Obviously neither I nor mconlonx know the details of your particular incident. However, I do know that before bicycle helmets became widely available I knew of a few serious accidents and a single fatality among the cyclists with whom I was familiar. Since helmets became popular and almost universally worn among the cyclists I ride with I now know of a few more serious accidents and sadly one more fatality.

However, I have also been told by dozens of these cyclists that their lives were saved because they were wearing a helmet. If all those stories were true I would have expected far more fatalities in the pre-helmet era, but in fact I knew of no more then than I do now. So while I can't say anything definite about any one particular incident, I do conclude that most statements about a life-saving helmet are false.