Southern California - Charity Ride - Rider Down

Hey folks

I got a PM this morning from Alicestrong letting me know that an acquaintance of hers who was on the Charity Ride ended up in the Emergency Room with a fractured wrist.

Did anyone see someone go down during the ride? I PM'd the ride leader/sweepers and some BF regulars and no one saw anything amiss. I swept the route numerous times and saw no one flagging me down for assistance. I have no idea who this person is, or where/when it happened, but as a Ride Organizer it is not something that I like to hear about. We're a pretty tight community and we care about our fellow riders. WE DON'T LEAVE INJURED RIDERS BEHIND and it sickens me to think anyone would feel abandoned.

If anyone can please tell me who this person is and where it happened, please post it. I hope they are OK. I would like to use this route for future rides and it is very important to know if there are tricky spots that people should be made aware of.

Thanks,
Joy

I'm sorry to hear that. It is rare for something like this to happen as we had ride sweepers and it was almost impossible to miss anyone on the road, especially if injured. This is the first I've heard on any BF ride. Hope Alice's friend is ok.

I'm confused, Joy. If it's a friend of Alicestrong's, doesn't she have the name of who it is or the contact info or the name of the hospital?

Alice?

Don't fret, Joy. You did a wonderful job as did all the sweepers and helpers on that ride. All of you went above and beyond making sure all riders were accounted for - more so than we normally do on BF rides. This sport is very dangerous and accidents happen. Hopefully, Alice will shed light on this soon (I'm still confused about her PMing you but she does or doesn't know who this person is????)

didn't happen on Latigo as I was the last one up in our group unless they were part of the LA tri chicks.

I heard in someones report, that the rider hit a turn to fast, hit grabbed a hand full of front brakes and landed in a leaf padded ditch on the side of the road. The DA shifters were bent a lil but nothing more then that story.

The only places on the ride that were a bit sketchy was coming down rock store and water in 2 of the turns. Other then that roads were very clean from rocks and debre.

I heard in someones report, that the rider hit a turn to fast, hit grabbed a hand full of front brakes and landed in a leaf padded ditch on the side of the road. The DA shifters were bent a lil but nothing more then that story.

That was Johnny and we made sure he was OK before he finished the ride. He's a trooper.

Did Alice say there was an ambulance involved? Surely, someone would have noticed that.

How did the rider get to the hospital? I know there was not an ambulance as there were a few of us in the rear trailing the whole ride. I was keeping track of everyone that was at the end so no one was left behind. Joy was bouncing up and back in her car and would certainly have seen an ambulance. I have talked with many riders up and down the line that did not see or hear anything.

Alice, where did the rider go down? Was he/she alone? Did anyone see it?

She didn't mention any ambulance. Just the ER.

That was Johnny and we made sure he was OK before he finished the ride. He's a trooper.

He did not have any wrist issues. Heck he didn't have any issues, he just jumped on his bike and continued. Trooper indeed.

So, I don't think Johnny's issue is what we are looking for.

Alice, where did the rider go down? Was he/she alone? Did anyone see it?

And Alice, was this the nice lady from LABC who logged on here? Or was this a BF member?

Can you tell us who it is and how it happened? If this is your friend, you have details, yes? Lots of folks ride those roads all the time. It would be nice to know details so that riders can be warned in the future on that stretch of road.

Between Jim and I, one of us was in the back for most all of the ride...except when Jeff did his Latigo repeats...
I cant see how it could be anyone in our group??

Alice, can you please provide more info and details please...

None of us would ever want an injured person to have to fend for themselves....even if they weren't part of our ride we would have stopped to help if we saw someone in trouble.

She didn't mention any ambulance. Just the ER.

Was he/she transported by a driver that happened to be nearby?

I am a little confused because I knew everyone in the back and they are all accounted for. I can't imagine someone would go down in the middle of the pack without a whole bunch of cyclists there quickly, let alone Joy in her car.

Alice, any idea?

None of us would ever want an injured person to have to fend for themselves....even if they weren't part of our ride we would have stopped to help if we saw someone in trouble.

+1 on this one. Any time I've ridden with the group, we always ask if a rider needs help, even if he/she is just sitting and talking on his/her cell phone on the side of the road!


Alice, by chance was your friend (??) on a different ride and you thought he/she may have been on this one? Maybe a ride in the same area at a different time?

Even still, please let us know where exactly your friend got injured so that riders can avoid the road (or go slower, more cautiously while on it).

Ok, the one that went down is Jennifer Klausner, the executive director of LACBC.

I have the information 2nd hand so the details might be iffy (just because I may have gotten it wrong)

She was somewhere near Mulholland and Topanga and hit a patch of sand and fell on her wrist. She did go to the ER and has broken bones in her wrist. She is trying to see a specialist this week.

It is thought that Jennifer arrived at the start a little late and that would explain why we all missed her. I assume she arrived after I left the parking lot (I left the parking lot 5 minutes after the last rider that was assembled) I then assumed all the riders were ahead of me and tracked it from that point.

