I had a little extra time (about an hr) before having to feed my cat. I was planning to go out and ride my hybrid (700c x 32 tires) around the neighborhood a bit before kitty's dinner. After finishing my ride and feeding the kitty, I was planning to take my beater bike to the grocery store and do some errands.
So I was on this paved sidewalk in the middle of a park and on one of the exits (it enters a cul de sac), the sidewalk ends sharply w/ a dropoff to the street. The sidewalk forks both left & right w/ the sidewalk becoming more curved (for easier transitions for strollers, bikes, etc) away from the dropoff. Anyways, I turned left along the sidewalk.
I started to go parallel down the curb (should've gone more at an angle) when I noticed that there was water there from someone watering their grass or having washed their car. Anyways, my skinny tire lost grip or traction and I went down fast.
As I was going down, I remember thinking that I hadn't fallen down since I was a teen and also thinking I can't believe this is happening. There was no time left to react.
I went down hard on my left side. My head hit the asphalt. I wasn't wearing a helmet. I usually don't wear one unless I go on long rides, but I'll start wearing one from now on. I was worried about 3 things: 1) my teeth 2) my expensive rimless glasses (which came off my head as I hit the road & 3) my rear derailleur (I know it to be the most vulnerable part of a bike and a b**** to have to adjust).
I got up realizing I had a few injuries (which I promptly photographed when I got home): my left cheekbone had a slight abrasion. My left shoulder had a regular bruise (it seemed to take most of the fall). My left knee got skinned. And my bell got rang (I may have a slight concussion).
Went I got home, some things got worse. I felt it more then than earlier. My cheekbone actually grew to a bump the size of a Sacagawaea coin. My shoulder bruise became more evident. My head didn't feel concussed. My jawline may have gotten skewed on the left side b/c eating felt weird there. Might be b/c of the bump on my face. I sprayed both my shoulder & my knee w/ rubbing alcohol. It hurt more on my shoulder than the knee.
Fortunately, there was no one around to see me fall at the time of incident, or even bike back home. I did learn a few lessons that day.
I had become way too complacent and confident. I should be more vigilent. Always always always wear a helmet. I might buy a better one in the future. I want to protect my skull and brain from further damage. I might also buy good gloves to protect my hands (even though they were lucky this time). I will also endeavor to be much more careful around water. Stupid water! I wonder if the same thing would've happened w/ my mountain bike (w/ wider tires)?
Needless to say, I called off my errands for the day.