Out of action (Thanks car, please look where you're going)

[delusionz]

No more bikes for me for a while, My 2007 Ninja was taken out by a stupid girl to my left pulling a U turn without looking, straight into my left side as I was in the median "TURN RIGHT LANE" making a right turn. I'm at this moment in the hospital with a broken shoulder and leg, the shoulder being the most serious as the bone snapped off the joint ball. My friends brought me round lots of toys to my ward including a laptop, nintendo DS & telecom wireless net card, lots of mags 2 read, got beats, movies, etc.

One of the police officers at the scene said my bike just haS cosmetic damage.

Have given alot of thought to bikes in general, I think I'm going to make my car my main mode of transport after this, although for now it will be taxi and friends as my clutch foot & gear change hand are out.

I'm still going to keep my bike as I'd still like to get my class 6 Full later on, but for now I have to get my 1R licen so I don't have to rely on my bike to get me around.


As many people have pointed out, It doesn't matter how good you are a rider, It's alwas going to be pricks out there who don't look and don't care about you and thats a sad lesson I've had to learn.


Sooo, soo gutted.

Edit: it happened outside greenlane foodtown on my way to one of my best mates birthday party, no i didn't make it (thanks again)

****Mike signing out**** Peace fellow riders, stay safe out there and remember you'ree not invincible!

[Her_C4]

As many people have pointed out, It doesn't matter how good you are a rider, It's alwas going to be pricks out there who don't look and don't care about you and thats a sad lesson I've had to learn.


You are sooooo right :2guns: Hope she loses her licence?

Regardless, sad about the bike, but the good thing is you are in the place being looked after by the right people. :doctor:

Good thoughts are with you for a speedy recovery :grouphug:

Don't give up on riding just yet (just until you are better!!!:yes::scooter:)

[RantyDave]

One of the police officers at the scene said my bike just haS cosmetic damage.
I think that means she was putting lipstick on when she hit you.

Other than that, bummer. At least she didn't scarper. And give it a while, biking may well come back to you.

Dave

[jrandom]

My sympathies, delusionz. Best wishes for your recovery.

This backs up some recent comments I've made to a few people about how binning in a corner and smashing a bone or two due to one's own fuckup (like I did recently) doesn't tend to put one off riding, but being taken out unawares by a cage gives a lot of guys the shits and makes them think about giving up riding.

I can't help but wonder, though, whether the impression I've gotten over the last few years that it tends to be n00b riders who get taken out by other vehicles is correct. Paranoia and situational awareness on the road take practice. The sort of crash you've just had can teach you just as much about riding in traffic as going ditch-surfing can teach you about pushing it on the open road. It'd be a shame to waste your newly-acquired wisdom.

Give it time, let yourself heal, take it easy, burn no bridges. Whatever reasons you originally had for riding a motorcycle are no less valid than they were before the car hit you.

[dino3310]

sorry to here about your accident mate,hope you heal fast and without to much pain.
didnt you know bikers are telepathic mind readers where meant to know what the cars are doing before they do it.
is the stupid bitch gonna be charged if she is let us know the out come,
all the best mate :rockon:

[jrandom]

didnt you know bikers are telepathic mind readers where meant to know what the cars are doing before they do it.

Nooooo, but after a while, you do get into the habit of not assuming that any given four-wheeled vehicle won't necessarily do anything that it could possibly do, within the bounds of physics, at any given moment.

:confused:

:pinch:

Er, you know what I mean.

[delusionz]

the officer at the scene said something about failure to give way or something like that. i dont wish any trouble for the driver, but i woulnt mind some ACC somehow dont know anything about it though i've never been in sucg a situation before


ohh yeah, recovery has been great, it happened on thurs, they operated on my shoulder the next morning, the paIn is mostly gone, just waiting for these bones to rejoin. apparently i have to quit smoking for recovery to succeed and ive wanted to quit anyways so thats good. plus bein stuck in the hospital bed i cant smoke neways so i have a head start on quittin neways :D

[apteryx_haasti]

Hey - sorry to hear about your off -especially that it involved some twit driving in to you. I came off recently too (broken wrist, bad bruising - a picnic compared to you) thanks to some rain, a dork in front of me rear-ending the person in front of him and possibly some overenthusiastic braking on my part.

I agree with jrandom's comment - I haven't really been put off (i don't think - guess I'll find out for sure when I get back on) but I think I would have been if someone had hit me or I'd done something really, really dumb.

All the best for the recovery.

A_H

[paturoa]

Sucks.

I always ride with my headlights on high beam after an "exercise" a couple of years ago with a driver pulling straight out of a give way into my path (an almost crash). Hasn't happened again, I think the lights help - twin high output bulbs on high beam is hard to miss even for a brain dead cager.


