General Cycling Discussion - Who here's fallen on their heads?

Just wondering, since so many people think we don't need helmets while riding. How many people have had a serious accident and fallen on their heads around here?

fallen and smashed a helmet.....twice. So has my brother once. Once Igot hit by a car as a 10y/o, and once as a 15y/o riding to school i came amiss at 55kmh on a descent......

I've broken two helmets in crashes.

Once while riding on the road a car hit me from behind and knocked me off my bike. I broke a rib (where my body impacted the car's fender) and somehow broke my helmet while landing.

Another time I was mtn biking and I did an endo and landed squarely on top of my head. I fractured two vertabrae and broke my helmet. It was a pretty violent crash where I was more or less flung onto my head and it was over in the blink of an eye. I haven't been mtn biking since and that crash was about 18 months ago. A riding buddy crashed while mtn biking and injured his head to the point of having to wear a "halo" bolted into his skull. If you are mtn biking you are stupid if you don't wear a helmet.

You should really change the poll so that it has "all of the above"; I've been in that position.

I've fallen on my head several times, with the most recent being a month ago. I knocked back tooth teeth and loosened another, and now need two root canals and a denture, I broke my hand (just got the cast off today), got a concussion, and was unconscious for a while.

I've fallen on my noggin both with helmet and without, and spent three days in the hospital with a concussion when I fell and wasn't wearing one.

You should really change the poll so that it has "all of the above"; I've been in that position.

I've fallen on my head several times, with the most recent being a month ago. I knocked back tooth teeth and loosened another, and now need two root canals and a denture, I broke my hand (just got the cast off today), got a concussion, and was unconscious for a while.

I would, but I'm just trying to see if it's actually possible to survive, relatively intact, a serious injury that would normally destroy a helmet without wearing one.

Both...and why I always wear one now.




What am I typing about...? Condoms?

......HELMETS! Ya...Both...and why I always wear one nowadays.

Did I mention I hit my head?

I hate it when condoms break. Almost as bad as smacking your head without a bike helmet.

Why are we discussing bike helmets in a forum about sex?

Did I mention I hit my head?

i landed on my shoulder, knuckle and head a while back. i actually thought the crash was over.. then all of the sudden i felt this intense pressure on the side of m' noggin.

luckily the helmet save my head. i sprained my knee and has some REALLY deap gashes.. but all was well. you can still see pale blue skin where the gashes were.

helmet didn't crack.

I hate it when condoms break. Almost as bad as breaking bike helmets.


The worst is when they break and the sharp "edge" is clinging on real tight and cutting off circulation... ouuuch.

I would, but I'm just trying to see if it's actually possible to survive, relatively intact, a serious injury that would normally destroy a helmet without wearing one.

Yes, it is. One of my friends, Tim, landed on his head on thecorner of a stair after trying to do a double tire ride on a bar-height handrail. He cracked his skull open, and had to have surgery and a lot of stitches, but he's fine and riding again now.

Fell and developed a deep crack in my helmet about 2 inches long...Fell and directly impacted my head on a curb...Amazing...It was all caused by not finding an experienced mechanic and he left spacers off of a repair done to my rear cluster..Amazed the bike rode perfectly well for about 3 miles and then the drive train froze up and i fell traveling on the flats at about 5 mph.
it was a bell helmet..They replaced it at cost. Had it been my head, I would have been seeing stars, if lucky.Hit right at the temple area.

I slipped once on wet stairs carrying my bike -feet flew out from under me and I cracked the back of my head -luckily I was wearing a helmet.

I hit a tree head-on after wrecking in a ravine >tossed off the bike, was out for 2 days -the helmet probably saved my life.

I had a front wheel come off the fork at the top of a 6 foot launch ramp when I was younger (way) And was headslammed into the road from the ramp top.

I was not wearing a helmet and have indents in my skull from gravel on the road.
No hair ever grew back 'cause the follicles got scooped with my scalp.
Doctors had to flush my ear out because it had filled with blood.

I don't care how nice your hair looks, if riding without a lid, you still look stupid to me.

I've had several falls but two big head landings. The one I was not wearing a helmet and I broke my jaw completely on both sides and fractured my chin. The other one I had a helmet on and only ripped up my chin, didn't have to replace the helmet though as luckily the messenger bag I had on swung around to cover my head.

The other one I had a helmet on and only ripped up my chin, didn't have to replace the helmet though as luckily the messenger bag I had on swung around to cover my head.

I always wear my bag tight cause I got tired of nudging it back in place.

My last two helmets(Giro Animas and an old Bell) both cracked due to me falling hard enough to crack/crush the foam.

