bike accident stories

my story is similar to yours but it was while mountain biking. We took the family to a mountain bike festival @ Jiminy Peak (western MA) several years ago. It was October and we were camping (never again). But anyhow, we head off on a group ride and there are a lot of beginners in the group. Now I had been riding for a while and could hold my own, but someone in front of me came to a sudden stop, and the person on my left fell over onto me, and over I went to my right. I landed on the pedal of the bike next to me. On my BUTT is a scar in the shape of that pedal. It was one of those huge, metal, cleated mtn bike pedals and it was deep.

The guys at the LBS wanted a polaroid but I had to decline.

OH my gosh. I love both of those stories....and wrybosome I did the same thing at an intersection. Alas, I didn't take anyone out, but I was trying to look too cool for school and did the TIIIIIMMMMBERRRRRRR in front of a quite a bit of traffic b/c I forgot to clip out....sigh. I am *such* a dork.

My mtn bike stories aren't quite as tragic...I'm giggling thinking about that scar....if you're ever in any kind of tragedy where they need to id your body, can you picture it? "Ummmm, yeah, she has a scar the shape of a bike pedal on her ass..." I'm sorry..very macabre, but I can't help laughing.

Anywho, I made the mistake of going on a second date mtn biking with this guy and his buddies one afternoon. Like a dork I had a super intense weight lifting workout that morning (I was trying that super slo weight lifting program) which did me in so by the time I got on the bike that afternoon I was super wobbly...to make matters worse, they were all pretty hard core gear heads with little to *no* sense of humor about anything at all and could tell they resented the hell out of me for being dragged along. So I'm huffing and puffing behind them...not very ladylike, but holding my own. Well, at one point we're hitting some technical single track stuff and he's in front of me and rounds a corner. I cut a turn too sharp and fly ass over handlebars off the trail. Blood everywhere...my calf, my knee, my elbow..I even think I cut my boob thru my bike shirt...by this time I'm so exhausted that I just start laughing hysterically. He comes back around the corner and you can just see the look on his face..."uhhhh, yeaaaaaah" he's thinking.

He couldn't get away from my bloody, muddy scraped up calves and elbows fast enough when we got down off the mtn.

I wasn't able to wear a skirt to work or short sleeves for a couple weeks after that.....

Sigh....

nt

I tried some new cleats last year and adjusted the pedals to the tension that I thought was great. After about a 25 mile ride, we came to a light and I need to unclip and couldn't get out and fell over. As in most cases, it was in super slow motion, OOOOOHHHH NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Crash! And there I was in the middle of the street with my feet up in the air with a bright yellow Kestrel Talon straight up in the air over me. I looked like a turtle upside down on its shell. Just have to laugh at yourself and show up for the next ride.

Just last September I was riding with a group on the road when I hit a huge rock, swerved out of the line when I realized I was out of control and slammed down on one side. Paramedics checked me out & when I decided not to go to the hospital the group (mostly guys) blew me a kiss and rode off. Not two minutes later, a car drove into the back end of their line, sending 3 of the guys to the hospital. We changed the whole route for the Saturday ride after that. Sounds depressing and believe me, it was. But on the bright side, my bike only broke a spoke and has a few scars like I do, and all the guys involved in the car are all okay now. Besides that, the rock I ran into got completely split in two (worse off than me!)

Sharon

While hearing these stories are worth a laugh or two and the comfort in knowing that we all have our less than graceful moments it's also pause for how fortunate we are as well.

Road riding can at times be a dangerous endeavor as we're at the mercy of the 1-2 tons of fast-moving steel who we share the road with. I've read and heard one too many stories of accidents and tragedies and lives forever altered.

As we're out there, please always remember to think smart, keep your eyes and ears open and please, please, please always wear your bike helmet.

nancy

Well, my story has to do with Mountain biking. I am a little crazy on my Mt. Bike, I always like to see how fast I can go, or how much airtime I can get. Well this particular event was coming down a steep dirt road that levels out flat at a cattle grade, then gets steep again. Me in my infinite wisdom decided to see how fast I could hit that and see how far down the road I would land. So I peddled up the road for a mile or so.. to get some really good speed. Keep in mind that I weigh 225-230 and that can build some serious momentum! So I sit at the top, take a breath and I am off!!!! I didn’t have to peddle for to long because my weight took over and just before the cattle grade I look down at my brand spanking new computer to look at my speed, 54mph! WEEEEEHAAAAAAA I was going to catch some mean air, sept when I hit the cattle grade I got a pinch flat when I hit that first metal bar and I had a not so good feeling in my belly while flying threw the air. Let’s just say the landing was a bit messy! I slid for about 50 feet getting all kinds of roadrash and trashing my bike! That was a $500 dollar mistake! But do I ever learn? NO!!! lol!

