Commuting - The Cause of My Accident

Two weeks ago, Thursday before Christmas, I endo'd and faceplanted on 5th Ave. at around 20 mph. Aside from the swollen bruise on my face, I was fine and the CAT scan proved it. I don't remember much from the accident other than the ground rushing up at me and the pretty paramedic that held my head still after I came to so I figured the cause of the accident was cuz I was probably standing up and hit the front brake too hard and just flipped over.

Tonight I picked up my bike from the cops that were safekeeping it for me. On a side note, I saw two, 8 person party bikes in the lockup outside. And now back to the story. When I got my bike back, I inspected the front wheel to see why it was out of true. And there it was, on the drive side, a broken spoke and right behind it, a bent spoke. Now, I forget which BF member suggested it, but it seems the cause of my accident was a broken spoke that got caught in the fork and caused me to flip over.

So now the mystery is solved! Now I just gotta put on the new front wheel I just picked up cuz the old one is jinxed and I'm back in business. See ya'll out there!

P.S. If you ever go to the ER in NYC, go to Bellevue. The ER doctor's were all cute young women! And thanks to whomever gave me their black wool scarf. It's warm and great.

Glad you're essentially ok, and got a cool war story out of the accident.

Reminds me a little of my last day as a bicycle messenger way, way back in 1985 or thereabouts. I was heading east on 57th between two buses... which began pulling closer and closer together. In short order my handlebars got wedged between and down I went, chin first. I managed to get my hands down (and not get run over), so I walked away essentially ok, the only injuries being some nice road rash on my hands, arms, and legs, and an open gash on the point of my chin. So I headed to Roosevelt's emergency room, locked up what was left of my bike outside, and proceeded to wait several hours to get stitched up. No cute nurses or doctors for me, just a guy with bad breath. After a perfectly lovely afternoon in medical purgatory, I came back outside and the bike had been stripped.

I took that as a sign to look for another job ;)

Glad your ok!

That's funny. I didn't have any accidents when I was a messenger way back in '86 and back then I didn't wear a helmet. Good thing I was wearing one the night of my accident. And thank God for the goodness of NYers. A pretty paramedic from out of the crowd to take care of me, a stranger giving me his scarf to keep warm and good docs at Bellevue to make sure my head was intact.

Track down that pretty paramedic and marry her. It's destiny!

were you saved by the "Bell", or was it a Giro? at my last car/bike slamdance, helmet did what they are designed to do! glad you're back in the saddle. spin safe!

It's actually a Trek helmet. Cracked on the plastic cover, but otherwise looks fine. I've got a ProTec bike helmet to use until I get a lighter, more ventilated helmet. As for marrying the pretty paramedic, I don't think my pretty wife would make room for a second wife. She's funny that way.

I doubt the broken and bent spokes were the cause of the accident. I think they were a *result* of what caused the accident, like you picked up a stick or something that jammed the wheel, broke the spoke and stopped the bike.

Spokes just usually flop around when they break, and they aren't strong enough when only attached at one end to stop your wheel.

maybe as a result of your broken spoke your rim bent out of proportion and caused the tire to become more oval shaped, and then when you applied the brakes...BAM...your tire becomes wedged in there and stops turning completly...just an idea...who knows....

steve

Those multi rider bikes get impounded by the cops for obstructing the sidewalk when their owners lock them up outside.

It's good your okay.

I had a face plant about a year ago, barely a hundred meters from my house. I was just looking behind me to see what was coming before weaving around an open car door when everything just turned upside down. Plenty of road rash to the face for that one.

When the little birdies finally stopped flying around my head I picked up the bike and it seemed fine, for about a minute of walking it and then the front wheel seized and bucked. Seems that I had tanked the front bearings pretty badly. When the bike shop took the hub apart they said they litterally poured the pieces out. A harsh way to find out that you need a new wheel, I can assure you.

I doubt the broken and bent spokes were the cause of the accident.
...
Spokes just usually flop around when they break, and they aren't strong enough when only attached at one end to stop your wheel.

My thoughts too. I had a crappy bunch of spokes on the stock wheel of my Giant, and broke about 20 in my first year before I rebuilt with DT spokes. A spoke just isn't going to seize a wheel. I mean, you can bend one with a few fingers, it's got no chance if wedged in the frame. It could, however, wrap around the hub maybe, or jam in the brakes, or get caught in the chain (that could be a REAL danger for single-speeds).

