It just keeps coming…
From: Tom
Subject: Getting run the fuck over
Since there seems to be a rash of folks sharing bad bike stories, might as well add mine.3 weeks ago, nice fall early evening, sun is still out. Gone out for a short ride before some Friday festivities. I’m coming over a small rise, and heading down the backside, running the bike at around 25 MPH. I see a Ford Focus up ahead, no turn signal showing, so I keep on pedaling. Last second: BAM! She turns right in front of me.
Somehow, I have enough presence of mind to move my head out of the way, and lower my shoulder. I take out the side view mirror of the car, and leave a nice Tom sized dent in the door, and then bounce off the car, and land hard on the pavement. Bike goes flying, and flying into pieces. I get up, quickly do the status check. Left leg? OK. Right leg? OK. Left arm? OK. Collarbones? OK. Right arm? Right arm? Hello? I said right arm? Yeah, it’s not moving, at all.
The girl who hit me (she was 18 and ON THE CELL PHONE!!) gets out, and she gets a cussing. Meanwhile, I yell at her to call 911 or something, because I’m fucked up. Now the pain starts. The meat wagon gets there, I get the backboard, neck brace, and they bring me to the hospital. Many x-rays later, and many docs coming in and out of the room moving my right arm around later, and one expensive CT scan, they finally determine that the scapula has been shattered into a few pieces.
Doc decides that probably operating is going to have to be required. They open me up, install some titanium, and he tells me later, “Man it looked like kibbles and bits in there.” Apparently one chunk of bone came loose, and spun around 180 degrees, and then there were about 7-8 larger pieces, and then there were many fragments which got suctioned away.
Now I’m looking at about 3-4 months of therapy, and tons o’ bills.
Keep an eye out boys and girls, it seems to be getting more dangerous.
I REALLY hope he pursues a civil case against her, ’cause it’s sorely fucking deserved.
Yes, _please_ get your bills paid by her or her insurance. The time to be nice ends with the words “shattered scapula.”
And make sure somebody is paying for rehab, too. I never got rehab (couldn’t afford it myself and they never caught the guy that tried to kill me) and I ended up losing my job because I couldn’t do the work after I got hit, and couldn’t do anything else either.
Opus
…tom, ya seem to have a great attitude which helps out immeasurably during rehab, but man, that chicks insurance ought a’ be covering yer every step on the road to recovery…
…maybe a new titanium bike to match yer ti scapula ???…ouch, sorry…
…get better, dude n’ get back on the wheel…
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I do need some weight reduction. I wonder how many bits I can get replaced with titanium and still function?
Reminds me when i got t-boned and they said i was speeding
on my bike.. ohhh K… LOL yelling at me also..
If she is a dependant of her parents….then it seems they can be held responsible as well!