The old Bell got broken during a ride on the trails. I fell off my bike going down a hill and my head kind of bounced from rock to rock. I was fine, just a little dazed.

The Animas was a low speed road crash. I was probably going about 8mph when I stood up for a quick stretch and the front wheel got stuck in a crack in the asphalt. Flipped straight over the handlebars and landed with all my weight on my head. Again, the helmet cracked and I was fine.

Have done both.

Rolled into an 8 1/2 foot halfpipe, with no helment (first time rolling in) - no problem. Put helmet on, rolled in, hung up my chainwheel, and landed on my face first. Out cold. Mouthgard went through lip. helmet cracked, but not sure why because my face took most of the impact. This was years ago...

Also fell off while on a familiar trail, going about twice as fast as was safe. went to dodge a rock and clipped a tree instead. I still do not remember hitting the ground. I woke up to the roar of gravel sliding past my ear as I rolled/skidded to a stop on the side of my face. No helmet. Had bacon down the side of my temple/cheek/jaw for almost a two weeks....

A few years back went over the front on my MTB at over 25mph. Hit head first into shale, split my Bell helmet in two, broke my shoulder blade. I am pretty convinced that if no helmet then, no post now.

I know it comes off as judgmental- but every time I see a helmetless rider going downhill on an MTB, or at speed, or in traffic on a road bike without a helmet - all I can think is I hope they dont have kids, or family that cares about them. Its such a simple way to help yourself- no guarantees for sure- but I have a hard time figuring how its ever bad.

Never have had to experience a crash without a helmet. And yet I have gotten 4 concussions, definately better than dead.

I think i hit my head...I cant remember...My helmet was broke so i must have. And ive come off and gone over the handle bars right out side off school.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my avg helmet MTBF is 18 months. Since I started wearing helmets when I was an early teenager (parents refused to buy me one so I had to save up money and buy it myself), I have cracked nine helmets all due to serious crashes. I agree that there should have been a "both" selection as I've crashed before on my head without a helmet and had a pretty nasty gash on my forehead for a while. Based on what my friends told me, I believe I lost at least five minutes of memory from that particular crash. Luckily I was young then and we humans tend to heal faster and better when we were younger.

I was bunny hopping over some railroad tracks at about 25 MPH and my front QR skewer broke when I landed. The next thing I knew I was crawling to the curb with a mouth full of blood, but fortunately no broken teeth. Several hours in the ER. X-Ray showed no skull fracture. Docs thought I might have some retinal haemorrhaging, but by the next day my eyes had cleared up and I had no further problems. Scared the daylights out of me, though, and it was several months before I could work up the courage to get back on a bike.

I'm not sure how much good the helmet did because I did more of a face-plant, I think (I don't remember the impact, but I had a good bit of road rash all along the side of my face).

When I was a MTB rider I would never wear a helmet unless I was off road. My fall was on the trail and I was wearing my lid and was glad I was. Now that I road bike and the speeds are higher (and I am a husband and a father) I typically wear my helmet...only time I don't is on my commute.

Now that I road bike and the speeds are higher (and I am a husband and a father) I typically wear my helmet...only time I don't is on my commute.

Odd... I would consider commuter-riding to be more hazardous than cruising along on a Sunday stroll. Most of the time, the commute environment involves being in close proximity to congested traffic most of which is operated by people in a hurry thus increasing the potential for some sort of incident.

I haven't broken any helmets, however I've gone over the bars a few times and seen spots in front of my eyes for a second of two. Glad it was spots and not blood. I've also been clipping along at 20kph and didn't duck under a felled tree enough which was suspended over the trail. It took a good sized chunk out my helmet and tore my Camelback Mule apart. Once again I'm glad it was styrofoam and not flesh in this case.

Shouldn't there be an option for fallen, but didn't hit my head?

I've been riding daily for 30 years, gone down many times and haven't hit my head yet.

Everyone is different and ride in different situations and take care differently. Some don't even take care not to fall at all.

One study showed children have 720 accidents per million hours while a group of British cyclists averaged just 66 accidents in the same amount of cycling time.

Another study has shown in the Netherlands, for each 100 million bicycle trips, 1.6 Dutch cyclists were killed and for US cyclists there were 26.3 bike fatalities for the same number of trips.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, of the hospitalizations due to a head injury in Ontario, almost half were caused by falls (49%), followed by motor vehicle collisions (31%), homicide and intentional injuries (6%), pedal cyclists (5%).

