So last Saturday I rounded a corner on a wide dirt track between trails to come face to face with a pickup going way too fast and completely on my side. We ended up going head on with the impact at a slight angle to the right which corresponds to the injuries.
I won't bore you with the full details but fortunately the ambulance was there very quickly and I received excellent care.
The end result is a severely fractured left femoral shaft and fractured right radius. This was repaired with 6 hours of surgery by plating the radius and inserting a rod down inside the middle of the femur with screw attachment at either end. On top of this is severe bruising on the right leg which prevents me using it for anything useful even after a week - it was actually more swollen then the left leg earlier in the week. The left wrist may yet have to be x-rayed as I have restricted movement and as much pain as the right.
The recovery timeline from date of accident:
1 week - I am now at home which is great but wheel chair bound. In a few days I will go in to have staples and stitches removed, arm cast changed to a plastic splint and x-rays to assess progress.
3 weeks - The right arm will be strong enough to weight bare and I can get on to crutches
6 weeks - crutches can go as the rod will have sufficiently fused to the bone at either end to support my weight
6 months but confirmed by x-ray - the femur should have regrown into the gaps and be sufficiently strong for me to begin athletic activity.
So a long road.
Things I can be fortunate about:
I am still alive and will make a full recovery
My body armour did exactly what it needed to and because of its design the medics did not need to cut it off me as the parts are all attached with velcro. Forcefield adventure harness if you want a recommendation.
I was wearing ortho knee braces which means I still have knees. Mine were Alpinestars B2 pro-carbon. The right brace appears undamaged but the majority of the bruising on the leg coincides with the position of the brace. Given extent of the bruising I am confident that it saved my knee. The left brace broke through the frame but again the knee is fine.
The future:
The bike damage has been reported as front wheel, plastics and a rad. I have spare wheels but I would want to check the forks and frame very carefully before deciding whether the bike is repairable and also replace the head bearings.
From a personal point of view I have not decided whether I will ride again or hang up my helmet. I have to consider the impact of this on my family and, if I find another activity to replace riding why give them the stress. Another option would be to swap to a trials bike which would only be used away from 4 wheel vehicles.
So has anyone gone through a similar smash? How was recovery?
If not I will update from time to time with progress reports.
I won't bore you with the full details but fortunately the ambulance was there very quickly and I received excellent care.
The end result is a severely fractured left femoral shaft and fractured right radius. This was repaired with 6 hours of surgery by plating the radius and inserting a rod down inside the middle of the femur with screw attachment at either end. On top of this is severe bruising on the right leg which prevents me using it for anything useful even after a week - it was actually more swollen then the left leg earlier in the week. The left wrist may yet have to be x-rayed as I have restricted movement and as much pain as the right.
The recovery timeline from date of accident:
1 week - I am now at home which is great but wheel chair bound. In a few days I will go in to have staples and stitches removed, arm cast changed to a plastic splint and x-rays to assess progress.
3 weeks - The right arm will be strong enough to weight bare and I can get on to crutches
6 weeks - crutches can go as the rod will have sufficiently fused to the bone at either end to support my weight
6 months but confirmed by x-ray - the femur should have regrown into the gaps and be sufficiently strong for me to begin athletic activity.
So a long road.
Things I can be fortunate about:
I am still alive and will make a full recovery
My body armour did exactly what it needed to and because of its design the medics did not need to cut it off me as the parts are all attached with velcro. Forcefield adventure harness if you want a recommendation.
I was wearing ortho knee braces which means I still have knees. Mine were Alpinestars B2 pro-carbon. The right brace appears undamaged but the majority of the bruising on the leg coincides with the position of the brace. Given extent of the bruising I am confident that it saved my knee. The left brace broke through the frame but again the knee is fine.
The future:
The bike damage has been reported as front wheel, plastics and a rad. I have spare wheels but I would want to check the forks and frame very carefully before deciding whether the bike is repairable and also replace the head bearings.
From a personal point of view I have not decided whether I will ride again or hang up my helmet. I have to consider the impact of this on my family and, if I find another activity to replace riding why give them the stress. Another option would be to swap to a trials bike which would only be used away from 4 wheel vehicles.
So has anyone gone through a similar smash? How was recovery?
If not I will update from time to time with progress reports.
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