I called her at home and left a message, if I hear more I will relay that.

So, Jennifer we all certainly hope you recover soon and if there is anything any of us can do, please let us know.

Thanks, Jim, for the update. That's too bad and I hope she recovers quickly!! :( I'm surprised we didn't get the details sooner, however. That isn't something to be taken lightly.

Hope she's OK! I left the start even later than Jim because I was doing trash cleanup and didn't see anyone else arrive. Did she start from the same location?

I am very sorry to hear that...
Hope she heals quickly....I wish we had known there was another rider, one of us would definitely have waited for her...

No offense to this nice lady, but this is why cell phones are so important! If you start a ride after everyone else does and don't call the ride organizer (your cell # was on the routeslip, Joy), no one knows to even look for you or wait for you.

That's a shame.

I spoke with Jennifer
First of all she is a very experienced rider that has been through those mountains hundreds of times.

While we were all checking our notes, recounting our processes, and checking our procedures trying to figure out how a rider slipped through the cracks it turns out she rode from home and arrived after we had already left, She did pass some of us on Latigo tending to flat tires and the likes, but never identified herself as part of the ride. Had a real good climb up Latigo and then when going down Rock Store she went down. Bumped off the pavement, didn’t get any road rash. but she did get bruises in various parts. A motorcyclist was right there, pulled over and helped her off the road. Jennifer did not see any bicyclist around at that time. I did roll down Rock Store after she did and I remember her. She was well off the road talking on the cell phone. I assumed she just was gabbing and did not realize she had just crashed. She called a friend that came and picked her up and they went to the ER and gave her an immobilization splint. The swelling increased Saturday night and since has been going down slowly.

Whenever Joy or Mary organize a ride, they do whatever they can to ensure everyone’s safety. When a report arrives that a rider was injured they are most concerned with the rider’s safety and well being. They also wish to gather information on what happened to perhaps prevent the next occurrence. The very worst thing for us to do upon arriving at the scene would be to leave her behind. In this particular case there was no way to know that we had a missing rider.

Jennifer promises to join us on a ride soon. I am looking forward to it.

Thanks for the update, Jim.

Hope you get well quickly, Jennifer, and join us on our Baldy treks! :D

Jennifer promises to join us on a ride soon. I am looking forward to it.

Thank you, Jim, for all of that. I'm sorry Jennifer was injured and without knowing her, wish her a speedy recovery as no one likes to hear of others' injuries. I look forward to meeting her on a future ride. :)

I spoke with Jennifer
First of all she is a very experienced rider that has been through those mountains hundreds of times.

While we were all checking our notes, recounting our processes, and checking our procedures trying to figure out how a rider slipped through the cracks it turns out she rode from home and arrived after we had already left, She did pass some of us on Latigo tending to flat tires and the likes, but never identified herself as part of the ride. Had a real good climb up Latigo and then when going down Rock Store she went down. Bumped off the pavement, didn’t get any road rash. but she did get bruises in various parts. A motorcyclist was right there, pulled over and helped her off the road. Jennifer did not see any bicyclist around at that time. I did roll down Rock Store after she did and I remember her. She was well off the road talking on the cell phone. I assumed she just was gabbing and did not realize she had just crashed. She called a friend that came and picked her up and they went to the ER and gave her an immobilization splint. The swelling increased Saturday night and since has been going down slowly.

Whenever Joy or Mary organize a ride, they do whatever they can to ensure everyone’s safety. When a report arrives that a rider was injured they are most concerned with the rider’s safety and well being. They also wish to gather information on what happened to perhaps prevent the next occurrence. The very worst thing for us to do upon arriving at the scene would be to leave her behind. In this particular case there was no way to know that we had a missing rider.

Jennifer promises to join us on a ride soon. I am looking forward to it.


Ok...I saw her also as I came down the hill
she was sitting down and talking on the phone...I slowed and asked if she was ok or needed anything and she waved me on...I figured she was just on the phone taking a break ( bad pun sorry)...

Well she definitely would have passed me...but so many did I dont remember:o...I guess she didnt notice the BF jersey....

I've helped/supported many events. We had this type of situation too often; and it's an important thing. Participant bails out, gets picked up on the route by spouse or SO and disappears. Most of the time they just quit, but all the more - get hurt, that's really nerve wracking. We had hams at each check station, in each SAG, and one shadowing the Event Chair. We used to have to triple check our sheets and try to track down a bib number or some info.

<preaching>
As a participant it's important to remember to call. Notify. It feels like you're letting mommy know, but we need to tell Event People that we bailed, dnf. <preaching off>

Put it on the route slip (somewhere?) so it's common knowledge that this needs to be done?? If a person gets KO'd then someone call w/ info. Also, we used to have minimal luck w/ word being passed thru the ranks to Chairperson. Grapevine doesn't go too well; by the time the info hits the end it's bad info. So, needs to be written down, called directly.

I'm sorry to hear about the injury. Glad she's gonna keep trying to hook up with everybody, though.

I wonder how could she have gotten a routeslip if she hadn't met up with Joy at the start?

