Jim and I were in an accident while on a ride in Asheville. We were leading a ride of just 2 other couples heading to dinner in Spruce Pines on August 23rd when an adult black bear decided to come down the mountain at the moment we were riding past. Thank God Jim saw him as he hit the blacktop, but unfortunately we could not avoid impact. Jim was at least able to hit the brakes in time to avoid having the bear tbone us. Instead we t-bones the black bear.
I was discharged from the hospital after receiving 40 stitches/staples around and below my knee, broken bone in one hand, trauma to the other and a town rotator cuff.
Jim ended up with 6 broken ribs, punctured lung and after 5 days was told he also broke his fibula and required surgery on his ankle the night before he was to be released. This past Thursday he was to come home but they decided the night before that he needed to have a chest tube put in to drain a liter of blood out of his chest.
We will definitely heal and be back on a bike before the end of the year. Unfortunately we just received news last night that the bike is officially totaled and we are both just heartbroken.
I know my guardian angel, Mikey Tee, was with us that evening as not many people can recover from such an accident. Please say some prayers that we are completely healed and back on a bike as soon as possible.
Donna and Jim Witt