My Tough Getoff

[Crush]

Hello all, I've been a member of the ADV community for quite a while.

I am unable to explain what happened, but I had a severe crash on my 1150gs in the end of June. I don't know why or how I departed the road, only that it darn near killed me. I was in ICU for 2 1/2 weeks, medivaced to Anchorage, on life support for quite a bit of it, over 5 weeks in the hospital. Thank goodness I am a somewhat reasonably fit close to 60yr old.

My crash/accident was on the Taylor Hwy in Alaska before Chicken, on my way (with a very good friend on his bike) to Dawson for the D2D gathering. To this day I still don't have any idea why or how I crashed. I am not an inexperienced rider, I have many hundreds of thousands of miles, many traveling, many racing. I just figure it was my time.

In any case I was told that there are several ADV'rs that know of my problem and went out their way to help where possible or just have a kind word.

THANK YOU TO ALL!!!!!!!

I figure if I want to ride again, it will be a couple of years. I am not scared of a motorcycle, just aware of the possible severe consequences of riding irresponsibly or not wearing the proper protective gear. If I had not been wearing all the gear, I doubt I would be alive today.

This post is not for everyone, but for those who know of my get off and those who are curious.

Happy and Safe riding to all.

Crush

[Scott_PDX]

Geez Crush, I hate to hear stories like that. Hope your recovery is coming along and you aren't in too much pain. If you ever find out what happened, be sure to share.

[Crush]

Thanks for your reply.

Parts of me hurt like the dickens, parts are starting to feel better. I was alone, be hind my buddy when I wrecked, so I probably will never know exactly what happened, no matter how much I want to remember. I only really know what others have told me, save waking up in the middle of the night (which sucks), not knowing a bunch of things.

I think I am on the long road to recovery, finally.

Crush

[Zeke013]

Hang in there. Unfortunately, your story is all too common. I have a friend here in a wheelchair now. Last rider in a group. No one saw what happened and he has no idea.

Scary.

May your recovery be full and your spirit strong.

[mfgc2310]

Have you ruled out the possibility of a stroke. You can have one of these at any age and they can leave very little evidence.

I am not an expert but in the age of google what's the point - search signs of stroke - you may have had symptoms that in hind sight you may recognize.

[manybike]

Sorry about your get off Crush...speedy recovery.

Just a note on the previous post on stroke.
There is also another possibility, if you have a sudden inner ear malfunction you can experience a short but violent bout of vertigo. This can only last seconds but the result would be a guaranteed get off, you would not know what hit you.

Maybe mention this to your Doc and have him check it out.

[_Davi_]

Don't get tooo freaked out about not remembering what happened.... when my partner was in a really bad end-over-end car crash that resulted in two brain surgeries, the last thing she could remember was saying goodbye to a girlfriend in a coffeeshop...a HALF HOUR BEFORE. Your noggin gets a good knockin, and you might skip a little track. I'd say get a good, comprehensive physical, but apart from that, get on and get riding. Leave the blackouts to the drunks. ;)

[ADVBMR]

Glad to hear you're on the mend. There was some discussion of your crash on another thread but I can't find it now. I thought it was on the Alaska Forum and I was going to post your update. You may have heard from the folks that had some insight through your bud. Seemed like a mystery on that thread, too. Good luck to you.

[ObiJohn]

Sounds like you got your bell rung (concussion) among other things. It's not uncommon for people to lose any memory from shortly before the concussion to well afterwards (after a night's normal sleep). Something about how the brain stores memories... first it goes into 'short-term storage' and then is 'written' into more permanent memory overnight during sleep. If you get a concussion, much of the short-term storage is lost.

Glad to hear that you're doing better and healing. Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery.

[HunSolo]

Tough tale, Brother, and a vexing mystery. Hard to learn from this one, isn't it? Heal well and quickly. All the best to you.

[perterra]

Good luck to you, hoping for your complete recovery.

[Forde]

Originally Posted by Crush

I figure if I want to ride again, it will be a couple of years. I am not scared of a motorcycle, just aware of the possible severe consequences of riding irresponsibly or not wearing the proper protective gear.

ride responsibly and wear gear then?

sorry to hear of your accident. i would advise you to get back on a bike as soon as you can instead of leaving it for years. if you leave it too long then when you do go back you might have "the fear".

[lakota]

Sorry to hear about the accident and that you are recovering. My July 4 accident had me "only" 3 days in ICU. Don't worry about not remembering about the crash - I have a 20 minute blank spot from mine.

Keep doing what the quacks tell you and get back on as soon as you can. Had my first rides, 7 miles and 40 miles, this past weekend. Felt good and was reassuring to be on two wheels.

[Ayrshire Bull]

Can't say it any better than Zeke did when he said, "May your recovery be full and your spirit strong."

Take care of yourself Crush ..... rest up and heal well,

[dirtrulz]

Sometime I think memory loss is the brains way of protecting us. Who would really want to remember the pain you went through in your crash. Its the memories that haunt us, not the forgotten ones. I would rather not know than to be freaked out forever because I remember it like it was yesterday.