My first big fall

[madhatt]

I think of myself as a pretty skilled rider.  I’ve got about 6k miles on my wheel and always wear my motorcycle padded jacket, helmet, gloves, and knee/shin pads.

So it was 8/27, sun was setting and I was 2/3 of the way through the loop I typically ride after work.  I was excited because I had just put a new tire, bearings, and bearings seals and was enjoying the glassy smooth ride.

im no writer but I’ll try and paint the scene for you.  It was dusk, but still well lit.  I had just finished a nice dirt trail section and had popped back out onto the street, with the sun sorta in my face.

so, I reached up and flicked down my sun visor.  We’ll it so happened that the city had been doing some road work on that street for a month or more, and had been slowly working their way further down the street. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary to see orange cones lining the edge of the road now and then.  
 

im not sure the reason, but the city thought it a good idea to offload a few cubic yards of dirt extending from the sidewalk to just past the center of the lane.

this is not a post blaming anyone but myself for my wreck, I just want to highlight this “perfect storm” of circumstances that culminated in a very painful and expensive introduction to the American health care system. 
 

so this dirt…. We’ll it was dark in color. There technically were orange cones put out, but they were lined up on the side walk and not in the roadway. the entire pile of dark colored dirt, only 2-3 feet tall and about the same in depth, lacking in any safety cones lay in wait for me, It color further darkened by my freshly deployed sun visor.  
 

the final bid of bad fortune in my story come from a perfectly placed evening shadow cast by a rather large tree somewhere close by. This shadow fully covered this doubly dark, unmarked pile of dirt. Somehow my eyes didn’t catch it until it was just a few feet ahead. Of course I attempted to  stop or dart around it but with no success. 
 

it was an odd sensation when I hit the dirt. It acted more like a professional catchers mitt, for my wheel anyway.  It just sorta, disappeared from beneath me. The sensation of floating in the air seemed to last forever, and, to quote an obscure bare naked ladies song, “the worst part was hitting the ground. Not the feeling so much as the sound”. 
 

it was one of those, lay on the ground groaning for 1-2 minutes before being able to gather myself to look around and see if I was at least spared the embarrassment of an audience. I sprung to my feet and quickly as I could hoping to shake off the pain I had in my shoulder.  But I realized in a minute or two that, at the age of 41, I had my first broken bone. 
 

I was soon met by some very nice folks of the neighbor hood who tending to me with water and pain pills while I contacted my SO for a ride. 
 

a week later I was in the hospital, wearing that iconic “ass open” gown prepping for surgery.  Using a titanium plate, 4 screws, And a foot of surgical cord a nice doctor patched my fully displaced clavicle back together. Due to how bad a portion was shattered they had to use a plate that will need to be removed in 8 months.  I am so very thankful for what medicine can accomplish these days. 
 

the whole processes was so efficient! Though I felt like a car on the assembly line being handed off to person after person all the while confused by what I was being shown and told, i have to give them a hand on their swiftness. I saw the doctor and was on the operating table less than 24 hours later. I’m assuming the did great work and I thank them so very much. And that I s the very last good thing I could say about my countries for profit healthcare prison.  
 

im one of those, reads the TOS and privacy policy guys. I like to know what I’m agreeing to.  So I was a bit surprised just how easy, and often they make it to sign away all sorts of things.  This is the exact conversation I had multiple times with multiple health care providers. 
 

provider: ok mr ME, if you’ll just sign the little black electronic signature pad in front of you so that we can treat you and bill your insurance”

ME: I’m sorry but I’m not sure what I’m about to sign 

provider: no worries, we’ll print the finished copy off for you so you can read it once your done signing.

ME: I have to protest, could I please get a print out of the paperwork needed to “treat me and bill my insurance” 

Provider: I called my manager over to assist

manager: (looking quite perturbed with my burdensome request) sir if you don’t sign we won’t be able to treat you.

ME: ok but you would agree that only the foolish sign blindly. 
 

begrudgingly it seemed, they would manage to print me the agreement.  what I though would a not much more than a couple of lines of text turned out to be 8 pages of legalize that I took at least 10 minutes to read. The stuff it said was blood boiling, confusing, vague, and clearly intended to ensure maximum protection for the hospital while simultaneously  win held harmless  themselves of any liabilities caused my mistake, or neglect.

