bac

Some of you may have read my whining about my broken tibia, and not being able to go on the vacation I've planned. For those who haven't, here's the crying:

I'm a baby

As it turned out, I was given the green-light to go with a brace; however, I will now not be going to Italy, and it doesn't bother me a bit. My fracture is now a non-issue. My girlfriend (with whom I was taking the trip with) was in an automobile accident on Wednesday night. At this point, there is every indication that she will make a full recovery; however, for the life of me, I don’t understand how she even survived.

She was the passenger in her car (2001 Nissan Maxima), and she was not wearing her seatbelt while the driver was. To make a long story short, Gina was ejected through the passenger side glass during one of the car’s three rolls. She flew 30-40 feet, and landed in a field. She was life-flighted to the nearest trauma center where I met her about 30 minutes after the crash. To my, and the trauma center doctor’s, amazement she was awake and alert. She suffered a lacerated tongue, a badly bruised right shoulder and ankle, and fractured vertebrae. The broken vertebrae is obviously the most concerning injury. The driver has only bruises, and cuts.

The bottom line is that, as of right now, she will be in a hard plastic back brace for @ least 3 months. She was released from the hospital last evening, and I got her home and into her own bed. Again, the long-term outlook is good. If all goes to plan, and by the grace of god, she should will make a full recovery. I still can’t seem to reconcile how she even survived such an accident. The drive down to the hospital Wednesday evening was unbearable for me.

Anywho, sorry to go on, but I feel better after @ least typing that out! We are not going to Italy for the Giro, but with any luck, we will @ least be able to make the trip later this year, and enjoy Italy sans the race. If we don’t go @ all, that’s still okay! I don’t care about the race; I don’t care about my fracture; I don’t care about the loss of money due to the cancellation. None of that means anything now. It’s funny how this sort of thing reprioritizes life.

The policeman @ the scene stated that both would have been killed if Gina was not ejected. When you see the picture, you'll understand. The quality of the pic is not great, as I took a digital picture of an actual picture, but you'll get the idea:

Laggard

What an awful experience. It really does put a bit of perspective on some things we think are so important.

Glad everyone's ok.

Always wear your seatbelt.

Guest

The Giro will always be running, but good health is the most important thing! Both of you take the time to heal- Italy would be fantastic to experience at any time of the year, so that's the upside of the cancellation. Knowing that you'll be headed back later on in the year should be good motivation for you guys to get back on your feet and out to Italy later this year. Trust me, you guys are gonna love it and you've certainly earned it!

I'm glad to see she's ok, though. It sounds horrible!

Koffee

bac

ThanX for the words, Koffee! We saw a few stages of the Giro in 2002 when we first visited Italy. We've been planning (and saving!) for the past 2 years in order to get back. Having that carrot out there will certainly motivate us to get better, and get back to Italy. It will also give us more time to learn more of the Italian language.

Life is goooooooooooooooooooooood.

jeff williams

Wow, hard to believe with all the trauma you still are lucky.
Maybe it's the big guys way of keeping you home for the summer.
Very happy for you and Gina, that you still have your lives and health will return.

Guest

Yes it is, when you can go to Italy.

I'll be at the Giro for the last three stages myself. I'll be following a friend who's riding for Gerolsteiner. If he makes it to the finish line, it'll be a party going on.

I'll take pics and send them so you can still experience the fun, though. Next time you go to the Giro, let's hook up.

Koffee

girl27

Holy cats! I'm glad your girlfriend's going to be ok. Scary, scary situation - definitely puts things into perspective, huh?

Enjoy the Giro in the safety and comfort of your own home. I recommend Italian dinners for you and your sweetie every night. But it's going to be you doing the cookin! Take care of each other.

BTW - did you have some kind of insurance on your trip? Can you get the money back?

naisme

Dude, that's an amazing story. But get OLN it's cheaper, and you won't be fighting the muses.

But Italy, mmm, that's the stuff memories are made of, and the two of you have a great start. There are so many memories I have, and want to have in the future. I'm working on getting back across the big pond.

Keep us up to date.

bac

I was able to get most of the money back from the hotels, and the auto rental - the real loss is with the flight. US Air is charging us $550 to change the flight. ($200/ticket to change flight, and $75/each to get our frequent flyer upgrade back!) However, given the circumstance, I'm happy to pay!!!!

Guest

That is ridiculous! Did you ask to speak with a manager? Surely they can't expect someone who is that ill to travel! With other airlines, a doctor's note will suffice and flights are changed without charge.

My sister had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and as she was preparing to board her flight, she passed out. I got a frantic phone call from the airlines asking if my sister was flying, and I had to explain the situation to them. They called an ambulance and got my sister to the hospital, where she remained for a day or so until her husband came to collect her and fly her home, and even then, they kept an eye on her from the time she arrived until the time she landed. She brought in a doctor's note just in case, but they were very understanding.

Bunch of idiots.... speak to the supervisor, then speak to the supervisor's supervisor. And while you're at it, tell them that's why some people you know (like myself) don't fly their crap airlines (or any other US based airlines for the matter) outside of the USA. Just no sympathy towards customers during times of crisis, and no customer service whatsoever. No wonder why they're going bankrupt all the time.

Dumbasses.

Koffee

BeTheChange

I'm glad to hear your girlfriend will make a recovery. Peace.

Chris L

Sounds like it really wasn't meant to be this year, but there will be time for that later. I think the most important thing is that you and your girlfriend will get the chance to recover.

bac

That would be awesome, Koffee!!!!!

hi565

OMG! (this is really late) that is really horrible. The same thing happened to my cousin. He borke both his legs had to get his arm put together, has huge scars all over. We are really suprised the guy is alive. And to make thing s better he was hit by a state cop.

lotek 

Bac,

Glad to read that everyone is ok.
it truely does put one's life in perspective
when something like this happens.
Hope the recovery goes well.
Even tho your GF doesn't know who
I am, tell her Marty say's to get well soon.

Marty

Guest

Doh!

I'm really sorry to hear about this, but glad to hear you all are ok. Italy ain't going anywhere, so just make it a goal for next year.

Koffee