This one ranks pretty high for both embarrassment and pain. I was doing the Great Tasmanian Bike Ride with 1500 of my closest friends. I was on a heavy hybrid because I was carrying my 40lb (~17k) toddler in a seat on the back. We were in a mountainous area on the east coast of Tassie and I'd just spent the last few hours climbing the biggest mountain of the entire ride. We got to the top and the view was absolutely gorgeous. I decided to turn off onto a little side road to get a better look, and as I turned I got bogged down in some gravel. Ordinarily I think I could have powered out of it, but with Lead Butt Jr. on the back there was no way. We went right over into the gravel and I took the full weight on my elbow and knee. Then, to add insult to injury, everyone came rushing over, took the panicked little guy out of his seat and held and comforted him and gave him M&Ms, while I lay there unable even to get the bike off myself, bleeding quietly in the dirt, trying in vain to get someone's attention. Finally someone noticed me and dragged me from the wreckage. Not even a good scar, just one of those kid-style scattershot ones where they had to clean it with a pair of tweezers. Yowzah.

Mine happened a few years back in So. Utah. I was riding some red rock with my brother-in-law, and he leant me one of his expensive mountain bikes. We were riding along on a cliff next to dry river bed, it was about 25 feet down. I was playing catch up all day, I was mashing hard. It all happened realy fast, all I remember was that I was smashing the pedals hard and the chain broke. When it broke it made me lose control, and it did help that the red rock is slick. Next thing I know I'm fyling off this cliff. I ended up with a slight concussion, and really sore feet. I had to walk this bike back 5 miles back to the truck. The bike was fine, it landed in the sandy part of the river bed, whereas I landed in the only rocky part of the river bed. There was some people (girls) hiking (nude sun bathing) near by that said they saw the whole thing happened. They said I looked like Superman! My brother-in-law was more concerned about his bike than me. That's my story.

Well, folks, your stories have cheered me considerably! I'm thinking about having my taco shaped back wheel mounted on my wall for decoration!

This is really my first bike accident with damage, although I did have one very embarrasing moment while doing an MS Ride down in Santa Cruz area. It's a bit of a hilly (ah-hum) area and as I was desperately trying to make it up this hill and just about to resort to switchbacking, this car began to ascend the hill, but somehow I just lost all momentum. I was standing there, in the saddle, perfectly motionless for about 5 seconds, and then, PLUNK! I just toppled over (gracelessly) as three VERY ripped guys came along on there bikes to watch my swan dive.

Hmmm. Why can't we do the embarrassing things when we are by ourselves?

Dana

When I was 23 I was so strong on the bike it was obsene. One day while riding home from university I crashed. Not sure what happened. Something to do with a minivan and a pot hole. I had a mild concusion.
A month later I was riding the road bike with a tail wind I was flying holding about 50km/h for a long time. I flew threw the down town of this one stop light town. I was passing a parked car. I was flying. I saw the door open slighly. I thought I was passed it. I wanted to swerve around it but there was a big pickup truck on my shoulder and befor I new it the door was in front of me. The door came off the Honada Accord. I had a huge bruse from my shoulder to my elbow and it still hurts sometimes. I didn't fall off my bike but the impact and the shake really screwed me up.
Then, after some time off, I did a total face plant in a mountain bike race. I had a mouthfull of pine needles and the stem broke on my bike. I didn't finish the race.
That was my last year of really going for it. The last year that I was really able to ride with anyone. It made me rethink my choice of making cycling my life. I still do it though. I just weight 20-25 pounds more and train half as much. I never go fast in the city and I don't hesitat to slow down for safety even if it costs me the race.

omg, these stories are great. Here's one that I felt lucky to walk away from: When I was 15 we lived in a house about two blocks from the bottom of a big hill. It was a quiet residential neighborhood and I was in the habit of flying full steam down the hill and coasting to my house. Now there was a 4 way stop right at the bottom of the hill, but you could see around the bushes whether there was a car coming on the cross road. Unless it was a Camaro, apparently. One night this Camaro comes and makes a left directly into my path as I'm screaming down the hill at ~35 mph. I get about 1.5 secs to react. By react I mean thinking to myself, "Oh dear, I think I'm going to hit." I hit the front end of that car dead on and the thing was so low that I flew through the air, my momentum now converted into spin... 1 1/2 somersaults. I've always wanted to do a somersault, but this wasn't what I had in mind. Somehow I landed flat on my back like a chubby pancake, my arm outstretched and the bike (smashed) still in one hand. I scared the CRAP out of the driver. It must have been like being hit by a meteorite. Best part was, it turned out he was in my math class but I was so stunned that I didn't realize it until the next day. I still can't believe I didn't get hurt in that.

