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Crash Stories
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 2004-08-09 3:35 PM |
Master  1967    |  Subject: Crash StoriesSome of you may have read my "first bike crash" post this morning. The whole whole experience got me thinking about crashes in general, and am wondering what type of horrific death defying experiences other have had on the bike. So fess up...tell us your worst crash stories. Bill |
| 2004-08-09 3:52 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Elite 3235  San Diego | Subject: RE: Crash Stories Knock on wood. I have only one crash... well maybe two. The first was in a Tri club race. My bike was two days old and I was used to the weight of my MT bike and my tri bike was very light. I took off on the bike and on the return to T2 I overshot the Bike-In. I rode down the street and had to come back down the wrong side of the parking lot (opposite the flow of cars). I was embarrased because I went the wrong way and in a hurry because it was a race. So I went flying through the parking lot. I was nervous because I was going the wrong way, so when I saw something that looked like reverse lights, I grabbed both brakes as hard as I could, fell and slid 15 ft down the street on my derailer, my elbow and my arse. The second crash: I was traveling at a blistering pace of about .5 mph trying to clip into my pedals at a very busy intersection. I was in the wrong gear and when the light turned green I couldn't get any speed, my foot slipped and I went down. I just kinda tipped over!!! All I heard was the people in the outdoor restaurant laughing and all I could see were the line of cars waiting for me to get up so they could make a right turn. Give me sliding on my butt any day! Tom |
| 2004-08-09 4:00 PM in reply to: #45543 |
| Member 86 toronto | Subject: RE: Crash Stories i have a really bad crash story...i wasnt the one in the crash but it would have been me if i didnt make a pass about 10 seconds earlier... it was in my last race which was my first race, anyway i pulled out and passed a guy and noticed up ahead that there was a guy laying in the middle of the road all cut up with people around him, now your thinking to yourself ouch that cant be good but let me tell you this, what happend next was the worst thing i have ever seen or heard. i pulled around the fallen rider on the other side of the road because he was blocking the whole lane, then i pulled back in as i pulled in the guy behind me pulled out and as he did that someone comming the other way pulled out to pass and CRASH!!! head on at from what my speedo said 25MPH. i heard bones break and people screaming... the worst cycleing crash i have ever seen nothing ive seen on tv even comes close cyle |
| 2004-08-09 4:04 PM in reply to: #45553 |
Elite 3235 San Diego | Subject: RE: Crash Stories DAMN! |
| 2004-08-09 4:10 PM in reply to: #45543 |
| Member 66 Connecticut | Subject: RE: Crash Stories ouch... mine was just a little tip over, i came whipping into the driveway, one of the first days with my new pedals...pulled in alongside my car and the porch, tried to unclip both feet but as it was my first time, i only got the left foot out of the pedal and fell into the bushes...i yelped a little as i went down and everyone heard me and came out to see that i was alright. then we just laughed....luckily i haven't had anything bad....knock on wood! |
| 2004-08-09 4:15 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Extreme Veteran 508 Kennesaw, GA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories Im cringing at that story. Story times over now, you win! The worst I saw was in a pace line. The line slowed for a turn and a friend near the rear didnt notice the slowing pace, he panicked, swerved and tried to stop with his feet instead of his brakes. He went down and ended up with reconstructive surgery on his knee. I've been fortunate I've gone down on the mountain trails a few times but have always walked away. Oh. I forgot the time that I was on a bike trail and a lady on roller blades switched lanes in front of me. I was near 30 mph. and swerved. I tacoed my front tire and never thought that I would stop rolling. I was a bloody mess when I finaly stoped rolling and tumbling and sliding. The lady on the skates never stopped. No one stopped I had to walk home.  Edited by tplauche 2004-08-09 4:39 PM |
