Topic: Construction zone not marked properely. (Read 7878 times)

03Lightningrocks · « **on:** July 21, 2015, 12:59:17 AM »

I suppose it is my turn. Last Wedsday afternoon I was headed to my daughter and sil home to have dinner and see my grand daughter. Long story short, I was in the right lane of a busy street with the left lane blocked by orange cones for construction. I was approaching my turn when the gap in the cones looked to be for the left turn lane. Wrong! The concrete was dug up from a section running across the entire lane. Twelve to eighteen inches deep and at least 3 feet wide. Just before hitting the hole I gave it gas and lifted for all I was worth. This manuever kept the front just high enough that I was able to do a small wheelie and the front wheel hit the edge enough to keep me from high siding the bike. Five thousand in damage and two fractured discs in my lower back. I am in a hell of a lot of pain. I won't take opiate pain relievers. They had me on those for enough years that I became an addict. Never again so I am on prescription alieve.

As a small consulation, I watched the first cop car on the scene damn near drive into the same booby trap. Then the ambulance tried to drive into the trench.

GregKhougaz · « **Reply #1 on:** July 21, 2015, 01:51:27 AM »

Sorry this happened to you. Thankfully, it was not worse. Good luck with the recovery.

CircleRacer · « **Reply #2 on:** July 21, 2015, 05:43:21 AM »

Sorry for the construction zone that was marked very bad. I wish you a very fast recovery!!

D-N-D · « **Reply #3 on:** July 21, 2015, 05:50:32 AM »

Wow !! Hang in there wish you a speedy recovery.

kiro · « **Reply #4 on:** July 21, 2015, 07:18:37 AM »

Quote

I watched the first cop car on the scene damn near drive into the same booby trap. Then the ambulance tried to drive into the trench

Unfortunately this is about the same everywhere when riding nowadays - there is nowhere one can ride without running into road construction. And it's definitely let the driver beware when it comes to excavations, sand/rocks/oil on the roadway and reconfigured lane changes while work is underway. I think one of the worst conditions is the uneven lanes when they are paving the highway - seen this often of late. That two-inch step up between lanes is a killer on a bike when running parallel and having to change lanes.

Hope you make a full and speedy recovery...

JCZ · « **Reply #5 on:** July 21, 2015, 08:11:43 AM »

I'm sorry to hear about your accident. I pray you have a complete recovery.

Know all to well about prescription addiction. You have Dr. telling you that you'll not g due to the amount of pain your in and others telling you "just take it as prescribed". Yea, right......and in just a few days you're physically addicted and don't even know it until you start to back off the meds. There is a huge price to pay once that happens.

Chains · « **Reply #6 on:** July 21, 2015, 08:53:08 AM »

Sorry to here about your accident. Hope you have a full and fast recovery. Appears construction zone was not properly marked.

screaminCVO · « **Reply #7 on:** July 21, 2015, 02:34:17 PM »

Sad to hear - hopefully your compensated for it all, if there is enough to compensate anything to do with your back.

RonandJanet · « **Reply #8 on:** July 21, 2015, 02:58:27 PM »

Sorry to hear about the accident. I wish you a speedy recover and hopefully your bike is repaired right too! Hang in there trying to avoid the pain killers. That can be tough!

backroad Mike · « **Reply #9 on:** July 21, 2015, 06:22:58 PM »

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hope you have a successful recovery.

Now, about the work zone. Hopefully someone was taking pictures and might just possibly have photographic evidence of the improper work zone configuration. Having worked in the work zones for many years, the contractor is typically responsible for ensuring proper set up and maintenance during the work. Did the responding police officer happen to write down anything about the configuration of the traffic control items. When we have wrecks in the work zone, the first question I ask the officer is if the accident was work zone related. It makes a big difference. Even if they were partially at fault, a good lawyer can shred them if the traffic control items were improperly spaced, marked or maintained. Good luck.

RGlideKid · « **Reply #10 on:** July 21, 2015, 07:45:17 PM »

Quote from: backroad Mike on July 21, 2015, 06:22:58 PM

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hope you have a successful recovery.

Now, about the work zone. Hopefully someone was taking pictures and might just possibly have photographic evidence of the improper work zone configuration. Having worked in the work zones for many years, the contractor is typically responsible for ensuring proper set up and maintenance during the work. Did the responding police officer happen to write down anything about the configuration of the traffic control items. When we have wrecks in the work zone, the first question I ask the officer is if the accident was work zone related. It makes a big difference. Even if they were partially at fault, a good lawyer can shred them if the traffic control items were improperly spaced, marked or maintained. Good luck.

