This may be why MTB brake handles have those rounded ends.
Appologies to news.au.com for wholly copying their story,
but we've got to make this danger known to the public:
FIREFIGHTERS in Melbourne were forced to cut through a bike handlebar to free a 12-year-old boy after a brake lever became embedded in his thigh.
A Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) spokeswoman said paramedics were called to O'Hea Street, in Pascoe Vale South, about 8.15am (AEDT) today where they found the boy face down on top of his BMX bike.
"He's fallen off his bike and the brake lever has embedded in his leg," the spokeswoman said.
Paramedics found that the alloy brake lever was so deeply embedded in the boy's thigh that it could not be removed safely at the scene.
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) was then called to cut the handlebar free from the bike so the boy could be taken to hospital.
Paramedics gave the boy pain relief at the scene and stabilised him.
"He (was) coping well and he took some pain relief," the spokeswoman said.
"He was taken to the Royal Children's (hospital) in a stable condition."
It is believed the boy was on his way to school when the accident happened.
The BikeForums Team
-adv-
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My first thought on this: I wonder if the brake lever was broken before it became imbedded in the boy's leg.
It would be very hard, if not impossible, to pierce the skin with a rounded brake lever.
I would tend to think of this as more of a freak accident than a recurring problem.
Parents: Check your kids' bikes!
slagjumper
I've seen this type of accident. A woman was crossing a bridge and the right side of the handle bar hit a fence, abruptly forcing the wheel to the left and the bar end into her right, inner thigh. It made a decent hole.
I've known of a case where a 6 year old girl, took a high rise bar to the jugular or corodid. There was nothing that a nearby doctor could do.
Good reasons to have those bar ends plugged and brake levers rounded as well.
CommuterRun
In a crash, certain kickstands can do this too.
deputyjones
Paramedics gave the boy pain relief at the scene and stabilised him.
Thank god for good medics who took the time to treat his pain. Must have been awful for him.
When I was about 9 or 10 I was riding a friends BMX (w/the super kewl molded plastic seat :)) when the seat came lose at the clamp and sent me backwards onto the rear tire. The force of the tire pulling my inner thigh against the rounded lug on the side-pull brake ripped about a 1" hole in my leg. I still have a scar from that. Sucked, but definitely taught me the lesson of proper bicycle maintenance.
hotbike
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
I can remember a three-speed I had when I was a kid which had chromed steel brake handles, and the ends were NOT rounded. Never stabbed myself with them, but I remember they did not have the rounded end.
The article does not say if the boy recieved Morphine , or Fentanyl, or what, but it's good they gave him something to relieve the pain.
CliftonGK1
It would be very hard, if not impossible, to pierce the skin with a rounded brake lever.
You might think that, but it's not the case.
When I was a wee youngster, I was into BMX racing. Through a midair mishap over a set of doubles, I ended up landing Superman-style on my bike, which was on its side. A beartrap pedal punctured not only the skin, but also the wall of abdominal muscle and my actual stomach (yeah, the internal organ) as I was impaled up to the crankarm on it.
Skip ahead 9 years... I go down during a triathlon, and in the ensuing tumble of body and bike, my shift lever punches a hole in the top of my left elbow, clean down to the joint.
If a flat-sided pedal and a round-topped shift lever can do that damage, I have no doubts about someone getting stabbed by a round-ended brake lever.
John E
A cautionary tale, to be sure, although I think I would be more concerned about stem shifters.
hotbike
We've seen an industry wide shift (no pun intended) from levers to twist-grip shifters.
I know once or twice I caught my thumb under a thumb-shifter on a MTB. Very painful.
kemmer
We've seen an industry wide shift (no pun intended) from levers to twist-grip shifters.
I know once or twice I caught my thumb under a thumb-shifter on a MTB. Very painful.
Yeah, but twist grips suck! I rather take the very small risk of an injury by pinching or impalement than have to use those damn things all day.
joejack951
We've seen an industry wide shift (no pun intended) from levers to twist-grip shifters.
I know once or twice I caught my thumb under a thumb-shifter on a MTB. Very painful.
Industry wide shift? That's a bit of an exaggeration. Some mountain bikes do use grip shifters with a lot of them being lower end bikes. So it's possible that grip shifter equipped bikes outsell all other mountain bikes but I don't see Shimano rushing to design a grip shift system. They did design out one shift lever on their integrated shift/brake levers though.
SamHouston
grip shifts do suck
sbhikes
A friend of mine when we were kids broke his johnson flying on his handlebars somehow. I never got the details as nobody would discuss it for fear of embarrassing him and ruining his future sex life.
eubi
You might think that, but it's not the case.
When I was a wee youngster, I was into BMX racing. Through a midair mishap over a set of doubles, I ended up landing Superman-style on my bike, which was on its side. A beartrap pedal punctured not only the skin, but also the wall of abdominal muscle and my actual stomach (yeah, the internal organ) as I was impaled up to the crankarm on it.
Skip ahead 9 years... I go down during a triathlon, and in the ensuing tumble of body and bike, my shift lever punches a hole in the top of my left elbow, clean down to the joint.
If a flat-sided pedal and a round-topped shift lever can do that damage, I have no doubts about someone getting stabbed by a round-ended brake lever.