of witnesses around, so the driver had no recourse.
November, 1994: I was again commuting -to school this time -down Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge. I was just coming up on the MIT crosswalk when a driver in a red Toyota Celica with New York plates (that's all I saw). clipped my left pedal. He/she got me just hard enough to knock me down. I gave chase, but to no avail. I searched the campus and found the car, but when I called the driver, she denied having been out of her office at the time of the accident and had witnesses that would back her story up. Fortunately, I had health insurance through school, but the ortopedist that I saw couldn't do much for me.
June, 1997: Almost an exact repeat of my July '88 accident, except this time it was in Belmont, MA and I was riding home on my new Lightspeed. I had a pretty good head of steam because I was coming down a long hill. I had a headlight on and was wearing bright clothing; it was @8:30pm, but still pretty light out. Again the driver said that she didn't see me. Fortunately, I had much better reflexes this time and was able to steer the bike partially in her direction of travel, so the accident wasn't a 90 degree T-bone. I still made contact and ended up on my back on her hood. I was also wearing a water carrier which probably padded the landing a bit.
| I never stopped riding in traffic, despite these unfortunate incidents. With each occurance, though, I became more vigilant and safety-minded. One thing that I can say with absolute conviction is this: Always, always always always wear your helmet. In '88, I was wearing my helmet sporadically and I was lucky that day. Had that accident occured the day before, I may not have been so lucky. My head hit the ground or the hood of a car in every case and I don't want to think of what might have happened had I been careless. My body has healed for the most part and I carry some psychological baggage from the accidents, but physical damage to the brain itself will not heal completely, and what does heal will do so very, very slowly. I've worked with brain-injured patients and believe me, you do not want to have to learn how to eat, speak and walk again as an adult. High functioning people can be reduced to the level of a 1 year old in a nanosecond.
Keep riding but ride safely and assertively. Do not try and second guess a motorist. Laws of physics are not on your side in these cases.
| milt007 | @hotmail.com 8/25/98
| Princeton NJ
| Broken wrist, vertibrae, ribs; lots of road rash, lumps and bruises. No head injuries - I was wearing a helmet.
| I was coasting down hill at about 20mph, approaching a green light. A car was stationary at the light, facing towards me and with its left indicator on. It had plenty of time to cross in front of me but didn't untill I was about 20 - 30 yards away. I had no time to swerve. I hit the front passenger side fender, broke the windshield with my elbow, put some large dents in the roof and landed in the street on the far side. The 70 year old driver was wailing "I didn't see him". The cops told me afterwards that the driver was lost and was sitting at the light trying to decide which way to go. She got a ticket for failing to yield. The cop gave me a ticket for riding after dark without a light even though it was before sunset and visibility was good - my lawyer is going to fight it for me.
| Wear a helmet. Wear a helmet. Wear a helmet. !!!!!
| prices | @uscom.com 7-23-98
| Colorado Springs, Colorado
| Abrasions on both knees, pain in right knee and right ankle
| I was riding through Old Colorado Springs in the Main Street when a car came from the other side and took a left turn. I was probably 40 feet away when the car turned in my way. I thought: "He must see me" but the driver didn't stop. The only solution for me was crash into the car. I went over the hood making a wheelie than landed on my right leg, made another wheelie before my head hit the street. I came to a stop 20 feet away from the car.
| Always wear your helmet. My legs got pretty injured, but without a helmet I am sure I would not have been able to spent the night after accident the at home!
| Frank_Krueger | @prodigy.net 7/11/98
| Plymouth, MN
| Helmet cracked,Rear wheeled out of true,Seat cover ripped,Large bruise on left hip,Road rash on left hip, ankle, elbow, shoulder, and back..Handlebar tape ripped
| I had the right of way when passing through a large intersection with a four way stop. I was hit by a car after crossing almost 3 of the 4 lanes of the road. I went into the air and landed on my left side, still clipped into the pedals. My helmet was cracked on the lower left side in the back but I did not feel any impact to my head.
| Always wear a helmet
| bc2502 | @hotmail.com September, 1996
| Terre Haute, Indiana
| Damage to handle bar, front wheel, front tire and paint.
