I hit the pavement!

**Oakie** · 18th August 2006, 20:09

Toodling down Lichfield St today and all was right with the world when I hit a big something and suddenly my body was going from vertical to horizontal with the tarmac rapidly approaching my noggin. It's amazing how slow things seems to happen at times like this and I recall thinking all sorts of things as I succumbed to gravity. Thoughts of confusion (wtf was that?), thoughts of I'm going to save this ... no I'm not, thoughts that 'this is going to hurt' and finally "god I hope no-one's watching. (Yes I even had time for that last one). Anyway I hit the pavement hands first and then on the left knee before doing what could best be described as a bunny hop and then back onto my feet. Sore hand, bit of gravel rash on the palm and a sore knee although surprisingly the jeans were intact.
Hurt like hell for a while but it'll be alright.
How's the bike you ask? It's fine. You see it was parked at work. I was just walking down the footpath and tripped over the gutter! Made me think though ... if falling over while walking at 6kph hurt that much, falling off a bike at even 60kph is going to really sting!

The worst part of it though was that I felt such a dick ... tripping over in the middle of the footpath. I got up really quickly and walked on like nothing had happened, nonchalantly checking my watch for about 20 seconds. There was no one walking towards me and after about 30 metres I looked over my shoulder and to my huge relief found that there was no one behind me within view either so perhaps no one did see it. Just need to check out the internet now and make sure there's no video entitled 'Man falls over in street' and if I don't see myself there I'll probably feel safe to show my face in Lichfield St again.

**Clivoris** · 18th August 2006, 20:18

Bwahahaha!
I fell down some coffee shop stairs with all my gear on. Dropping my coffee of course. Waste of time trying to get sympathy at home, all my wife had to say was that at least I got to feel a big dick. At least my gear protected my body.:slap:

**Crisis management** · 18th August 2006, 20:21

Now theres a thought, so embarassed by the accident (I assume you weren't pissed) to care whether any of the public see you but secure enough to post on here where you are "known". An interesting study on the human psyche?

Brave or foolish Oakie?

**Oakie** · 18th August 2006, 20:41

Originally Posted by Crisis management

Now theres a thought, so embarassed by the accident (I assume you weren't pissed) to care whether any of the public see you but secure enough to post on here where you are "known". An interesting study on the human psyche?

Brave or foolish Oakie?

Nah, the difference is I just don't care if you guys laugh at me ... it's total strangers i don't want to amuse.

**_intense_** · 18th August 2006, 20:46

Bad luck duder, still better to have broken pride than broken bones.. My only down moment was a fall over, got knocked over by the
Nor'wester when i was stopped at the lights down on the corner of Moorehouse and Montreal. You sure feel stupid at the time, but way less to be worried about than a highspeed.. much less spectacular

**Dadpole** · 18th August 2006, 23:13

Dying of embarrassment is the worst way to go.

**gijoe1313** · 18th August 2006, 23:31

Hey, no worries, been there - done that! The only time I got any cred out of a prat fall was after I had done Tai Chi and Judo. I was walking along and my foot caught one of those flagstones which had a slight lip showing. I fell front forwards but turned it into a rolling instant stand and carried on walking. Dead impressed the people around me and at least confused them enough so they couldn't see my face going bright red!

And, oh yeah. I binned my bike on the 2nd day I was riding it into some nice soft mud!

**Jeaves** · 18th August 2006, 23:46

Did something similar a while back , however the cause was standing on my own shoelace - outside the video store with many a person watching .

Still waiting to drop my bike or tip over , but have stalled numerous times at the top of queen st

.

**Wolf** · 19th August 2006, 00:42

Originally Posted by gijoe1313

Hey, no worries, been there - done that! The only time I got any cred out of a prat fall was after I had done Tai Chi and Judo. I was walking along and my foot caught one of those flagstones which had a slight lip showing. I fell front forwards but turned it into a rolling instant stand and carried on walking. Dead impressed the people around me and at least confused them enough so they couldn't see my face going bright red!

Ha ha! Had similar - I was moving at a brisk pace through the staff cafeteria to get a coffee, stepped off the carpet onto the lino area around the serving counter where you can make a coffee, took maybe two paces - right into a pool of water some prevfious messy bastard had spilled on the floor.

Foot shot out from under me, I went over backwards and instinctively executed a backwards break fall - hands flung out to transfer energy away, head tilted forward to stop the skull hitting the floor.

My right hand slapped hard on the lino, my left smacked the wooden front of the counter with a resounding "Boom!" Everyone turned to look to see me on the floor hard up against the junction of counter and floor, one leg and one arm resting against the counter, the other leg and arm on the floor - like I was some kind of ornamental angle-bracket holding the counter in place.