I'm not one to be litigation prone, but Mike has a good point, and with the right lawyer, it sounds like you could "shred" them! And if was happened was their fault, then I think you should "shred" them. Massively.

Praying for a full recovery for you, buddy!

03Lightningrocks · « **Reply #11 on:** July 22, 2015, 08:11:23 PM »

Went to the Dr. yesterday. Unfortunately, there is not much they can do for fractured discs at the spot mine are fractured. They tell me to take it easy, ice it down and wait it out.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I almost didn't post it up but figured it might help someone else to avoid a similar thing.

The worse part to me is having mmy Harley down. The darned insurance adjuster is just now going by Harley to asses the damage. Good night nurse!!! I am not looking forward to the whole repair situation. I hope they simply approve fixing it properely rather than trying to nickle and dime it to death.

RGlideKid · « **Reply #12 on:** July 22, 2015, 09:19:14 PM »

The bike can be fixed a lot easier and more cheaply than you can, brother. I'm glad you weren't hurt worse. Hang tough. It'll all work out for you. I had a bad accident once, and it didn't seem like the trauma would ever end, bike-wise or physical-wise, but it does and things get better. And you'll be a stronger person for it.

03Lightningrocks · « **Reply #13 on:** July 23, 2015, 12:05:35 PM »

Not to start a helmet war but I am glad I was wearing one. I have been known to "ride naked" on occasion. The gash in my helmet would have been a gash in my head. I have no idea what my head hit. My body was bounced into the air and I llanded on the gas tank. I am thinking i scraped the mirror or something.

03Lightningrocks · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2015, 12:06:40 PM »

Streetglide1 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 10, 2015, 03:14:29 PM »

Quote from: 03Lightningrocks on July 23, 2015, 12:05:35 PM

Not to start a helmet war but I am glad I was wearing one. I have been known to "ride naked" on occasion. The gash in my helmet would have been a gash in my head. I have no idea what my head hit. My body was bounced into the air and I llanded on the gas tank. I am thinking i scraped the mirror or something.

Helmets are a good thing...get well soon Bro!

Pita · « **Reply #16 on:** August 14, 2015, 07:05:35 PM »

Glad you brought up the helmet--I posted about helmets and deaths in Sturgis--80% of deaths were individuals not wearing a helmet. (See other thread) Had helmets been worn, the death toll would have been reduced.

We all believe it won't happen to us (accident), but all it takes is one incident to change your life and those that care about you and love you as well. A helmet is more likely to save your life, then end your life.

Glad you survived and thanks for sharing.

03Lightningrocks · « **Reply #17 on:** September 24, 2015, 11:39:25 PM »

My bike has been back from the shop now for a couple weeks and I am riding again but MRI was done Weds. morning. Found out today There is possible damage at the top end of my spine. I had fractured two lower disks. I cannot recall the number order of them. Todays wonderful news is possible damage (herniated with bulging) from the impact of jamming my whole spine upwards. Tuesday they will see if I might be a candidate for steroid injections but being don that road five years ago I am not real optimistic. I can feel tingling in my whole right arm. Feels like it falls asleep if I sit or lay a certain way. It hurts like heck after I ride but riding is my way of freeing my mind. I don't care how bad it hurts.

My main reason for posting this is to point out that even when we think we didn't get hurt bad, we might have been injured more than we realize. I really thought I got away with two fractured lower disks and that would be it. I don't do opoid pain relievers so I am not sure where this is going.

gpopvet · « **Reply #18 on:** October 04, 2015, 07:04:47 AM »

Get well soon we never realize all the consequences but the rewards seem to outnumber them.

03Lightningrocks · « **Reply #19 on:** October 09, 2015, 03:27:56 PM »

Quote from: gpopvet on October 04, 2015, 07:04:47 AM

Get well soon we never realize all the consequences but the rewards seem to outnumber them.

Ain't that the truth. They have me scheduled to do steroid injections in my spine. This seems familiar from the first time I had back surgery. Go through everything possible before the knife. I am game. I hated that surgery. It was awful. They lied their asses off about how it was no big deal. Then I wake up and spend two weeks eating from a straw. Hint. For those that have avoided this one. When they fuse disks together in your neck area, they go in from the front after pulling all your throat parts out of the way. That was a video they forgot to show before the surgery.

I am still riding even though it hurts like the dickins after a hour or so. Riding my bike is how I clear my head so I don't blow a vessel or something. It is crazy how every problem you have will seem to go away while riding.

Truth is, I am darned lucky it was not much worse. I was getting a bit over confident anyway. I think of it as a wake up call. I pay a heck of a lot more attention while riding now than I was when that happened.

Author Topic: Construction zone not marked properely. (Read 7878 times)