I signed this document…. I wasn’t happy but they had me right where they want me, with no options.

imagine my delight when I repeated that process exactly 12 times over the course of my stay with them. 
 

yes, to get cared for in my home county using the insurance that I’m forced by law to have, and pay a premium for, I had to sign 12 documents all of the, geared to maximize profit while minimizing cost and liability. 
 

oddly enough, just 2 days after my surgery my dog had surgery on her knee joint. I found it quite funny when my SO scanned and sent some of the documentation our vet gave us to the hospital as an example of how to inform and instruct the patient on the whole experience. We’ll written, in plain English with no half words, shorten words, or acronyms. 
 

I’ll get better, I dread receiving the upcoming bills and/or letters of denied coverage I’m sure are on the way. But I can’t wait to get back on the road, this time with top of the line chest/shoulder protection. 
 

I wish greed wasn’t the driving force behind humanity.

always wear protection, it literally can save your life. 

[ir_fuel]

Sorry to hear this. Hope you recover fully.

Didn't your motorcycle jacket include shoulder protection? Might have been a case of breaking the clavicle through arm impact, which no shoulder protection can help against unfortunately.

[mrelwood]

What a story! I’m so sorry you ended up facing such bad luck.

 Do you have a recollection of the impact, in what position did you hit the ground, how did your upper body land, and how exactly did it get to break your collar bone?

[Paul A]

Am thinking about looking into the air bag vests that moto gp riders use now.

Thanks for the post, get well soon.

[OldFartRides]

Yes, thanks for sharing that. Heal up buddy !

The take away, if I may…

This may well have been an unavoidable accident. A random set of circumstance that added up to a bad crash made all the more insulting by the fact that it wasn’t some careless driver focusing on his or her phone, but an inert pile of dirt left carelessly probably because it was four o’clock.  
 

2/3 of the way through a familiar loop, just off the trail, and clear sailing. Not. 
 

This is a reminder to me. Vigilance at all times. Danger lurks sometimes not just around the corner, but dead ahead (read potholes and cracks).

 

Edited September 4, 2021 by OldFartRides

[Tawpie]

Excellent post, I also thank you for sharing. It does remind me to not get too complacent, because there might actually be a "smite" button on God's computer. (Dilbert, I think it's entitled "God at the computer")

Take care of yourself during the healing and rehab process, I'm glad they got humpty dumpty back together again!

[Paul A]

 

https://www.motocard.com/en/protections/dainese-smart_jacket_v1_black_yellow_fluo_620.aspx?country=US&currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwssyJBhDXARIsAK98ITQ2b851rY5eUfzeGcnVXF7Bnm7AMV2GXY3lRGAS-mpTyTMOd_gJx0waAqhDEALw_wcB

[Spaghetteh]

I've also been looking at motorcycle airbags and after watching FortNine's take I think I'm going to be going with the tether option when I finally do decide to get a airbag vest. I'd be worried about the smart sensors being confused by the different riding and crash conditions of an EUC vs motorcycle.

[Paul A]

Link to Fortnine's very interesting video.

Wondering if tether is going to work with an EUC though.  How, where to mount tether to EUC?

A motorbike is significantly heavier, so the approximate 30kg force would easily be achieved upon separation.

A light weight EUC, possibly tumbling along within vicinity of rider, might not exert the current force setting required for tether to deploy, or deploy too late.

Might not be possible to adjust/calibrate the gas cylinder puncture force, seems to be purely mechanical.

How long is the tether?  How far is distance between rider and anchor point before it deploys?

Designed for a motorcycle, might not translate to an EUC.

The electronic Alpine Stars Tech-Air 5 system vest looks to be the best option.  Electronic GPS, Accelerometer and Gyroscope seems to make the above considerations irrelevant.

Hopefully other members might have insights to add.

 

 

[madhatt]

8 hours ago, mrelwood said:

What a story! I’m so sorry you ended up facing such bad luck.

