Well, it finally happened: I've joined the ranks of those who have crashed.
I was rear-ended yesterday at a stop sign in a residential neighborhood.
Let me say first that I'm fine, no broken bones. After the accident, I drove myself to the hospital and had a CT scan and Xrays of my neck/spine. Everything was fine. I have some significant aches, pains, and soreness. I'm a ball of hurt right now.
I had come to a T-intersection and made a full stop. I looked left-right-left to clear the road (US driver here), was rammed at an oblique angle and thrown over the left handlebar. (Had she hit me squarely, I would have gone up over the hood, I think.)
I was fully ATGATTed to include:
(1) Leatt dual-axis shin-to-knee guards, and
(2) a Hit-Air air vest, the crowning jewel of my riding equipment.
I also had a cheapie Drift Stealth camera mounted and running on my helmet.
The air vest worked like a champ.
If you're not familiar with them, here's the deal: it looks like a life vest. There's a small CO2 cartridge embedded in the vest. You tether you/the vest to your bike with a lanyard. When you depart the bike with >66 pounds of pressure on the lanyard, it pulls a pin in the CO2 cartridge and it blows, inflating the vest in about a freaking nanosecond. You look/feel like a little Michelin Man, but I was willing to sacrifice haute couture for my safety, LOL.)
Before I was aware I was on the ground, I was thinking, "Dammit, I have GOT to lose some weight! My jacket is too tight!!" Then I realized that I had been hit and was on the ground, and the tightness was the air vest that had inflated.
The vest stayed inflated for about another minute, then started to slowly deflate.
Without the vest, I'm convinced I would have fractured a hip or my pelvis, busted some ribs, etc. The cop was amazed that I wasn't hurt. The ER staff kept coming by to look at the vest and tell me how they couldn't believe I wasn't even scratched up.)
My gauntlet gloves are a bit shredded along the bottoms.
So I'm on some decent pain pills, which takes the edge off so I can fall asleep.
Will talk with the insurance company tomorrow. I don't know if they'll total the bike or repair it.
If anyone has experience with this, I'd love to hear any advice that you may have.
OK, waaah, gonna go be sad about Barney just a little bit.
OK, a lot........
(PS) About the helmet cam: if you live in the US, you'd be wise to get one and use it (because we're a litigious group here). They're cheap, $60 on eBay for a Chinese Go-Pro knockoff. You don't need to spend big bucks. The proof it provides is invaluable.
(PPS) If you have bad knees, as I do, I cannot recommend the Leatt protectors enough. They were awesome. I landed hard, rolled a bit, and never even felt it. The Leatts took all the impact.
I was rear-ended yesterday at a stop sign in a residential neighborhood.
Let me say first that I'm fine, no broken bones. After the accident, I drove myself to the hospital and had a CT scan and Xrays of my neck/spine. Everything was fine. I have some significant aches, pains, and soreness. I'm a ball of hurt right now.
I had come to a T-intersection and made a full stop. I looked left-right-left to clear the road (US driver here), was rammed at an oblique angle and thrown over the left handlebar. (Had she hit me squarely, I would have gone up over the hood, I think.)
I was fully ATGATTed to include:
(1) Leatt dual-axis shin-to-knee guards, and
(2) a Hit-Air air vest, the crowning jewel of my riding equipment.
I also had a cheapie Drift Stealth camera mounted and running on my helmet.
The air vest worked like a champ.
If you're not familiar with them, here's the deal: it looks like a life vest. There's a small CO2 cartridge embedded in the vest. You tether you/the vest to your bike with a lanyard. When you depart the bike with >66 pounds of pressure on the lanyard, it pulls a pin in the CO2 cartridge and it blows, inflating the vest in about a freaking nanosecond. You look/feel like a little Michelin Man, but I was willing to sacrifice haute couture for my safety, LOL.)
Before I was aware I was on the ground, I was thinking, "Dammit, I have GOT to lose some weight! My jacket is too tight!!" Then I realized that I had been hit and was on the ground, and the tightness was the air vest that had inflated.
The vest stayed inflated for about another minute, then started to slowly deflate.
Without the vest, I'm convinced I would have fractured a hip or my pelvis, busted some ribs, etc. The cop was amazed that I wasn't hurt. The ER staff kept coming by to look at the vest and tell me how they couldn't believe I wasn't even scratched up.)
My gauntlet gloves are a bit shredded along the bottoms.
So I'm on some decent pain pills, which takes the edge off so I can fall asleep.
Will talk with the insurance company tomorrow. I don't know if they'll total the bike or repair it.
If anyone has experience with this, I'd love to hear any advice that you may have.
OK, waaah, gonna go be sad about Barney just a little bit.
OK, a lot........
(PS) About the helmet cam: if you live in the US, you'd be wise to get one and use it (because we're a litigious group here). They're cheap, $60 on eBay for a Chinese Go-Pro knockoff. You don't need to spend big bucks. The proof it provides is invaluable.
(PPS) If you have bad knees, as I do, I cannot recommend the Leatt protectors enough. They were awesome. I landed hard, rolled a bit, and never even felt it. The Leatts took all the impact.
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so sorry to hear this, but glad that you are more-or-less OK.
but fingers crossed Hay ! 
at least your ok thats the main thing here .
about Barney! 
