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View Full Version : Do full face helmets break collar bones? (clavical)



Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 12:44 PM
Two weeks ago I wrecked in a parking lot and broke 7 ribs and my collar bone and my scapula. I have had a few people tell me that full face helmets break collar bones. Is this just a wives tale or what?:think:

VFR
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 12:50 PM
If you land completely upside down head first...YES that will more than likely break your collarbones. If you face plant from at a specific speed and or height.....Yes impact will be put on your spine.

Can you give details into your wreck?

sky_blue
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 12:56 PM
Holy crap, man! I told you no more wheelies in the Hooter's parking lot!

Yikes. Hope you recover quickly. If you need anything feel free to give Jim or I a call! I send ya a PM with Jim's cell #.

TFOGGuys
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 12:57 PM
If you face planted hard enough to have a helmet break your collar bone, chances are we'd be talking about you in the past tense if you hadn't been wearing a helmet at all.

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:03 PM
Basically I was going less than 25 mph and a car came out of the bank drive thru and I grabbed the front break and it locked and I didn't know it till I landed on my left side sliding to a stop. My hands never came off the bars. I just fell on to my left side without getting a chance to break the fall.

TFOGGuys
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:04 PM
Most likely it was your shoulder hitting the ground that broke it, then. Hope you heal up soon!

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:09 PM
I have done one slow speed crash before. This one had a pretty hard impact I'll post a photo of my helmet. I am so glad I always have it on. I can't imagine what my head injuries would have been but I greatfully don't have to add that to my recovery time.

VFR
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:12 PM
Most likely it was your shoulder hitting the ground that broke it, then. Hope you heal up soon!

Yep...It was your falls impact not your helmet. Your helmet kept your dome from getting any of that impact considering you never let go of the bike. You put the wieght of your upper body and the weight of the bike all on your left side of your body. If not for your leges your pelvic could have got jacked, if not for your helmet your dome would not be good shape. So everything in between took the shock and impact..aka your ribs, spine, and shoulders.

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:15 PM
Tomorrow I'll see a surgeon for the collar bone its at a bad angle so hopefully after a course of screws and a plate by Tuesday night it will all be done.

VFR
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:17 PM
Dang..Without a helmet you would be needing hair plugs and a hat

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:18 PM
My left hip still has a nice purple color. I hope to go back to work Friday or the following Monday.:cry:

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:20 PM
Its interesting that the scratches in the helmet are vertical. I thought they would be more horizontal.

dirkterrell
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:27 PM
Its interesting that the scratches in the helmet are vertical. I thought they would be more horizontal.

If you were sliding along with your hands on the grips and on your side (i.e. headfirst), the scratches would likely be vertical. In my lowside in turn 7 at Pueblo, I was sliding headfirst (not holding the bars though) and the scratches on my helmet looked similar.

As far as a helmet breaking a collarbone, I would think that you'd have a pretty nasty bruise at the impact point. I've broken both my collarbones with a full-face helmet on in both instances and had no such bruise.

Dirk

VFR
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:29 PM
Its interesting that the scratches in the helmet are vertical. I thought they would be more horizontal.

You SLIDE forward just FALL sideways

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:35 PM
The bruise on my collar bone was so bad my nurses were making note of the change of colors. It was swollen out like a golf ball.

BeoBe
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:43 PM
...YES that will more than likely break your collarbones.

Breaking 1 one would be enough

anyways sorry to hear man that sucks.. is the bike ok?!? lol j/k Sometimes its what can be the smallest wreck that can have the biggest consequences*Sp If you weren't at fault id do everything i can to get a nice law suit out of the ordeal.

GL and heal fast, its winter so you got some time without losing alot of ride time!

MetaLord 9
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:45 PM
I think that number of times a full face helmet will save your ass is so much ridiculously greater than the times that it will bruise/break your collarbone that it's work the "risk."

It's kind of like wondering if airbags break noses. Yeah they do, but I'm not take'n mine outta the car!

Heal up soon, man!

Mel
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:47 PM
Not...really...The fall itself is going to be what caused the break, not the helmet. And full face helmets are far and away more protective than half or no helmet. This is mine (well, one side...the other side trashed too) after a wreck earlier this year:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c141/meltrowbridge/Vehicles/DSCN2058-1.jpg

Filo
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:51 PM
I have seen lots and lots of crashes working corners for the MRA for 7 years. Many were with broken collar bones. The #1 thing that I saw that indicated a broken collar bone was if the arm was under the body when they hit. Every time I saw that I expected a broken collar bone and/or ribs. About 70% of the time I was right. So I would say you probably hit the road with your left arm pinned under you. The helmet just made sure you could tell us all about it and didn't have to be on disability for the rest of your life.