 Do you have a recollection of the impact, in what position did you hit the ground, how did your upper body land, and how exactly did it get to break your collar bone?

 I remember slowly rolling while airborne, landing directly on my right shoulder.  My jacket did have pads on the shoulder, but they are pretty thin. What’s funny is the only “damage” any of my clothes got was a small abrasion on the ass of my pants. 

[The Brahan Seer]

How about a manual inflatable life jacket, just pump it up if you are going to go extreme, and offers great shoulder protection to boot!

https://www.banggood.com/Manual-Inflatable-Life-Jacket-Sailing-Boating-Snorkeling-Vest-Swimming-Survival-Max-Load-200kg-p-1469337.html?cur_warehouse=CN

Super cheap, great colours! and you wont drown.

Edited September 5, 2021 by The Brahan Seer

[Paul A]

Copy and paste of a viewer comment from the Fortnine video:

 

"20 years ago, I was hit by a car. Without a doubt an airbag would have reduced my injuries. I lost an arm, a lung from having my neck stretched so far that some nerves were pulled out my spinal column paralyzing the arm (I cut it off after waiting 5 years for some recovery that did not happen) and unplugging the phrenic nerve to my right diaphragm. I was wearing the best gear and my Arai saved my life (I still lost my front teeth but it saved my brain). I also broke my neck and back (transvers processors) and punctured both lungs as my broken ribs punctured them as I hit the ground - no permanent problem from them healing up. So yeah, get an airbag."

 

Occasionally see people walking with one significantly thinner, floppy arm with the hand in an unnatural angle.

[div]

2 hours ago, The Brahan Seer said:

How about a manual inflatable life jacket, just pump it up if you are going to go extreme, and offers great shoulder protection to boot!

https://www.banggood.com/Manual-Inflatable-Life-Jacket-Sailing-Boating-Snorkeling-Vest-Swimming-Survival-Max-Load-200kg-p-1469337.html?cur_warehouse=CN

Super cheap, great colours! and you wont drown.

Seriously, considering the risk of not inflating (due to EUC not being a bike), I’d be interested in an inflatable jacket that would just stay inflated. Some of us already carry fairly bulky armor, I don’t find this to be much worse. A model made specifically for that could have several tubes spread as needed for good fit. Inflate with the sale nozzle as your tire.

The ones for floating would probably help a good bit on reducing the impact, though they would probably be restricted by weakness and possibly too low pressure.

[Paul A]

Maybe a permanently pre-filled air jacket, with high enough pressure to cushion impact, worn under proper leather jacket.

Downside might be restrictive movements though.

The electronic airbag vest immobilization of the head/neck to prevent spinal/paralysis injuries only activates when needed.

[s.m.]

I can recommend this:

 

I use it in combination with RXR-Bullet. The knee braces are excellent, also.

Edited September 6, 2021 by s.m.
video-link embedded correctly

[.....]

Amazing how offensive it is to simply request time to read what you may be signing. Its not just medical field. THey pulled same shit on me to go skydiving. When I did get to read the slip, it mentioned that I had been properly educated and KNOW the risks. I refused to sign as I had NOT been. They told me, we'll finish breifing you in the plane. I told them I would sign it in the plane then..  I guess they wanted my money because they simply told me the info I needed on the ground, I signed then got in the plane.

Medical teams are used to being viewed as Gods. I am more worried about the treatment and the pages of documents, than I am the injury itself. Glad to hear you're gna make it out okay! Did they offer more than one solution to your injury, or was it 'do as we tell you, or we wont help"? Im not a fan of the idea of plates and screws, so Im always curious if other options are available, even if they arent THE BEST solution?

Good luck on recovery. Its safe to save that euc riding isnt the safest activity in the world. Even those skilled in riding have mishaps on a long enough timeline. Thanks for sharing!

Edited September 5, 2021 by ShanesPlanet

[madhatt]

3 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Amazing how offensive it is to simply request time to read what you may be signing. Its not just medical field. THey pulled same shit on me to go skydiving. When I did get to read the slip, it mentioned that I had been properly educated and KNOW the risks. I refused to sign as I had NOT been. They told me, we'll finish breifing you in the plane. I told them I would sign it in the plane then..  I guess they wanted my money because they simply told me the info I needed on the ground, I signed then got in the plane.

