So yesterday morning I wasn't planning on riding, my wife and I were going to take the kids to Legoland for the day. I got up, saw sunshine and somwhat dry roads. I decided to just go for a recovery ride down SART to PCH, up to Golden West and back. I suffered through the headwinds going north on PCH, going about 10-12 mph, and reaped the benefits as I sailed south on PCH on my way back. The whole time I'd been keeping my HR really low, and just enjoying the fresh air. I hopped back onto SART to head toward Talbert (my offramp). As I was approaching the Water Treatment Plant, I was looking at their windsocks, trying to determine if I was going to get any tailwind. I noticed that the temporary chainlink construction fence was tilted pretty badly, then I realized that it wasn't tilted, it was in the middle of blowing over :eek: I tried to get out of the way, but the top of the fence caught me, and took me down hard. My bike was stuck under the 70' section of fence that came down. The top of the fence caught me arm, back and side, and put nice evenly spaced sliced all the way down. I look like a "cutter" ;) The back of my head hit hard enough to destroy my helmet. A guy that was heading south and just missed getting hit himself, stopped and got help. The Water Treatment Plant has it's own first aid staff that came to help, they decided to call for an ambulance. Long story short, I get taken to Hoag, and find out that I have a compression fracture on my L1 vertabrae:( I'm going to pick my bike up today and take over to SSC and have them assess it. One of the scariest things, is thinking of all the joggers, families without helmets, etc., that use SART, it could've been much worse, if it was someone else that got thrown down. I also heard the workers say that the fence blew over a week ago, this really pisses me off, as you'd think that would be a sign:rolleyes: Here's some pics from my camera phone, hopefully I'll be back on the road soon.
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1861/Pat.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3451/Fence4.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4458/Fence1.jpg
VMC
12-28-06, 09:44 AM
Damm dude hope you feel better soon
G_Sup
12-28-06, 09:45 AM
Wow! I'm happy to hear you're OK. I'm far from the sueing type, but you should find out who's responsible for that fence and go after them.
Tiffanie
12-28-06, 09:45 AM
Oh my, that's terrible. :( I hope you heal up nice and quick and that your bike checks out ok too. Amazing that the plant had this happen a week ago and didn't take the precautions needed to keep the users of SART safe. :mad:
chimivee
12-28-06, 09:46 AM
Wow, Pat... That's awful. What a random bit of unlucky. Glad you're relatively okay. Heal up!
I hope the water treatment plant plans to pay for your medical and bike repair... at the very least. That's f'n unbelievable that the fence already blew over once before and there doesn't appear that there were any sort of anchors.
merider1
12-28-06, 09:48 AM
:eek: I'm so glad you're okay (albeit injured). That is freak and could have been worse. You're more important, but I'm still going to wish your bike no major damage as well. Get well soon!
tprevost
12-28-06, 09:48 AM
Wow, I'm so sorry... I hope you heal quickly and that your bike checks out okay... sending healing thoughts your way...
trac'
thomson
12-28-06, 09:52 AM
Boy,that is scary. Heal soon.
roadfix
12-28-06, 09:59 AM
Wow Pat...hope you recover quickly. Like you said, good thing no one else was on that stretch.
Brandy
12-28-06, 10:07 AM
Holy **** Pat! I am so sorry that happened. :( Sending you some quick healing vibes and big hugs!
OC Roadie
12-28-06, 10:21 AM
Thanks everyone:) I'm pretty much of the anti-ambulance chaser mentality, and so far the construction company has said that they'll cover all medical, bike and whatever other expenses. It really does bother me that this already happened, and a bunch of $2 sandbags probably could've prevented this. I'm gonna get my back checked out by an ortho and get my bike checked out as well. I feel bad for my kids, I had the week off work, with all sorts of fun stuff planned, and now it looks like it will be Xbox on the couch :(
Brandy
12-28-06, 10:23 AM
:( That does suck Pat. Your kids will be happy with you and the Xbox though, they're resilient and just like having dad around, I'm sure.
merider1
12-28-06, 10:23 AM
Thanks everyone:) I feel bad for my kids, I had the week off work, with all sorts of fun stuff planned, and now it looks like it will be Xbox on the couch :(
Oh, I'm sure they'll love just having dad with them playing Xbox!! :o It's the time together, not the activities planned that make kids happy. Hopefully, your back will be better in no time.
jsigone
12-28-06, 10:24 AM
hope you heal well, crappy that happened. I'm glad that it wasn't any worse then it was or like you said, it fell on some kids or joggers.
I am The Edge
12-28-06, 10:25 AM
WTF?!
You deserve proper compensation for your injuries.
I'm glad you are, relatively, ok. :)
kemmer
12-28-06, 10:33 AM
You deserve proper compensation for your injuries.
Don't sign anything that says you won't sue. Back injuries can come back (no pun intended) to haunt you. Make sure there's no chance of chronic problems before you accept any kind of compensation, or just get a lawyer. This was negligence plain and simple, you could probably get a pretty big settlement if you wanted to. At the very least you need to make sure you get what's fair.
