Guys I'm going to try to tell my story as true and honest as I can. Those of you who have been around this site or the Zone for awhile.....know me personally or have rode with me know that I'm 53 years old and have been riding since my late teens. You also know that I am a very aggressive rider (and driver, in my Harley truck) by nature. You should also know that this is my fourth motorcycle accident, over the years.
I was cruising along in the slow lane (two lanes in each direction), going to meet a friend, at about 5:00 p.m. on a Monday evening. The lane to my left was clear, with a large cargo type van about three or four car lengths ahead, in that lane. Directly in front of me was a car cruising at about 25 or 30 mph. I decideded that I was going to go around the car directly in front of me and pull back in in front of him.
I accelerate, twisiting the throttle to the stop. As I gain my center balance in the fast lane and get ready to move back over the the right hand lane.......all of a sudden brake lights.......the cargo van that was just doing about 30 mph with the flow is dead stopped......oh chittttt........I twist the trottle back from the throttle stop and get on both binders but I realize I've got way too much momentum and I'm not going to stop in time (I can remember thinking that for a split second) and I remember trying to squeeze between the two vehicles. I came to in the hospital.
I impacted the right rear corner of the van with the full left side of my body. My damages.....broken jaw, compound fracture to upper left arm, crushed pelvis, broken leg, fractured knee, compound fracture of left leg, just below the knee. I had seven sergical procedures in just under three weeks. I have zero weight bearing on my leg and my arm so my whole healing process will be very slow.
I can get out of bed and into a wheel chair by hobbling on my right foot and using my right arm. The surgeons are saying that it's going to be weeks before I can put an weight at all, on my foot or arm.
This is the fourth accident in my riding career. And at an estimated 30 mph I am more busted up than I ever was before. I've had four weeks to think about it. My wife totally supported me and said that it's my decision and that she'll not try to sway me either way. After four weeks of laying and wieighing all the considerations that I've taken into account, I've decided that I'm going to sell my bike and give up riding. Some of you may understand and some of you may not and that's allright. I will get back on the bike and ride it again, before I sell it.......just something that I have to do for myself. I may even go for acouple weekend rides with AK and some other close friends but I will be selling it. It's something I've decided that I owe to my loving wife, Babe, my daughter and my grand children.
I'll still be here on this site for quite awhile........more than ever, while I'm healing and now that I've got access (my high speed internet company has comped me the dial up service for a month).
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Topic: man down (Read 22813 times)