| 2004-08-09 4:17 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Expert 1065 Montreal | Subject: RE: Crash Stories My worst crash was about 20 years ago. It was on an early morning ride with a recently purchased mountain bike. The streets were a little slick from a light morning drizzle - can't you just see it coming? I was just coming down from an bridge over the train tracks at the bottom of which was a rather sharp left hand turn. As you can guess my rear tire started to go out from under me as I went around the corner. Sliding the bike would have been bad enough, but that was not to happen. I was struggling to correct the slide when my rear wheel hit a pot hole right beside a manhole cover. The wheel caught and I flipped off the right hand side of the bike feet over my head landing on my shoulders and helmeted head. Fortunately for me the only crack was that of my specialized helmet splitting in two underneath the nylon cover. I laid stunned on the ground for a good 4-5 minutes. During which time three cars drove past, slowing to look at the wreckage, but not stopping. (I love living in Quebec!). The rear wheel of the bike was complete toast - instead of buying a new one I switched to a road bike. FatMan |
| 2004-08-09 4:21 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Champion 5495 Whizzzzzlandia Silver member | Subject: RE: Crash Stories It was a dark and stormy night..... Just kidding... it was actually a hot and humid August day and I was riding my "new-to-me" 1982 Trek 1000 on the bike path. Going full throttle, which I know now, is a no no on the bike path... I had cages around my gym shoes, and I pulled the straps as tight as they would go, so as to simulate being clipped in...The bike was not adjusted properly, so the seat was too low, and the "stock" aerobars were WAAAAAY too far apart... Did I mention I was attempting to go "aero" on the bike path in this configuration? Well I was... I'm sure you can see where this is going.... I go screaming down the bike path... I'm sure I looked relatively unsteady, but hey, "I'm a triathlete!" I'm passing people and yelling "On your left!!!" as I leave them in the bike path dust. Well, as I was about to pass these two guys I yelled "On your LEFT!" and the one guy moved over to the left... (As if "ON YOUR LEFT" was a command!) I jumped up off the "AERO" position, and grabbed for my brakes.... swerving all over the place.... trying to avoid the wooded area on either side of the path, which lead down to a little ravine area.... I could definitely envision myself falling down into a wooded ravine....Just as I thought I was the recipient of a load of newbie luck, and I thought I'd be able to avoid hitting the guy AND falling, I over swerved (again, still swerving) and literally wiped out.... My one foot was still connected to the pedal cage, I got a huge hole in my cycling shorts, road rash all over my left leg, cracked my helmet and dislocated my shoulder... I don't know if I lost consciousness or not (I don't remember!) but I do know my neck has never been the same since.... After rolling around on the bike path for awhile, I was able to re-locate my shoulder... I was not, however, able to re-locate my bike chain, which had somehow fallen off... had to stop some one else on the bike path to assist. I'm sure I was a pitiful sight, and this episode lead to my FEAR of this bicycle for another 6 months or so. I didn't require any medical attention, and I did finish my ride for the day.... 15 miles all together! I had to hold my aerobars up for the last 6 or so, as they loosened in the fall, and were bounching, pointing downward toward the front tire, which somehow, survived unscathed. I used to be a very irresponsible (and as you can see, ERRATIC!) bike rider.... I'm reformed now. Much more cautious, much more conscientious, and, as a result, I don't think I'm as much of a threat to myself or others anymore!!! |
| 2004-08-09 4:25 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Extreme Veteran 493 Greer, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Crash Stories My only crash to date was on my trainer. I got up early (5:00AM) one morning to do a trainer ride. I put the bike on the trainer, popped a Spinervals DVD into the TV and started riding. About 15 minutes in, the video called for you to stand up and pedal. I pulled back on the bars, stood up and began to hammer the interval. After about 5 pedal strokes, my back wheel popped off of the trainer and I hit the wall of the garage head on. Luckily my fall was broken by a thick rubber workout mat. The only damage was a little bump on my forehead where I hit the wall. The bike, unbelievably, had no damage. I have found that it's much better to set up your bike on the trainer the night before, when you're fully awake. |
