Tuesday afternoon I braked too fast going down Sackville St. and flew over the handlebars of bike, landing gracefully on my face. Thank you to everyone who came running; collectively you helped scrap me off the pavement, called my mom+paramedics, cleaned me up and drove me to ER.
At one point there were 2 girls with first aid kits around me. Big thanks to the owner of the Plum for looking after my bike. I’m so grateful to you all. I’m truly glad to live in this city with such wonderful people. —City cyclin’ girl
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.
o.p., you are lucky you weren’t killed. now how about someone telling me all about the health benifits of bike riding again. at least in a car, you have metal all around you, to protect things like you head.
That metal, LS, is also capable of trapping one inside the car. Add flames to the accident scene and I think I’d rather be on my bicycle or motorcycle. Glad to hear you’re ok OP.
very unlikely in a small ding like this was. but it still is a lot more protection, than shreding yourself on a fucking sidewalk or city street.
umm thank god you’re ok and too bad about your accident, however this isn’t a bitch it’s a love 🙂
Yeah, lots and lots of people die or are horribly maimed in bicycle accidents every year. Bikes are extraordinarily dangerous and we should especially Protect the Children by stopping anyone under 18 from riding one of those death machines. I never hear about anyone dying in a car. We should push legislation for the age of driver’s licenses to be dropped to 12 because cars and all that metal are safer than bikes.
don’t you just love people who are right, sheesh.
Why is it that the people who do the Nude Bike Thing are usually the very last people you want to see doing the Nude Bike Thing? As Stewie would put it: “Too many dudes, Brian. Too many dudes.”
nude bike riding=bad naked and sometimes a stinky seat
I just know it’s getting bad when you can’t even SEE the seat…
*shudder*
it just looks like they’re a person melded to a bicycle kinda like a mechanical centaur.
Hey, I was there, first to get to you. I seen it all happen. I’m glad you are ok, it looked really bad. Thank god no one was driving on that side of the road! And that you were wearing a helmet. I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently people came to help, local patrons, motorists etc.. within seconds you had several people helping including administering first aid & calling for help. I was impressed. I’m thankful people were around and that it happened in a populated area, I can’t help but to think I wouldn’t have been much to help as I don’t know the first thing about first aid, had no phone etc….
Anyway I’m glad to hear you’re Ok!
Thanks so much grev. I’m pretty near fine; some road rash and fast fading bruises, 11 stitches in my chin (it was my chin that caught everything, the helmet didn’t even get touched), some chipped teeth (now fixed) and a fractured jaw. i didn’t need to get it wired shut, so its just healing by itself for now.
I’m not on any painkillers and feel fine. Besides my little stitch beard and the fact that the right side of my face is a bit puffy, I like to think that I look fine too… most people don’t notice. I am really lucky that I didn’t break my wrists/collar bone, but I think saying that I almost died is a bit melodramatic. This is a Love thanking all the lovely people who helped me, not another reason to be against cycling. I’m going to keep biking- safely, probably with gloves from now on, and I want to encourage anyone else who reads this to do the same.
chipped teeth, 11 stitches, and a fractured jaw…
geez gal, that’s one messed up wipeout!
take care and slow down a tad…
well, it’s good to hear you’re doing well.
maybe not a near death thing, but I think it only would’ve taken a few bad turns to make it a lot worse…..if somehow you hit the back of your head, hit you head on a curb, or a car to be going by or turning out the the intersection. It was a pretty high speed spill! It’s scary to see how quickly things can happen, but good to know there are so many helpful people!
Oddly I had a very similar accident when I was a kid. Although I know as kids we’re a little more resilient. I was speeding down the hill, lost control and went over the bars…..face first…….along with some gashes and bruises…..my tooth got pierced straight through my lip……..covered in blood head to toe…….luckily a motorist stopped and helped, took me home……my mom seen me coming covered in blood, she thought I had died………she was crying, in hysterics…….we still talk about that day. Luckily I, like yourself, was okay.
Secondly I’ve been getting ready to get my bike back on the road, thinking of the idea of not wearing a helmet, because I’d “look funny” but now after seeing that, I’ll be putting my self-cautiousness aside and wearing a damn helmet.
you got off lucky op, the most common bones broken in a bike crash are the collar bone and elbows…glad you’re alive. citizens: wear your brain buckets
collar bone? really? I would have though wrists and elbows in trying to stop the initial tumble. people have to learn how to fall…
I can remember jumping off a wall 10 feet or so onto a tiled gymnasium floor, landing (luckily) flat on my back.
I landed so flat it was like falling on a bed. very weird feeling…
but never forgot how important it is to stick the landings.
well zZz, usually when i crash i smash me noggin, so…what was i talking about?
usually when you crash? … says “paingirl”…..
perhaps you should be wrapping yourself in bubble-paper before going for a jaunt out on the open roads.
where’s the fun in that, scars are sexy. rawk
My boyfriend got pushed off a three story building back when he was like 10, ended up shattering his collar bone which didn’t heal properly… It tends to pop out of place every now in then
one of the boys broke his collar bone a few moons ago, it healed but it’s a bit wonky
awww man… all the cool kids are doing it… quick, someone break my collar bone!
and make it look painful.
🙂
i think lifey’s new avatar is enough pain for one day
Hey zZz, I’ll break your collar bone :p