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05-01-07, 07:59 AM
I'm beginning to think we should change the location of the Monday night ride we currently do along the river trail. Last week we ran into the ambulance and this week one of our riders had an accident.
I was riding with one of the men in the group along a flat stretch of the trail that had recently been under water from flooding. We were approaching an area with a little debris on his side of the trail so I pulled ahead to allow him to fall in behind me. I didn't see what happened but I heard this loud grunt, terrible thud and I knew he had gone down. After I stopped and turned around I saw him laying face down, arms at his sides and a growing pool of blood around his head. I grabbed the cell phone and dialed 911.
By the time the ambulance arrived we had determined he had no broken bones, had lost a tooth, his glasses were mangled and the right side of his face had taken the brunt of the fall. He was up and walking when they arrived but after cleaning the wounds they took him to the hospital. One of the cuts appeared to need a stitch or two and the whole right side of his face had terrible road rash. I called his wife to meet him at the hospital and then assured him I would take care of his bike.
His beautiful older Cannondale now has a bent front fork but doesn't seem to have any other damage. Of course his helmet is toast.
The few people who came along as we were waiting for the ambulance were fantastic. One young boy on a BMX bike was nearby when it happened and he went back to the parking lot to direct the EMTs to our location. He then stayed with me until the ambulance was gone and the other riders in my group retrieved my van. His mother was walking on another section of the trail and returned to her car as we were waiting. After learning about the accident she told her son there would be no more excuses for not wearing his helmet. He told her seeing the accident had already convinced him he would be wearing it at all times:)
Everyone have a safe ride today!
I was riding with one of the men in the group along a flat stretch of the trail that had recently been under water from flooding. We were approaching an area with a little debris on his side of the trail so I pulled ahead to allow him to fall in behind me. I didn't see what happened but I heard this loud grunt, terrible thud and I knew he had gone down. After I stopped and turned around I saw him laying face down, arms at his sides and a growing pool of blood around his head. I grabbed the cell phone and dialed 911.
By the time the ambulance arrived we had determined he had no broken bones, had lost a tooth, his glasses were mangled and the right side of his face had taken the brunt of the fall. He was up and walking when they arrived but after cleaning the wounds they took him to the hospital. One of the cuts appeared to need a stitch or two and the whole right side of his face had terrible road rash. I called his wife to meet him at the hospital and then assured him I would take care of his bike.
His beautiful older Cannondale now has a bent front fork but doesn't seem to have any other damage. Of course his helmet is toast.
The few people who came along as we were waiting for the ambulance were fantastic. One young boy on a BMX bike was nearby when it happened and he went back to the parking lot to direct the EMTs to our location. He then stayed with me until the ambulance was gone and the other riders in my group retrieved my van. His mother was walking on another section of the trail and returned to her car as we were waiting. After learning about the accident she told her son there would be no more excuses for not wearing his helmet. He told her seeing the accident had already convinced him he would be wearing it at all times:)
Everyone have a safe ride today!