| 2004-08-09 4:34 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Crash Stories I’ve crashed badly twice, both times my helmet saved me from more severe trauma. Second to worst: America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride Century 2003, Lake Tahoe: This is a century I’ve attempted three straight years with Team In Training, this was the year I didn’t finish. The first major descent is at mile 18, a 600’ elevation drop over a mile. I’m doing about 35-40mph, some out-of-control bozo overtakes me from behind, bumps me shoulder-to-shoulder, then gets in front of me and takes out my front wheel with his rear. I skid about 35-50 yards, for a portion of the time I’m exclusively on my helmet. End up with severe road rash on my shoulder, thigh and hip, a partially separated shoulder, a ruined front wheel, severely scratched pedal and rear derailleur, and my helmet has a saucer-sized erosion down to the foam. Bozo didn’t even stop. Worst: I had just started running, run all of two 10Ks, looking for a greater challenge. Hear about this thing called an adventure race, think it was 20-mile off-road bike, 10-mile canoe, 10K trail run. I recruit a customer and a friend’s son and we register as a team. About two weeks before the event, I decide I need a new bike, so I go out and spend $400 or so (this was 2000, I believe). That Saturday morning I go to the local park, where they have primitive mountain bike trails, to try it out. Ride around for about an hour, everything checks out, so I guess I’m feeling full of myself. Heading back to the car, I see up ahead where someone has set up a number of piles of dirt, so I decide to try a jump. Get the bike up to about 18-20 mph, hit the jump full speed. Of course I come down front wheel first, to a complete endo, land first on my head ,cracking the helmet, then land with full force flat on my back. Knock the wind out of myself, and for at least five minutes all I can do is lay there, certain that I am paralyzed for life. Eventually I can get up, hobble to the truck, manage to get the bike (completely undamaged!) into the back and drive home. I have never been in so much pain in my life, and it was three weeks before I could walk normally again. I had a single, multi-colored bruise from my shoulders to mid calf. Needless to say, I had to pull out of the adventure race. I managed to beg my teammates entry-fee back from the promoter, but I was out $50 myself. |
| 2004-08-09 4:42 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Master 1902 Berkeley, CA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories |
| 2004-08-09 4:47 PM in reply to: #45567 |
Got Wahoo? 5423 San Antonio | Subject: RE: Crash Stories In 5 years of bike riding I have never been in a wreck. I am knocking on wood even now and as I write this I know I will totally splat when I ride this weekend. Anyway, a friend of mine was on a long distance ride about 4 years ago, 400 miles, I think, out in West Texas. He was alone (there were other riders, but they were far in front and behind him. The roads out in West Texas are long straight arrows that dissapear in the shimmery mist with not a lot of trafic. Not a lot of hills or tuns, either. He was riding on a long straight away. He spotted a truck several miles back, stook stock and made sure he was on the shoulder (shoulder width was about 8 feet. He was unconcerned. So he is clipping along and eventaully hears the rumbling of the truck. He tightened up to the right and looked back over his shoulder. Everything was fine. He continued forawrd, going about 24 or 25 miles per hour when all of the sudden the noise became deafening. He had one massive moment of cunfusion then nothing. To this day, the next thing he remembers is me and my sister carrying him up 3 flights of stairs 10 days later. The man in the truck was very drunk and apparantly fell asleep or zoned out just behind my friend and plowed through him at 60 miles per hour. Many bones were broken and my friend might have died out there alone, but, saving grace (I guess) was that after the drunk realized what had happened and fled the scene, leaving my friend unconsious and bleeding, he had an attack of conscious, turned around, picked up my friend (and his mangled bike - go figure) and drove him to a country clinic where he was then airlifted to San Antonio. The man was uninsured. Carrying him up those flights of stairs, I remember looking at eyes the color (literally) of blood. Deep red surrounded by dark black. He could barely move and suffers pretty severe back, leg and neck problems to this day. |
| 2004-08-09 4:53 PM in reply to: #45580 |
Champion 5495 Whizzzzzlandia Silver member | Subject: RE: Crash Stories OMG. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible...... |
