Saved by the Bell

Laying in a CAT scanner at 3 o'clock in the morning was never very high on my "To-Do" list. But last Tuesday night, or, rather, Wednesday morning, that's exactly where I found myself. Watching the x-ray tube spin around my head I couldn't help but wonder, and worry, what was showing up on the computer screen of the technologist behind the lead-lined wall. Hours earlier Barry, Darin, Russ and I had meet in Menomonee Falls to do another night ride on the Bugline trail. We'd done this dozens of times before and we were expecting the usual good time. But midway during the return leg something went wrong.

Russ and I were up front with Barry and Darin close behind. Riding side-by-side, Russ and I were discussing and solving many of the world's problems when I suddenly hit a wet, muddy patch. It shifted my path slowly to the left, towards Russ. My initial reaction was to not panic and over-correct. If I turned hard to the right and then hit a dry patch I would go head over handle bars. Plus, I've ridden enough miles with Russ to know that he wouldn't panic either. He'd see me drifting over and simply hold his line. I drifted left for what seemed like minutes but was of course only a second or two. No matter what I did I could not get the bike to stop going slightly to the left. Now, almost upon Russ I decided to lean my shoulder into him so that we would gently bounce off of each other. Russ had the same idea but there was a problem - we were not shoulder to shoulder. I was slightly behind Russ and when I leaned I merely leaned onto his back. This did not provide the slight bump-off and while we both tried to stay steady on the bikes at some point I knew I was going to lose control and crash. That's when the lights went out.

When I came to I was sitting on the trail raising my arms to show that my collarbone wasn't broken. Then I was standing by my bike watching Barry re-adjust the brake hoods and front wheel. Then I was riding home. I kept asking where we were and what we were doing. I couldn't understand Darin's comment that I had driven to Menomonee Falls to ride my bike. That simply didn't make sense to me.

Here's what I missed; when my bike touched Russ' the bikes got tangled and out of control. Russ bailed off to his left, bruising his elbow. I fell hard on my right shoulder and hip and then my head whipped into the ground. My helmet striking the ground on the upper, right side. I was out cold for a minute or two, appearing lifeless - face first on the ground. The other guy's initial reactions were to call 9-1-1 and Russ even said that for a moment he was worried about how the helicopter would get to us, on a narrow trail in the woods. As they gathered around me I rolled onto my back and began moaning. Seeing that I was alive they began talking to me to see how I was. Barry suggested that I get up if I could because he was worried that I would get cold and start drifting again. He thought it better to keep me engaged and active. I was initially making non-sensical comments but apparently I was coming around pretty quickly. At least most of the way around. Russ remarked that it was amazing how fast I seemed to be coming back. I recall none of this.

After a few more minutes my head cleared enough that I knew where I was, who I was, who I was with and who the President of the United States was. I still couldn't understand where my car was. And my head felt like it was in a vice.

The guys were discussing the options to get me out of the woods and to medical help. I wanted to keep moving and insisted that I could ride out. Riding, I hoped, would clear my head even further and the closer we could get to civilization the better. Darin rode next to me and continued to ask me questions to see how my brain was working. I could remember things from months or years ago but I couldn't remember much about the past three days. The guys were still discussing whether to call for help or ride to Darin's (about 2 miles away) to reassess. I insisted that we go to the parking lot and tried to prove that I was okay by naming my daughters and my dog. They relented but refused to allow me to drive home.

After a somewhat blurry ride to the parking lot Russ rode home to get his car. Darin took command of my car and drove me home, with Russ right behind.

By the time we got to my house I was actually feeling pretty good. A head-ache, to be sure, but coherent with bright and alert eyes. We stood in my garage explaining to my wife what had happened. We took a cursory look at my helmet which appeared to be intact, with some scratches and dents on the outer shell.

I took two Tylenol and went to bed. I awoke at 1:30 am with my eyes spinning, nauseous and unable to sit up. Something was definitely wrong and since head injuries are not to be trifled with there was growing panic. I was fighting the fine line of going unconscious. My lovely bride made the quick decision to get me to the emergency room and in about 45 seconds she had my 12 year old and herself out of bed, dressed and helping me down the stairs. It was a real battle not passing out. Spinning eyes and terrible pain accompanied the dark curtain that was closing in on me.

I was cold, clammy and shivering uncontrollably when we arrived at the hospital. In the ER department I was quickly given a once over by a nurse and a doctor and then hustled into the CAT scanner to see if there was any brain damage, bleeding or other neurological disorder.



