Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.johnnytheboy
09-24-08, 04:35 PM
Long story------------
Last tuesday, I had the day off like every other tuesday....and like every other tuesday, I woke up early and went for a ride. I park by the boat docks at white rock lake, circle the lake, head up through lakewood, down knox/henderson, down the katy trail into downtown dallas for a few miles, back up the katy trail, down through lakewood and circle the lake again. All said and done, its about a 35 mile loop I ride. So anyway, I rode this about 9am and felt good. Went back home to my wife (who also had the day off) and 10month old daughter. We went and piddled around and ate lunch at barbec's, then back home. Around 6pm I got the itch again and decided to go to the lake for another spin. I finished the first lap around the lake with no problems at all and decided to ride once more, putting my total miles for that day around 55. I should have packed it up and gone home after the first lap!
The good part:
The 2nd lap sucked-there was so many gnats or whatever they are that I had to ride with my head down and my shirt over my mouth. It felt and sounded like hail when they hit my helmet. Anyway, it was getting dark, so I picked up the pace. I climbed the footbridge that runs parallel with mockingbird and was coasting down the other side when I slowed down to make the right turn I'd made hundreds of times before. I realized that my front wheel was a little off course and was probably going to make contact with the grass for a split second, but it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal. I would just hold on and guide my bike back to the pavement and it'd be ok. I was wrong. As soon as my front wheel left the pavement, I flipped over my handlebars and landed head and right shoulder first into the pavement. I rolled once, and landed back onto my ass. I looked to my left, and my bike came crashing down beside me, hit and bounced up, then rolled 2 more times and stopped. I immediately jumped up, and reached for my helmet to see if I had cracked it. Only my left arm went up though. I knew something was wrong. I felt my right shoulder with my left hand, and there was nothing there. Just a big caved in spot where my shoulder should be, with a giant knot poking up from the center. I panicked. I tried to find my phone, then remembered it was in my waist pack I'd started to carry a few weeks ago. When I got it out and dialed my wife, I saw officer ray ride by on his bike. I yelled out that I fell and was hurt really bad. He called an ambulance, and he also stayed with my bike for about 30 minutes til my wife could get there and secure my bike to my jeep. I was taken by ambulance to doctors hospital on a backboard and a neckbrace, just in case I had a spine injury. I had a dozen x rays taken on my shoulder, a ct scan on my head and neck and various other tests. The ER doctor told me I had the worst shoulder injury he'd ever seen. Ever. The knot sticking up where my shoulder had once been was my collar bone poking up against my skin. I went to an orthopedic surgeon on thursday, and he informed me I had a grade 5 shoulder dislocation and the ligament holding my collar bone to my shoulder had completely torn. A grade 5 dislocation is very rare, and is usually seen on people that have been in a severe car accident. I had surgery on my shoulder last friday, and everything went ok. I've been heavily medicated since last tuesday and pretty out of it. My bike seems to be ok from what I can tell. Thanks to officer ray, who stopped and helped!!! He was the only person that did. I bet I was passed by at least 15 other people that never even asked if I was ok or needed help. One group of riders rode by, looked in my direction, and the lead guy yelled "ouch!!" and they all kept on riding. I'll have zero shoulder mobility in my right shoulder for at least 4 weeks, and it'll be around 6 months for a full recovery.
Sorry for the long story!!!! Thanks to everyone that helped!!
Last tuesday, I had the day off like every other tuesday....and like every other tuesday, I woke up early and went for a ride. I park by the boat docks at white rock lake, circle the lake, head up through lakewood, down knox/henderson, down the katy trail into downtown dallas for a few miles, back up the katy trail, down through lakewood and circle the lake again. All said and done, its about a 35 mile loop I ride. So anyway, I rode this about 9am and felt good. Went back home to my wife (who also had the day off) and 10month old daughter. We went and piddled around and ate lunch at barbec's, then back home. Around 6pm I got the itch again and decided to go to the lake for another spin. I finished the first lap around the lake with no problems at all and decided to ride once more, putting my total miles for that day around 55. I should have packed it up and gone home after the first lap!
The good part:
The 2nd lap sucked-there was so many gnats or whatever they are that I had to ride with my head down and my shirt over my mouth. It felt and sounded like hail when they hit my helmet. Anyway, it was getting dark, so I picked up the pace. I climbed the footbridge that runs parallel with mockingbird and was coasting down the other side when I slowed down to make the right turn I'd made hundreds of times before. I realized that my front wheel was a little off course and was probably going to make contact with the grass for a split second, but it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal. I would just hold on and guide my bike back to the pavement and it'd be ok. I was wrong. As soon as my front wheel left the pavement, I flipped over my handlebars and landed head and right shoulder first into the pavement. I rolled once, and landed back onto my ass. I looked to my left, and my bike came crashing down beside me, hit and bounced up, then rolled 2 more times and stopped. I immediately jumped up, and reached for my helmet to see if I had cracked it. Only my left arm went up though. I knew something was wrong. I felt my right shoulder with my left hand, and there was nothing there. Just a big caved in spot where my shoulder should be, with a giant knot poking up from the center. I panicked. I tried to find my phone, then remembered it was in my waist pack I'd started to carry a few weeks ago. When I got it out and dialed my wife, I saw officer ray ride by on his bike. I yelled out that I fell and was hurt really bad. He called an ambulance, and he also stayed with my bike for about 30 minutes til my wife could get there and secure my bike to my jeep. I was taken by ambulance to doctors hospital on a backboard and a neckbrace, just in case I had a spine injury. I had a dozen x rays taken on my shoulder, a ct scan on my head and neck and various other tests. The ER doctor told me I had the worst shoulder injury he'd ever seen. Ever. The knot sticking up where my shoulder had once been was my collar bone poking up against my skin. I went to an orthopedic surgeon on thursday, and he informed me I had a grade 5 shoulder dislocation and the ligament holding my collar bone to my shoulder had completely torn. A grade 5 dislocation is very rare, and is usually seen on people that have been in a severe car accident. I had surgery on my shoulder last friday, and everything went ok. I've been heavily medicated since last tuesday and pretty out of it. My bike seems to be ok from what I can tell. Thanks to officer ray, who stopped and helped!!! He was the only person that did. I bet I was passed by at least 15 other people that never even asked if I was ok or needed help. One group of riders rode by, looked in my direction, and the lead guy yelled "ouch!!" and they all kept on riding. I'll have zero shoulder mobility in my right shoulder for at least 4 weeks, and it'll be around 6 months for a full recovery.
Sorry for the long story!!!! Thanks to everyone that helped!!