*knocks some wood*

That one's so good I have to add my best childhood wipeout. I was in the habit of chasing the big kids around the neighborhood on my kiddy bike (one gear, banana seat, orange safety flag - the Humiliation Mobile). It was a really hot day, so hot the asphalt was melting and the heat was rising off the road in waves, and I'm right there with the pack tearing around the neighborhood, when we come to this very tight corner and I decide to cut the inside to gain some ground. It was this total dirt bike move, leaning out so low my knee was almost touching the ground, but I was in there! I was so psyched! Then my wheels went out from under me somehow and the last thing I remember was the kid behind me shrieking. When I woke up my dad was carrying me at a dead sprint to the car for a high speed trip to the ER. It was not the first time. Afterward Dad pounded my bike back into shape with a rubber mallet and sent me on my merry way. It never occurred to anyone to make me wear a helmet. Those were the days, my friends.

Carrie

Edited by CLLinIA 2004-01-28 5:16 PM

I don't think there was such a thing as a bike helmet when I was a kid. I just upgraded to a swept back aerodynamic thing so I can be cool like everyone else, but up until this fall I had a big, white styrofoam helmet from the 80s. Looked like a mushroom on my head. I need to get a pic of that...

When I was a kid we were jumping ramps on our bikes. We then decided it would be cool to jump over boxes. I went first. I got up to my max speed and hit the ramp. I'm in the air and realize the boxes are too high and my front tire lands in the box. No big deal right, well my momentum took the back of the bike over the top of me and I basically did a somersault on my bike! I didn't get hurt, but we lowered the boxes:-)

I forgot about being a kid........when I was in 3rd grade my brothers and I built a bicycle ramp. That in itself isn't bad, but the fact that brotherly pressure is the worst kind of peer pressure for me, is bad. Both of my other brothers jumped the ramp. I made my attempt but apparently didn't pull my front wheel up enough. The front wheel hit first and I woke up with a compound break on my right fore arm.

I had the same mistake when I was moutain biking with a friend (my first time in the woods). There was a very steep ~60 degree decline that lead into a shallow 6' wide creek. I didn't pull up and didn't let go. I ended up entangled in my moutain bike with my feet still toe clipped in. I had cuts on my face and gravel scratch marks across my glasses(I have had surgery since then and don't need glasses). I had a cut on my knee deep enough to see small fat nodules. Nothing needed more first aid than some steri-strips except for my ego. Mountain biking can hurt if you don't know what you are doing......and you are to ignorant to know your limitations.

Since working on the tri thing I have only had 2 bicycle accidents...both of them due to not having enough torque to start on a hill and falling over with my feet still clipped in. I have had one close call with some dogs, but unclipping my shoe and kicking them have seemed to work pretty well so far. Other than that only a few sore muscles.

The only accident I have had on a bicycle came when I was a kid. A few of us were biking the hills in Cobbs Hill park and headed home. We just started going under a railroad bridge and I had a lot of speed going. The bike slid out from under me. The bike skidded about 10 feet and I did about 20. I had some road rash but nothing broken.
This one happened to my sister in law. She is developementally delayed. They were at their families cottage and there is this huge hill. Her cousin dared her to ride her bike down it as fast as she can. Well she did it and forgot to put on her brakes she ended up slamming into the side of a cargo van. They say she put a big old dent into it but she was not seriously hurt just bruised up. Every time we are at the cottage that incident always gets brought up.

I've had so many accidents that I don't know where to start....

Age 5, going down a hill in front of my house in Atlanta on my sisters too big for me bike. It was one of those girls’ bikes without the top tube, which is the only way I could ride it because I couldn't reach the pedals from the seat. The handlebars start to wobble out of control and suddenly I’m on the ground. I had a cut over my right eyebrow but was otherwise just stunned. My father took me to Crawford Long hospital's ER and there was talk of stitches but I came out with just a bandage.

Age 13, I had one of those banana seat minibikes and was riding to school. There was a steep short downhill that led to a short flat. I went down the hill fast and was just on the flat when I suddenly went over the handlebars. I ended up on my back on the road feet forward with the bike just behind me and still in both hands. The momentum caused me to take the bike and throw it over me and down the road about 20 to 30 feet. I had some minor scrapes. A car that was just behind me stopped to help me and took me home where I changed and rode back to school. My parents believe that the car behind me may have bumped me, I'll never know.