Technology is a great thing and being able to have a radiologist review the images just minutes after the exam is a wonder of modern medicine. The images are sent over the internet to a display system at the radiologist's home where he/she can review them at anytime. Even at 3 o'clock in the morning. The only thing that concerns me is that I've never been very coherent at 3 in the morning and here I was relying on some radiologist, having just been woken up in the middle of the night, to review images of my brain and provide an accurate diagnosis. Be that as it may, the word came back that I had suffered a Grade 3 concussion, the most severe form of concussion. The good news is that there was no hemorrhaging or deformity. I should make a full recovery, although with some symptoms not appearing for days or even weeks, only time will tell for sure.

The blunt force trauma of my head hitting the ground did bruise my brain on both the left and right sides. The right side as my head smashed into the ground, and the left side as the brain rebounded against the left side of my skull. There was also some minor swelling (no surprise to me as it felt as if my head was going to explode).



I was given some Tylenol and told to go home and rest for a few days, and to be watchful for symptoms of neurological dysfunction; memory loss, loss of motor skills, slurred speech, vomiting, spinning eyeballs and convulsions (don't those sound fun?). My wife has been staring at me ever since. Barry, Darin and/or Russ were checking in from time to time as well.

Wednesday was awful. I couldn't open my eyes without causing searing pain. Any movement - any, would cause nausea. Constant ringing in my ears. Thursday began the same but by evening I was feeling better. Even went for a short walk to get some fresh air. Ate a little food. I thought the worst was over but Friday morning brought a repeat of Wednesday and we discussed another visit to the hospital. We fought through it and by Saturday afternoon there was marked improvement (I even rode for 30 minutes on the indoor trainer) and as of 6:00 pm Sunday there has been no relapse. I think that the worst is over.

As my head healed I noted the other injuries that had gone unnoticed; abrasions and bruises on my shoulder and hip. And abrasions on my knees, elbow and pinky finger. As my brain cleared those little pains became more evident.

For the first few days I couldn't look at a computer screen without getting sick to my stomach but this morning I was well enough to do a little research on concussions. Go HERE for Mayo Clinic's overview and HERE for a cycling specific article covering concussions, along with other cycling related injuries. Fairly scary stuff, particularly the discussion surrounding what is known as "second impact syndrome", which, "occurs when a person has recurrent head trauma while still recovering from a concussion. A seemingly minor trauma or bumping of the head in these people can lead to devastating swelling of the brain, which could prove fatal." Yikes!

What have I learned through this experience? A few things;

1) If a head injury leads to loss of consciousness, even for a second, it's best to get that person to a hospital within one hour (the so-called 'golden hour') so that potentially serious damage can be mitigated. I didn't do this and maybe it's being overly cautious but it has now become a rule for me and for anyone that I'm with. If you go for a ride with me and you get knocked out - I will take you in. I want you to do the same for me. And don't argue with me, it's a rule. Your brains, and your life, are precious.

2) Having a spouse and/or family that loves you and cares about you is an easy thing to take for granted. Don't.

3) Those silly little sayings that we hear all the time are based in truth; Getting your bell rung. Knocked the living daylights out of him. Out like a light. Head scramble. Re-boot. Out cold. All true. Seeing stars? Probably true, I just don't remember it.

And that helmet? Three days after the crash I took a good look at it and saw that both major structural ribs on the right side of the Bell brand helmet were cracked clear through. Without a helmet that would have been my skull.

Saved by the Bell (helmet)

Monday (Oct. 23) Update:

Feeling a wee bit light-headed today but pretty good overall. Cycling buddy Aaron asked a good question about the wisdom of riding at night and whether or not darkness played a factor in the crash. Great question, Aaron. And one that a guy with a clear head would have taken note of!

When we ride at night we all use headlights mounted on our handlebars. This lets us see the trail boundaries and any major obstacles. Does it light our way? No. Did it contribute to the crash? I'd say yes. Had I seen the slippery patch I probably would have prepared for it. No guarantee that I would have noted it in the daylight since some things are not obvious, but I'm guessing that I would have. In any event, darkness was definitely a factor. Could have seen the slippery bit, could have found a place to bail, could have seen the ground rapidly approaching my head.

Does this mean that trail riding at night should be avoided? No. But it does mean that I need a better, more powerful light. My current one is a little Cateye designed primarily to let cars and pedestrians know that you are coming. For that purpose it works well as it's very bright to the eye - it just doesn't cast a very wide or bright beam on the ground in front of the bike. Maybe something like THIS or THIS?

Does $200.00 or $300.00 sound like a lot for headlights? Consider this; I am self-insured for healthcare purposes and my little visit to the ER is going to run about $2000.00. Not to mention the pain, lost days and potential future complications. Even if you've got great health insurance coverage, $200 or $300 is a small price to pay if it can help you avoid my little experience. What's that saying? Oh, yea. An ounce of prevention...

Click on "Comments" below and let us know your suggestions for the best and brightest lights for bike mounted trail riding.