.. broken shoulder and leg, the shoulder being the most serious as the bone snapped off the joint ball...

Josh Coppins had that about 4 weeks ago and is riding tonight in the latest round of the FIM motocross. Yours might be worse

[delusionz]

theres a chance my shoulder will never be put right .. just have to wait and see how it heals.



have read the aug 2007 rapid bikes mag from start 2 finish during my stay here in the ward... definitely alot of good stuff in there to keep me thinkin of staying on 2 wheels... incl turbo busas , gsxr streetfighters, nos ninjas, racing r1s, etc etc... lots of nice stuff there

[EJK]

MAN!! Thats so sad man...
Hope you are healing fast lol
I was expecting to see you on the Mt. Eden Summit one day but won't happen anytime near huh?...

Man... So, does the insurance say anyting about this?

[gijoe1313]

Dude, sorry to hear about your circumstances - I'm glad that nothing more "serious" occured :no: Sounds like you've had a little shake up over it and of course, lying in a hospital bed doesn't help matters. Glad you've got some great friends and interesting reading matter to help you take your mind off things.

Give it time, make haste slowly and keep us posted about any developments! :yes:

[jtzzr]

Maximum Suckage mate , I hope you heal fast , don`t give up on bikes because of 1 persons brain failure ,good to hear your`e giving up smoking, I will one day but I`m not going to use your method to quit.

[Donor]

Major suck!

PM me ya ward details, I'll pop in and say howdy during work, and give the nurses the word to give ye the VIP treatment :devil2:

[zeocen]

fuckin buggar eh
-cunty zeo-
if your windscreens still good, can I have it?

-nice zeo-
That just plain fucking sucks man, you really gotta get back on.. Infact after hearing you talk about biking most nights on MSN I'm pretty sure you will, confidence comes back a little at a time. You'll be fine :)

We done need full shoulder movement anyway, pff to moving body functions!

[Zapf]

Hello,
Sorry to hear, your mate told us about this on Friday evening... just as we where sitting outside the coffee joint. Best wises to recovery.

Zapf

[delusionz]

Major suck!

PM me ya ward details, I'll pop in and say howdy during work, and give the nurses the word to give ye the VIP treatment :devil2:

cheers bro, but i'm tryin 2 get out of here by monday afternoon, but if ur quick enuff its room 2 , ward 31 (mr. weltman) at auckland hospo...

[EJK]

Need some entertainment while you are on the hopily bed?
Lets raid guys! lol jks

[duckaddict]

Sorry about your misfortune, get well soon.

I hate riding around town or even suburbs because of this very reason, if I have to crash, I'll rather crash on the track :)

Take it easy!

[Donor]

cheers bro, but i'm tryin 2 get out of here by monday afternoon, but if ur quick enuff its room 2 , ward 31 (mr. weltman) at auckland hospo...

Mint - I'm doing a transfer from Auckland to Waihi tomorrow morning, so I'll swing by and say howdy before I jet off!

[discotex]

i woulnt mind some ACC somehow dont know anything about it though i've never been in sucg a situation before


Stink man. Bad news about being hit. Were you still stationary or was it a classic u-turn incident? Just trying to think of how the rest of us could avoid the same accident.

The good news is 80% of your wage is paid by ACC after the first week (or maybe after the second). You'd have done all the main forms when admitted so you just need to call ACC. Of course if you're not working that doesn't help so much but it'd stop you having to go to interview skills shit with WINZ :)


We done need full shoulder movement anyway, pff to moving body functions!

So true. I broke my shoulder at easter mountain biking. I've only got about 80% movement back now but I have all the movement I need to ride. How often to you lift your right arm over your head while riding anyway...? Was lucky it wasn't a snap off like delusionz's so I could ride again in ~6 weeks.

delusionz, get your arse into physio as soon as the Dr's tell you it's safe. It'll be almost entirely paid for by ACC and makes a heap of difference. I didn't this time which is why I still don't have full movement 4 months later.

[breakaway]

Bad luck dude, heal up soon. Did ya have all the gear on though? :D


cheers bro, but i'm tryin 2 get out of here by monday afternoon, but if ur quick enuff its room 2 , ward 31 (mr. weltman) at auckland hospo...

RAID!!!!

[Farab]

Sorry to hear! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Boob Johnson]

An all too familiar thread it seems! Farking cager *unts!!!


I know exactly how you feel dude. Im still on ACC from an accident a little over two months ago, similar scenario except I was doing 80 odd Km/h (in a 100Km/h zone) when the silly tart (18yrs old licensed for 6 months) pulled out in front of me. Smashed me up pretty good, 9 pins & a steel plate in my hip for life! Not to mention the dislocating my thumb & fucking up my finger before flying 20 feet over her bonnet landing on my head (helmet) :angry:


So good news is ACC will look after you, the kicker is it's 80% of your last months income (& less tax as well of course) so it actually ends up being 60% of your gross income if your on 19.5% tax rate. Also time off is irrelevant, just exactly what you got paid is what its based off. Then it will be 80% of your past 12 months income as long as it was with the same company. Plus all physio, doc's etc are covered, you pay first then claim it back.


