I had a life changing accident on my bike that resulted in 7 hours of surgery, 8 days in a hospital, 2 months in a wheelchair, and three more months on crutches and a cane. I didn't walk without aid until June and began riding again soon after.

A couple of weeks after the crash, I posted a thread here asking if anyone else had been injured in a bicycle accident in the same location. What followed was an incredible string of comments offering 1) sympathy and well wishes for recovery, 2) accusations that I was out to get rich with a lawsuit, and 3) cyber shouts that I needed to HTFU. Eventually the thread was locked down.

During my bike ride today I thought about all of those comments and decided to respond to each.

1) For those of you who offered sympathy and well wishes, I thank you. Your comments helped me through some of the darker days when it wasn't certain if I'd be able to walk again. You gave me the courage to get back on my bike and ride again.

2) For those of you who accused me of pursuing a lawsuit to get rich, I must disappoint you by saying there was no lawsuit and I never intended to pursue one.

Nevertheless, I encourage each of you to talk to someone who been paid damages for injury and ask them if they felt like they got the better deal. In my case, there's no amount of money that could ever compensate me for the arthritis, discomfort, and hip replacement surgery that I will certainly face in the coming years.

3) Finally, for those who told me to HTFU. I tried that, but it was really difficult given that I couldn't even go to the bathroom for a month without assistance. It's really hard to HTFU when you have to piss in a jar, have someone wipe your ass, and when you are tethered to a drip IV of vancomycin.

So to those who told me to HTFU ... go STFU and save your idiotic bravado for your own accident.

Big +1 on all counts.

It must have been amazing your first time back on two wheels.

Did you ride by yourself the first time back or with friends?

Nice.
What happened? I missed that thread.
Glad, nevertheless, that you're ok. Whatever it was sounds terrible from the aftereffects you mention here.
-Gene-

Sounds like you had a rough time of it for a while there. Congrats on the progress you've made thus far and for having the courage to get back on a bike.

I got banged up pretty good by a 16 year old girl driving daddy's Suburban a couple of years ago. I was driving home from work and it was a strange sensation to wake up in the ER I had just left...

There is no amount of money worth the pain and frustration, surgery, rehab I went through. Not to mention that I'm in the fast lane for knee replacement surgery at some point.

Anyone making "Get rich" accusations have no idea about what you went through or the pain you've had. Eff 'em. Keep riding. Keep getting stronger.

Thanks for posting.

Forget the nay sayers BigTea. I'm glad your recovery is where it is and you are back on the road and finding normalcy.

The long term effects suck, but there's nothing that can be done except face them as they come. I imagine you are up to the task.

Glad to hear you're getting better bigtea!

Another big +1

Many of us here think it's clever to tell everyone else what to do, how to ride, what to wear etc (myself included sometimes).... In most cases, it's no big deal, and we can all laugh it off. It's unfortunate that there are always a few that take themselves a bit too seriously and know more than anyone else, no matter how serious the subject.

Good job getting back on the bike !

Good to see you up and riding again. I have been thinking about that same thing myself (accidents) since I am new to the sport myself. Ride when you feel like it and take it one day at a time.

Congrats on getting back on the bike. Don't let those that bring the negativity make you bitter bro. Be glad for every day you have with the rubber side down and don't sweat those who want to bring you down.

Link to the original thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...rvine-CA-crash

I remember the original thread, and I have to say that it did give the impression that you were going to sue because you slipped and fell on ice. However, I'm glad to see that you are up and back on the bike.

It's good to know that the get-well wishes helped you to get thru what it sounds like a real life changing ordeal .

Glad that you're back on the saddle.

The lesson here is to not post anything if you have an accident that results in a major injury.

In fact, why post here at all??

I have to ask that question everytime I log in.

Wow bro, you've must have been through a lot. Glad to see you are back riding again and seem to have recovered pretty well.

Well Done mate.

Keep safe.

