Hello CSC!

So nine months ago I had a pretty bad wreck on my Ducati while riding with Hotcarcass (Sal) at the end of June last year - the first part of the video (below) is shot from Sal's helmet.


Lost the rear at speed after contact with a freshly painted line. Recovered the rear on to loose the front and high-sided the bike. Ended up being slammed into the pavement on the right side and then tumbling off the roadway and down the mountain. I thought my luck had finally run out this time but apparently I still have some lives left.


If you have to crash, you should do so with Sal. Just look how calm and collective he is in the video!



The damage:

Myself: broken ankle, clavicle, scapula and a few rips. Doctors operated on my ankle and clavicle, adding permanent hardware in both areas. Last 9 months have been a slow recovery with permanent damage/pain in the ankle. (Not looking forward to 15-20 years from now)

The bike: totaled; split in half at the swing arm actually.

The aftermath: $56K in hospital/medical bills and (the best part) $44K for the air ambulance.


Insurance paid out all of the medical after my $3000 deductible and $7000 of the air ambulance, sticking me with the $37,000 difference. Yay.

Insurance on the bike - well, they totaled it out - we're still arguing over the additional equipment coverage.



So total out of pocket came to $3000 for medical + $5000-7000 or so on the bike and $37,000 for the air ambulance. Plus years of pain, ha. That will learn ya!


The long game: So it's been 9 months since this happened. My upper body is healed and mostly back to normal. Nerves are slowly regrowing my right collar where they cut me to operate. The real problem is with the foot injury. Te bones are healed but the ankle will never be the same and walking around most days involves some level of pain. Fusing the joint is the likely outcome in the future... that or amputation and replace.


Ironically, I had just purchased brand new Sidi Vortise race boots (gobs of protection) but the store forgot to forwarded them on to me and they sat in a warehouse for two weeks. They finally did forward them and the boots arrived the day after this accident. In all likely, the boots would have significantly helped protect my ankle vs the protection I got from the Astars SMX Plus Boot.


The future of riding:

Presently, I am without a motorcycle and unsure if/when I will pick the hobby back up. My reality is I have a young family that needs me to "stay alive".


The worst realization of this whole thing was understanding just how close to death I came this time. Death is never a problem for the one dying, it's always the ones we leave behind that suffer. The idea of my wife and little girl going on without me brought me to tears more then anything. I love being a husband and father and do not want to leave them anytime soon!


I expect I will eventually return to riding at some point but it will probably be when my daughter is older. Could also be next year, who knows? (I'm really digging the 2017 KTM Superduke 1290!)


If I decide to give up riding entirely for the next several years, I will probably list for loaded Kendon motorcycle trailer and No Mar tire changer for sale.

Looking at 2017 and beyond - lots of family camping trips. I want to get back into hiking and nature.



Lessons learned:

1) Take it easy on public roads. This could have been so much worse if another vehicle was in the oncoming lane


2) Wear your gear. I survived this crash with 'only' broken bones because I was fully leathered up. My chest/back protector which I started wearing in 2015 likely played a positive role as well. While I was in the hospital, two other (cruiser) riders were there. They both went down without helmets and lost their facesYeah... ouch.


3) Listen to yourself. That little voice knows everything, including what's just around the bend. About a minute before the crash, I had a "feeling" that I ignored. I usually listen to those "feelings" but not sure why I didn't this time.


4) Already knew this prior to the wreck but felt its worth mentioning.

Death is nothing to fear. What happens? When you die, you simply "wake up" to your God-self and your entire life feels like it was all just a dream... because, that's all it really was, a dream.


Video of the crash - shot from 3 different perspectives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7k8pXhZEg


So that's it - the great crash. First one in 4 years but they all catch up eventually.

Clovis