I had a pretty bad crash last summer... (video)

[Clovis]

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

[bulldog]

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

Looks to me that you hit the yellow center lines and that is what caused this; they are more slippery than the asphalt.

Glad you lived through it man Seeing videos like this and the “aftermath” of what you went through is why I had to re-evaluate the love of riding I had for 20+…..I’m on a break now and been without a bike for a couple years. It all started by witnessing about three CSC rides end up like this; one was a good friend who broke his back. Damn did this video bring back memories because I was that guy trying to keep the downed rider calm until the ambulance came. It was very similar to your crash, but he hit the guardrail about your speed. When I first got to him he was convulsing and foaming out the mouth and it will never be something I could forget; I really thought I was watching my buddy die (bad enough he got into sportbikes because of me). Like you, I realized how close to death one wreck could be no matter the amount of gear.

Anyways, others may give you shit, but I feel any man that puts his family first is a good guy! For me I could live with dying for the sport I love, but leaving the people who love me was what got to me.

Lesson learned is it is never worth it to push it on the street; one tiny thing going wrong and could be game over…..happens way faster than people think.

[TFOGGuys]

Glad you're still with us! My crash in January 2013 was also an epiphany for me. As I lay bleeding on the pavement from an 8 inch gash in my right ass cheek, I was pretty sure I was not going to make it. I was oddly calm about the whole thing, not in shock, fully aware. I was talking with an FBI agent who stopped to render aid, and was keeping pressure on the the wound to keep me from bleeding out. I remember talking to the EMT, and her concern that she lost my distal pulse on the ride to the hospital (I told her not to worry, it's come back). By the time I got to the trauma center at DHMC, I knew I would survive, and made sure they called my wife. After I got out of the hospital, she said if I ever rode on the street again, I'd end up divorced. I test rode a customer's bike exactly 1 month and 1 day after my crash. Fast forward to June after my crash in January, and she's asking me when I'm gonna get my old Interceptor out of mothballs..LOL. Bottom line, I still ride, and I'm a better, safer rider now than I was then. There will always be an element of risk involved, but I'm ok with that.

[FZRguy]

I definitely take less risks now than when I was younger, and after a serious injury. Don't rush that fusion or joint replacement, Justin. Give rehab a long good try (at least five years). I really F'ed myself by opting for a partial knee replacement less than two years from my injury. The surgery made me worse and the bone loss from the surgery is a life-long complication. I'm an avid mountain biker so maybe give that a try. It's a challenging sport away from public roads and auto traffic. The latest and greatest MTBs are phenomenal, and cycling is generally great rehab for ankle injuries...assuming you don't crash it again.

[Gramps]

I definitely take less risks now than when I was younger, and after a serious injury. Don't rush that fusion or joint replacement, Justin. Give rehab a long good try (at least five years). I really F'ed myself by opting for a partial knee replacement less than two years from my injury. The surgery made me worse and the bone loss from the surgery is a life-long complication. I'm an avid mountain biker so maybe give that a try. It's a challenging sport away from public roads and auto traffic. The latest and greatest MTBs are phenomenal, and cycling is generally great rehab for ankle injuries...assuming you don't crash it again.

I won't bore everyone with my crash details. It is well documented on here and even includes pictures. What I did want to add is that I 100% agree with not rushing another surgery to do something drastic. I think doctors always want to rush to the medical/surgical answer and don't give the person a chance to heal naturally. I had one doctor try to amputate my leg and told me I would never walk again. The next doctor said he could get me walking but it wouldn't be pretty. They forgot there was a stubborn person connected to the leg that refused to let it define the rest of his life. My wreck was in 2006 at the Gap and it really took about ten years and seven surgeries to get to a point that I don't have pain every day or limp when I walk. Occasionally sure, but I'm getting old so other people my age have some of the same problems.

Don't rush things - Stay in decent shape because carrying extra weight doesn't help - Give it time

[bulldog]

Another guy that will stress the importance of physical therapy…..basically what got me obsessed with fitness, but all started because PT did for me what nothing else did.