Bigtea you know how much your advice and your consideration has meant to me. Big and I share something that both of us hope that none of you have ever got to go through, we both busted our acetabulums. Big managed to do it in a much more spectacular way, I have a much simpler break and am getting through recovery much faster. For all those little punks who told you to HTFU I'll just shorten that for them and tell them FU.

Maybe Bigtea and I should start the Busta Hip tour, we'll let the guys who busted their femurs in too.

So just look for the old guy on the Colnago with the long scar poking out of the shorts.

Bigtea thanks for being there for me, it really means a lot. I'll see you out on the trail.


Jay

My dad was in a cycling accident years ago. He shattered his acetabulum and also broke his wrist and shoulder. Unfortunately he was never able to get back on the bike. Props to you.

excellent to hear of someone recovering and getting back to riding.

Congrats. And to the others who have posted about serious accidents and injuries, keep at it and keep your spirits up.

Yeah that thread was a clusterf*ck. People inferred from your first post that you were looking to sue someome (hey, maybe you were), and the whole thing turned into namecalling about lawsuits. I stayed out of that one, figured no good would come of it.

Glad to hear that you're better.

Today, a winner was announced in a raffle to raise money for a friend of mine who's been in SF since August, when he was in a terrible crash. He's been going through intensive neurological rehabilitation since, and was in a coma for quite a while. The raffle winner wins a custom Maietta frame (that lucky dog!), and it raised 14,000 toward an Air Ambulance to bring our friend back home to the east coast. Every time I think about crashes, I think of my friend still out there in SF.

Anyway. I'm glad to hear that you made (and continue to make) a recovery. I'm hoping that my buddy Gabe can make a complete one, too.

Wow, I missed this news originally, but I'm very happy to read how far you've come and that you are back on the bike! Congratulations on all the healing.

I am completely and utterly shocked pretty much every day at the number of people in this subforum who take themselves too seriously. Ugh, it is why I come around less and less. Isn't it odd how you can more or less tell from someone's posting "tone" if they are a good, decent, kind person or a total a-hole? I simply cannot believe the number of "adults" who post on the forum frequently and are cranky, bitter, self-loving/loathing idiots. I wish they'd go away and the cool, funny, kind people would stick around. There are so many people that post too often and their negative energy just turns the forum into high school, with the "cool" bullies making this an unfriendly and unhelpful place. Yeah, you ride more than me and you have a blog and you think you are god's gift to the world. I get it; you don't have to keep reminding me all the time. I try to block them out & putting them on my ignore list helps with that It just amazes me that I could share something so wonderful (a love of cycling) and yet find enthusiasts in here that I feel like I share nothing with, because they are rude and think they know everything.

Anyway...there are also a TON of great people who have provided help, advice, and encouragement, and that is why I keep coming back!

Glad to hear you are doing well, Bigtea!

I give you praise for your determination and good outcome. Can only imagine the pain, uncertainty, and "low" moments. Quite frankly, I cannot even imagine the feeling of getting back on the bike and on the road again afterwards. That in itself can be traumatizing enough.

Great to hear you're doing better bigtea. That's a hell of an experience you went through. Sorry to hear that you had so many wastes of skin give you such grief. One day they'll have hardship and they'll find others that will show no compassion to them. I feel sorry for these people.

I can imagine the emotions that went through your head during that first ride. I doubt I could have been as strong as you. For me, it would spell the end of my riding days.

You do realize that by posting the above you're simply hanging a big slab of meat out for the very wolves you try to ignore, don't you? Instead of misguided berating those who just might have the same love of cycling as you, why not try and change the tone with wonderful stories of your experiences of the wind blowing through your hair as you whisk along at 12 mph, and feeling of tears running down your cheeks as you gaze upon a beautiful sunset? Or find a forum and group of people who would better appreciate that kind of experience. Why torture yourself?

glad too hear you're doing better, and keep the faith... and the best to you on cycling again

Good questions, but there are in fact, at least as many well intended posters as there are imbeciles.

Bigtea, good to hear you are on the mend and back on a bike. Best wishes.