I doubt the broken and bent spokes were the cause of the accident. I think they were a *result* of what caused the accident, like you picked up a stick or something that jammed the wheel, broke the spoke and stopped the bike.

Spokes just usually flop around when they break, and they aren't strong enough when only attached at one end to stop your wheel.

This is my experience, too. I would add that in a crash, spokes frequently break.

I am not a fan of the stick theory - never having seen it happen in thousands of miles. And a wheel with a broken spoke usually give plenty of warning before going enough out of true to cause an endo.

What's the frame look like?

I believe you've shown us that a broke spoke could cause a bloke to croak! :D

Ahhh well, I thought the broken spoke got caught in the fork cuz the spoke behind it was also bent. The spoke sheared off at the outside hub and I figured it flopped out, got caught in the fork, bent back enough to bend the other spoke and stopped me completely. I remember seeing a broken spoke as a possible cause somewhere on BF.

Oh well, back to the theory that I overbraked. As for my frame, the top tube is bent, but it's a Haro so it's supposed to be bent. The rest looked fine although my wife suggested that maybe I get a new bike. :D Her suggestion, not mine which means I'll be getting a new bike this year!

Hmmm, if you were standing up and braking at the same time, you've got a high C.O.G. already. It's possible to drop into a slight depression in the road, add a little more braking and the bump will throw you over... Dented and broken spoke could be from getting tangled up with the bike in the wreck and putting a foot through the wheel...

I doubt the broken and bent spokes were the cause of the accident. I think they were a *result* of what caused the accident, like you picked up a stick or something that jammed the wheel, broke the spoke and stopped the bike.

Spokes just usually flop around when they break, and they aren't strong enough when only attached at one end to stop your wheel.

Agreed. Look for abrasions on the spokes. When someone flips, say because of a stick in the spokes, usually 3 -5 spokes pop.

Here's another theory. Standing while braking and hitting a pothole would break a spoke AND flip me over. Add in nighttime when potholes are harder to see and the recipe for disaster is complete.

Hey dude, I'm glad you & your bike are both ok. I believe her name is Elizabeth.

My bike's name isn't Elizabeth. The paramedic was Elizabeth. My bike's name is Layla.

Glad you're essentially ok, and got a cool war story out of the accident.

Reminds me a little of my last day as a bicycle messenger way, way back in 1985 or thereabouts. I was heading east on 57th between two buses... which began pulling closer and closer together. In short order my handlebars got wedged between and down I went, chin first. I managed to get my hands down (and not get run over), so I walked away essentially ok, the only injuries being some nice road rash on my hands, arms, and legs, and an open gash on the point of my chin. So I headed to Roosevelt's emergency room, locked up what was left of my bike outside, and proceeded to wait several hours to get stitched up. No cute nurses or doctors for me, just a guy with bad breath. After a perfectly lovely afternoon in medical purgatory, I came back outside and the bike had been stripped.

I took that as a sign to look for another job ;)

So did that delivery ever get made? :D

Just kidding. I'm glad to hear that you (and jyossarian, The Seldom Kill, etc.) are OK.

I'm also glad to hear that jyossarian is gettting a new bike!

So did that delivery ever get made? :D
Heh... That was a long time ago, but I think I was between runs when it happened.

Jyossarian, you're getting a new bike? Cool. What are you looking to get?

I'm torn between two completely different bikes. In alphabetical order, my choices are an IRO Mark V and a Swift folder. I want both, but I don't know which to get first. And I'm keeping my current bike which I think I may re-build w/ better stuff.

Don't get the folder... heh.
I think the spoke broke when you got run over after you endo'ed. My worker was commuting with 3 broken spokes for about a month before I was like, "DUDE THAT PINGING SOUND IS YOUR SPOKE HITTING THE FRAME!" Yeah, standing up and braking will cause you to go over. I see quite a few people doing that actually and I can't figure out why..
You forgot to thank us for being there with you and me for getting you the hot water to keep you warm... wait.. I drank the water...

BTW, Cadd, how's your bike doing?

I think the spoke broke when you got run over after you endo'ed.
Guilty! Yes, I'm guilty. I ran Jyossarian over after he endo'd. Actually, I endo'd right on his bike......maybe I broke the front spoke. I remember landing on your bike and your bike was on top of your legs. I also remember that we were sliding a bit before coming to a complete stop.