| Traveling in town on a bright, sunny afternoon when a car made a right turn in front of me (no turn signal). I braked and slowed, but T-boned the passenger side at an angle. I went over the handle bars. Unable to get my hands out to break the fall, my chin hit the pavement first. Although I was wearing a helmut (not scratched), I required 17 stitches in my chin and received numerous abrasions. The driver was a biker! He apologized, admitted his error, stored my bike for safe-keeping and drove me to the ER. He remained until the police arrived and later delivered my bike to my home. His insurance company, State Farm, however, placed the blame on me and refused to pay my medical. All I requested was the $720 medical charges (no claim for damages to the bike). I wrote letters and contacted our state Bicycle Coalition. No dice. I bike with an attorney who later got me a $6000 settlement. I bought a new carbon bike. Ridiculous system!
| If you have an accident, don't try to be a "nice guy." Just hire an attorney (unfortunately)!
| jgragle | @abcs.com 10 August, 1997
| Lincoln, NH (USA)
| To the Bike: Minor, Wood in brake levers, twisted handlebars, untrue
front wheel To the Rider: Broken watch, broken helmet, torn lateral collateral ligament, popliteus tendon, and lateral meniscus in left knee, LOTS of bruising on both thighs.
| Cruising slightly too fast down a RR right of way (yeah, easy stuff),
flipped over a tie to prevent erosion. Bike went into a tree, rider kept sailing down the trail. Wrentched from clipless pedals (hence the knee damage). Hauled out on a motorcyle.
| The helmet's obvious. BEWARE OF THE EASY STUFF! You let
your guard down and BAM! You spend the next year in rehab, surgery, PT and the like. Bummer.
| rspallon | @whsun1.wh.whoi.edu June 1, 1998
| London, England
| Bike: Collapsed front Wheel, scrapes on barends. Me: Lacerated hands, bruised ribs and arms
| I was biking down a residential road in the rain when a car passed me and made a sharp turn into the driveway in front of me. Nowhere to go except for straight. brakes were useless due to the rain, and so I T-boned the car. My front wheel collapsed on impact, and the back of the bike was throw in the air. The result of this was my hands and barends going through the passenger window of this car and the rest of me then colliding with the top of the door-frame and roof. I ended up in a heap and the driver came round and had the nerve to say that it was my fault and i should have stopped for her. Both Police and Insurance companies have disagreed with her. The removal of glass from my hands took
three hours in the ER.
| Watch out for stupidity. Wear gloves when biking. (I now know) ALWAYS wear your helmet. OK, it didn't figure in this, but if she had been a fraction of a second
earlier, then i would have been over the hood of the car and onto the road. Don't be afraid to call in the police to something like this.
| ds10 | @ukc.ac.uk August 27th.,1996
| Beverly Hills, California, USA
| see next
| Sometime shortly after 4:00 pm, on August 27th, 1996. I left Century City (a suburb of Los Angeles,CA),
on my Mt. Bike, while I was working as a bicycle messenger. I was then on my way back to Beverly Hills, CA.
When, as I was going eastbound on Charleville, approaching Roxbury (Roxbury runs north/south). In Beverly Hills.
At Roxbury, I stopped at a stop sign, since it was a 4 way intersection, with a stop sign on every corner., and I
put my foot down, while waiting for my turn to go thru the intersection (it was rush hour).
It was about 4:20pm or so. After waiting a few seconds, I was waved to go ahead by other drivers stopped at the intersection.
Then as I proceeded to get up and go in a head down, tucked position to build-up speed, I was very suddenly slammed by a speeding
compact car that ran a stop sign. That I did not see anywhere, whatsoever before I started to
go thru the intersection. She was speeding so fast, she literally came out of nowhere. And I slid across her hood, and bounced off
her windshield, shattering it from what I could tell as I was launched into the air like a human cannonball, and I flew at least
5-10 feet thru the air. And just as high from the ground, before landing on the pavement head first, cracking & lacerating my
skull.
To such an extent, that I was lying in a large pool of my blood, just within minutes after the impact. As I recall,
my body was contorted like a pretzel, with deep lacerations & road rash everywhere. So as I was lying there,
in total shock, unable to speak, move, blink, or anything besides see & hear. I saw a doctor in green scrubs,
kneeling over me, trying to talk to me, with no luck. He thought I was gone or in a coma at first. As he was unable to
get a decently detectable pulse.
When the impact happened, the small crowd of people, that had been standing there waiting to cross the street started screaming.
Within a few minutes after the accident, the Beverly Hills fire department paramedic ambulance showed up,
they checked me out & stabilized me for travel, then picked me up out of the pool of blood.
(There was blood EVERYWHERE, even on her car).
