Nearly Lost My Partner

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hillbilly20
This is a message to all of you who cycle whether it be commuters or hardcore racers like myself.
I am road racing cyclist and clocked up 1000 miles last august and have been riding for over two years and haven't had a single crash happen around me until SATURDAY when me and my fiance went out for a slow recovery ride for my race on the sunday morning. It was only five miles there and back from the cafe so we both didn't bother with our helmets!!!!! But tragedy struck when she was coming down hill, hit a stone and sent her head first over the handle bars. She was rushed to hospital via ambulance with the sirens going and nearly died of head injuries. She cracked her skull and had blood in her brain bleeding. So all of you wear helmets cause she wouldn't have even needed to stay in hospital oveer night had she'd been wearing one. Instead she spent 4 days and a six week ban from riding her bike by the doctors.

Trust me, the state she's in anyone would wear a helmet if you saw her......

Post pictures and that will show us all that we should wear helmets.

the thing is the really bad injury is in her head, but imagine this. When the skull is cracked like in my partners case. Bleed's can occur within the brain. This causes swelling and emense pain as there is nowhere for the brain to swell to.

Good points hillbilly20, I sincerely hope your Fiance's okay.

Best wishes for her speedy and complete recovery. I will relate your story to my children.

I wish her a speedy recovery.

Peter

Damnit man!

On the one hand I want to just grab you and smack you all up and down and call you an idiot and the on the other hand I'm thanking God that your fiance will hopefully be alright and that she has a speedy recovery!

I guess its too late to ask what in the hell you were thinking... Sorry to be all squirrely on the subject but my wife just recently had stitches removed from her chin from a biking accident that was only about 500 yards from our house... We were heading to the coffee shop one saturday morning as well and its about the same situation, about 5-6 miles away. We were about to leave and I told her to get her helmet, and her response was "let's just go, its so close, what could happen?"

I was an ass about the whole thing and I told her what could happen is that it would hurt alot less when I smacked her if she was wearing a helmet and not to say stupid things so early in the morning. Just to clear things up I would as soon cut off my own finger before hitting her... but her apparent lack of judgement made me extremely angry...

So in a huff she gets her helmet, puts it on and after I give her a kiss and hug to show I was just being weird, we're off... she then hits an abrubt driveway at too shallow and angle and goes straight as the bike dumps underneath her and she lands on her chin and slides and goes helmet first into hollowblock planter...

She was banged up good and bleeding like gangbusters from a huge gash in her chin and I was sitting next to her holding her and my buddy (who was riding with us) came up and showed me the helmet with a big stick mark right at the top where it hit the hollowblocks... The styrene material was cracked right at the top two ribs... She didn't see it and doesn't even know she broke her helmet, I told my friend to get rid of it and he ended up throwing it in the garbage can. My wife was already hurting, and very upset and I didn't need her to feel sheepish about the helmet thing too or that I would do a "told you so thing"...

That was a few weeks ago and she's all healed up nicely and we're even getting ready to buy her a new bike (she never really liked the old one and it was getting very old) She asked about her helmet and I told her it got left at the scene and someone probably took it...

You're lucky Hillbilly, and so is your fiance... I wish you the best of luck and hope you're both back on the road very soon WITH helmets... Arg, I'm all worked up about reading your message... keep in mind though that you're talking about a dork who even wears his helmet while I'm on the rollers in the garage! :P In fact, I just got off the rollers about 15 minutes ago and noted once again as I was taking my gloves off that they are still completely stained with my wife's blood... I'm not washing them on purpose in case she needs a safety reminder anytime in the future... for me as well! Maybe if I caved and let her go without a helmet that day, blood soaked gloves would be the only thing I had left to remind me of our last day together... ****! thiking about that makes me shake with anger and relief...

I hate sounding all judgemental as well, having done some VERY stupid things myself while biking, but I was stupid with my helmet and gloves on! 🙂

Be safe!

Feanor

Jeez mate....that's harsh. I've never gone without my helmet.

I'm just getting my own fiance into cycling, and after hearing that, I might have her wear my motorcycle helmet...heh

In Seattle there is now a $35 fine for not wearing a helmet!