Long story short I broke my pelvis/hip when I was 18 years old. At that age I didn’t follow my PT well and years later it came to haunt me with severe back trouble. Basically since I never rehabbed my pelvis correctly it made my back out of alignment and some days I couldn’t stand straight. Went to doctors, chiropractors, sport medicine specialist, acupuncture, etc. Finally figured I’d stop being lazy (PT is hard!) and go to a Physical Therapist. I learned the more I strengthened my core, the less work my spine had to do. I concentrated for years on getting a strong core and it has pretty much eliminated my back problems as long as I keep it up. Tore rotatator cuffs and they wanted to do surgery….naw did PT and now my rotators are fine…..never underestimate what a strong mind and body can do!

In my opinion you will need some form of PT the rest of your life, even if it is just you doing it on your own as some type of physical exercise because injuries this bad never go away and will haunt us the older we get.

[j0ker]

First let me say I am so fucking glad you lived. Second, thank you for posting that video. All I could say was, "Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!"

Thanks for sharing your pain brother.

[Tiutis]

Damn, that's really terrible but you're one lucky man. I'm not sure if I'd consider a faster bike or any bike that matter after such crash.
Do you remember how fast you were going? Do you remember the guy on dual sport? It looks like you crashed right in front of him.

[j0ker]

Damn, that's really terrible but you're one lucky man. I'm not sure if I'd consider a faster bike or any bike that matter after such crash.
Do you remember how fast you were going? Do you remember the guy on dual sport? It looks like you crashed right in front of him.

He didn't seem too terribly worried for you either.

[asp_125]

Wow! Glad you're still in one piece. I have a rebuilt metal reinforced ankle as well, from a crash 7yrs ago at HPR at the end of the back straight. Even with PT and good painkillers, I live daily with the pain of arthritis and about 90% range of motion. But you learn to adapt and keep on going. My previous office job was actually worse for my ankle due to long periods sitting. Movement actually lessens the stiffness and aches. +1 on the bicycling and/or hiking. As for riding, I had my doubts as well, until the day I sat on my bike and turned the key. Ride or not, best of luck in your continued recovery.

[BC14]

Damn, that was one helluva crash!! I wish you the best in your recovery and hope that you get back to as 'normal' as you can in the coming months/years.

[j0ker]

Wow! Glad you're still in one piece. I have a rebuilt metal reinforced ankle as well, from a crash 7yrs ago at HPR at the end of the back straight. Even with PT and good painkillers, I live daily with the pain of arthritis and about 90% range of motion. But you learn to adapt and keep on going. My previous office job was actually worse for my ankle due to long periods sitting. Movement actually lessens the stiffness and aches. +1 on the bicycling and/or hiking. As for riding, I had my doubts as well, until the day I sat on my bike and turned the key. Ride or not, best of luck in your continued recovery.

I am like you with a partially rebuilt titanium leg. I rock 18 titanium screws and 2 plates. They often hurt and I limp when the weather changes but, I never considered not riding again. Accidents happen, shit happens, I just love riding motorcycles way too much to quit easily. "That shit be calling me" -Chris Rock

Hope you heal up!

[thankgod]

WOW! You and that dirt bike rider parked on the side of the road are hella lucky! This is the price we pay for the love of motorcycles! Stay safe!

[BushyAR15]

Wow... Just wow. I'm glad you survived and will be mostly mobile. It was really hard for me to read your story let alone watch the video. I've been riding for over 30 years and have seen more bad things than I care too. I do have one question; Why are you responsible for so much of the Air Ambulance costs? I would have thought insurance would have covered the majority of it...

[Aaron]

This is the price we pay for the love of motorcycles!

This is absolutely not true. This is the price you pay when you ride too fast.

I'm truly glad he is more or less ok, please don't misinterpret this post. Justin and I have been friends for a long time, and I'd never wish anything like this upon him. But I'm glad he will continue to be there for his family.

[bulldog]

This is absolutely not true. This is the price you pay when you ride too fast.

I'm truly glad he is more or less ok, please don't misinterpret this post. Justin and I have been friends for a long time, and I'd never wish anything like this upon him. But I'm glad he will continue to be there for his family.

Got to disagree with you there man....seem more than one wreck that had everything to do with a car not paying attention and nothing the bike could do. We had a member die because a cow was in the road, so you never know what could happen Don't be naive and think you will be able to prevent every accident now matter how good a rider you are. With all these cars that don't pay attention when driving....that is who scares me....not my riding skills.

