EPIC RIDE GONE BAD . . . .

[Jack Leis]

Bare is out of the hospital and resting at home now.

[BarklessDog]

Thank is excellent news. Thanks for the update, Jack.

[barenekd]

Thanks for all the posts, guys. It's good to have a few friends out there!
The crash was caused by a pickup that came around a corner in my lane and forced me to change my line. Unfortunately, that change took me off the outside of the road and into a rocky hill. The last thing I saw was the ground rushing up at my face. I was out until the ambulance got there and the guys loading my up and asking a bunch of goofy questions about what day and year it was. I really didn't know the answers. It was weird, but the memory came back later. I have about 6 broken ribs, but left shoulder is the sorest part. And my diaphragm hurts when I try to get some heavy breathing in. Overall the pain isn't too bad and I can get around without too much agony. Doing much stuff gets tiring pretty quick, but I'll get over that I guess! I got cut up around my eyes by the goggles and broke up some bones around it, but the doctor decided just to let it heal. Not any pain up there.
Now all I have to do is figure the best way to get the bike out of the CHP impound and up to the shop.
Fun stuff!!
Bare

[ERC]

I guess you can't keep the 70 yr old guys down. Good luck with the ribs, hope all is ok.  ERC

[JVS]

Oh my. I don't have too much to say, I am shocked as everyone else. But very happy to see you typing to us again after that incident.

Bare, I wish you a speedy recovery.

[Lwt Big Cheese]

Oh man, only just seen this.

Bare you hang in there and mend quick. Glad you're, sort of, OK.

Remember with those ribs to breathe VERY deeply as often as you can. When I broke some ribs I breathed really shallow as it hurt - this can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia!

I suppose the internet will be your friend if you can't do much. But I guess I don't need to add links to Hitchcock so you can select the new bits to mend your bike?

[GreenMachine]

Bare: Great to hear u gonna be okay..Did the P/U stop?  Seems to be the norm today..Hoping you and Enfield mend quickly for the spring..I enjoy your riding stories and knowledge of motorcycles..GM

[barenekd]

The P/U didn't stop. He probably didn't know I went down. He was around the corner and gone before I finished skidding down the road. I barely cleared him as it was. It felt like I missed him by maybe 6" at most! I was actually cutting across his front end trying to get out of his way. Having reduced the bank of my turn and grabbing a handful of throttle to move me outside of him is probably what caused me to miss the rest of the turn! Once I missed him, I didn't have time to roll in the bank and continue turning. I looked down to see my front tire running off the road and looked up and saw a rocky dirt wall in front of me. And that was all I remember until I was getting loaded into the meat wagon.
Jack picked up the rest of the story. He said I bounced back into the road and was flopping down it like a rag doll. He said when I stopped, I just laid there for a few minutes and blood was pooling up around me. My face got pretty cut up from the goggle frames and head wounds bleed a lot. (Personal experience).  Then, he said, I got up and started running around like a head with my chicken cut off, and he was trying to hold me down with little luck. The meat wagon came and joined in on the wrestling match. Once they got me held down, they started cutting all my good clothes off, the Gearne boots, my gloves, a Joe Rocket jacket, a good irreplaceable Golden Bears Gun Club sweatshirt, and such. Twas about then that I woke up and they were asking my all these weird questions about the date, the time and such, most of which I couldn't answer. Concussions do strange things to you. Anyway, off to the hospital, and more consciousness. Then it was a lot of laying there, doing little and eating bad food, as little as I could eat, along with getting awakened about every hour at night. Not a place to go for Peace and Quiet!
Anyway, back home now. they didn't really DO anything about the fractured bits, so I guess I just have to wait until everything heals up and stops hurting. Not the most pleasant experience. I can do without it!
The cell phone barely worked which is not unusual for those POSs. On one side of the bed I had some network, but on the other side, 2 feet away, nothing.
Bare

[GSS]

Bare,
Glad to know you are OK. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

GSS

[jartist]

Holy smokes! I was just catching up and saw the thread title that Jack wrote and, man am I glad you're ok! Take care and heal quick and give em hell!

[DanB]

Good God!  Glad to hear you're on the mend. All the best for a fast recovery.

[boggy]

Damn Bare, I told you to keep the rubber side down.  Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess. 

Glad to hear you can think and speak and are generally in good shape - All things considered.  6" is the difference between a scary story and a tragedy.  Mending bones suck. Takes forever.  Any road rash to accompany those breaks?  I was cursing my knee rash more than my fractured ankle.

Now that we know you are well(ish), any idea what the damage to the bike is?  Fixable?  Totaled?

Here's hoping you heal like you ride... Fast.
Boggy

*Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Jack.

[True Prophecy]

Sorry to hear this.  I hope you mend up soon.

[barenekd]

Now that we know you are well(ish), any idea what the damage to the bike is?  Fixable?  Totaled?

There are a couple of posts up in the "What did you do with your bike today" section about my trials and tribulations with the insurance company. They are going to total it, but the offer they sent me is taking some of the pain away. But the offer is enough to pay mine off and have a decent down payment for a Cafe Racer. So, the next big question is how do I handle not having a bike for a few months. Or is this the sign to get off my sore ass and fix my GB500!
Bare

[GreenMachine]

Sounds like a game plan to me. Plenty of time to get that iron out..All u need to do is get well and fit enough for that cafe racer..The GB 500 will fill the temporary void . You're dam lucky it wasn't more serious but I suspect some of that was due to experience or your just to dam ornery..GM