| 2004-08-09 5:02 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Master 1902 Berkeley, CA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories why am I reading this thread??? it's freaking me out... (fingers stuck in ears) la-la-la-lah-la-lah d |
| 2004-08-09 5:06 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Master 2447 Marietta, Ga | Subject: RE: Crash Stories This is just pure bad karma. Its giving me the willies... |
| 2004-08-09 5:06 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Extreme Veteran 572 Seattle, WA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories Seriously...why??? This why I only ride on our bike trail...that way I only have myself to thank for any disasters...or little kids who decide to pop into my "lane"...aw heck, let's be honeest, no place is safe!!! I've fallen in my own living room while trying to fit my bike!!! |
| 2004-08-09 5:12 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Got Wahoo? 5423 San Antonio | Subject: RE: Crash Stories I could go into many more Car horror stories, or for that matter, the time I almost cut off my finger in the kitchen. I'm not gonna stop driving and I damn sure ain't quitten' the kitchen.... |
| 2004-08-09 5:24 PM in reply to: #45543 |
| Expert 786 Princeton, MN | Subject: RE: Crash Stories All of a sudden I feel pretty good about ONLY breaking my collarbone. Of course I have fallen off more than once... Time 1. I was about 11 I was going too fast around a corner and was leant over too much. I slid to the ground scraping skin from my thigh, butt and back. Time 2. About 16 this time. I was cycling along minding my own business. When I hit a rough piece of road. My wheel caught in rut, threw me over the handlebars, and I slid along the road on my face. I came away with 12 stitches in my eyebrow, eyelid, upper lip, lower lip and inside my mouth and broke my nose too. Time 3. (You can stop whenever you want) In my late 20's, my peak cycling period of 200 miles a week. Out in the middle of the country a woman is out walking her dog, her big dog. Great dane I think. Said dog decides to break away from owner and run infront of me. I hit the dog broadside and was thrown off the bike severely bruising my left arm. Its a wonder I didn't break my collar bone there. How hard did it hit the dog? Well. it bent the front fork and twisted the frame. Time 4 was 10 weeks ago... most of you know about that one. But for the newbies. 3 days before my first tri. I hit a crumbling road edge whilst on my aero bars, lost control, fell and broke my collar bone. I'm certainly getting better at it Ian |
| 2004-08-09 6:03 PM in reply to: #45601 |
Expert 1238 Denver, Colorado | Subject: RE: Crash Stories Jasmine, I think the roads are actually safer to bike on than the bike trails. It's been my experience that passing idiot walkers and runners on paths is about the most hazardous thing, because you have to trust that idiot. Not to say that people who walk or run on paths are idiots, but I usually come across groups that walk 4 abreast and don't respond to "passing left" or something like that. I mean, I'm terrified to go on paths, no matter what the rude drivers yell at me when they pass on roads. Maybe the paths are better in WA, but I'll find out soon. As for the rest of you, my only crash was one of those deals when I was trying to go up a curb at zero miles per hour. Lift the handlebar - good. Try to hop the rear wheel over the curb - flipped over and landed exactly on the top of my head. It was right before a 5K race and the crowd was definitely laughing at me. That is, until I got my revenge during the race. ;-) |
| 2004-08-09 6:44 PM in reply to: #45543 |
Master 1661 Newbury Park, CA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories I've had a couple good ones on my mountain bike. The fun one left me upside down in a tree - I came around a switchback but couldn't hold the turn tight enough, bounced off the outside of the berm and fell down into the turn. There was a tree with a large amount of branches in which I got stuck. The people behind me laughed harder than me. The bad one left me bloodied with my mouth ripped up, road rash on my face shoulder, elbows, and legs, and trashed my helmet. Coming down a trail with some good speed I bunny hopped a good size rock/small boulder. Cleared that one great but my front tire hit the one after it just like riding right into a wall. I went over the handle bars, bounced off my helmet and face, bounced a couple of more times before going of the trail and about 10' down the side of the hill. I was a bloody mess. First time someone asked me if I was alright and I replied "No" instead of getting right back up. Wear those helmets!!! |