I didn't get into serious road riding until many years later and had one of those fall over at a stop light in front of a car full of teenagers because I couldn't get out of my toe straps. But I then went for several thousand miles of riding without a major or minor incident except for a broken little finger. I had just finished a 50 mile ride and came up into my driveway. I slowed and leaned against my van with my left hand but my little finger was bent backwards and cracked. I never took it to the doctor but it hurt for several weeks.

In 1996 I bought a mountain bike, which now seems like getting permission to hurt yourself. My first ride on a trail had me going down a steep hill on a gas line “right of way” just behind my house. I started up the next hill going pretty fast and saw that I was about to run into a small berm (little dirt bump). I didn’t know how to hop so I just drove straight into it and went over the handlebars with a face and rib plant. The ribs hurt for a couple of weeks and I may have had a cracked rib. About a year or so later I was riding the mountain bike on the shoulder of a major road about 20 feet from the edge of the road. A new gas line had just been installed alongside the road and had been put in by a trencher that cuts a 2 to 3 foot deep trench about 4 inches wide. They then unroll the gas pipe into the hole and pack dirt back down in it. Well the dirt had been poorly packed and had caved in several places along the line. I was riding parallel to the line and decided to cross over to the other side. I saw a solid top and crossed at a shallow angle. The solid top was undermined and collapsed sending my wheel into the trench and I did a helmet plant into the trench. My helmet was split almost completely in half and I was stunned and lay on the ground for a minute or so. As I was getting up I saw that someone had stopped on the road and they asked me if I needed help, I declined and rode home.

I started triathlon training last March and had to rejuvenate my road bike, which had been neglected for several years. I used this bike in my first triathlon (Emerald Coast Sprint) in late April. I had another sprint scheduled for the next weekend (John Tanner) and went for a ride on Wednesday just days before the event. My front wheel was making a noise, which I couldn’t decipher so I pulled into a parking lot and started to ride in circles so I could observe the wheel. I couldn’t figure it out so I decided to abort the ride and go home. I picked up speed and headed for the exit. I was still watching the wheel. I decided to look up and see if there was any traffic and saw that I was not headed for the exit but was about 3 feet from a curb and my only reaction was to clamp down on the handlebars. I didn’t have time to think to bunny hop the curb because I was going about 15mph. I hit the curb and went over the bars and ended up with a minor calf scrap. But when I picked up my bike the front wheel wouldn’t turn. The top tube and the down tube were both bent slightly near the headset causing the front wheel to lock against the frame. I called home on my cell and my daughter brought the SUV to pick me up. The front wheel was still pumped and true and ready to ride. I ended up with a new bike, a Fuji Newest, which I found and purchased in 2 days and rode at John Tanner to my best sprint bike split of the season. I've already had a couple of minor fall overs with my new bike due to being clipped in too tight in one case and not reacting quickly enough in another.

Believe it or not I am safe to ride with.

JT

As a kid I had a close encounter with a curb and a pedal, very humbling. Once when I was late deliveing news papers I crused around a corner ready to throw a paper and found a parked car with my front wheel. Guess who was late for school. On a different occasion when I was late for school I hit a speed bump too fast for my high center of gravity and found out how far I could slide on asphalt. Tore up my jeans and some minor road rash but I was lucky it was winter. The best part was no detention for being late. :-) .

Finally my worst accident was one I was not in. This took place on a Pan Mass Challange about 8 years ago. I was on about mile 85 of a 90 mile plus day. I had struggled to find a group to draft all day. After about mile 60 a congo line passed me that must have been 1/4 mile long (no bull). I hung on to them for the next 20 miles by staying at the back. After awhile I got my second wind and decided the top 6 riders could use a little help. I sprinted to the front of the pack and brought the groups pace from 18 to 21 mph in short order. The only problem was we were on a slight incline with brand new white stripes. A light rain had just started. Next thing I heard was bike tires sliding and dull thumps. At least 10 riders went down. Fortunatly only a few broken spokes and some brused egos.

As for kid bike wrecks ... I raced BMX ... I'll leave those out so I don't write War & Peace Part 2.

As an adult, I was approaching some railroad with a train coming. For some reason I couldn't get my foot out of the toe clip and my focus was on that rather than breaking. Finally, I got it out and was able to stop. Country roads don't have the same RR prevention mechanisms that city roads do. Need I say more? My initial thought was that I could have won a "Darwin Award", and my son would have to carry that burden his whole life. =)

Not a wreck, but a lesson learned ... when descending a hill, pedal like mad so you get down it quickly. That car coming up the hill going 30mph over the speed limit has no idea you are there. It took a couple of "fly by's" for me to learn this.

Your guys stories are killing me. I'm in no hurry to get pedal clips.