Vickster, OTP (of this parish) - down Feb 2014 - The Recovery

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Don't panic, she's going to be fine! @vickster came a cropper early yesterday evening. We'd been riding together, but it happened a little after we parted company, she called me and I rejoined her. She'll be able to give better details, but from what I overheard from her statement, she was cycling down CS7 approaching Clapham South. Her handlebar touched a wing mirror and she went down, hard. She seemed ok when I got to her, but a few minutes after her leg was swelling up pretty badly and I found a couple of chairs.

The driver, his wife and a witness were all there, and the police arrived shortly afterwards, followed by a paramedic and a little while later, an ambulance.

From texts I got from hospital, it looks like her leg is not broken, but she has an enormous haematoma (sounds better than "bruise"). She remembers hitting her head, so she's been advised that she should replace the helmet. She also hit her elbow, which I suspect will start hurting when she recovers enough to feel it.

Neither she, the driver or witness was entirely clear what happened: did she wobble into the mirror, or did the mirror set off the wobble? Fortunately, the only collision was the initial one, she only made contact with the road and her bike. Her bike looks undamaged. The driver was co-operative and friendly, and the police and ambulance did their jobs thoroughly and with a lot of care.

I'm sure she'll be on here a little later to update you with her status.
 

ScotiaLass

Guru
Location
Middle Earth
Oh no!! Glad you were around jefmcg!
Thinking of you @vickster and wishing you better very soon!
 

400bhp

Guru
Oh dear - glad it doesn't seem bad.

Bit of a worry when the title of the thread isn't clear what has happened.

Would this thread be better in another subforum for a while - probably not everyone visits this bit of the forum? Thinking peeps would want to know.
 

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
Glad she's not too hurt, and I don't wish to start a debate, but if the car wasn't so close she wouldn't have been able to hit it in any way.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Ugh, morning all.

I am very sore, leg especially with the bruise the size of a grapefruit on my calf. 5 hours at st George's, x rays and quite a lot of concern about compartment syndrome. I am not going to look up the details but I know it's not good. However, the guy from plastics and the trauma consultant thought not, but I have to keep the leg elevated for 48 hours. Nothing fractured thank god, I do appear to have bone of steel

I don't really know what happened, I was moving away from the asl, out of the saddle, so maybe a bit wobbly, probably in a strong secondary, and then clonk and I was toppling. Massively busy intersection, first thought was flipping heck cars do not run me over!!

Car stopped driver got out, concerned, his son a very serious cyclist working in a high end shop near where I live. A lovely jogger too, who called the police and ambulance. @jefmcg came back after my SOS call

Statements taken, I was in ambulance, brother and his gf, came and collected my bike and then to hospital. 5 hours later discharged with crutches and a bucket load of pain. As well as the calf, Graze on other knee, on knuckle, elbow and shoulder. Gloves and helmet did their jobs.

I am not going to go into any of the rights and wrongs, it was an accident at an utterly shitty junction. The bike is damaged, the driver offered there to pay for what needs fixing, gears and at least one wheel. I'll heal, leg bruise will take 2-3 months to go apparently. I don't know what this means for ride London, just going to see when I can start riding again. That is however, the last time I willingly ride in the dark on busy south London roads :sad:
 
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