On the bike front. My bike was an SR250, completely written off it was. So what did I do? I went out & bought a 135BHP death machine :Punk:


God I love my RF :love:


Fuck em I say, don't let these crazy cagers get to you. I actually feel safer on a bigger more powerful bike to be honest.



Big bike = easier to be seen

Big bike = easier to pull away from trouble

Big bike = louder so harder to ignore (with aftermarket can)

Big bike = needs a rider with discipline :innocent:


ps: last but not least. The silly tart that pulled out on me went to court & got nailed for careless driving causing injury, fined $750 + $130 court costs


PLUS got ordered to pay me $1000 for emotional damage.


My advice, go sit in on the proceedings, this can only add weight to your side (crutches n all & let out the odd wince of pain, it's gotta add another $500 or so to the bill) :laugh:

[Crisis management]

I can't help but wonder, though, whether the impression I've gotten over the last few years that it tends to be n00b riders who get taken out by other vehicles is correct.

Up until recently I would have tended to agree with you.....a recent discussion between me and another U turning driver has forced me to change my mind!
I'm a fairly good rider (ok, a nana at cornering) and have been on bikes for 30 odd years in auckland but my incident was completely unseen and a little surprising. With hindsight, even with better scanning I doubt I would have anticipated it, so don't rely on your experience, accidents tend to be a little unanticipated.

Delusionz, get well and don't let some pain put you off the good things in life, most good things seem to have some discomfort attached somewhere I've found!

Look after yourself. :scooter:

[Griff]

Take care and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

[delusionz]

nah i wasn't stationary, yes it could have been avoided on my part (i only wanted starburst snakes n a bag of chips from foodtown, i could have just continued onto mobil where i needed to fill up neways) but eh hindsight is a bitch and either way it wasn't expected, if i ever saw a brake light or indicator from her behind i would have let her into the median first, but as far as i could tell she was going straight and then suddenly when she was beside me i felt the thud, i started flying, and it was all over... it happened in an instant.... anyways... getting out today, after my arm is re slinged and leg recasted... my shoulder bone might rott or it might heal will find out in a few months!

[kaz]

delusionz, I am so sorry to hear about your accident. Has the car driver visited you in hospital or apologised to you (and hopefully made noises about learning to look for bikes...)?

[QUOTE=delusionz;1181348]theres a chance my shoulder will never be put right .. just have to wait and see how it heals.

I don't know if this is helpful (it's intended to be!) but here is what I learned after recovering from spinal surgery several years ago (nothing to do with bikes; I had a rock-climbing accident) and also from having seen my partner go through major surgery on both knees at once:

It is possible to make a better recovery than doctors predict. Especially if you insist that you want nothing less than total recovery. The most important thing I learned from my surgery was that nobody cares more about my back than me. Doctors and other specialists want to help you and many are good but some are not that good and, in the end, it comes down to you taking charge.

Don't accept any limitations on what you can achieve. Get second and third opinions even if you have to borrow the money to pay for them. Yes you need to do some waiting while things heals but there are also probably things you can do to help the healing. Enlist your friends and family in helping you stay motivated and reminding you that you can do it, especially during the times you lose sight of that.

I'm not saying you are not already doing these things, nor that your doctors aren't good, I'm just stressing how important they are and that your own determination can get you a long, long way.

Good luck.

[delusionz]

cheers kaz,

thanks everyone, the amount of support and wellwishing i've received has been amazing, from KB, close friends, my old man... and after reading of other tragedies in this thread it makes mine sound like a mosquito bite!


i hope they're getting as much support as i am if not more.. man is this the season for cleaning up bikers or what???

[Roj]

This backs up some recent comments I've made to a few people about how binning in a corner and smashing a bone or two due to one's own fuckup (like I did recently) doesn't tend to put one off riding, but being taken out unawares by a cage gives a lot of guys the shits and makes them think about giving up riding.



Heal well delusionz.

My lady suffered a similar fate, she spent almost 16 weeks in hospital with 12 broken bones, her left shoulder was in 16 peices.

She still likes bikes but is not riding at the moment and may not be able to due to her shoulder. Take the time to heal well and consider why it is you ride bikes.

It is often the realisation that a biker is so vunerable to the car driver "not seeing them" no matter what you do yourself that can bring thoughts of abandoning bikes. It is something that you will either accept and continue riding or decide it is not for you.

