Lessons learned: if you are lying in a ditch having been sent flying through the air by a car pulling out in front of you and you look down at your leg and think that shouldn't be there and you are not in pain, trust me it is broken and don't try and straighten it because as you do so a wave of incredible pain will wash over you. Once in A&E the doctors will cut all your clothes off you and then try and take your boots off - this is the most pain I've ever experienced as my sidi boots are tight and having them removed with a broken leg is excruciating. Once you've had your leg nailed get back on a bike as soon as you can to overcome the fear. I took a bike out within two weeks of the accident. I had to be helped on and off the bike as I was still on crutches. I chose a route with no traffic lights, just roundabouts so I didn't have to stop and put my foot down. Every car seemed a lot bigger and I felt sure they were all aiming at me, but I I'm glad I did it as otherwise I think I would never have got back to riding. To this day if a car edges out of a turning my heart misses a beat. Cheers, Moses.
That's the one thing in not looking forward to when I'm given the all clear to ride again. While I've not got any restrictions in my license, I am under medical advice to not ride until the gamma nail is removed next year. When the risk was explained it became clear why - the consequences of another similar accident with a gamma nail in my leg are quite gruesome, and likely to result in massive problems
Yup. My mate at work talked me into having a go on his r6 last year.....my conscious side was saying no.....but he wouldn't go save it alone until I did. I agreed to go up to the roundabout and back again to keep him happy. 500 yards out of the car park the road bends round to the left to get on to a dual carriageway so everyone looks to the right as i do, little old lady in front just stops when most start to speed up to get into the flow..... Smack. I see the road then the ground a few times before I hit the floor....I'm guessing a 25mph shunt. 4.6k's worth of damage to his bike and my insurance doesn't cover it. The only bit of luck is I find a complete r6 in the same year and colour at a breakers and get the lot for 1100 quid. My fault...yes...but I think she was partly to blame as well, but that's just my opinion though as in 12 years of riding that road most days no one has ever stopped there....
I passed my test in 1967 and been riding bikes since then. I have had many a little off in this time as one would expect. But only 2 very memorable. In around 1970 I had stripped my Triumph Tiger 100ss top end down and rebuilt it. I took it out for a run to scrub the new bits in. Whilst cresting a hill at the bottom some 75yards away was a Rover 2000 car just starting to pull out of a junction. He did see me and stopped. I move to my right, which gave me plenty of space to ride past the front of his car which was half out of the junction. What did he do, SET off again Smack. Bike hit the middle door post and I landed on the other side of the car. Bike a right off. Couple of days in Hospital having got myself home to Morecambe on the train not wanting to go into hospital in Blackpool. Rock hard us boys back then. Bike insurance became the now wife's engagement ring.( Bike would be worth more than the ring today ) My next major encounter was in 2009 coming home on the 748 from the Isle of Man having been Transponder testing for the TT. My friend and I had had a fantastic 4 days on the Island we met all the stars it had been a great experience. Time to go home. Well I was 200 yards from the ferry terminal and doing about 25mph. I noticed a Taxi slowing 50 yards or so ahead of me and logged it into the brain. The reason he was slowing was not to stop but to U Turn on the Prom. You guessed it Smack. Bike a bloody mess but not a right off. Injuries split thumb and badly bruised shoulder. Police arrived arrested the bloke and all in time was sorted out via insurance etc. BUT the moral of the Stories is NEVER EVER trust a bloody soul. Always ride with Caution, Think the WORST and ride accordingly. I still ride and corner fast today when the condition allow and have had a few near does in tight corners etc. But at least they were my doing not some other silly Buggers. Ride safe all Ken. Picture of me in the cardigan in 1968 on my trusty BSA Gold Flash. My mate in the picture was Killed 2 weeks later in a car crash. NOT HIS FAULT.
When I go out on the bike, I always think back to the late 60s and my worst 'off' when I was hit by a car and my foot/leg was laid wide open and the artery was severed........I still recall staying on the bike at 65mph and looking down to see an 8'-0" jet of blood pumping in squirts from the ripped boot........ ..............so now that steroids have weakened my bones and I am on serious blood thinning medication (which means I bleed for ages from the slightest scratch), I avoid riding when the roads are wet or icy simply because I can't risk having an 'off'.....
Was the Gamma Nail a long one all the way down the femur or a short Gamma just in the top of your femur and was it locked at the bottom with screws? I chose to leave the locking nail in my femur with the two distal locking screws still in situ - main reason no operation is without risk of complication. I got different advice from surgeons and it was about 50:50. Younger surgeons tended to suggest leaving it in situ, older surgeons suggested removal. Gamma nail may be different though as it is far more solid - I would still get a second opinion. Hope you have a speedy recovery!
Thanks mate, it's a long nail, runs the full length of the femur and the femural neck (broke femur in two places, and broke hip) with two more screws at the bottom I also ruptured the PCL in my knee, next op (knee this time) in about 7 weeks..
Crashes and injuries.....lessons learned. Nope....a few crashes over the years,from broken wrists to smashing left hand to bits. Always try and get between the bike and road to protect the bike,that's me. Now go and FACEPALM this one Exige
I stopped at a red light. Jeep in front with cattle trailer also stopped. It was at a bridge wide enough for one car hence the lights. An oncoming lorry coming over the bridge, jeep decided to reverse to allow more space for lorry. He didn't see me on the bike behind him. I ended up jumping off the bike as his cattle trailer proceeded to drive over the bike. Lesson learned although still not always heeded, ensure the driver in front can see you in his mirrors.
Didn't have a car pull out in front of me ,he drove clean into the side of me as I passed by him, he was stopped at a junction ,lesson learned assume they are out to kill you.