Well, first I'm glad your fiancée will be okay. Then I have to admit I have never had a helmet, and I suppose I should go get one ASAP (will go tomorrow w/the kids, they already have helmets of course). I have never even considering riding a motorcycle without a helmet, and won't drive ten feet without everyone being buckled in the car, but I guess biking just seemed like such a tranquil, pleasant sport, I just haven't worried about it much. Even though I've been riding in plenty of traffic and all.

Alright, I'll go. Thanks for your post.

Sara

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by hillbilly20
This is a message to all of you who cycle whether it be commuters or hardcore racers like myself.
I am road racing cyclist and clocked up 1000 miles last august and have been riding for over two years and haven't had a single crash happen around me until SATURDAY when me and my fiance went out for a slow recovery ride for my race on the sunday morning. It was only five miles there and back from the cafe so we both didn't bother with our helmets!!!!! But tragedy struck when she was coming down hill, hit a stone and sent her head first over the handle bars. She was rushed to hospital via ambulance with the sirens going and nearly died of head injuries. She cracked her skull and had blood in her brain bleeding. So all of you wear helmets cause she wouldn't have even needed to stay in hospital oveer night had she'd been wearing one. Instead she spent 4 days and a six week ban from riding her bike by the doctors.

Trust me, the state she's in anyone would wear a helmet if you saw her......

when i began riding helmets werent that common, and those that where out there were hot and heavy. we were heading out to a local street fair at a nearby town. for some reason i grabbed my helmet, which i only had because some races rquired them. i dont even know why, because we never wore them.

after a day of enjoying the fair, we started for home. into a headwind, we were drafting, and i had just finished a pull and was dropping back. tired from pulling, i wasnt paying close enough attention and clipped my brother's rear wheel. i dont remember that or any of the next 15-20 minutes. i am certain if i hadnt grabbed that lid, i wouldn't have walked away. i never, never ride without one now.

i hope your lady recovers and wish you well

jeff

Glad to hear your fiance is ok. I wish her a speedy recovery.

For a more balanced view on helmets have a look here.:

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Remember, reading other points of view cannot cause head injuries.

best wishes
james

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by pig pog
Glad to hear your fiance is ok. I wish her a speedy recovery.

For a more balanced view on helmets have a look here.:

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Remember, reading other points of view cannot cause head injuries.

best wishes
james

Pig Pog,

That's a very interesting site! It will take me quite a while to go over the entire thing and study their conclusions. Thanks for posting the link!

Its funny though how reams of accurate historical data just all fly out the window when you see your wife crash in front of you, go sliding head first into a wall and then note that her injuries are all cuts and abrasions and bruises and only the helmet is broken and fractured...

Sometimes the only stat that counts is the one right next to you 🙂

Have a good one! and safe riding!

Feanor

Geez I can remember way back when I never wore a helmet. hardly anybody did.
Now I can't imagine being without it - ever. even just tooling around the street in front of my house. it even feels funny to be on my bike without the helmet on.

I'm surprised she wasn't the one saying to put your helmet on. My wife never hesitates to tell me who's the smarter of us. 🙂

Our thoughts are with her for a smooth and speedy recovery.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Feanor
Pig Pog,

... Thanks for posting the link!

Its funny though how reams of accurate historical data just all fly out the window when you see your wife crash in front of you...

Indeed, that is why it is always such a tricky issue to discuss. I am no more consistent myself.

I almost always wear a helmet for my rush hour commute but often don't for other riding. I always make my (2 yr-o) daughter wear one even though it is very ill-fitting and I simply could not get it on her if the straps were tight enough to be fully effective. I usually don't wear mine when riding with her (in case they are right about risk compensation).

My mum (who almost always wears a helmet) crashed last winter on black ice (she was wearing a wooly hat). The impact points wear left hand then righ temple. She had one hell of a bruise and her injuries would have been likely to be different (and possibly less severe) if she had a helmet on. OTOH a helmet clearly wouldn't have *saved her life*.

I have had a number of spills over the years including one with facial lacerations. None involved hitting my head although the nature of tuck-and-roll mean that it is possible that a helmet would have made contact and changed the nature of the injuries, who can tell.

For another different POV on helmets have a look at Mayer Hillman: http://www.greengas.u-net.com/HelmetsByHillman.html

He also writes interestingly on other road safety issues. Google finds some of them online.

happy cycling and speedy recoveries to the injured.