Luwin1026
12-28-06, 10:53 AM
I'm glad you are ok - it looks like a freak accident for sure, and one that could have been worse for you or others - heal up quick!
timmhaan
12-28-06, 11:01 AM
Amazing that the plant had this happen a week ago and didn't take the precautions needed to keep the users of SART safe. :mad:
yeah, just looking at the photo, you can tell the entire fence ins't stable. i'm sure me, and maybe another person, could knock that whole thing down just as easily as the wind did.
maximan1
12-28-06, 11:05 AM
Get well soon
Gretzky
12-28-06, 11:17 AM
Holy smokes Pat! I am very sorry to hear about your accident, and wish you a speedy recovery. Best wishes, and hope to see you back out there real soon
OC Roadie
12-28-06, 11:47 AM
Don't sign anything that says you won't sue. Back injuries can come back (no pun intended) to haunt you. Make sure there's no chance of chronic problems before you accept any kind of compensation, or just get a lawyer. This was negligence plain and simple, you could probably get a pretty big settlement if you wanted to. At the very least you need to make sure you get what's fair.
I would never sign away my rights for legal action/compensation. I'm going to wait until I see an orthpedic back specialist, before I really give much thought to how to pursue this. I've got cyclist friends that are lawyers, that would probably jump at this. Thanks again everyone for the encouraging words.
urbanknight
12-28-06, 12:01 PM
Wow, glad you're ok. Last night, we were driving home through the Sepulveda Basin when we came across a 100+ year old tree that had fallen across Burbank Blvd and struck a car (maybe two!) and people were trapped inside. I got to wait for a few minutes while the fire engines got into position before they let me turn around. The occupants are in my prayers as are you now, but I'm staying away from the basin MUP until this wind subsides.
cuda2k
12-28-06, 12:26 PM
Glad to hear you weren't hurt any worse, and best wishes for a speedy recovery! I've never liked those temp fences, especially in a straight line for long distances!
Cleave
12-28-06, 12:59 PM
Hello,
That is just awful! :( I hope that you heal completely and quickly.
If I remember correctly you were planning on doing a stage race in Nevada soon so that's double bad fortune.
Obviously that wind was treacherous in many ways.
VelodromePhoeni
12-28-06, 01:01 PM
Dear OC:
You get better, you hear?
I work in a law office (secretary), and I get to see it all -- plaintiff's cases, defense cases, frivolous non-cases, and the stuff that just makes you see blood. And I hate unnecessary litigation, too. However!! Lawsuits are God's little way of keeping people on the straight and narrow, since consciences have gone out of fashion. Yes, that construction company had their fence blow over once before. Yes, they should have reinforced it to protect others. But, since they didn't, someone got very badly hurt. Perhaps a nice little lawsuit will help them remember to be a little more conscientious next time. Because next time, if it should ever happen again, the next person might NOT be so lucky. And that's probably the real reason you should bring a lawsuit -- to protect the NEXT person. They might not pay attention to a lone cyclist or jogger. But when their insurance carrier threatens to cancel their liability insurance because they are not acting to protect the public, then you can be sure they will pay attention to THAT.
You take care of yourself, and don't sign any releases until you talk to an experienced attorney.
renee
LCI_Brian
12-28-06, 01:32 PM
They used this same kind of fencing when they were doing some digging on Irvine Blvd over by the marine base in August 2005. There they had only one travel lane open going southeast and were routing bikes onto the sidewalk. The fencing was used to separate the travel lane from the sidewalk (see attached pictures).
If you don't mind, I'll send a link to this thread to some contacts on the California Bicycle Advisory Committee. I want to make sure no one is ever allowed to do this ever again.
VelodromePhoeni
12-28-06, 01:41 PM
PS And, OC, who are the people in your avatar? I think I can see at least a couple of PAA team kits there -- the red ones, with the while Merrill Lynch bull, and the red and black shorts. Are you by any chance a member of PAA?
Renee
OC Roadie
12-28-06, 02:06 PM
They used this same kind of fencing when they were doing some digging on Irvine Blvd over by the marine base in August 2005. There they had only one travel lane open going southeast and were routing bikes onto the sidewalk. The fencing was used to separate the travel lane from the sidewalk (see attached pictures).
If you don't mind, I'll send a link to this thread to some contacts on the California Bicycle Advisory Committee. I want to make sure no one is ever allowed to do this ever again.
I'd appreciate the links, at least they sandbagged the fence supports.
PS And, OC, who are the people in your avatar? I think I can see at least a couple of PAA team kits there -- the red ones, with the while Merrill Lynch bull, and the red and black shorts. Are you by any chance a member of PAA?
Hey VP, that was from 2005 Everest Challenge, not sure, but the PAA guys are probably Rafael Lopez and maybe John Mckeen, but that's just a guess. I ride with the Simple Green/Volvo team. I frequently ride with a bunch of your track peeps (Dan, Roger, Austin, Kirk, Kristin, etc.)
That is just awful! I hope that you heal completely and quickly.
If I remember correctly you were planning on doing a stage race in Nevada soon so that's double bad fortune.