I get what you mean though man and when you speed you increase your chances of a wreck greatly. In this case I agree with you and was about going way too fast and that is what caused this one....which caused him to drift into those slippery yellow lines at a full lean.

[Aaron]

No doubt the majority of accidents are the car's fault, I won't argue that at all. I do think we, as a group and hugely generalized, could be better at anticipating car's movements thereby preventing more accidents, but some just can't be seen or prevented. ABS will be a huge help.

In this case though, he was simply riding too fast, like you said.

[FZRguy]

Nate, Jessica did not die because a cow was in the road. She died because she was going triple digit speeds on a road that is completely unsuitable for big speed. Teller 11 is posted as open range and is a steeply rolling road with very limited sight distance. Jess, being a fairly new rider, was completely in over her skill level and not prepared to stop her motorcycle quickly from xxx speed. She panicked and grabbed a handful of front brake that put her hard on the ground. People die on motorcycles because they make bad decisions. It broke my heart to see Jess die like that and I wish I could go back in time and mentor her, and teach her the skills and good decision making needed to ride motorcycles for a long, long time.

[Kim-n-Dean]

Nate, Jessica did not die because a cow was in the road. She died because she was going triple digit speeds on a road that is completely unsuitable for big speed. Teller 11 is posted as open range and is a steeply rolling road with very limited sight distance. Jess, being a fairly new rider, was completely in over her skill level and not prepared to stop her motorcycle quickly from xxx speed. She panicked and grabbed a handful of front brake that put her hard on the ground. People die on motorcycles because they make bad decisions. It broke my heart to see Jess die like that and I wish I could go back in time and mentor her, and teach her the skills and good decision making needed to ride motorcycles for a long, long time.

...and, what's even more sickening about that, is no one learned a damn thing from her wreck! We went on a memorial ride to the site a long time ago and everyone was hauling ass through that stretch with tons of cows standing on the side of the road. Thank god we didn't have a repeat that day!!!

[#1Townie]

while we are talking on stories. my friend died on the Emily memorial ride. we decided to take a nice ride through the mountains on the way back. stopped for lunch and he complained about a wobble on his Harley. the spokes were loose and he had to be the tough guy. "trailers are for pussies"

we made it one mile from where we ate when he lost control at 40 mph went off the road into a barbwire fence. we lost a good friend that day because we didn't challenge his stubborn ass.

everything with riding is choices. make good ones and you will certainly go home to see your family and friends. make bad ones and you will certainly find pain for yourself and those who care about you.

[j0ker]

I have lost more friends and family to motorcycles than cancer, drugs and alcohol or communism. And, we wonder why some people consider us crazy to ride a motorcycle at all. I hate to hear these stories, I can only try and learn from their mistakes.

[Aaron]

I ride to add life to my years, not years to my life.

[bulldog]

Nate, Jessica did not die because a cow was in the road. She died because she was going triple digit speeds on a road that is completely unsuitable for big speed. Teller 11 is posted as open range and is a steeply rolling road with very limited sight distance. Jess, being a fairly new rider, was completely in over her skill level and not prepared to stop her motorcycle quickly from xxx speed. She panicked and grabbed a handful of front brake that put her hard on the ground. People die on motorcycles because they make bad decisions. It broke my heart to see Jess die like that and I wish I could go back in time and mentor her, and teach her the skills and good decision making needed to ride motorcycles for a long, long time.

I know how it went down, I was just using that as a example....either way a cow in the road is a freak incident no matter who you are......it always seems like advanced riders think they are never going to have a accident happen to them. You can think all the years of experience, defensive driving, training, etc will save you, but in the end you could be the safest rider in the world and still have a accident that could drastically change your life.

I know you are older than me Jon, so I never get how some people don't start to see this; maybe it helps them sleep at night. The bottom line is the sport we do is probably the biggest risk we take in our lives and us vs a car we lose everytime......

If you are interested go to dinner with me and my wife and she will explain that working in the ICU she has seen so many advanced riders die. Currently she has a patient who when went head on with a car and his helmet split in half and he has major brain damage now....fully geared and rode for 15+ years, but will never be the same....if he even survives. Recently she had a guy die from a 30mph accident. Our bodies are more fragile than you think when you factor in the velocity we travel.

