11 years ago

[Dwayne Hicks]

Hey there,

I just realised yesterday - even though it was back in February, and its now June, it has been 11 years since my accident. Was riding back from school on my bicycle, listening to "Saturday Night" by Bon Jovi. Came to a T-Junction - cars from left and right had right of way, I had a yield sign. Being young (16) and stupid, I plowed on through the junction. A car was coming from the left as I approached, I was planning on turning right, around the corner, so I decided to go around the corner on the right hand side of the road (we drive on the left here), let the car pass, then cross back over to the left. What I didn't see, due to the six foot wall on my right hand side, was another car coming up the hill. I came around the corner head on towards him. No idea what speed I was going at, but enough to bank the bike into the corner, and it was a racing bike. The next thing I remember was waking up in the guys windshield - which I had broken with my head.

Both legs were broken. As the impact came from my right hand side, the right leg was worse. Both tibia and fibula broken. I lay on the bonnet of this guys car, blood seeping from a gaping wound on my shoulder, no idea where my shoes were, they must have come off with the impact. The bike was under his car. It took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, and I can't explain the agonising pain as one of the paramedics pulled my right leg straight to get me on the guerney.

I now have a titanium pin in my right leg, and the scars to prove it. I walk with a slight limp on really cold days.

That was what happens with reckless riding on a bicycle. Imagine what would happen if it was on a motorbike.

Be careful out there folks...

Thanks for listening.
Dwayne

[themeatmanlandry]

Wow!

Glad you're still here to tell the story, Hicks.

Bicycle? Damn.

[Dwayne Hicks]

Glad to be here! I have a photo of the bike somewhere. Must find it, scan it and upload it. The front wheel looks like a Pringle potato chip, the brake cables actually snapped from the impact. The only thing we managed to salvage was the brake blocks.

[ChicsterMG]

Isn't it amazing how you remember the stupid things that you think of in a crisis like, hmmm, where did my shoes go?


Glad you made it through and learned from it.

[Dwayne Hicks]

I couldn't find my headphones either. The cable snapped - walkman was in my bag, and the headphones cable just disappeared. Isn't that veird?

[Superbird]

You were in a normal bike right ? the one u have to peddel around on right?

Dam dude ur lucky. Next time u should wear full leathers and a full face helmet rofl

[Gixxerdale]

See what happens when you ride on the "wrong" side of the road!

Glad you came through it with just a limp. Just wait until you're older. Your body will remind you everyday! Mine reminds me of injuries I'd forgotten about 30 years ago! Better than the alternative though.

[Clint]

Holy moly, that wasn't good at all. Just last night mo brother mentioned the time when he was 14 and a jealous boyfriend tried to scare him with a car. He did more than scare my brother, and he still deals with back problems 11 years later.