Consider many of the pedal cyclist admissions were children who had abrassions to the face and apply proper riding habits to avoid accidents and I think this number would be smaller still.

Odd... I would consider commuter-riding to be more hazardous than cruising along on a Sunday stroll. Most of the time, the commute environment involves being in close proximity to congested traffic most of which is operated by people in a hurry thus increasing the potential for some sort of incident.

You would think that but not really so in my case. I go to work at 7 am (home at 3:30-4:00) and only have a 3.67 mile commute. First mile of that is on a road where I hardly ever see a car that is running and the last half mile is on a bike path leaving roughly 2 miles where I may come in contact with cars. The combo of 7am and pretty good paved sholders (except for maybe .75 mile) means it is a very easy ride. The only real worry is one small bridge that is only 50 yds or so which doesn't have sholders on either side.

Now when I go for a ride in the evening or on the weekend the roads ridden are typically on 2 lane roads some without shoulders which are also state (or US) highways. Speed limit on these roads is typically 45-55 MPH vs the max of 35 and mostly 25 on my commute, so the cars are expecting to go much faster. Rides into the woods (couple of state parks with nice roads) can have run ins with rednecks in PUs that throw cans and crap like that and everyone knows there is no one to enforce the speed limit so everyone flys. So you can see I feel (maybe a big mistake) much safer on my commute. Here (http://www.centrebike.org/rides.html#Maps_of_Local_Rides) is a local site with some of our local rides to get a feel for the area and types of roads. And here (http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?ed=jfCSUOV.wikmU5Etodc9XPLajmB3SsrNnaFQP5l3Y0kcgUn6WBvqptGHFSvp93wCY98-&csz=state+college%2C+pa+16801&country=us&tcsz=State+College%2C+PA+16801&tcountry=us&name=Home&tname=Work) is my commute (well the home address isn't right as Yahoo can't find our address but this one is .5 mile down the street).

Did an endo on my road bike in '02. To this day I still don't remember what caused me to crash. Helmet, cheap Bell model from Sport Chalet, was totally trashed. No fractures but had a lot of cuts and bruises to my face and upper body. Took three stiches to my left ear lobe that was cut by the helmet's plastic as it cracked. Spent two days off work and suffered with aches and pains for months. To this day I still have "ghost" pains at times. I'm now very cautious while riding and don't intend to crash like that again.

This poll is biased. It already assumes you've fallen on your head. I deem this poll invalid.

As some have read in the poll in general discussion, I was just hit by a hit and run driver, me going 25, the guy going about 50 MPH. Thrown off the bike, planted my head directly in the ground. Cracked my helmet in 2 places, hit my face right below my eye, distroyed my leg (lucky that I shave my legs), both of my hips, sprained 3 of my fingers on my right hand, and really messed up my sholder. Xrays all negative, no borken bones luckly. I am going to be off work for a couple of weeks, I am a bike officer and I do not forsee being back on the bike for some time.

Helmets save lives...

How about adding two categories?:

- Wear helmet but never fell on head.

- Never wear helmet, never fell on head.

Endo'd coming down the side of a hill at speed and the top of my head landed right on a watermelon-sized rock. The impact cracked my helmet like an egg. It rattled my fillings a bit, but my head was completely untouched. The rest of my was just a bit dusty. No way I would have come through that without the helmet.

I have a long list.....i've gone through lots of brain buckets....
i hit a tree root one time that was covered in leaves. i went flying over the handlebars....cracked my helmet.
i slid on a curb that was wet lost my balance and landed head first on the asphalt....cracked a helmet.
got hit by a car (it wasnt my fault) got thrown off my bike....cracked a helmet.
i decided to show off and see if i could ride down a staircase....oh i went down it alright...head first...cracked a helmet.
thats only a few. i broke a few bones here and there, but i never cracked my head. needed stitches a few times to my scalp....and broke my nose once. brain buckets are good.

About 30 years ago I was going down a hill real fast with a heavy load on the back of my bike. When I hit the RR tracks on the bottom of the hill my front tire bounced up and the bike did a back flip. Landed on the head and shoulder. My right arm was paralysed for 3 days but the head and helmet were both fine. They used to make helmets to survive crashes and still protect the noggin. Today you bump your head once and its time to go shopping again.

About 30 years ago I was going down a hill real fast with a heavy load on the back of my bike. When I hit the RR tracks on the bottom of the hill my front tire bounced up and the bike did a back flip. Landed on the head and shoulder. My right arm was paralysed for 3 days but the head and helmet were both fine. They used to make helmets to survive crashes and still protect the noggin. Today you bump your head once and its time to go shopping again.

