Sidelined..... but incredibly lucky

[NewTo700V]

I'm going to keep details vague (for obvious reasons), but I survived a SMIDSY. NT is fine BTW, it was another bike.

Evening, Single lane road either direction, approaching car decides to whip a left turn across my path of travel onto a small side lane. I had just a second or so to reduce my speed with braking before impact. I was ejected from the bike and sailed over the car landing some 20 ft away. Whether the other driver thought my headlights were a car further away, I don't know nor care. Skilled good samaritans attended to me quickly and I was carted off by EMS to the ER.

no paralysis or damage to internal organs. For that alone, I am beyond grateful.

I don't really have any philosophical ramblings on the risk vs reward of riding. Just enjoy it while you can. I completely understand people calling it a day and hanging up the keys. Whether I choose to ride again or not is something I'll have to mull over, but I have plenty of time for that during recovery and not something I'll decide here. Cheers.

 

[Camelot]

Sorry to hear about your accident, hope you have a smooth recovery.

 

[junglejim]

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Hope your recovery is both swift and complete.

We all ride knowing that something like that could happen at any time, yet not really expecting it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[NewTo700V]

Thanks. Not to get too detailed about my injuries, but I think I can share what didn't happen. I'm not in traction or anything like that. I'm walking around fine. Legs, feet and back weren't involved in the slightest. Ribs and core also escaped unscathed. No road rash. Full face helmet did it's job, very well.

 

[Sunny]

good to hear you are ok.... loads of get better ASAP wishes for you ...

 

[junglejim]

There are two sides to recovery. Physical and mental. They are separate but influence each other. Our mind replayed the event. It’s hard to switch off. Just don’t let it consume you. Keep your eyes down the road. And best of luck.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Wow! Scary stuff to be sure. Glad you're going to make a good (and hopefully speedy) recovery. Really glad you were wearing that helmet!! Prayers heading your way.

 

[Brillot2000]

Sorry to hear about your accident.

The driver didn’t see you probably due to induced unintentional motion blindness. You’d be surprised how much our minds ignore within our immediate surroundings. That amplifies when driving a vehicle.

I just past my one-year anniversary of my accident from last September. The bike was mechanically sound after I made all the repairs myself. The toughest part of my recovery was regaining my confidence with riding the bike I went down with previously.

Good luck with your recovery. Then dealing with the insurance companies in the following months.

 

[coaster]

When I went down four or five years ago, don't recall exactly, no serious physical injuries.
It took a month or two to repair the bike mostly replacing the plastic then another month or two to regain my confidence riding.

 

[harryhendo]

Wow, glad you are relatively unscathed! You are a very lucky person. You might want to go out and play the lottery.

According to my Motorcycle Safety Course teacher, the "turn left in front of you" accident is the most common motorcycle accident. Whenever I see a vehicle stopped and waiting for me to pass before turning left, I give them a wave as in "thanks for seeing me!".

I don't mean to pry, but what were you wearing that helped you avoid injury? Good helmet, obviously, but did you have a padded jacket, pants, etc? I'd also be interested in whether you wore any high-viz gear (like a high viz jacket or helmet)? I wear high-viz but have no idea whether it actually helps or not, so I'm just curious.

 

[ARKNT]

Sorry to hear of your accident. Hope everything heals quickly and smoothly.

Brad

 

[NewTo700V]

I don't mean to pry, but what were you wearing that helped you avoid injury? Good helmet, obviously, but did you have a padded jacket, pants, etc? I'd also be interested in whether you wore any high-viz gear (like a high viz jacket or helmet)? I wear high-viz but have no idea whether it actually helps or not, so I'm just curious.

I avoided most injuries associated with a wreck like this, but I cannot consider going for a ride for some time.

The only high-viz was retro reflective trim piping on the gear. Not that high-viz would have mattered in this case. Being it was dark, no high-viz would have been seen over the glare of the bike's headlights to oncoming drivers.

The gear was nothing exotic. Sub $300 ECE rated full face. Budget textile jacket and pants with standard CE armor inserts for knees, elbows, shoulders and arms. Leather gloves with knuckle and palm guards. Over ankle riding boots with toe sliders. The armor probably played a role on the landing, not the initial impact.

The end result can probably be contributed to a number of factors. I didn't "lay er down", the final speed at impact, my seating position, the low profile of the offending vehicle which allowed my ejection to happen unimpeded AFAIK (this was perhaps the biggest contribution towards the lack of more extensive injuries. Had this been a taller vehicle, the outcome would have likely been much worse.) , the bike staying behind and not following my continued trajectory, and how I landed.

 

[wphillips007]

Jungle Jim you nailed it - there definitely is the physical and mental sides of healing. After my accident I didn’t ride for seven years but now I commute to work most every day on my CB500X - but it’s a rare day that I don’t think about my accident as I mount up and wonder if this is the day……..
Wendell

 

[ST1100Y]

I wear high-viz but have no idea whether it actually helps or not, so I'm just curious.

I also ride this, and can attest that high-viz doesn't work a bit... folks still steer right into you...



Also over here the "turn left in front of a motorcycle" is a standard routine...
As is pulling out of parking spots, access ramps, etc...
If the blindness is unintentional or they actually doing it on purpose is still unclear to me...
I go with the theory that they only look for a danger to themselves, hence another car or larger, thus actually don't process/fade out the "motorcycle" in their proximity...

@NewToNT700V hope you'll recover soon... best wishes!

 

[mikesim]

If you get whacked at night on your Pan, it must have been by a blind man!

Mike

 

[Coyote Chris]

If you get whacked at night on your Pan, it must have been by a blind man!

Mike

Actually, there is a group of people in Spokane who just dont care. Many drive big crew cab pickup trucks and they seem to think they own the road and getting to their destination is way more important than your life. They know nothing about judging speed and distance or spatial conceptualization. Many are distracted/DWI or upset. I have a much better record of seeing these people and watching out for them during the day, personally. I chose to ride home from Boise a few weeks ago on uS 95....nice trip but 8 hours driving time at a time of year when darkness comes all to quickly. When it did, I slowed way down. MIssed a big owl and at 30 mph in a 45 zone in the dark on a country road I found myself in a herd of sandwitch deer....not one glowing eye....but it was easy to miss them after breaking at that speed. Death lurks in the shadows....