Hopefully everything heals and you can continue.:rockon:

[discotex]

if i ever saw a brake light or indicator from her behind i would have let her into the median first, but as far as i could tell she was going straight and then suddenly when she was beside me i felt the thud, i started flying, and it was all over... it happened in an instant.... anyways... getting out today, after my arm is re slinged and leg recasted... my shoulder bone might rott or it might heal will find out in a few months!

Farkin starbursts eh. Sounds like you were watching her pretty closely and still got taken out. That sucks man.

Keep positive about the shoulder if you can. Eating well and getting plenty of rest really helps in the early stages.

[delusionz]

Eating well and getting plenty of rest really helps in the early stages.

as did the laughing gas!!!!!!!!! :lol:

cheers to donor for dropping by, and for the motivation...

i'll be back on that high horse soon, gettin out in an hr or so, i wanna go see my ninja!!!!!

[delusionz]

woohoo home sweet home!!!!!!!!

[Donor]

woohoo home sweet home!!!!!!!!

Good shit man - hope you had a boot big enough to fit all the gear you had surrounding ya in the room!

Never seen such a well blinged out hospital room... toys for Africa, and KB on the laptop - good man!

As per conversation, look forward to seeing you out there, let me know when you're mobile, and we'll go for a spin to parts unknown... get some of that mojo back...

[delusionz]

keen as donor

the toys were the efforts of many close friends it was awsome, was still on kb haha what else am i gonna be doing tho i guess, was lucky to get the telecom 3g card, didnt have it the night before, was lookin for some hospo wireless but there wasnt squat

anyhow this is going to be my progress thread, so ill bump it up with ne news, still havent seen my bike yet, i think i saw sum debris at my crash site tho, couldnt tell if it was mine...

[insane1]

what if anything has happend to the driver of the car that hit you im just glad it didnt turn out any worse than it did and your on the mend .

[Leong]

My sympathies Delusionz. Most been said before. Sounds like you have good attitude, friends and family to get you thru this as best you can. Congrats on this!

[delusionz]

Quoted over the phone $8000 to fix my bike, Since I paid $7000, It means it's time for something else I think, ZXR250C + cash I have in mind :D

[SPman]

My sympathies, delusionz. Best wishes for your recovery.


This backs up some recent comments I've made to a few people about how binning in a corner and smashing a bone or two due to one's own fuckup (like I did recently) doesn't tend to put one off riding, but being taken out unawares by a cage gives a lot of guys the shits and makes them think about giving up riding.

My little contretemps with a cage some years ago didn't faze me at all.
Being taken out by a Roo has really given me the shits, when the sun starts getting low in the sky outside the city - perhaps it's fear of the expected, unexpectedly occurring .......

[discotex]

Quoted over the phone $8000 to fix my bike, Since I paid $7000, It means it's time for something else I think, ZXR250C + cash I have in mind :D

I know a mint one coming on the market in 2.9 months...........

May even have a new cam chain and valve clearances done if I decide to cough up for them.

[Macktheknife]

Sad news Mike, hope you heal up fast and well mate.
Don't let one bad experience colour your view for life,
all the best.
Mack

[delusionz]

I know a mint one coming on the market in 2.9 months...........

May even have a new cam chain and valve clearances done if I decide to cough up for them.

good timing, thats also the eta on my shoulder healing, how many kms on the clock btw?

[babyblade250rr]

mate that really sucks, spent most of my life drivin cages and now being on a bike im begining to hate the drivers, Wish you all the best with the shoulder healing, And i'm glad donor had a chat with you (He's quite convincing in a devious type manor lol).

Really though don't give it up the biking that is as most people have said give yourself time once your up to it we can go on another noob ride!!!

[delusionz]

No way, I want a zxr a real ninja. how the hell can i quit biking, i will be a weekend rider after this, thats for sure, doesnt mean im going to be any less ruthless on the throttle tho trust me, just means i rather drive my car when i'm not going out of central auckland.

what i'm really saying is i trust my own skills as a rider more than i trust what potential morons in cars are going to do.

[kaz]

Hi delusionz, sounds like you are staying positive and thinking creatively about life from here. How's your shoulder doing? Do you have any particular rehab exercises or things you are doing? sending positive vibes your way :doctor:
Karen

[delusionz]

Hi delusionz, sounds like you are staying positive and thinking creatively about life from here. How's your shoulder doing? Do you have any particular rehab exercises or things you are doing? sending positive vibes your way :doctor:
Karen

thanks heaps kaz, im going back to hospital tomorrow to get these staples out of my shoulder (where they operated) i haven't yet spoken with the physio or anything yet but im exercising elbow out of the sling and passively moving my shoulder, pendulum swinging my arm, etc. i feel like ill be back in no time.

i went to see my bike... heh... its smashed!!

[delusionz]

Hospital photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!