Hey Cleave, as of now, I'm still planning on racing in four weeks, I think I'll skip the New Years Day ride. I was also planning on doing the Martin Luther King Crit, but will probably skip that. Everything really depends on what the ortho says, when I see him next week (well maybe, I don't think I've ever listened to them before ;) )
Dipster
12-28-06, 02:14 PM
Wow. I'm surprised they didn't sandbag the fence supports to start with, wind or no wind. Without any actual in-ground supports, those fences aren't stable at all.
Hope you and your bike get better soon!
voltman
12-28-06, 02:16 PM
Sorry to hear about that but at least you're okayish! Heal well!
Er, so which bike was it?
my58vw
12-28-06, 02:18 PM
Wow, 4 weeks - you are stronger than I though!
I can not believe the accident - I rode by that thing more times than I can remember - I hope you heal very soon!
OC Roadie
12-28-06, 03:25 PM
Sorry to hear about that but at least you're okayish! Heal well!
Er, so which bike was it?
Thanks, it was the new S-Works Roubaix :mad: I dropped it off at Surf City today, to have it checked out. I'll probably go after a brand new frameset, regardless of what they find. The fence fell pretty hard on it, and they told me that they can't tell if there are cracks on the inside of the tubes.
cjbruin
12-28-06, 04:00 PM
Pat, let me know if you need anything...I work from home and my wife's warehouse is near your house. I'm happy to help out if you need it.
Cheers.
-CJ
1955
12-28-06, 04:20 PM
Oh man Pat, what a bummer! Watch that back very carefully, is sounds like you already have a orthopedist, but if you don't, call this guy, he's the best...Weinstein Michael P MD 360 San Miguel Dr
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 759-3600
He's the guy that did the back surgery on me 15 years ago and also looked at my pelvic bone when I broke that last year. That's to bad about the timing of this...hope you get better.
You know I live just around the corner from you and if you need anything, just call. Take it easy in the mean time.
Chuck5.2_in_CA
12-28-06, 05:10 PM
Plus one on all the guys that said you should see an attorney. If not for yourself... for your family. I was hurt on the bike riding passing an unfenced golf course and got hit by a gold ball.... (All pause to chuckle)It took two years but I will receive a settlement in a couple weeks. PM me if you want the name of my attorney. They are cyclist themselves and specialize in bike injuries. Your case sounds much more cut and dried than mine. The process takes some time but is relatively painless.
I ride the SART all the time because its so safe from trafffic...flying fences are another matter all together. Get well soon !!!
rule
12-28-06, 05:17 PM
Wow...heal up, and good luck with whatever you decide to do. This doesn't sound right, or anything that should be considered safe. If you go after them I can sure see why. A lot of times in this world that is the only way to set things right for the next guy.
voltman
12-28-06, 06:21 PM
Thanks, it was the new S-Works Roubaix :mad: I dropped it off at Surf City today, to have it checked out. I'll probably go after a brand new frameset, regardless of what they find. The fence fell pretty hard on it, and they told me that they can't tell if there are cracks on the inside of the tubes.
The S-Works? That settles it then! Sue 'em for all they're worth! :p
Mr. Beanz
12-28-06, 06:54 PM
Holy falling fence Batman! We didn't ride yesterday. Prolly a good thing or we may have met the hard way! Me being stuck under the fence with you! A bud was heading south on the trail and said they had it blocked cause someone was munched by the fence.
Rode by ther etoday and was real careful after he told me about the incident. It was leaning today but in the opposite direction.
Sorry to hear it was you!
shakeNbake
12-28-06, 06:57 PM
Holy ****! Get well soon!
ctimrun
12-28-06, 06:57 PM
Glad you did not get hurt worse! I road down the SART shortly after you and they had it blocked off. I had to cross at Hamilton to the east side and continue down to PCH. Get well quick!!!
ovoleg
12-28-06, 07:44 PM
Sorry to hear that man :( hope you get well soon!
Extort
12-28-06, 09:41 PM
Pat, sorry to hear about this. Keep us updated on your healing.
Drew12
12-28-06, 09:41 PM
Sorry to hear what happened.
A true freak accident.
Hope you feel better and are back on you bike soon,
Jaguar27
12-28-06, 10:20 PM
Hey OC, I'm thinking of you and wish you a speedy recovery!!
In the meanwhile, here's something by Bing Crosby to cheer you up....
Artist: Bing Crosby
Song: Don't Fence Me In
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride the SART that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze,
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in.
Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies.
On my Specialized, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
As I'm buried under a row of Chain-Link fences
Don't fence me in.
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the SART that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in
Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western skies
On my Specialized, let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
Ba boo ba ba boo.
I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand Chain-Link fences
Don't fence me in.
No.
don't you fence me in
:D :D :D
Hope you didn't take "A Fence" at that OC....take care!
OC Roadie
12-28-06, 10:38 PM
Thanks again everyone.
Peter, you have too much time on your hands :beer:
Jaguar27
12-28-06, 10:48 PM
Thanks again everyone.
Peter, you have too much time on your hands :beer:
Hey, Im glad you took it as intended Pat, but seriously, if you or the Family needs ANYTHING just add me to the list of Peeps to call....