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 01:51 PM
The KTM will need a new left mirror and the axle sliders did their job I don't know if I will replace them. Really it was just bad luck so no lawsuit. The hand guard on the left has a small scrape but it will be fine.

You are exactly right meta lord!

Now if I can just get back to work I'll be fine.

VFR
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 02:00 PM
Not to go off on a tangent, but it's sad when a man get's hurt and the only thing he can concentrate on is getting back to work. That shows just how bad things are.

Heal up...Your services won't be as good if your not

Humbucker
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 02:07 PM
Your right! This is week three and I'm ready to do something other than sit. I'm contemplating mowing the lawn in the next hour.:scramble:

Thanks everyone for the good wishes!:up:

dirkterrell
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 02:15 PM
I think that number of times a full face helmet will save your ass is so much ridiculously greater than the times that it will bruise/break your collarbone that it's work the "risk."


Agreed. I'll take a broken collarbone over a head injury any day.

Dirk

Kranth
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 02:54 PM
I have a friend (an ex MRA racer) who claimed that the cause of his many broken collar bones (seven? I forget) were the fault of his Shoei helmets. "I always break them in the same place." After he started wearing Arai's he no longer broke collar bones. My theory is he learned to crash "better", but who knows.

When I broke my collar bone I was wearing a Shoei (brand new - damnit), but since I also broke my shoulderblade and a rib, I don't think the helmet had much to do with it.

*GSXR~SNAIL*
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 03:23 PM
I had a bit of a endo and actually cracked the inside of the helmet a couple of inches. Bruised up the right side of the body, cracked rib, and nothing wrong with the collarbone. I think it is completely based on how you hit, what part of your body takes the initial impact.

CYCLE_MONKEY
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 05:03 PM
I think that's an urban legend. And, even if it was true in certain wierd extremely rare cases from the bottom of the helmet contacting the collar bone, the helmet then probably saved you a broken neck by preventing further neck displacement.

Moral of the story:
Always wear your helmet and leave the anti-helmet rhetoric to the Hardley guys.

Heal up fully and soon man.

Captain Obvious
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 05:57 PM
+1 Urban legend.
Ive crashed wit my AGV and got a concussion.
Ive crashed with and Arai and had my bell rung.
My last crash I was wearing a Shoei and broke my arm. But that might have more to do with the sudden stop into a tree.

I submit is it all about how you fall and less about the type of gear. But apples to apples, some gear my reduce the damage i.e. Alpinestar leather jacket vs. a Joe Rocket mesh jacket and sliding along the road (not me, just an example).

kevplus2
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 09:31 PM
I have seen lots and lots of crashes working corners for the MRA for 7 years. Many were with broken collar bones. The #1 thing that I saw that indicated a broken collar bone was if the arm was under the body when they hit. Every time I saw that I expected a broken collar bone and/or ribs. About 70% of the time I was right. So I would say you probably hit the road with your left arm pinned under you. The helmet just made sure you could tell us all about it and didn't have to be on disability for the rest of your life.


it is one of those "damned if you do, damned if you dont" situations. trying to "break my fall" got me a broken shoulder (humeral head broken in 4 places) and i broke off the nub where the rotator cuff connects. i was doing a whopping 0-35 mph

http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q439/mushr00min/misc/xray1.jpg

at least i got some sweet ti out of it

fullthrottle
Mon Oct 27th, 2008, 09:54 PM
I just had a buddy i ride with go down HARD this last Thursday night (Oct. 23rd)! He was riding in a pack and rode up quick on the guy in front of him... got on the front brake and started to squirrel... and hit a spot in the road and went down hard! He hit the highway peg and the gas tank of the guy next to him and then went the other way and bounced off College Ave. for a while! The only damage was a HUGE CONCUSSON! He is still dizzy and seeing stars... and a little road rash of course! His face bounced face first (I watched) and smashed his lens and he came out in flying colors!! He actually was back out on the bike YESTERDAY!

The part that sucks is that He was coming over to help get Full Throttle ready for our Grand Opening this Saturday... instead he went straight to MCR for the night... after he completely stopped traffic for over 30 minutes! He gave me his helmet as a memoir to put on a shelf in Full Throttle Coffee House (AKA... MOTOHAUS)

JOSH

Humbucker
Tue Oct 28th, 2008, 11:34 AM
Well just got back from the surgeon he said it was 50\50 for surgery so I opted out of it will check back in four weeks. Got a cool figure 8 instead. Feels pretty good actually.:siesta:

Is that xray post surgery?

kevplus2
Tue Oct 28th, 2008, 06:26 PM
.:siesta:

Is that xray post surgery?

pre surgery.

afterwards you can see a screw holding the broken piece of bone in the right place and 3 pins sticking out of the top of my shoulder holding the humeral head together