You can still get those helmets at bmx/skate stores.

I have broken 5 helmets in the last 20 years.

I'm a heavy commuter, always have been. My head's a standard braking surface. Don't ride with a helmet as it makes me ride like a psycho (risk compensation). I'm smashed out teeth and road-rashed most of my face, bouched off cars, all that good stuff. Still walking, talking, and annoying mandatory-helment people :).

And for the record my dear sister, who isn't on this forum, had a head-impact probably made worse by a helmet (came off on ice, the extra torque offered by the lid, we reckon, turned a sprain into a slipped disk); and my younger bruv did a human torpedo into a brick wall, was knocked out, and was fine two days later.

The number of Australians whose lives have been "saved by helmets" [according to anecdotal accounts in the media] over the past decade is staggering. I estimate that here in Western Australia the helmet law has saved about 5,000 lives per year... based upon the claims by cyclists who wouldn't know what to do without a helmet law.

It's curious that the average annual cyclist death toll in Western Australia before law enforcement was just 7. If the anecdotal claims are to be believed, it might be surmised that the wearing of helmets has caused an average 4,993 cyclists to have a near-fatal accident per year!

-- Chris Gillham


Defending mandatory helmet use are testimonials by numerous cyclists that their helmets saved their lives in falls, often accompanied with such evidence as a smashed or broken helmet. In some cases, the cyclist suffered severe head injuries in spite of the helmet; therefore, the conviction is even stronger that the helmet must have saved the cyclist from death.

However, the evidence of dented and broken helmets is proof of nothing. After all, they are made of light foam with perhaps a thin coat of plastic. It seems that the helmet must have reduced the impact somewhat, but it's impossible to say how much, as many cyclists do land on their heads without wearing helmets and yet still walk away from the accident. In some cases, the size of the helmet may have contributed to its contacting the ground. In the case of those seriously injured while wearing helmets, one might equally argue that the helmet should have been stronger.

---- Ken Kifer

Sorry, can't vote, no category for me. :(
I've fallen but not hit my head :)
My only real fall so far was at a corner. Temp was about +3C, light rain, wet roads with sand/gravel on the corner (which I forgot was there!). I went down at about 30km/h. Hit my elbow, hip & knee. Amazingly not a scratch on the bike or helmet. Could have been much worse though. I could have hit my head pretty hard if I'd landed differently...I always wear a helmet!

Collisions between bikes and cars comprise about 17% of all bicycle accidents.

This is from, A Review of Collisions Between Motor Vehicles and Bicycles in British Columbia, by Hamilton and Associates prepared for ICBC (the provincial auto insurer)

Distribution of cyclist bodily injuries:

1. no injury, 24.3%

2. knee/lower leg/foot, 20.9%

3.elbow/lower arm/hands, 10.8%

4. shoulder/upper arm, 9.0%

5. head, 8.4%

6. hip/upper leg, 7.5%

7. back, 5.7%

8. entire body, 3.8%

9. face/nose, 3.4%

10. neck, 3.0%

11. chest, 1.7%

12. abdomen/pelvis, 1.4%

13. eye, 0.1%

Curious Closet, Would you ride MX with a helmet (and no I am not saying you are wrong for not wearing a helmet on the road, just curious as to where the limit is for a helmet being useless, if there is one)

Freak accidents (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=428277&postcount=15) can happen anytime... Perhaps we should be wearing a helmet just standing around too. :)

At anyrate, an interesting datapoint is that I've actually had more accidents while riding a bike when I don't have my helmet on than I have had with. I attribute the reason for this have been totally psychological. The majority of helmetless accidents have occurred during "quick rides" usually to test something I've changed on my bike. "I'll just take this for a quick spin..." I neglected to put on my helmet because I wasn't thinking and wasn't being focused on riding safely but rather was more concerned with whatever adjustment I had made to the bike. Thus for me, for the most part, the helmet imparts a certain level of focus on riding safely. And even if that's the only safety aspect a helmet will peform for me, I'll take it and happily wear one.

I'm curious as to why you think I don't ride with a helmet.

If you meant BMX, I'm not interested in doing tricks but if you mean would a helmet be a good idea if there is an elevated risk of falling on my head, (like flipping upside down and trying to land rubber side up) why wouldn't I? If it's reasonable to expect you're going to fall on your head, doesn't it make some sense to wear a helmet?

Conversly, if I'm planning a nice, simple ride keeping rubber on the road, and looking out for potential problems that may occur so as to avoid them before they happen, maybe going without a lid, isn't such a problem.