And put me into the ambulance, and rushed me to Century City hospital, and it was by the time I got there,
I tried to speak, just not too well at first. The doctors there, checked me out, and cleaned my wounds, and recommended emergency
surgery to put put pins & rods in my leg, to try and put it back together (the Big bone up front, between the knee & ankle, had
split right down the middle, almost all the way down to my ankle, and I have long legs),
But I told them to put on a full leg cast instead (that was the alternative choice they gave me).
So that combined with the back, neck & head injuries (cracked skull, concussion, lacerations requiring many stitches).
Not to mention the stitches on my elbow, knee, and ankle. They did not hold up much hope for me ever,
being able to walk again, much less live a normal life.
That is why, I am no longer a bicycle messenger, some of my injuries are permanent. Even troubles with my memory,
which the doctors say, may come back & be normal "Someday". In any case, after months of physical therapy and
being laid up at home. I finally recovered enough to walk fairly normal, but with almost daily/constant pain from head to
toe.
But the doctors say, that may or may not go away someday as well.. Then when I returned to work, I did & am doing
the same job as before, but this time I ride a motorized scooter. As the doctors have told me, I cannot ride in a work-related
capacity anymore.
As for the woman that hit me, the legal settlement case is still pending against her insurance company, other than that
she got off scott free since I did not die. She was not even cited, because as her insurance companies lawyer told my lawyer,
(Quote deleted, Legal reasons) So there you have it, the cause & effect of a speeding motorist running a stop sign, her insurnace premiums go up a little bit,
and I was left with permanent injuries which prevent me from continuing my bicycle messenger work.
P.S. By the way, this is the most important point, since I was *NOT* wearing my helmet (the only day of that entire year, that I
did not wear it, because I forgot it at home when I left for work) I suffered permanent damage to my memory, according to doctors,
it might heal and come back someday, but maybe not.
| SO LISTEN EVERYONE, WHERE YOUR HELMET!! IT MAY AT LEAST SAVE YOUR BRAIN FROM PERMANENT DAMAGE, IF NOT YOUR LIFE. WEAR YOUR HELMET,
DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. WEAR YOUR HELMET, ENCOURAGE EVERYONE ELSE TO WEAR IT.
| cyclejay | @earthlink.net http://home.earthlink. net/~cyclejay 3-16-98
| Powhite Park Richmond Virginia
| Broken Wrist
| Mtn. biking up and down ravine...Not enough power on the downside to make it to the top of the other side. Looked down and fell down the long way. I had to put my hand up because I was falling head first. I could picture Christipher Reeve and just had to cover my head and neck!
| Look where you want to go! If you are falling on a hill(slant) fall into the closest side and just slide down to the bottom instead of taking the long way down.
| m-dstump | @erols.com Summer, 1996
| Columbia, SC
| None to bike
| Traveling through a park area in Columbia
SC, on a path I had often traveled,over several years. I failed to
notice that a cable had been put in place by the city to stop car traffic. No warning tape or other visibility product afixed to cable. I hit the cable and endo-ed directly onto my head on a surface which was at that point asphalt. Town later put up warning tape on my request.
| Wear a helmet at all times even on familiar rides, in tame parks in areas you know. I would have been badly hurt or killed without my helmet which I had started wearing about one month prior, thanks to a friend's pressure.
| donohue | @darla.badm.sc.edu August 1997
| Hemet, Ca.
| Bent fork, front wheel and tire trashed. Broken rib, both knees and elbows scraped badly.
| Downhill on asphalt. Front tube(new) had catastrophic failure. It split where stem was vulcanized to tube. The tire equalized in about 1 second. 20 mph, tire and tube stripped off rim. Bike went right, I went flying and landed on left side ribs and then rolled hitting all four corners. As it turned out, there were two failures from the same batch of tubes. Faulty product.
| Wear helmet! watch downhill speed. I had just slowed from 40+ mph for a turn. Thank God I didn't have this failure while going that fast. Ditto there was no car coming as I was rolling down the road.
| axis | @ivic.net 1/17/98
| Manhattan, NY
| Fork bent, unusable. Top tube and Down Tube separated from head tube. Front wheel twisted (perhaps repairable). Car's front windshield and front-right turn-indicator smashed. Helmet crumpled, minor bruises and abrasions to shoulder, hand, arm, back, elbows and knees
| Night. 25 miles an hour north on Riverside drive. I enter then intersection and motorist makes sharp left turn twenty-feet in front of me across my lane. I had six-one-hundredths of a second to contemplate how much it was going to hurt. I went over the handlebars and my head slammed into the windshield and then into the pavement about twenty feet beyond the car.