Medical teams are used to being viewed as Gods. I am more worried about the treatment and the pages of documents, than I am the injury itself. Glad to hear you're gna make it out okay! Did they offer more than one solution to your injury, or was it 'do as we tell you, or we wont help"? Im not a fan of the idea of plates and screws, so Im always curious if other options are available, even if they arent THE BEST solution?

Good luck on recovery. Its safe to save that euc riding isnt the safest activity in the world. Even those skilled in riding have mishaps on a long enough timeline. Thanks for sharing!

An, they only offered surgery, but I had a few days to research with dr google and it was pretty clear  surgery was my only hope. Fully displaced break on the distal end of the clavicle, and a complete torn tendon. I’ll say it again, I loved the doctors, nurses, and surgeon. It’s just everything else about healthcare that just screams of shady practicies.

 

Even the concept of insurance seems counterintuitive.   By its very nature an insurance company can’t be there to do what’s best for the customer.

[OldFartRides]

4 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

Medical teams are used to being viewed as Gods……..Im not a fan of the idea of plates and screws, so Im always curious if other options are available, even if they arent THE BEST solution?

There’s an old saying : People like to complain about doctors ‘til someone gets hurt. Then it’s “ Oh god, hope the doctor comes”.

Also : Talk to a surgeon, they’ll probably want to cut on ya.

Best,

[Mayhem]

On 9/4/2021 at 1:01 PM, Paul A said:

 

https://www.motocard.com/en/protections/dainese-smart_jacket_v1_black_yellow_fluo_620.aspx?country=US&currency=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwssyJBhDXARIsAK98ITQ2b851rY5eUfzeGcnVXF7Bnm7AMV2GXY3lRGAS-mpTyTMOd_gJx0waAqhDEALw_wcB

At $250 a refill every time it’s deployed thats a no go for most people. Also states it will NOT deploy while riding an electric motorcycle while not moving as it cannot detect the engine vibration to know you are standing still at an intersection. 
 

while this is a great advancement in technology for motorcycles. The fact that an euc riders arms hit first in most crashes this will not protect against shoulder injury from bracing yourself during the fall. This will greatly aid in tumbling which isn’t really how euc riders get injured. 
 

wish you a speedy recovery @madhatt

Edited September 5, 2021 by Mayhem

[Paul A]

Airbag may assist if hit by a car as mentioned by viewer comment of the Fortnine video.

[EUC Forest]

On 9/5/2021 at 4:30 PM, s.m. said:

I can recommend this:

 

I use it in combination with RXR-Bullet. The knee braces are excellent, also.

Just to be clear: the Bumper is not for protection according to its manual, it is for shoulder support post injury.

RXR-Bullet R-and Pro look great: pre pumped airvests, so they are lighter that regular vests and Level 2 protection as well...

[s.m.]

2 hours ago, fntms_slowdown said:

Just to be clear: the Bumper is not for protection according to its manual, it is for shoulder support post injury.

RXR-Bullet R-and Pro look great: pre pumped airvests, so they are lighter that regular vests and Level 2 protection as well...

You are absolutely right.

It's an in accordance with the EC standard Shoulder protection and it can be used post injury - I see no reason to not use this pre injury.

My friend (inside the car) just dislocated his shoulder a few days ago. After his surgery he says, he will buy one, too - like most people do - You're right: It's clearly more post injury. Now, when I fall on my shoulder, I feel nothing because there's nearly no impact. It feels comfortable and safe.

If I had those RXR knee braces a few years earlier, they would have saved me from two cruciate ligament injuries. On my shoulder I do not want to wait for any injuries.

Ok - the only disadvantage is, that I need a minimum of 10 minutes pre and post riding just for clothing.

[Paul A]

The RXR Bullet R and Pro look a little thin, better than no cushioning though.

The pre filled air is the best feature, no risk of non deployment.

 

[EUC Forest]

Yes, it's actually level 1 only...but you gain on weight vs standard armour.