Hi everyone,
Am so relieved I can actually be writing this, and following Montage's post I thought I'd just share what has been a very difficult week (and is clearly not quite over). I have just come back from hospital where I spent four days after being hit by a car on my commute back from work. The driver wanted to join the main road and never saw me. I tried to swerve but she still caught me. I was in the middle of the road unconscious for 10 minutes. Emergency services were fantastic. In any case, I cam off incredibly lightly: lost a tooth, suttured lips, will probably get facial scars, burnt knees and shoulder but nothing broken (the new bike is smashed but it's a bike), I walk and I'm alive. To say I'm grateful is nowhere near what I feel. The horrible part was when the police brought me my helmet. Now, I've never been one saying that cycling is dangerous: it isn't inherently. But looking at my helmet, crushed to pieces on the left side where my skull should have been, I know it saved my life. Simple. I'd never been convinced that a helmet would be that useful in accidents. Well, my first serious accident was a side crash and it saved me. I don't really care if sometimes helmets are ineffective: the important bit is that sometimes they also are (and more effective than your skull). I could have lost so much in that accident, anf left quite a few people hurting. For me, it's gonna be helmets all the time. You never know what's going to happen down the road.
Anyway, I don't mean to sound patronizing. Just wanted to share my (and my family's) relief. Now I'm gonna crawl my way to the lounge.
Keep riding,
ben
Am so relieved I can actually be writing this, and following Montage's post I thought I'd just share what has been a very difficult week (and is clearly not quite over). I have just come back from hospital where I spent four days after being hit by a car on my commute back from work. The driver wanted to join the main road and never saw me. I tried to swerve but she still caught me. I was in the middle of the road unconscious for 10 minutes. Emergency services were fantastic. In any case, I cam off incredibly lightly: lost a tooth, suttured lips, will probably get facial scars, burnt knees and shoulder but nothing broken (the new bike is smashed but it's a bike), I walk and I'm alive. To say I'm grateful is nowhere near what I feel. The horrible part was when the police brought me my helmet. Now, I've never been one saying that cycling is dangerous: it isn't inherently. But looking at my helmet, crushed to pieces on the left side where my skull should have been, I know it saved my life. Simple. I'd never been convinced that a helmet would be that useful in accidents. Well, my first serious accident was a side crash and it saved me. I don't really care if sometimes helmets are ineffective: the important bit is that sometimes they also are (and more effective than your skull). I could have lost so much in that accident, anf left quite a few people hurting. For me, it's gonna be helmets all the time. You never know what's going to happen down the road.
Anyway, I don't mean to sound patronizing. Just wanted to share my (and my family's) relief. Now I'm gonna crawl my way to the lounge.
Keep riding,
ben
.....in America it is all the cycling mags are full of!
