Mar 3
When Head meets Pavement.
What I do Remember:
I had Just moved to a new townhouse, this was back in 2000, didn’t know the area. I looked up the local bike paths in the area, dusted off the then Cannondale F500 MTB and went for a ride. I didn’t go too far as I was getting to know the area and hadn’t ridden for a while. Yes I was unfit (AGAIN), seems to be a theme for the author of PrimalOdyssey.
The next day went out and decided to go a bit further. I headed out the in the same direction as before, this time thought I’d studied the map enough to be a bit more confident. Did about 15k’s before it started to get dark, it was early winter and night fall come quick around here. Heading back in the dark along the bike path and got a turn wrong heading home.
As there was no-one around I decided to turn off the bike path and find myself someone for directions, I found a few shops and asked for directions, the shopkeeper told me the way home. “Over nothing but hills”. At the top of the final hill and on a windy part of the road with bad road lights a car backing out of the drive nearly takes me out.
I hear some abuse but continue on the with Shopkeeper directions. Turn left as instructed, there is a vehicle behind me but I’m not sure if it’s the same vehicle with the abusive driver. I headed down a steep hill (pictured below). The last thing I remember before impact was “At the bottom I’ll get onto the footpath encase it’s the abusive driver behind me” Angled the bike towards the footpath at speed. Next thought was “I think that looks like a wheel chair ramp, No need to bunnie hop it”…. Lights out!
Trust me, it’s steep! The Decent that changed me.
To this day I don’t remember from about 20 meters before the footpath until I started to come round.
Coming Around:
On the footpath trying to get to my feet but not being able too. I think someone was saying something to me like “Here’s your bike” and “Are you ok?” I was being aggressive towards them… this is a very vague memory but I do recall someone walking a dog near the bottom of the hill before contact…. light out again!
On the footpath trying to get to my feet but not being able too. I think someone was saying something to me like “Here’s your bike” and “Are you ok?” I was being aggressive towards them… this is a very vague memory but I do recall someone walking a dog near the bottom of the hill before contact…. light out again!
Back to reality:
And I’m standing with the MTB on the side of a major street and a traffic roundabout, by this time it’s around 6-6:30pm and it peak hour. So I manager to cross the road, the main aim was to get to what I thought was a police station. Turned out to be a police vehicle depot,
And I’m standing with the MTB on the side of a major street and a traffic roundabout, by this time it’s around 6-6:30pm and it peak hour. So I manager to cross the road, the main aim was to get to what I thought was a police station. Turned out to be a police vehicle depot,
Time for a sanity check.
Q: What is my name?
A: Aarh…. Good question!
Q: Where do I live?…
A: No idea!
A: Aarh…. Good question!
Q: Where do I live?…
A: No idea!
Ok so I was a medic in the Defence Force while serving a 12 month National Service. I knew I was in a bad way.
At this stage I had assessed a few issues with the body. Potential Head injury (you think?), right wrist is not feeling too good. Right so I have no name, no address and I’m lost in the world. A bloke walks out of the Depot and (remember at this stage I still have no idea it’s a Depot and I ask him for help, well to be honest this part of the night I can’t really remember what conversation took place. I do recall talking to a dude, being told it was a Depot not a Police Station and there are no police here. I think I was after a lift to the hospital.
In my daze I headed off up the road, still unsure of where the hell I was or where I was going.
Next memory is standing at a rail road level crossing looking for trains, this is about 400meters up the road from the Depot, don’t remember crossing the level crossing. I do recall walking from the crossing to a shopping centre which was closed. I sat on the wall trying to work out Who I was, at this stage, which must have been 20 mins, I knew I was close to where I lived, but still no idea of my name.
The name came back to me as I sat there sipping on the water bottle and something told me to walk down the road opposite to where I was sitting. Then took a left turn and walked another block. The set of units look familiar to me. Now remember I had only just moved into this townhouse two weeks before this incident. Turns out it was where I lived. Basically the key opened the door of the townhouse I thought was my place so I figured it must be.
So I peel off the riding kit, The injury list reads as follows:
· Concussion (The next morning I noticed that the Met helmet I was wearing had taken such a hit on the right temple area that I helmet had been compressed from about an inch thick to 1 centimetre, I showed the bloke at the bike shop the helmet and he said That explains the damage to the handle bars… but not that why you are standing here showing me this!”
· Injured wrist (Not broken)
· Two broken ribs
· Deep road rash to both knees, Right Shoulder and the scars to prove it today.
I had a shower tried to call some friends but couldn’t recall anyone off hand so I went to bed. Ribs took around 8 weeks to heal to the point where I could take a deep breath again, The wrist still plays up all the time.
I was later told by family and the doctor that going to bed was the worst thing to do. So people the lesson here is, if you fall on your head… go to hospital. I returned to the scene of the fall today to take some pictures to demonstrate what had happened. The Intersection is no longer a roundabout but a huge intersection with a set of lights, the building on the left is no longer there so I turned to Google Maps, You guessed it, the old map was there.
The Google Map Pic, The Decent it top right, Depot is the Large Building and level crossing is at the
bottom centre.
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Nice post. Never knew you’d bashed your head like that; however it does explain a few things.
Makes my miniature stack (the broken arm stack; not the asleep at the wheel into the grass one) seem mild in comparison.