| In city traffic, a helmet CAN definitely save your life.
| ecoleman | @mindspring.com June, 1993
| Rte. 10-202, Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT
| Bike: $400.00 (new fr.wheel, R.Derailleur, handlbar, brake lever)
Person: Separated Left shoulder, Lower back injury, misc. abrasions.
| Traveling southbound, 22-24 mph. Minivan traveling in same direction overtook me then turned right crossing my path. Counld not avoid collision. Minivan operator cited for improper turn.
| You are not necessarily visible to motor vehicle operators. Even though a driver may see you, you still might not register in their minds. I was in bright, contrasting colors, but this apparently did not help.
| pelovich | @thehartford.com April, 1997
| I-275 bike path/Warren
| Bike held up well, just some scratches on barends and skewers, and on ripped seat. And a smashed water bottle.
Body, had 2 pairs of sweats on and a nylon windsuit, so clothes saved my skin and provided some padding. Had tremendous R elbow and L knee pain. Can't believe I didn't break anything. Tore skin off L patella and minor abrasion on elbow. Fanny pack with 2 water bottles (RIP) broke fall, preventing any back injuries. Helmet suffered no apparent damage or marks.
| Traveling NB on bike trail on rainy day, descended small hill, speed aprox 24 MPH. Wood bridge is at bottom of hill, with a lot of tree coverage causing a build up of mold or algea on riding surface. I was unaware of this danger. Front wheel slipped about 10-12 feet in on an aprox 20 ft bridge, I was sent over hanldebars, shoes released and from that point all I know is that I was looking up at the sky.
| Treat all bridges or structures made of wood, slippery when wet. I know this is pretty common, but I had trouble walking back over this bridge due to it being slick as ice.
| Yooper951 | @aol.com 1977
| Cincinnati OH
| Bent front wheel. Dinged head, saw stars. Visited Doctor then bought my first helmet.
| Early morning commute. Car passed me then cut back into right lane and stopped. My escape route was to the right up a driveway. Driveway apron had a cutback with a deep hole. I jumped the hole and landed on the other side in a heap.
| Take you lane. Wear a helmet. This was 20 years ago and fortunately it was my only accident.
| medgar | @one.net Oct 17, 1997
| Tucson, Arizona
| A few Minor Scrapes, Compression Fracture of the Thoracic Spine (T5 & T6), Helmet cracked and both wheels potato chipped. Still off my bike. :(
| Riding in the Bike lane, Driver turned right when I was within the drivers blind side. Estimated Speed 25-28 MPH. As the doctor in the emergency room said after my description of the accident, "You did one of the movie stunts over the car and into the ground head first."
| WEAR A HELMET!!!
Just because a driver just passed you not more than 3 seconds before does not mean that they saw you.
| CNC-Electronics@ | worldnet.att.net Feb '97
| West Hartford Ct
| 6 fractured ribs and a fractured vertabrae and bent front wheel and fork.smashed helmet
| Riding in a recreational area which had a white line.. bikers on one side, walkers/runners on the other. A runner with a large Newfoundland dog approached in their lane.. dog wagging tail so i assumed all was OK. Just as we passed, the dog jumped broadside in front of the bike..a deliberate move to stop the bike.. like it was herding sheep. Bike bounced backwards, i went over the handlebars, flipped in the air and landed on my back...dog licked me... major contusions along with the broken ribs..6 weeks of intense pain before i was mobile again
| on foot, dog is man's best friend. On a bike, all dogs should be considered dangerous..
| charlieb | @prodigy.com Aug 18,1996
| Rochester Hills
| Cracked Helmet (replaced by Mfgr, Troxcel )
Separated shoulder | Scratched Sunglasses torn jersey assorted scrapes and bruises bent fork collapsed front wheel Commuting to work,
dog ran out, seemingly to chase, but instead ran in front of me, immediatly stopping me. The bike pivoted
over the dog, I went over the handlebars. I hit head first, but due to my rotation, not much head damage
occured, most if the impact was taken up by my shoulder.
I estimate I was doing 10-12 MPH at the time of the crash.
| WEAR A HELMET!!! I had only been using one for one season when it happened and am I glad.
There was no way I could prevented hitting my head by using my hands at that speed.
| bbagnall |
@aegpaint.com |
