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Glad to be alive
By JosephPorcelli on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 10:16am
My friend took the time to share it with his friends, and so I am taking the time to share it with you! The following is a copy of his post.
Hello friends,
Late Tuesday afternoon I was riding my bike and was hit by a cab. I was in the bike lane, going 20-25 mph when out of nowhere the cabbie took a hard left, cut me off and I hit him head-on. It happened so fast I didn't have time to brake, swerve or yell. The only thought I had was "#%^&, I'm dead!"
I impacted the driver's side door, took off the side-view mirror, dented the door panel and was knocked out cold. I don't remember the time between getting hit and waking up on my back. I kept scanned my body looking for broken bones and cuts and was amazed that I was in one piece. I tried standing but immediately fell, stars and all. My vision was blurry and speech slurred for the next minute.
In the end, I was VERY lucky and escaped with some bruised bones, a few cuts and a minor concussion. I was told at the ER that without my helmet I could have been paralyzed or killed.
I know some of us are concerned with looking "cool" and think helmets are for cowards (a friend convinced me otherwise last year). And yes, they may look lame and clash with the perfectly-styled fixed gear, but please take this to heart. I'm an experienced city rider and it can happen to anyone.
Safe riding,
Eric
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Comments
Helmet eplacement is important, too.
As someone who used to put in 5000-mile summers, let me also say it's equally important to replace your helmet every 2-3 years, even if you don't crash on it. Glues dry and crack, sunlight messes with the plastic, and pads compress and smell real bad from sweat.
And since we're on the topic...
As much as I appreciate the work hipsters have done relieving the world's bike warehouse of decades of back-stocked Velocity Deep V rims*, I don't see that many of them actually riding. Not wearing a helmet as you walk your bike to Middle East is fine by me.
I have way more concern for the spando'd up, over-purchased, bare-headed roadies I see hammering out of saddle to make every stoplight. Downgrade to Chorus and buy a freakin' helmet. Giro makes them with carbon fiber, so you really have no excuse.
-Cosmo
http://cyclocosm.com
*but please, stop lacing them to Phil Woods. Flexy, 30 dollar rims that weigh 600g have no business stuck onto a $400 hubset.
sorry, chief
I see no end of "fixie" retards with no brakes, reflectors, helmets, lights, etc. The "spando'd up" people are training or getting exercise, looking out because they don't want to get injured, and are properly equipped.
Meanwhile, the fixed-gear trendwhores are out to prove something. It's hilarious reading Wikipedia's page about fixed-gear bikes and how these idiots justify not having brakes.
oh, I agree
Most of my city riding is fixed with two brakes (v-brakes at that) and low profile rims, with machined brake tracks and everything. Plus a helmet, of course.
While I agree plenty of roadies (self included) are out for exercise and cautious, the guys I'm talking about are hammering in the big ring down Mass Ave. It's a lousy way to get a workout (gonna have to stop eventually), and at any rate anyone riding a bike without a helmet is not properly equipped.
-Cosmo
http://cyclocosm.com
very sorry to hear that
very sorry to hear that happened to you. i was cut off by a big fat SUV on beacon st at berkeley yesterday but slammed on the brakes just in time. ended up about 1 inch from the passenger rear door. hope you're feeling good.
Hold onto that helmet!
Not only did it save your life, but you can show other people what didn't happen to your skull. At the very least, the helmet manufacturer might give you a discount or even a new helmet in exchange for your "field tested" model.
I kept the helmet that turned a fatal accident into an annoying concussion. Even though my kids were babies ten years ago,I thought I would use it to show them the value of helmets when they got older.
Well, my boys are very into wearing helmets and can't be persuaded otherwise. In fact, they are so convinced that they take the squished and cracked one to class with them and show it to their friends. A destroyed helmet is worth a thousand naggings.
Strange But True!
A number of years ago my husband and a friend were out mountain biking in Lynn Woods when the friend hit something with his front wheel, went head over teakettle, (this is a family site after all) hitting his head on a tree, literally wedging his head and helmet in the crotch of the tree!
He was fine, but the helmet was split perfectly in half. He sent it back to the manufacturer who in turn sent him a rebate card for the full purchase price of a new helmet. Not bad.
Glad to hear you're OK - that's scary stuff.
Helmets:always a good call
yikes, that sounds like a horrible experience. Thank God your friend is okay. And to reiterate, anyone who thinks helmets look uncool, stop by any neurology unit in the city. Drooling all over yourself and pissing your pants looks a lot more uncool. You'll quickly realize that death by head injury is getting off easy. The saddest part is, statistically speaking, not always, but more often than not, major brain trauma via bike accident can be prevented with a helmet.
Helmets = Good
Was riding on Mount Desert Island with some friends, when one of my friends sidded out of control coming down one of the old dirt carriage roads. The bike slid sideway, hit a rock and flipped him over the handlebars. On his way down, his head glanced off one of the granite boulders on the side of the road.
The damage to the helmet was a powerful sign of how lucky he was to be wearing it, especially when you consider he didn't have a helmet until I loaned him my old one for the ride.
Now, why are people who lawfully carry a gun for protection described as "paranoid nutjobs living in fear", but people who wear bicycle helmets and seatbelts, or keep fire extinguishers in the home are called intelligent people taking "common sense" precautions to provide for their safety?
I agree with you, but...
I'm 100% behind you you on responsible gun ownership, but that might be the worst comparison I've ever read.
If my home gets burgled while I'm away, no one is going steal my helmet and rob/kill someone with it.
If I'm careless with my bike helmet, my kid won't bring it to school and accidentally shoot someone.
I don't have to worry about my bike helmet missing the ground when I'm protecting myself with it, going through a window and killing an innocent bystander.
No matter how angry/drunk/insane I become, I can't go on a murderous rampage with my helmet.
-Cosmo
http://cyclocosm.com
Well said, Cosmo.
n/m
ok...
a. That's why I chose to relocate to a safe, low-crime neighborhood, AND keep my firearms locked up at all times when they are not under my direct control. If you feel you'd be incapable of locking up your own guns, then please, make the choice not to own a gun.
b. I love my kids infinitely more than I love my guns. They are too young for proper gun safety training so the guns are kept securely locked up away from them AT ALL TIMES. NO EXCEPTIONS. Again, your mileage may vary.
c. Rule #4: Be sure of your target and what's beyond. These basic rules of firearms safety are as ingrained in the brains of most gun owners I know as is remembering to breathe. If you feel you couldn't handle memorizing and abiding four basic safety rules, then please, make the choice not to own a gun.
d. I've done more than my share of drinking, but have never felt the urge to kill, or even harm another human. I've been royally pissed off plenty of times, but never felt like takign another life because of it. Now, if you can't control your own rage/sobriety/mental stability and you feel they may get to the point where they dismantle your moral compass altogether, then please, make the choice not to own a gun.
I stand by my original analogy.