There was deathly silence until I got up, obviously unharmed (thanks to my old Judo sensei who drilled us incessantly in break falls until they became instinctive) - then everyone burst out laughing... probably out of relief that I wasn't seriously injured.

I did the only thing I could under the circumstances - I performed an elaborate bow and said "Thank you, next time I will demonstrate a rolling forward break fall."

Then I made a cup of coffee.

I still wonder how many of my fellow employees wore their coffee when my hand slammed into that counter...

**Colapop** · 19th August 2006, 08:45

It's amazing isn't it? People's reaction to your predicament. I fell down the stairs at work 4 months ago (broken ankle, torn ligaments in elbow, shoulder, and ankle) in front of about 4 or 5 people. They stood there after I'd fallen, down to a mid level landing, and looked. I picked myself up and mangaed to get to the next landing down before anybody even moved! Now I know I'm not little butit wouldn't have taken much to ask if I was ok....

Just as wel I can laugh about it. I was laughing when I carefully cleaned my guns that night....

**Wolf** · 19th August 2006, 09:07

Originally Posted by Colapop

It's amazing isn't it? People's reaction to your predicament. I fell down the stairs at work 4 months ago (broken ankle, torn ligaments in elbow, shoulder, and ankle) in front of about 4 or 5 people. They stood there after I'd fallen, down to a mid level landing, and looked. I picked myself up and mangaed to get to the next landing down before anybody even moved! Now I know I'm not little butit wouldn't have taken much to ask if I was ok....

Glad I don't work where you do.

My colleagues, I'm sure, were waiting to see if I was OK and if I'd lain there groaning they'd've rendered assistance, and when I got up in a manner that conveyed I was perfectly fine, they laughed - that "prat-falls are funny" laugh tinged with "shit that was close" nervousness.

Rest assured if you'd tumbled down stairs in front of me, I'd've offered assistance and asked if you were OK (the sense I'm getting is that you were obviously injured when you got up.)

Hell, last time I executed a break-fall was in the confines of the aisle of a bus - the floor was wet, the bus, as usual, had started off whilst I was walking to my seat and I went down. Not much room to fling my arms out in a bus and fortunately my arms found the backs of the seats, not the people sitting in them.

Half a dozen total strangers asked if I was OK and asked again once I'd sat down because they were not convinced that I was. Opinions were offered that I should complain to the bus company (as it wasn't rainng the water was obviously because the floor had been hosed down).

Originally Posted by Colapop

Just as wel I can laugh about it. I was laughing when I carefully cleaned my guns that night....

Now, now, maniacal cackling doesn't count as a "sense of humour".

**yungatart** · 19th August 2006, 11:42

Its the embarrassment of it all that will get you every time eh? You were lucky nobody saw you. I took a tumble down a 1" step (thats about 2.5 cm for you metric dudes) and broke my left foot and tore the hamstring ligament where it attaches at the front of my right knee. Not only was I seen doing it, I couldn't walk and had two get two teachers to pick me up and carry me! All this in a school of a 1000 teenagers and yes - they did carry me at the changeover of classes... so EVERYBODY saw....
The only good thing I suppose was that I didn't drop all the afternoon tea I was carrying at the time...
Oh the shame of it all....
Glad you are ok.

**inlinefour** · 19th August 2006, 12:07

Originally Posted by Oakie

Toodling down Lichfield St today and all was right with the world when I hit a big something and suddenly my body was going from vertical to horizontal with the tarmac rapidly approaching my noggin. It's amazing how slow things seems to happen at times like this and I recall thinking all sorts of things as I succumbed to gravity. Thoughts of confusion (wtf was that?), thoughts of I'm going to save this ... no I'm not, thoughts that 'this is going to hurt' and finally "god I hope no-one's watching. (Yes I even had time for that last one). Anyway I hit the pavement hands first and then on the left knee before doing what could best be described as a bunny hop and then back onto my feet. Sore hand, bit of gravel rash on the palm and a sore knee although surprisingly the jeans were intact.
Hurt like hell for a while but it'll be alright.
How's the bike you ask? It's fine. You see it was parked at work. I was just walking down the footpath and tripped over the gutter! Made me think though ... if falling over while walking at 6kph hurt that much, falling off a bike at even 60kph is going to really sting!

The worst part of it though was that I felt such a dick ... tripping over in the middle of the footpath. I got up really quickly and walked on like nothing had happened, nonchalantly checking my watch for about 20 seconds. There was no one walking towards me and after about 30 metres I looked over my shoulder and to my huge relief found that there was no one behind me within view either so perhaps no one did see it. Just need to check out the internet now and make sure there's no video entitled 'Man falls over in street' and if I don't see myself there I'll probably feel safe to show my face in Lichfield St again.

Usually take a fair bit of alcohol for me to be able to do that sort of thing, I'm impressed keep up the good work.