My helmet probably saved my life...read on (I wrote this about 2 months ago)


A weary hello....
On Aug 22nd I was badly hurt in a bicycle accident. I had a week off from freelancing so, I had decided to make a spontaneous and short bike tour from Pleasantville, NY, ride noth to Lake George, NY (upstate), then over to Cape Cod.

I was only 25 minutes (less than 5 miles) into my ride, when disaster struck...NO not a car... I believe a bungee strapping my spare sandals came loose, caught in my front wheel, pulled my sandal(s) in to the wheel, and my fork literally snapped in half on both fork shafts. At the same time, my font wheel totalled locked up, inertia forcing me over the handelbar, thus doing a very nasty face plant into the road.

I remember hearing my cheap RockShox fork crack.....and then sitting up seconds after the crash, pulling out my bleeding tooth, then dragging my bike to the shoulder. I never lost consciousness (helmet just paid for itself) . I suspect it was NOT freakin pretty. Cars stopped immed and Chappaqua police and ambulance were there in minutes. I barely remember the ambulance ride and don't even remember the fall at all. It happened in a half a second (or less)!!!

My helmet absorbed the impact to my forehead (thank you Bell Helmets!). I don't know if my Uvex sunglasses helped?!. My shoes were probably still locked in the pedals when I hit (although the unlocked just after) Unfortnately, most of the damage was to my face, except for some road rash on shoulder and brusing/knot in my upper back and neck.

I factured my jaw and face in 3-4 places, bloodied and blacked my right eye, gashed up my chin and face real good. and I lost a bottom tooth. Had face surgery 2 days later.... and now I'm more like The Terminator than Arnold.... my jaw is wired shut, and have titanium plates under my face....(although , you can't see them) Apparently the fracture to my right obital eye bone has caused some optical nerve damage. My right eye still "sees" OK, but with some blurriness, and colors mix together. This is MOST fustrating to me.... apparently my "normal" vision may come back in time, stay blurry, or possible get worse. It will be a waiting game over the next 6 months.

The ER, Docs, & RNs could not believer all the trauma I had came from a bicycle accident!!! Ugh!Spent 4.5 days in Westchester Medical Ctr (I though I hated hosptals before!)..... Adding the icing on the cake: because i'm a freelancer... I have NO medical insurance! And since nobody hit me, their will be no lawsuit/settlement..... Lucky me! I guess I be thankful to be alive...

This was been the worst week of my life-- bar none!_________________________________________
JimboTrek