Heavily concussed biker airlifted to Palmerston North hospital

[k14]

OMG, what is wrong with wari. A coherent and understandable post.

Sorry to hear about the crash hitcher. Hope Mrs Hitcher gets well soon and the bike is sorted out.

[Ms Piggy]

Oh my Lord! You've must have felt sick as you turned the corner and saw her bike. Warm fuzzies to both you and Jane. I am glad she is relatively ok and on the mend. One for each of you!

[spudchucka]

Sign the petition to stop the Central North Island rescue helicopter being taken away (another story here).

Please, everyone take note of that coment.

Best wishes to Mrs H for a speedy recovery.

[Motu]

Shee it mate,you are the last person I'd expect to post a rider down thread - hope your lady mend in no time and something can be made of the bike.

[jrandom]

Goodness me. General GWSs from the Random family, and very glad it was 'only' concussion (been there myself a couple of times - makes a good story afterwards, and hey, I always reckon there were probably a few brain cells going spare, anyway...)

Perhaps it's a Sign. Time for Mrs Hitcher to switch to a GSXR.

Keep us updated.

[wari]

Please, everyone take note of that coment.

Best wishes to Mrs H for a speedy recovery.

WHer's da petittion .. :spudwhat:

I'Ve heard nuttin' aboutit ... as you all know ... I DON'T norm-ally missa thing ... :spudwave:

[justsomeguy]

I've only met Hitcher once...... and he's a TOP BLOKE.

Sorry to hear about all this.

Please do keep us updated.

Best Wishes

Ujwal

[Skunk]

Sign the petition to stop the Central North Island rescue helicopter being taken away (another story here).

I did a search but can't find it. Nor do I remember it. Anyone remember? PM me so the thread isn't lead astray.

[Joni]

Keep us updated.

Yes Hitcher please do!!!!!

[StoneChucker]

Shee it mate,you are the last person I'd expect to post a rider down thread - hope your lady mend in no time and something can be made of the bike.

This goes to show these things can happen to the BEST of us. Jane, I hope you're ok, and feel better soon. I also hope you haven't been put off riding, as you seem to enjoy it so much. Hitcher, I feel for you, on coming around that corner. I imagine you don't remember all the details after that either, it must have been a shocking, gut wrenching experience

Every time I read about these sorts of things, I realise that I must go get some decent gear. And for all the rest of you who don't have, go and do the same.

Best thoughts and wishes for you and Jane.

Regards,
David.

(Not that you'll be found short of offers, but yell if you need anything.)

[ajturbo]

look after her!!
hope your nervs are ok!!!

and you are not too stressed!!!


andy

[sAsLEX]

Sorry to hear about mrs H's off, glad to hear shes ok though, and where do we sign this petition??

[inlinefour]

Yes, it was “one of ours”. It was Mrs H. Heavily concussed with no memory at all of either the accident or of the half hour of riding that preceded it, or of the following hours (until about 10 am this morning) which included an ambulance ride part way to Dannevirke and a helicopter ride from the Weber/Wimbledon corner to A&E at Palmerston North.

Jane is now stiff and sore (high-sided on a right-hand corner) with a very sore neck, bruised left shoulder and left forearm, and a bit of a graze on her left hip. She is mobile and returning to normal mentally.

The accident happened at about 3:45pm yesterday almost exactly halfway between Ti-tree Point and Wimbledon on Route 52. We were taking the “back road” to Napier.

It was sunny, hot (about 23 degrees) and windy. We had not been hurrying, due to a combination of road works from last summer’s floods, a tight and winding and for the past 15 or so km unfamiliar road.

I was leading and had stopped, waiting for Jane to catch up. After about a minute I gave her a hoy on the intercom (yes, they were working famously well yesterday) and, when she didn’t reply, I turned back thinking she may have inadvertently taken the Franklin Road turnoff to the left a bit further back up the road.

About 500m later I rounded a corner to see first a Marauder on its side facing back from whence it had come and, in the grass on the roadside about 4m further on, Jane sitting up taking off her helmet.

I parked my bike and ran back to Jane, turning off the ignition on the Marauder, noting that its right-hand side was in very bad shape.

After getting Jane comfortable I then stood the Marauder up and pushed it up the hill off the road and parked it alongside the ST. Left-hand bar bent right back; two massive dents in the LHS of the tank; screen trashed; speedo trashed; headlight trashed; LHS peg bent way back; Ventura tail rack bent way forward; Rjays tailbag a bit roughed up.

About five minutes later I flagged down the first passing motorist who took off to the nearest phone (no cellphone reception for miles) and rang for an ambulance and the Police. The Police decided against the 45-minute ride from Dannevirke but the ambulance made the trip, arriving almost exactly an hour after Jane’s off. She had been conscious but obviously dazed and rambling for all of this time, with no idea of where she was or how she had come to get there.

I helped the ambulance officer load Jane into his vehicle. At which point she turned battleship grey and nearly lost consciousness. After stabilising her, the officer radioed for a chopper. An hour later she was airlifted from the island in the intersection of the Weber/Wimbledon road to Palmerston A&E. She probably arrived there about 6:00pm last night. I arrived there by bike at about 8:00pm after having made arrangements to get the Marauder off the road, which the manager of the Titoki Forest arranged with the help of a passing Dannevirke couple on a green Harley (I’ve forgotten their names, but they were terrific).

So we’re now back home and I’ve got Jane tucked up in bed and I am now starting to unwind (I think). A lot has happened in the past 24 hours.

Lessons: Be careful out there. Even really good riders (as Mrs H is) can get it wrong, and “sporadic, lumpy gravity” is pretty unforgiving.
Wear good gear. Broken bones can be relatively easily mended. It’s much harder and, at times impossible, to put back lost skin and flesh.
The biker community is just fabulous. The couple who helped arrange stowage for the Marauder; John the ambo officer is a biker; as were two of the nurses and at least one of the Docs at Palmerston North A&E.
Other people are pretty fab too. The guy who fetched the ambulance, the forest manager, the couple with the Holden and the trailer and, lastly but not leastly, my folks who drove up from Waikanae and provided transportation and feeding services resulting in Jane now being safely ensconced at home.

Sign the petition to stop the Central North Island rescue helicopter being taken away (another story here).

We’re a both bit dazed tonight in the Hitcher household but one of us is very much more hurt than the other.

I agree, gear and bikes are easily replaced. Not the sort of chopper ride one would be enjoying either.

[2_SL0]

Sorry to hear of Mrs H off.But could of been alot worse. Hope all is better soon.

[moko]

Sorry to hear about your Wife`s accident mate,I hope a full recovery is sooner rather than later.
We`ve got an Air Ambulance here as well,funded totally by charity which is a frigging disgrace.If the Army want some kitted out with machine guns and rockets they get as many as they want,the hospital asked for 1,and it was basically "tough shit".
Dosnt matter how good you are,how careful,how experienced,biking`s dangerous and anyone can get caught out.Best wishes and hoping to hear pretty soon that she`s back on the road again.