Watch out for Motorcycles!

    This Blog, as well as my Tech Blog were supposed to be launched at the beginning of December, and January, respectively.

Unfortunately, I’ve spent the past couple months recuperating from a Black Friday (November 25, 2022) hit and run motorcycle accident that almost killed me. The seriousness of the accident, the extent of my injuries, and the actual threat that my life was in all took a while to set in for me.

On November 25, 2022, at 1:30 PM, I put on my helmet, riding jacket, riding gloves, heavy jeans, and ankle covering shoes. Phone synced to Bluetooth, I left my residence to go pick up medication for my dog. It was 54 degrees outside, sunny, and a light breeze. Traffic in my area of Albuquerque, New Mexico was light to moderate. This was my 3rd errand of the day, and I was excited for the trip.

Vulcan 900 Classic LT Before Accident

 

I rode 1 mile, at an average speed of 28MPH. I came to a stop at a stop sign and a black Infiniti was stopped to my right. It made a right turn and I pulled off continuing through the intersection. Approximately 300 feet down the road the black Infiniti put on its signal. At 600 feet down the road, it turned into a gas station, but stopping in the entry. I was approximately 40 feet behind the car and continued on, in the travel lane. As I was almost passing, the car suddenly started moving again. It made a U-turn in the entry and pulled back out without signaling, regard for laws of physics, or my being there occupying the lane.

I clutched and applied my brakes, I veered to the outside of the lane as the car pulled out wide and took off. The car’s bumper clipped my right fork with enough force to bust the fork’s reflector and to throw my bike, traveling at about 25MPH, into a full “counter steer.” The bike threw me down with all the force a 700 pound machine traveling at 25MPH and suddenly being thrown on its side can generate. My bike went down, riderless, skidded and flipped. The car kept going. The definition of “hit and run.” The saddle bag and engine guard took most of the damage. The bottom pipe got banged when it flipped, so did the windscreen, and the tank got a pretty good ding. 

Vulcan 900 Classic LT after crash, with broken saddle bags and damaged engine guard

 

I am fortunate. My helmet is not the most expensive or flashy, it DOES have some of the most up-to-date safety features though; including MIPS and a neck protector (as well as a nice UV protective photocromatic shield.) It is a BELL Qualifer DLX MIPS. The angle of the impact caused me to fracture my clavicle in a couple places (and into multiple pieces,) fracture ribs 3–5, and fracture my scapula in a couple places, and into a couple pieces. I had no loss of consciousness, no concussion, my brain didn’t suffer a midline shift, and I didn’t break my neck.

Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS with damage from impact, missing visor.

 

As I said, I am FORTUNATE. When I was thrown from the bike, it was at an angle that landed me on my helmet and my shoulder. The helmet rotated, the neck protector kept C4-C6 from shattering with the twist or from impact from the edge of the helmet. That’s how pieces of my clavicle probably were fractured. When the helmet rotated my head/brain didn’t. That kept my brain from suffering angular acceleration and a resulting midline drift. That’s what MIPS is designed to help with. When the helmet rotates the MIPS layer prevents your head from twisting, otherwise, you may end up with midline shift. The shell and padding absorbed the impact stopping me from getting a closed head injury, because my brain didn’t bounce around inside my skull.

I was transported, via emergency services to a local hospital with a level 1 trauma center, where I was evaluated, and my fractures all found. They didn’t clean my road rash (I had to do that at home, pulling pebbles out of your knee, while suffering a broken clavicle, ribs, and scapula, is NOT a bucket list item anyone should be contemplating!) They didn’t even secure my fractured shoulder, they put on an ill fitted sling.

As to the fractured bones, the ribs didn’t puncture any organs, so they were left to heal, the scapula also was left to heal. The clavicle, I was left to “wait and see.” There was no operating staff at the hospital at the time of my arrival, so I was sent home with a simple sling and instructions to “come back if your shoulder starts floating.” It did. My clavicle displaced greater than 100% overnight. The bone started grinding up muscle in my chest, and my arm fell forward an inch and dropped 3–4 inches.

Fractured and displaced Clavicle, blood pooling in pectoral muscle

 

On December 12th, I went in for a Clavicle ORIF (Open Reduction, Internal Fixation) surgery. Normally a 60–90 minute surgery, it took about 3 hours from incision to stitching. It’s still early, but there’s a good chance that I won’t regain the nerve sensations I’ve lost through half of my left pectoral muscle and skin, and the burning sensation will probably never leave my deltoid and bicep. The surgeon described it as “a bit like putting Humpty Dumpty back together.” (Although, I only saw 3 pieces they had to put back into place, anchor with screws, and then bolt back together with a plate, when I saw the x-rays.)

 

Surgical bandage with blood pooling in pectoral, armpit, and arm

I had to remove my surgical bandage after a week. That was probably the thing I dreaded most, besides showering the first time. “What if the wound splits open.”

Surgical Scar, with blood pooling fading

 

They had cut me from the base of my neck to my shoulder, and split the muscle as well. I have Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I scar funny, and may heal slowly. I eat a plant based diet. I’m on the far end of 48. I smoked 2.5 pack a day for 30 years, quitting 6 years ago, when I developed COPD. I’ve been in 2 other “major” motorcycle accidents in the 34 years I’ve been riding. All of those are strikes against a good recovery. The bandage came off, and I had a pink scar. It was a delicate scar, papery like an EDS scar, but a scar. It has healed much better since.

I have my 6 week Post Op follow up next week, January 26th, 2023, and then begin physical therapy. I’m not approved to ride again until at least March. That’s OK, I have to put my bike back together, and haven’t been able to do that, because I’m operating with one arm right now, and that arm holds my cane.

Every time I put on my gear, I understand it could be the last time. Every time I start my engine, I understand it could be the last time. Every time I pull out of my drive, I understand it could be the last time. It’s something I’ve understood since I learned to ride. Motorcycles have inherent dangers. Motorcycle riders build skills with time and experience. There are some situations that skills cannot account for. Or, that skills allow an experienced rider to survive, when a less experienced rider would have died. 

As the title says Watch out for Motorcycles! We’re out there on the roads, with the same responsibilities and the same rights as every other vehicle. We are by and large safe and responsible riders, that’s why you don’t “see” the majority of us. We’re trying to live our lives, ride to our destination in one piece. We try to keep a pocket, we try to stay clear. There are some situations we just CAN’T avoid. We need people in cars to do their part, and watch the road as well!