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It finally happened to me (CRASH)

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    It finally happened to me (CRASH)

    I had mapped out a 3-4 hour ride yesterday into the wooded hills of western IA but only made it about 30 miles one way. As I was coming in to Denison past their nice golf course a pickup truck pulled out of their parking lot on my left and offered me very few options to avoid a collision. The speed limit there is 45 and I was doing right at that as I had just checked my speed in response to the sign. I hit my brakes but was carrying too much speed to be able to do anything to avoid him but aim off the right side of the road. At about that time my front tire locked and I fell over to the right, sliding on my right side to the edge of the road where I think I went airborn as the ditch is pretty steep there. After bouncing and rolling for what seemed like a ridiculously long time I came to rest on my back and thought I would just stay there for a minute and take inventory. People rushed over from the golf course and were all telling me not to move and that they had called 911 and there was a doctor there who had been playing golf. I told them I didn't think that I had any serious injuries but they wouldn't let me get up and then the ambulance was there and they were putting a collar on me and strapping me to a back board and I figured it was probably best to just let them do their thing.
    They took me to the emergency room where the nurse on duty told me that she rides, too but never wears a helmet- seems she has seen too many people that are all mangled up and only survive because they were wearing a helmet. Sounded like a pretty good endorsement of helmets to me rather than a condemnation but you know her brain may have been rattled loose by V twin thunder. She also made it a point to be sure I knew that she and her hubby go to Sturgis every year. Whoopee.
    To make a long story short I seem to have jammed my left thumb (not sure how) and got a spot of road rash on my right elbow (again not sure how since my jacket and armor seem to be intact there) and have a swollen and bruised right hip where I hit the pavement pretty hard. My new white HJC CL-15 has the shield missing and pretty good rash on the forehead and right side. I'm sure it fared better than my scalp/face would have under the same circumstances. The toe of my right boot is worn down a bit; the knee of my River Road mesh pants held up surprisingly well and the Alpinestars leg armor under those kept my lower legs and knees from being injured in any way. First Gear gloves have the carbon fiber knuckles of the right one worn nearly through and that's really the extent of damage to the gear and body.
    On to the bike: by the time I got out of the emergency room and my fiance came to pick me up they had towed my bike to a local shop. I was able to see it and it appeared that the only damage was to the Vetter fairing and Vetter hard bag on the right side and the case guard on that side had rash on it but didn't really even appear to be bent. I'm sure a closer examination will reveal more but I haven't gotten the bike back yet as I am taking it easy today. My camera is actually in one of my saddlebags so no pic's but I'll try to get some when I get it back.
    It's kind of ironic that my mission this year so far has been to make my self more visible; in addition to the white helmet I was wearing a hi-vis yellow mesh vest over my jacket but I guess none of it helps if the cager doesn't look your way. It was a situation where I didn't make the assumption that he hadn't seen me and was going to pull out at the last instant and I definately should have. I'll certainly be trying to avoid that error in the future! He was cited for failure to yield so I suppose I'm going to wind up fighting his insurance company for all the medical costs and damages.
    All in all I feel extremely lucky and thankful that I have adopted the ATGATT attitude as I'm sure this saved me from a lot of pain and suffering.
    Oh, I almost forgot; when we went back to the scene it looked like I left a skid mark about 20 ft long with my tire and then the bike left scrape marks about another 40 ft down the road before it went off the side. These distances surprised me as I would have thought the whole thing happened in the span of about 20 ft but I guess at 45 mph you go more than 20 ft before you can even reach your brake lever if you don't already have it covered. Kind of gives me a new appreciation for just how dangerous it all is.

    #2
    Glad you didn't get hurt too badly. So did the guy in the truck stay at the scene?

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      #3
      Originally posted by Billy Ricks View Post
      Glad you didn't get hurt too badly. So did the guy in the truck stay at the scene?
      I don't really know where he was. The cop I talked to said that he said he didn't see me so they must have talked to him at the scene. There were a bunch of witnesses on the golf course; one of them even called me last night to see how I was doing.

