Another Crash
Uggh!
I was doing my first circuit since my bypass surgery of the park drive in Prospect Park. When I got to the downhill part, I was doing a good 25+ mph, a cold but refreshing wind flowing through my hair. There's a somewhat blind curve which usually doesn't present a problem, but on Tuesday there was a film crew moving a large piece of equipment — what I think was a pole for lights. It didn't feature enough clearance for me to get underneath. I don't remember hitting it or falling, but the paramedic told me that I flew over it. Unfortunately, instead of doing the Olympic thing — landing on both feet and thrusting my hands into the air — I most probably just hit the ground on my left shoulder, breaking my collarbone. I blacked out.
Four hours later, I was leaving NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, sore but not as sore as I was today. Finally pulled my carcass out of bed today around 4pm, missing the inaugural. PHFFHTTHTH!!!
My other injuries — including a sore ankle, sore rt. side and sore neck — are relatively minor. My right hand is swollen, probably as a result of having had the I.V. inserted there and having a nick in the vein. I'll watch that to make sure the swelling goes down. I was appropriately assessed by X-ray and CT-scans, which showed the fracture, the usual arthritic neck spine changes, but no damage to brain, my head bones, or the chest. As for my prize road bike, it needs a new rear wheel, but I was able to carefully ride it home. (It didn’t get a CT-scan...)
No injury to the chest or sternum, thank goodness. Looks like that healed just in time! My heart dealt with the stress without missing a beat.
I may sue the filming company. They needed to have people flagging down cyclists. They should have known; there were avid cyclists like myself on the roadway ahead of me, and I saw even more as I was sitting in the ambulance. The Policeman was helpful; he gave me the contact info for the filming company not long after I came to (yeah, another concussion!), and he followed up with a phone call and a text, giving me info about how to get the crash report. I gave him my thanks. Suing should a good project to keep me busy and help to shake the COVID doldrums, eh?! If the suit succeeds in getting filed and surviving Defendant’s motions, I’ll probably settle out of court, hopefully getting a decent chunk of change in the process. That would be nice. Of course, if they want to settle without me having to file suit, I’ll take that, if the settlement is reasonable.
It'll be 2-4 weeks until the bone knits or otherwise heals so that I can get on the road again. My arm is in a sling, and I need to keep it immobilized to improve the chances of it knitting together. However, from what the doctor at the hospital and the repairperson at Bicycle Habitat on Vanderbilt said, if it doesn't knit back together, it's no big deal. (Most of the employees of the bike shop have had broken collarbones...!) But an operation or external manipulation could improve chances for complete healing; I need to see an orthopedist before the middle of next week.
Meanwhile, I'll sulk at home, getting exercise for my fingers on my Keyboard to the Internet...! Also, won't be able to get a bike into the spinning stand; that takes two hands (and arms, and shoulders...), so a lot less exercise.
Oy veh. I've noticed that motor vehicles drivers have gotten quite a bit more aggressive, passing me illegally close (less than three feet, by law) and intentionally pulling in front of me early. That I can deal with, oddly enough; I've become more adept at dealing with Men in Mercedes, Jerks in Jeeps, and D**** in Dodges. But dealing with a light pole, stretched horizontally less than five feet from the ground in the middle of the park drive with no way to see it in time — I don't think so.
Of course I was wearing a helmet...! Now I need to buy a new one; I have a reasonable backup I can use for now.
At least T**** is out of office... HALLELUYAH!!! I'm sure he's trying to sing, "can't get Georgia Off My Mind... “ He’s been a major “driver” of anger, selfishness, and frustration in this country. Maybe, as a result of the change in leadership, the next year will feature cooler heads on the road, so I can feel more safe. (I just listened to the first press briefing from The White House, and there was a refreshing and palpable change in the room!)
Let’s all work for calm and reason this year and next — to make our future not only more palatable but also more happy and just — and safer for cyclists!
