Totaled My Car Yesterday

Yesterday morning was not an uncommon scene during winter time in CNY as it was snowing heavily on my way in to work. A woman lost control of her car rounding a curve and ended up swerving into my lane hitting me. My car T-boned her car as she slid sideways into me. I initially had breathing problems and thought I broke my leg and thumb. She was hurt as she was hit broadside. Thank God she was hit on the passenger side, otherwise she would have been killed. I was lucky enough to get out of the hospital yesterday afternoon with NO broken bones. I am just extremely bruised and sore mainly from the seat belt and airbag. I drove today and was very apprehensive about everything. I found myself going under the speed limit. However, I am glad to say that I am not planning to park the bike. It sounds weird, but I feel safer on the bike than I do in the car. And for what it’s worth, I am living proof that seat belts and airbags do work. I now swear by them.

 

Glad your OK! Yes belts and bags work. Lay back and take it easy for a few days though a little exercise of getting around is probably good. Hope all goes well with healing up and a speedy recovery.

 

Wow. Super happy to hear you are relatively OK. Yup. Seat belts and airbags really do make a difference. All you need to do is look at those pictures you posted. Even had the hit been on the passenger side, look at the inside of that passenger compartment. There is just tons of room in there to survive a crash so long as you remain in the car. I don't doubt at all that her injuries would could have been more serious that what they may have turned out, but she would have, under normal collision circumstances, easily survived that crash.

You people out in the east, and south east are just getting hammered this year. Hope it lets up soon. My old stopping grounds had a wind chill of something like -40C which low and behold, is the same as Fahrenheit. We here on the wet coast did go down to about -4c overnight a couple times. That is near 24f.

Heal up quick.

 

Glad to hear you are OK. Yep, belts and bags are a wonderful thing. Isn't always the "other guy"? Heal up fast. Yes, having a serious collision will change your perspective on things. I am sure you will notice it when on two wheels too. Don't push it. Your limits will return to a comfortable level soon enough.

 

Man, Stewart that just stinks! - glad to hear you are going to be ok.


Near the end of last September I hit the center divider on the highway with my truck HARD :shocked: - I walked away - thanks to the belt and airbags. Probably would have been badly hurt without them since I hit the divider almost straight on at about 60. Visited the ER to make sure I didn't have any back or internal injuries, and then went home within an hour or so. I now avoid that section of the interstate - both on the bike and in the cage because of what I now know about the surface.

 

Very glad to hear you're OK, Stewart... and also that she wasn't hit on the driver side or that she didn't have any passengers. That would've been horrible to have been involved in had there been worse injuries.

I've had my share of accidents, all on 4 or 18 wheels thankfully. Each one is different, and I understand the after effects and change in driving habits. I did that with my last one in the big rig. Took me over a year to be able to drive normal in the rain again.

 

:hss: Holy Batman........
I am glad to know you are ok Steward
Please take it easy and Godspeed recovery. Good to know seat bell and air bags work

 

Glad to hear that you and the other driver are doing OK. There is nothing like an accident of that kind of magnitude to help any of us appreciate the little things in life we take for granted.

I had a bike accident back in 2004 where I was forced to choose between a head on with a car that decided to take a short cut through some tight curves and use my lane. Had a choice between heading over his car (not a good choice), head to the oncoming lane and suffer a 95 percent chance of going over a cliff and falling 200 ft straight down (also not a good thought in my view) or diving to the inside and hoping not to hit the mountain (talk about being between a rock and hard place). I chose dove to the inside and I just made it past without contacting the offending vehicle but I was unable to keep the bike off the pea gravel on the shoulder and I went down. Suffered 4 fractured ribs and a badly bruised right leg but I'm still here. Still get a little edgy when someone in front of me crosses the center divider no matter which way I'm going at the time.

Sometimes you just never know what is going to happen, but you are still here and that is what counts. All the best for a speedy recovery

Bill

 

Thank God you are OK. I hope all of you injuries are minor and short lived influences in your life. I plan on taking my Shoei mounting it and Putting a "Shit Happens!" sign on it. Control (which all love to think we have) is pretty illusory and can shake you up when you find out how tenuous a hold we have on it. Get well and get a new car. Be sure you watch out for everyone else. I think what would bother me the most is that it was an accident and although it is her fault it could have easily been myself that caused another persons injuries. Thank God you were not seriously injured and thank God you were not responsible for another's injuries. Heal quickly! Be careful!

Bill

 

Just like everyone else. Glad you are in one piece Stewart.

Jose

 

Glad to here your ok Stewart.

Only a few more weeks of winter left (hopefully). Just keep thinking about your VFR.

 

The world would be better place if we all thought like Jug.

BTW how are you heeling up?

 

Get well soon Stewart...lived in UT for 5 years and drove big rigs year round and HATED THE SNOW. Hit BLACK ice driving. a 10 wheeler and remembered to just let go of the wheel because your just along for the ride..hit the mountain and bounced across the rode into a ditch. The bummer is or was you couldn't do a dam thing but watch her head towards you until she was in front of you. heal up soon man

 

To quote the last doc "You destroyed your rib cage. You are starting at a new baseline and you will never be the same man you were." Thanks for asking. One of the few times I wish I had been caging it like Stewart. I'm glad it didn't make sense for him to be riding. Although he is hurting and in pain, we can hope for a full speedy recovery. He asked about my recovery just a few days ago. I wish I didn't have to add him to my prayers tonight for this reason. I would like to add one more comment. If you are ever in an accident, please have it checked out promptly. The macho act (silently waiting for 5 hours in the hall of the emergency department) almost cost me my life. I had just got the results back from the first xray and prompted the cat scan of the pneumothorax when the result of that was rushed back and I was wheeled in for a chest tube as I was diagnosed with a tension pneumothorax. I saw the trauma doc last week ( the guy I quoted above) and he was apologetic almost. He said "This turned out to be so much more than the little traffic accident we first thought." Right now its questionable if I will be able to return to work. Maybe I'll be joining Randy in the land of leisure

Being the macho, I can handle the pain biker came close to being my ticket home. Please guys if your hurt get checked out.

Bill

 

Glad to hear that you are doing OK, Stewart. Take it easy for couple days..

 

That is not all that it is cracked up to be. That leads to tenancies of over eating and being more in touch with the your spiritual side. You know, the kind of spirit in a glass bottle?

Years ago, Novemebr 2000 I think, I too lay in a hospital bed with no feeling below my hips not knowing if I would ever walk again let alone go back to work. I have had a few hospital stays and three surgeries. Not bike related but accidents, fights and a few tumbles down stairs and the such all led up to it. I was devastated not knowing if I could go back to work myself. But if that was what it turned out to be then so be it. I recovered and ended up with a 20% disability assessment from the federal government. But I was able to work normal duties even with that.

I do think however, that had I been more strict with myself during the re-hab each time I was hurt at work, I would not be in as bad shape as I am now. So. If the doc tells you to do, or more important NOT TO DO something, follow that advise. Heal up proper.

 

Sorry to hear about your crash, glad you are ok though.

 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and kind words. I am feeling so much better and hope to go back to work tomorrow. I am actually glad that I was in the car, but I still feel safer on the bike ... even though the logic probably doesn't make sense.

 

I was thinking it was a good thing you were not on your bike. Glad your gonna be OK.

 

Glad your OK.
Cars can be replaced.
Speedy recovery!
Back on two wheels in no time!