Anyways, not saying not to ever ride, but don't fool yourself and think your experience will always save you because it will not be you that makes the mistake, but some idiot not paying attention that you cannot avoid. That was my only point

while we are talking on stories. my friend died on the Emily memorial ride. we decided to take a nice ride through the mountains on the way back. stopped for lunch and he complained about a wobble on his Harley. the spokes were loose and he had to be the tough guy. "trailers are for pussies"

we made it one mile from where we ate when he lost control at 40 mph went off the road into a barbwire fence. we lost a good friend that day because we didn't challenge his stubborn ass.

everything with riding is choices. make good ones and you will certainly go home to see your family and friends. make bad ones and you will certainly find pain for yourself and those who care about you.

Sad to hear man Exactly my point though....who would have thought a malfunction in a bike could have caused his last day. yeah you could have challenged him, but overall shit like that happens that can't always be prevented.

I have lost more friends and family to motorcycles than cancer, drugs and alcohol or communism. And, we wonder why some people consider us crazy to ride a motorcycle at all. I hate to hear these stories, I can only try and learn from their mistakes.

Me too brother.....guess that is why I go on these rants.....been hard what I have seen through my riding years.

[bulldog]

People die on motorcycles because they make bad decisions.

This statement really bothered me because I felt it was untrue....so I did some research...

(No offense Jon, I just felt like this gave a false sense of security and I wanted to see the stats)

Motorcycle statistics suggest quite a bit about the dangers associated with riding. Many of these statics lead to the idea that the practice of riding a motorcycle is one of great danger, and while this may be true, statistics also revel much more.
Several reports claim that, on average, between two and three thousand motorcyclists die each year in the United States. Motorcycle fatalities have been on the rise ever since the late 1990s, reaching a record high of 12 percent—a total of 5,037 motorcycle fatalities—of all vehicle crash-deaths in 2007 in the United States. These statistics suggest what many believe to be true: Motorcycles are dangerous, which may be true, but the general public should also know they are dangerous because of their very nature—existing in the open, without protective barriers between the rider and outside elements on the road—not because of the way motorcyclists are trained to operate. In fact, during research conducted by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) during 2003, it was found that in all motorcycle accidents occurring between motorcyclists and cars, the motorcyclist was either not at fault or less at fault than the other driver 80 percent of the time. This statistic should clear up the misconception that all motorcyclists operate on the edge, seeking danger. The very opposite is true; most motorcyclists take advantage of defensive driving courses and other educational classes related to riding.
A frightening statistic from a 2000 study reveals how often car drivers are at fault in fatal motorcycle crashes. The study reports that in 2000 there were over 1,280 two-vehicle fatal crashes between motorcycles and other vehicles. Of these fatal collisions, the other vehicle was turning left while the motorcyclist was traveling straight in their lane or lawfully passing another vehicle 35 percent of the time. This is only one scenario demonstrating driver negligence killing a motorcyclist.

Here is another on a bit more recent from 2013; still shows 60% the car/truck was at fault over the motorcyclist. IMO, with cell phones, the distraction rate is at a ll time high...just think, 15 years ago very few people were driving with cell phones, but now it is the norm.
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...orcycle-riders

So who's mostly to blame when four-wheel and two-wheel vehicles collide? According to a recent Florida Department of Transportation study, bikers are right. Motorists driving cars and trucks are mostly at fault, often failing to yield the right of way to the smaller vehicles.
In analyzing 10 years of Florida motorcycle crashes, Chanyoung Lee, a senior researcher at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, found that 60 percent of the time motorists in other vehicles are at fault when they collide with motorcycles.


Damn, even in other countries, London, they are saying 50% of motorcycle fatalities are the car/truck fault

Provincial police say more than half of the motorcyclists who died on OPP-patrolled roads last year were killed through no fault of their own.
According to a new OPP report, 27 motorcyclists and four passengers died in 2015 – 17 of those riders were driving properly when they were involved in a fatal crash.
This is the first time police say they have seen this in the last 10 years.
http://london.ctvnews.ca/opp-more-th...-own-1.2904175



Again, not saying to not ride, but just understand the biggest risk.....other drivers!