I wanted to take the time to write up my experience in Turn 7 at HPR on Labor Day. As you can see this is going to quite a long post, but if it helps even one person make a better decision, then it is more than worth the time it took to put it together. Hopefully someone somewhere will be able to glean some amount of useful info from this post. If you have any questions about anything that I have written here please feel free to post it up. The idea is to encourage the exchange of ideas and information. The information below is intended to be food for thought and perhaps a catalyst for people to share their experiences and ideas.
First off, a few details that will be helpful – The first thing I would like to point out is that I am not a literary guru, so if you find obvious mistakes in grammar or with my writing skills, please overlook them and keep in mind the intentions of why I am sharing this info.
While I am not the fastest guy on the track, I am also not new to track riding at all. I have been in, around and on tracks for MANY years and feel very comfortable riding them and riding them at a fair pace. Next, the bike I was riding was relatively new to me on the track. It was Monica's bike (that I got her for Christmas). I have had it on HPR maybe two other times before that day. I am more accustomed to riding a GSXR 1k, both on the street and the track. I believe this is one of the big issues that caused the beginnings of my crash (I'll explain more about that in a sec).
So, with that said, this is what I have put together about what happened - As I was coming up and around Turn 7, I was towards the top end of second and shifting into third. This is where my problems began. On my GSXR 1k, I run GP shift on the track. On the R6, the shift connector rod goes through the frame (still not sure who at Yamaha thought that one up), which makes it impossible to change the shift pattern without buying a special connector rod that goes around the frame. Out of habit, I pressed the shifter down, instead of lifting it up. This put me in 1st, which caused the rear to slide. I was able to get the clutch in and right the bike, but was quickly running out of space on the track. I got on the brakes briefly before leaving the track. Running off the track under normal conditions isn't that big of a deal. It happens frequently. Where things got out of hand is in the fact between 7 and 9 is where the water runs off the track. At this point, I should be running through bumpy, but fairly controllable run-off. What I ran into is a series of gullies from where the water had run off the track and down the hill. I somewhat remember going over the first one, from what I was told it was the second one where the front wheel caught and launched me over the bars. This is also where the bike started to cartwheel. Judging from my leathers and helmet, when I hit the ground, I didn't slide much, if any at all. At some point, I am fairly certain that the bike hit me as is passed through\over me. This is where I sustained most of my injuries. The ribs (seven of them) and scapula are all broken in a very neat line which suggests that either I hit something with a hard edge or something with a hard edge hit me. I am not 100% certain which it was, but can only assume it was the bike.
It’s at this point where I feel compelled to take a minute to express my most sincere thanks to Scott, Ralph, Glenn, the EMT’s that were there that day and all of the corner workers. I think that what happened from time I left the track until I was at the hospital is the greatest testament to why we choose to ride the track instead of riding like this on the street. From the time that I went down until I had trained medical personnel working on me was less than three minutes (not that I was able to tell). This was able to happen because of how well Chicane Trackdays manages to superbly orchestrate so many different moving pieces. The corner workers got the track cleared, and everyone else launched into immediate action with great precision and coordination. I have to say, after watching the bike disappear from underneath me, the next thing I remember was the last 10 minutes of the ambulance ride to the hospital. Somehow during that time, they were able to properly assess my injuries, remove my leathers, body armor, boots and gloves (thank you Ralph) without having to cut anything off. Amazingly enough, when I got to the hospital the first thing they did was cut off my compression shorts and under armor shirt. Regardless, I firmly believe that it was the fact that was wearing the proper protective gear that saved me. Had I not been wearing it, whatever I hit or whatever hit me would have surely done much more damage. If you ever want to be convinced of the importance of proper protective gear, simple step off your bike . . . (ok, not really, but you get my point).
After five days in the hospital, I was released to head home. This is when the largest portion of the education phase occurred. The recovery part has been slow and arduous, but that is expected. For once in my life I am actually following the doctor’s orders and doing things as I am supposed to rather than making things worse by pushing too hard, too fast. I am back at work now. Even that is a task, but as I said things are getting better and better every day. The bike is gone, but those things can be replaced. Below are several very important lessons that I would like to make sure that I share:
1. WEAR YOUR FREAKIN GEAR!!! I can assure you that all the old school adages like ATGATT, “dress for the crash, not the ride” and “sweat wipes off, road rash doesn’t” are all true. I can say that because I am here to share this info with you. There are many that have come before that were not so lucky.
2. If you want to ride ridiculously fast, do it in a place and environment is suited for that type of activity. If this had happened in a canyon somewhere, there is not telling what other complications would have arisen. Anything from other drivers, cliffs, road rails, curbs, no immediate medical help . . . this list goes on and on . . .
3. Make sure that you appreciate those around you. They will be the ones that step up when you can’t. People like Scott, Ralph, Glenn, Ann (who drove Monica back from the track), Jeff, John, Kristin and all the other countless people that helped pack up our stuff to get things rolling . . . these are examples of how people pull together to help when it is needed and that help is invaluable and very much appreciated! Just a quick reminder, that if something happens to someone around you, stop and take the time to help them. You never know when it might be you needing the help.
4. Insurance – I have had numerous questions about this. We have insurance from a reputable company. Since this was not a race or timed event, they came out looked at the bike, totaled it and settled the claim with no hassle at all.
5. Medical insurance – My work’s medical insurance has been super awesome also. There have been no issues with this at all. If you do not have medical insurance, I would make it HIGH on the priority list. There is no way I could even come close to paying for all of the medical bills that are still rolling in. And, it’s not like this is something you can just walk off . . . short version – medical insurance – you need it! Get some!
6. Work – I was out of work for about a month. I have been using my vacation and such to enjoy things like Moto GP in Monterey, and many of the photo shoots that I do. The result is that I ended up with a few weeks off that were unpaid. My work has been awesome in letting me work from home for the first week, which allowed me to get back to work earlier than I would have otherwise been able to.
7. Supplemental insurance – (aka AFLAC) – although it is a huge pain in the butt to put out that money each month, I highly recommend it. Even though I am still working with them to make sure all “i”s are dotted and all the “t”s are crossed, they should make it so that the weeks of work that I was unpaid are less painful. If you have been on the fence about this, let me assure you that right now, it is more than worth what I have put into it.
8. Lastly (and most importantly) – I want to take a second to thank Monica for everything that she has done for me during these trying times. There isn’t enough time or room for me to explain how much her love and support has impacted my life. I won’t gush on about this in this thread, but will make sure that I do everything I can to show my thanks and appreciation for having such and amazing woman to share my crazy life with . . .
The end result of all of the damages – 7 broke ribs, 1 broke scapula (spatula), a partially collapsed lung, a concussion (at least that isn’t a vital organ for me) and tomorrow I find out if they are going to do surgery on my shoulder . . .
I know this a lot of information and probably more than you ever wanted to know about me and my life, but like I said in the beginning, if I can positively influence someone from my experience, then it’s all worth it. If you have any questions please feel free to post them up.
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Originally Posted by Sean
