"The one that didn't kill me"
1990, Mothers Day, (Mom loved this phone call, not!) :whoa:
Place: Happy Hills MX track, a former MX track abandoned in the 80's out in the middle of nowhere in central Kansas. Killer natural terrain with alot of up and down stuff, soil is dry and rocky, greasy as snot when wet. Wish I had a dollar for every lap I turned on the place.
Group: I was new in town and lucked into riding with the local dirt riders through my lead-mans' little brother.
Problem: 6 of us hit it on a fine morning and where having a fine old time. Myself, on my trusty '80' XT500 and a buddy where tear-a$$ing around playing racer when I, in the lead, ripped over a jump (pond dam, blind) and there was a YZ125 right where I was gonna land.
I'm in 3rd, airborne. He's in 3rd, pinned to jump, pretty much I landed IN him.
BIG problem: After all the dust settled, and everybody quit screaming, Myself and the other guy got loaded up (one rider freaked at all the blood and bone and wouldn't get near us) in a clapped out '70' Chevy truck with bald tires and did a 100mph run to the nearest E.R that was 30 miles away.
I tried real hard to bleed to death on the way, arterial blood covered the truck bed. It took 5 attempts to to get an I.V. of any size going once we got to the E.R.
As luck would have it, one of the better Ortho surgeons in the state just happened to be doing his E.R. stint and saved our shiny bee-hinds.
Damage: The other guy, cut-off L. big toe. My brand new front fender 'ice cream scooped' about 2lbs of his left upper thigh muscle out. Doc Chuck patched him back up, 3 days in the hospital. He got an Epidural, lucky bitc#!
The grocery list: L. kneecap in 3 pieces, compound. L. lower leg bone split at the joint, 5 inches down. L. Femur split at joint, up 8 inches. L. lower arm main bone snapped and compounded AND lightly removed from L.wrist. Dislocated L. shoulder. Hypercompressed R. hip. Bad attitude. Mild concussion. Shock.
Lot's of screws and plates, lot's of Morphine, 10 days in hospital, 7 weeks in therapy, riding and working in 8 weeks.
I got revenge, his bike was totaled! I put another couple of years on the 'tank' XT before I sold it.
And we all still ride together to this day ( except for Matt)
Lesson: Even if you have to sit awhile, check to see which way everybody is going on the track/course!!!!
Matt went the wrong way on the track, and got hurt for it. Came within a catwhisker of killing myself or the guy behind me.
No Regrets, not a dam*ed one! I learned a few things about myself thru the whole ordeal . :cool:
Tim
Might get into "The one that should'a killed me" later as a lesson to our younger members later.