      Comment


        #4
        Sorry to hear of your incident but happy to hear you are well. Give yourself some time to heal but get back on that horse and ride as soon as you are able.

        Hopefully that is your one and only get off for this year and you'll enjoy a pleasant summer.

        cheers,
        Spyug

        Comment


          #5
          glad you were attgatt. This post is really pushing me over to get some legs protection. I ride with jeans, and I feel unsafe at that.

          Glad to hear you are okay. Take it easy the next couple and get better.

          Comment


            #6
            Cortech makes some nice jeans with leather in the hip and butt area and armor for the knees and upper shins.

            Comment


              #7
              Thanks for the details.

              You came out pretty good. Maybe so good you could have refused the ambulance ride and emergency room, and saved some $$$.
              Thanks for writing detailed descriptions about how well your riding gear held up. It's going to help the rest of us make decisions.
              I rode by a golf course Sunday morning, same thing could have happened to me.
              1982 GS1100G- road bike
              1990 GSX750F-(1127cc '92 GSXR engine)
              1987 Honda CBR600F Hurricane

              Comment


                #8
                Glad you're okay. I too ride in jeans, guess I'll go shopping for armored pants.

                Personnally, I tend to stay away from golf courses, avoiding my boss
                McLoud
                '79 GS850
                `98 GSF1200 Bandit
                sigpic
                http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...php?groupid=13

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                  #9
                  Your going to be real sore tomorrow so just take it easy. Did your nurse see your helmet ? Tipical HD rider. Get your bike out of impound as soon as possible - those fees will kill you

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                    #10
                    sorry to hear you bit it man.

                    us iowans gotta stick together. hope you get back to 100% real soon, weather is getting nicer every day and we gotta do some midwest riding here real soon.

                    if you need anything at all, just let me know!!! Im not too far away to help out you know.

                    -Nate

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                      #11
                      OMG thats my worst fear! i am glad you came out ok/good and hate to sound this way but, if theres witnessess and other people who seen this accident then you should fill out a police report and pursue him in court. the laws are pretty favorable when motorcycles are concerned. what options did he give you? none thats what! at least get him to pay for your medical bills and to get the scoot fixed. thank god your alive. get well soon and send me your helmet and i will get it painted up like new for free. cliff

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by maro View Post
                        glad you were attgatt. This post is really pushing me over to get some legs protection. I ride with jeans, and I feel unsafe at that.
                        Originally posted by mcloud View Post
                        Glad you're okay. I too ride in jeans, guess I'll go shopping for armored pants.
                        I was wearing these from NewEnough:

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by IOWA450T View Post
                          I don't really know where he was. The cop I talked to said that he said he didn't see me so they must have talked to him at the scene. There were a bunch of witnesses on the golf course; one of them even called me last night to see how I was doing.

                          Are you sure that the person that called was one of the "witnesses"?
                          No offense to lawyers and insurance company types, but they are not always the most scrupulous of people. A recorded phone conversation with someone in which you said you felt "perfectly fine", or "great", could come back to haunt you if developed medical problems down the road as a result of your accident, and needed the other guy's insurance to pay for your care. Don't mean to sound paranoid, or make you feel worse than you already do, but I speak from experience. Hope you feel better soon, and hope your bike's not too badly damaged.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by IOWA450T View Post
                            I was wearing these from NewEnough:

                            I just ordered a set. Thanks for sharing your experience

                            I am relieved that you managed to escape more serious harm. It is remarkable how much damage to our bodies can be prevented with just a little bit of gear.
                            Believe in truth. To abandon fact is to abandon freedom.

                            Nature bats last.

                            80 GS850G / 2010 Yamaha Majesty / 81 GS850G

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Wow, imagine that......a doctor at a golf course

                              Smart move to wear the gear. I am not so smart. Thanks for the hard lesson.

                              Glad your still in one piece.
                              82 1100 EZ (red)

                              "You co-opting words of KV only thickens the scent of your BS. A thief and a putter-on of airs most foul. " JEEPRUSTY

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