Great job on the follow-up, Jim!

I wonder how could she have gotten a routeslip if she hadn't met up with Joy at the start?



This is definitely a problem...not sure how to handle that in the future...I dont think anyone wants to post their cell number publicly here...

Sounds like she's very used to the route and used the basic guidelines listed in the OP. It's easy to follow for people who are familiar with the area.

I like Jen - she's a cool cat and I do hope that she heals well!

Dang, I saw her too and asked if she was good, and she waved me on as well... :(

I would have at least talked with her for a bit until her ride showed up... I carry Vitamin I in a first aid kit at all times and would have gladly rendered any necessary assistance...

Oh no. :( I too saw her on the phone; I wish I knew she spilled since I carry basic first aid equipment and a chemical cold pack.

At least a broken wrist isn't too bad of an injury. I fractured the radius bone at the wrist of my dominant hand early last year due to a skateboarding accident. A few weeks of recovery and I was back to normal. All the best to Jennifer.

Question for the moderators or admins:

Could you clarify the site policies regarding private messages?

Thanks.

god forbid someone try and find out if a rider was hurt on a ride they organized.....im assuming thats where this is going

huh?

okay, both of the two posts prior to this are entirely confusing.

Please clarify.

False assumption, scoot.

It was pointed out to me by another poster some time back that what transpires in PMs is supposed to not be posted in the public forums. I took that to be official site policy at the time, and accepted it.

I'm just curious if it is policy, or not. There are obviously some privacy issues at stake here.

Whatever the mods or admins say is OK, is OK by me.

If that's really the case, Allez, why bring it up in this thread?

i understand the need for privacy in a private message, but this was an inquiry into a riders condition on a BF organized ride....not some catty back and forth that spilled into the threads. i dunno what the mods will say but i see no problem with what has transpired here.

efficiency: Why? Because this thread is the first time I've seen the PM/privacy issue pop up since the time I was told to keep PM stuff to the PM world. Seemed like a reasonable request to me, and I abided by it once I got the picture. By the same token, my question seems reasonable.

Again, I'm just looking for clarification here from those who run the site. What they say, goes.

Why not just PM a mod/admin about it and point to this thread, rather than post in the thread?

Why not just PM a mod/admin about it and point to this thread, rather than post in the thread?

+1... I see this as a genuine concern for a fellow rider on a publicly organized BF ride. I don't see a privacy issue, I see many people trying to find out how they could have missed helping an injured rider... the very reason I love SoCal BFers

I just checked the Forum Guidelines and see no mention about PMs. So I don't think it's official policy unless someone can point out where it is stated. The expectation of some level of privacy in PMs seems reasonable but it may not be a rule as such.

Or just be a little more direct and PM the poster in question if you feel strongly on their post. No need to run off to the mods all the time if it's just a misunderstanding.

I also don't see what the issue is though. This is pretty much like the GMR crash thread where one is passing on the info to other worried friends.

If the mods or admins feel my request is best answered privately, they can do so. They can also delete my posts if that is what they consider proper. Like I said, I'm fine with whatever they say.

If we're going to talk about being direct: why not just PM me you concerns, rather than post in the thread? ;-)

just like you did, huh?

Not interested in drama, Scoot. Just rational answers.

cant have it both ways yo.....

If there is something you'd like to discuss with me, Scootcore, that goes beyond the topic of discussion here, please feel free to PM me. I'm afraid I don't follow your line of thought, and I don't see how it is helpful to the vast majority of readers here, but I'd be happy to work things out with you...via PM. The direct route.

no thanks....i dont know you or anything past what ive read in the last handful of posts. if it were me that had crashed and someone on this forum had some info about, id want it shared. alot of the people on here are my friends. people ive ridden with many many times. the whole point of this original post was one of concern, not a privacy issue. ive no problems airing my gripes right here in the open for all to see. i do not see the point in continuing anything that ive discussed here via pm. if youve truly got an issue with the thread contact happy or a mod, personall my involvement in this matter is over. the rider that went down on the ride that i was part of is ok. end of story end of my concern

and as for something that goes beyond the topic of conversation here.......what in the world does that mean? as far as i now ive never even met you!

This isn't about you, Scootcore. It's about the privacy of the rider who was injured.

The thread starter publicly posted private info. Why?

If her true interest was the health of the fallen rider, she knew EXACTLY where to get that info. Now, maybe she would need to wait a bit to get that info, but she chose not to.

And instead of keeping it private, and showing some discretion, she chose to broadcast it.

The injured rider did NOT want it posted for all to see. Get the picture? Capice?

So you think her true interest was malicious or ill intentioned? Whether or not said rider wanted the info broadcast, it has served as another reminder on the importance of safety on group rides and may lead to improvements in that area for this sort of ride.

So you think her true interest was malicious or ill intentioned?

Nope.

Why do you ask?

Seems my original question was quite clear.

If her true interest was the health of the fallen rider

That's just how you made it sound. I didn't think that was the case, but I wanted to make sure.