 2004-08-09 8:36 PM in reply to: #45543 |
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| 2004-08-09 9:03 PM in reply to: #45543 |
| Master 1275 Sonoma County, CA | Subject: RE: Crash Stories Ack! Well, considering it's amazing that I can actually walk and chew gum at the same time...... My most damaging fall had to be mtn biking a couple years back....Had just gotten in a HUGE fight with someone and was completely distracted and upset....decided to go for a ride....ended up running into said person...ON THE BIKE TRAIL...which was akward and did nothing to help my temperment.... Go my merry way and am completely absorbed in inner dialogue of "I wish I would have said..." and "ooooh, that would have been a great comeback". I was at a pretty nice clip, down some technical single track and then hit the shady part of the trail (side note: it was february, had been raining, shade equals slick mud). I'm on the steep downhill, plowing along, picking up speed, poudning out my aggression and frustration on my pedals when....I hit a bump, lost control, ass over handlebars and skidded on my right butt cheek, shoulder, side and shin about 20 feet down the mtn. After getting over the "holy crap I got the wind knocked out of me!" hyperventilation I pulled myself up to observe the damage... I am bleeding from every part of my body on my right including shin, thigh, side, arm and elbow and have an incredible pain in my ribs..... I hobble my way the rest of the way down the mountain to the aghast look at other hikers and bikers that I pass....."are you okay, man?" "Yeah," I grunt, "No problem. I'm fine" I realize later that I cracked a couple ribs (geeeee, why does it hurt to breathe? why can't I laugh? why am I always in pain????) lesson learned to keep my head when I'm biking...as others have said there are so many dangers out there you have to be at 100% mentally if you're out on the road, the trails or the singletrack.... Edited by crpadiem 2004-08-09 9:05 PM |
| 2004-08-09 11:31 PM in reply to: #45543 |
| Champion 11641 Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: Crash Stories I crashed I have no idea how many times as a kid doing the "oh yeah, well I'll come down the hilll and jump my bike the length of your 2 picnic benches plus a trash can! thing only to hit a tree, or garage or have the "landing ramp" disintegrate under me. My brother and I had a garage full of parts that we'd use to cobble together "jumping bikes" aka death traps. Needless to say, no one confused our house for the Einstein residence. Think Malcolm in the Middle. My last serious crash was pretty strange. Biking UP a very steep, long hill on a ten speed, my knee hits the brake lever under the bars, stops the front wheel, the rest of the bike and I circumnavigate the front tire, I kiss the street hard and put my two front teeth through my upper lip, where they stayed until we got to the ER. There's just no way to tell that story and not sound like a dork. |
| 2004-08-10 12:57 AM in reply to: #45543 |
| Subject: ... This user's post has been ignored. |
| 2004-08-10 8:14 AM in reply to: #45543 |
| Veteran 250 Florida! | Subject: RE: Crash Stories i must be the only one who thinks reading these stories is a good thing. i've only had minor spills, a'la coming to a stop, completely forgetting to unclip, and slowly toppling over. my husband, on the other hand, was hit hard. he was going down a straight road on which he had the right of way, and going pretty fast as there was a slight downhill (and he's rather speedy to begin with). a car at a side street that had a stop before pulling out onto the road he was on didn't stop completely and didn't see him. he was pretty close, and wasn't sure where to aim - should he go in front of the car so that if the driver saw him and stopped he could squeak by? or should he aim in back of the car, and hope the driver didn't stop and leave him to broadside the car. he aimed for the front, and the car's bumper clipped his leg and sent him flying. he broke the guy's windshield in three place - where his helmet hit, where his hips hit, and where his shoes hit - and then smacked the pavement. surprisingly (to the doctor's that examined him) nothing broke. his shin, where the car struck him directly, had marks from the guy's bumper and his bone was sore - the doctor said it apparently flexed but didn't break. he was beat up. and is now extremely skeptical of people entering the road he's riding on from side roads. |
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