My bike is fine. My brifters were scraped up, but that's all. Not a scratch anywhere else (actually, I haven't really checked.....hehe). Aside from the scraped up brifter, my rim got scratched up somehow.....no idea how that happened. I'll just have to sand it down a bit because the scratch happens to be where the brake pad meets the rim......so everytime I hit the brake, I get "tick tick tick tick tick tick".

But as far as I can see, the bar tape wasn't torn and the raw steel isn't showing through the paint, so it's all cool. I also checked my helmet and nothing....not a scratch on it.

My clothes were perfectly fine.....not a scratch on it. The only thing was a bruised left elbow & a bruised right knee.

I consider myself being VERY lucky. I endo'd and have no real damage to show for it.

We all gotta go riding together again. :beer:

I consider myself being VERY lucky. I endo'd and have no real damage to show for it.Nah, you can't consider yourself lucky until you've cradled in the arms of that paramedic!

......butt naked

There, I finished your sentence for you.

She was pretty darn cute. Nice tight Seven jeans, 5'5" 110lbs, mid 20s, long wavy brown hair.

And she was holding him the entire time (15 - 20 minutes?) before the ambulance came.

Am I the only one here who thinks the paramedic was just ok looking?
I mean, ok maybe good looking at the time but now that I think back on it, she seemed only ok...

Im a BMXer, i know im lost, and the only time I ever got a concussion was when I was taking a fast turn,standing up, with one hand on the handle bars, and the other hand gripping a big mac. I fell of landed hard on my hip, slid on my back a few feet(I was wereing a undershirt) then I rolled on my shoulder before my head promptly bounced of the pavement. When I woke up it was blue sky, and fortunatley enugh, I was still holding my bic mac :) I guess thats why my friend call me Phat Boi,lol

Another possibility.... if your brakes are misadjusted (ie: with the brake pads contacting the rim too low), they can ride up over the braking surface and get into the spokes under hard braking. That would cause an immediate lockup of the wheel and likely break some spokes.

You forgot to thank us for being there with you and me for getting you the hot water to keep you warm... wait.. I drank the water...

BTW, Cadd, how's your bike doing?
LOL, you're right, I did forget to thank you, Cadd and Jimbo for being there and making sure me and my bike were ok and that the first person to take care of me was a pretty paramedic and that the ambulance took me to an ER w/ a bunch of pretty young doctors. Thanks guys!

Sorry about your injuries Cadd and the damage to your bike. I may have ended up w/ fewer bruises than you. I just had the one on my face which went away after a few days. And of course, I had the excuse, "but I fell on my head!" anytime my wife wanted me to do something I didn't want to.

Today, I went and bought another entry level Trek helmet to replace the entry level Trek helmet I was wearing the night of the crash. I also picked up a rear rack to do double duty as a fender since I don't actually need a rack, but no fenders fit my bike including the Freddies.

And slvoid, why do you say not to get the folder?

Jesus must like me, I havn't had an endo in years of biking. I came close once, hitting a small dog that tried to ambush me out of a ditch as I was slowing to a stop. The little sucker jumped right under my front tire.

Jyossarian, no need to apologize. It was an accident.....if I were a better rider, I would have swerved and gotten out of the way, I actually thought of doing that......but I had a split second to decide and I didn't want to pull out and get ran over by a cabbie.

Yo, your excuse is awesome.....you should do the same for work. Next time your boss asks you to work on a special project you can always say "but I fell on my head". LOL

But this works both ways......wait until you want sex and your wife will say we shouldn't do it because "you fell on your head". LOL

I'm surprised you weren't bruised up that much. That scrape on your face didn't look good. Glad to hear it was only a thin layer of your skin. Mine bruises don't bother me much.....but I can still feel a bump by my elbow. It'll eventually go away.

You should have contacted Trek about a replacement discount.

And slvoid, why do you say not to get the folder?

Well it depends on what you're going to use it for. I mean, its a good chance to pick up a nice road bike or something.

Cadd, my Trek helmet was 6 years old so they probably wouldn't replace it at discount, but it's worth a try. I didn't even think of that. When I bought my new one, the guy said Trek'll replace it free w/in 1 yr of purchase if I crash it.

As for my bike choices, I picked the IRO & Swift as possibilities because their both local businesses and I wanted to support local bike builders. And I couldn't afford a Brooklyn Machine Works Park Bike.