Freak accidents (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=428277&postcount=15) can happen anytime... Perhaps we should be wearing a helmet just standing around too. :)

Yes they do.

More people in Canada died from falling out bed than died on bicycles.

Many more people in Canada died from falling on or from stairs than died on bicycles.

More people in Canada died from falling from ladders, chairs and other household furniture than died on bicycles.

There will never be a risk free life and we will never protect ourselves from everything, so we have to ask ourselves, at what point do we feel able to carry on with productive enterprise without worrying ourselves to the point of being counter productive? If I don't worry about head injuries on the stairs or in a bed, why should I worry about it on a bike? If I ride carefully, I'll be as fine as anyone could expect anyone could be doing anything carefully.

I'm curious as to why you think I don't ride with a helmet.

If you meant BMX, I'm not interested in doing tricks but if you mean would a helmet be a good idea if there is an elevated risk of falling on my head, (like flipping upside down and trying to land rubber side up) why wouldn't I?

Conversly, if I'm planning a nice, simple ride keeping rubber on the road, and looking out for potential problems that may occur so as to avoid them before they happen, maybe going without a lid, isn't such a problem.

I don't think you don't wear a helmet. Was just seeing what happened when you elevate the sport up a couple of notches on danger. MX and dh and freeriding a pretty akin to each others. You point of view to this last point seemed pretty skewed. Was just wondering if there was a limit to it.

I completely agree with what you said above. It had just seemed you didn't think helmets served any purpose. When I commute to work or such other mundane tasks I may not wear a helmet...stick my on my dh bike on any of the trails here and I wouldn't leave home without it. :)



More people in Canada died from falling out bed than died on bicycles.

Many more people in Canada died from falling on or from stairs than died on bicycles.

More people in Canada died from falling from ladders, chairs and other household furniture than died on bicycles


Man we suck....;) :D

Freak accidents (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=428277&postcount=15) can happen anytime... Perhaps we should be wearing a helmet just standing around too. :)

At anyrate, an interesting datapoint is that I've actually had more accidents while riding a bike when I don't have my helmet on than I have had with. I attribute the reason for this have been totally psychological. The majority of helmetless accidents have occurred during "quick rides" usually to test something I've changed on my bike. "I'll just take this for a quick spin..." I neglected to put on my helmet because I wasn't thinking and wasn't being focused on riding safely but rather was more concerned with whatever adjustment I had made to the bike. Thus for me, for the most part, the helmet imparts a certain level of focus on riding safely. And even if that's the only safety aspect a helmet will peform for me, I'll take it and happily wear one.

I found the opposite. When I dawn my fullface I know there is some degree more protection, and I ride as such, however within or at my limits.

when I ride with a xc helmet I can't bring myself to ride some stunts or do some trails as I just don't trust the potential consequences :)

More people in Canada died from falling from ladders, chairs and other household furniture than died on bicycles

Man we suck....;) :D

Well, before you say that, you should look up the statistics in the US for people who have died doing stupid things like use an office swivel-chair as a ladder or stepstool to change flourescent lights in their ceiling.

P.S. - I'm guilty of the above.

I found the opposite. When I dawn my fullface I know there is some degree more protection, and I ride as such, however within or at my limits.

when I ride with a xc helmet I can't bring myself to ride some stunts or do some trails as I just don't trust the potential consequences :)

Oh, I'm not saying I don't ever exceed my limits when I'm wearing a helmet. But I will usually do so consciously... as I believe you have said. However, doing something careless has always seemed to have been linked to me not wearing a helmet. I guess for me, even the act of not wearing one while riding translates into general carelessness.

Well, before you say that, you should look up the statistics in the US for people who have died doing stupid things like use an office swivel-chair as a ladder or stepstool to change flourescent lights in their ceiling.

P.S. - I'm guilty of the above.

You died :eek:...

Oh, I'm not saying I don't ever exceed my limits when I'm wearing a helmet. But I will usually do so consciously... as I believe you have said. However, doing something careless has always seemed to have been linked to me not wearing a helmet. I guess for me, even the act of not wearing one while riding translates into general carelessness.

I dh...thats careless enough ahah. Giving my life over to an angry mountain and a bike...now THATS dumb.

Well, before you say that, you should look up the statistics in the US for people who have died doing stupid things like use an office swivel-chair as a ladder or stepstool to change flourescent lights in their ceiling.

Also, like maybe, riding on the wrong side of the road at night with no light, drunk and running a stop sign looking away from the traffic flow.

People make stupid mistakes on occasion. Doesn't mean we all do them all the time. Thankfully, they're fairly rare events.