Grootseun
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 4,555
- Reaction score
- 282
- Location
- The bottom... and digging
- Bike
- BMW F800GSA
I left for home on Wednesday the 19th July just after 5, normal commute home, looking forward o supper as I had some toast for breakfast and nothing else due to being on site for the whole day.
I passed Rhema church in randburg, lane-splitting as usual. I got to the traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. Once it turned green, I accelerated to clear the cages, once in “clean air” as they say in F1 I settled the throttle and went around the corner. At the traffic light a White isuzu approaches and indicates to turn right. Just as I approach the traffic light (I was about 50m out) the light changes to yellow, my first instinct is to grab brake… no time to stop… I will just have to go through the yellow light. The lady driving the white Isuzu had the same idea.. to go through the yellow light.
I brake hard… right foot and hand pulsing from the ABS…she hasn’t stopped yet… and then I had it, the famous “oh no” second - the exact moment you realise this is going to hurt…everything slows down to near crawling speed. When thinking back now, I remember veering to my left desperately trying to avoid the impact… but there was no escape. I remember impact an then the quiet weightlessness of flying over the handlebars, and the abrupt unpleasantness of hitting the ground.
I’m seeing stars….i try to get up…. No wait… I’m scared I will fall over if I do.. I sit in the road, looking at the bumpers of the cars waiting to the left of my approach side, a mere half a metre away from me, nobody moves, I get up, still listening to “Like a stone” in my earphones. I take off my helmet.. man my leg is numb…the lady gets out of her car and asks if I am ok…”yeah, just dandy for someone just hit by a cage”
We exchange details while waiting for the cops (never pitched) the tow-truck driver wants to take the bike and keep it overnight…I tell him I will make other arrangements.
The Fire department arrive…wow such a big truck…. everyone keeps on telling me how lucky I was. The got the call of a motorcycle accident and was readying themselves for carnage. “Do you need an ambulance” he asks me…”huh.. No.. I can walk…”
The most difficult part during this whole ordeal is to make that phone call home to say why you’re going to be late. There is no easy way to say “I was in and accident” without causing panic and mayhem in a usually peaceful and chilled environment.
My old man arrived; he has that worried “I TOLD YOU SO” look on his face. He takes me to hospital where I wait 20 minutes; I still don’t understand which part of “ I was in a motorcycle accident and my leg and back hurts” did they not understand. I finally got to lie down. The nurse came in (no she was not hot) I took my boots off, and my riding pants…hmm.. lotsa blood…. The nursed has a concerned look on their faces, I have a look at my leg.. whoaw!!! I lay back as they put a IV in my arm.. “to help with the pain” ok, whatever. The nurse informs me that they need to clean the wounds…that is I lost my sense of humour…funny thing is.. they were taking my pulse and blood pressure while wiping grazes and open wounds on my leg… I have yet to experience such pain in my life…. I hear the rapid beeping of the machine measuring my pulse… and then it ends…mutherf%^$&er it hurt…
The young doctor comes in and has a look….”hmmm, you were on a motorcycle you say?”.. yup…”you were lucky”.. I guess so…. He starts injecting the anaesthetics into the wounds.. I almost pass out. I have some water while he puts 22 stiches in my leg, while enquiring about the bike I ride and the fuel efficiency…”and where can I go to learn how to ride??” the doc asks me…I am quite surprised, half expecting a lecture on how idiotic riding a motorbike in traffic is.
I got a ride in a wheelchair to the x-rays where I felt like a model posing for cosmo…”move your head a bit forward, shoulders back…” after my pic’s were taken I head back to the ER, the doc sez no bones are broken an I can go home and rest…”You’re lucky” .. thanx doc. Now where’s my painkillers……
I passed Rhema church in randburg, lane-splitting as usual. I got to the traffic light, waiting for it to turn green. Once it turned green, I accelerated to clear the cages, once in “clean air” as they say in F1 I settled the throttle and went around the corner. At the traffic light a White isuzu approaches and indicates to turn right. Just as I approach the traffic light (I was about 50m out) the light changes to yellow, my first instinct is to grab brake… no time to stop… I will just have to go through the yellow light. The lady driving the white Isuzu had the same idea.. to go through the yellow light.
I brake hard… right foot and hand pulsing from the ABS…she hasn’t stopped yet… and then I had it, the famous “oh no” second - the exact moment you realise this is going to hurt…everything slows down to near crawling speed. When thinking back now, I remember veering to my left desperately trying to avoid the impact… but there was no escape. I remember impact an then the quiet weightlessness of flying over the handlebars, and the abrupt unpleasantness of hitting the ground.
I’m seeing stars….i try to get up…. No wait… I’m scared I will fall over if I do.. I sit in the road, looking at the bumpers of the cars waiting to the left of my approach side, a mere half a metre away from me, nobody moves, I get up, still listening to “Like a stone” in my earphones. I take off my helmet.. man my leg is numb…the lady gets out of her car and asks if I am ok…”yeah, just dandy for someone just hit by a cage”
We exchange details while waiting for the cops (never pitched) the tow-truck driver wants to take the bike and keep it overnight…I tell him I will make other arrangements.
The Fire department arrive…wow such a big truck…. everyone keeps on telling me how lucky I was. The got the call of a motorcycle accident and was readying themselves for carnage. “Do you need an ambulance” he asks me…”huh.. No.. I can walk…”
The most difficult part during this whole ordeal is to make that phone call home to say why you’re going to be late. There is no easy way to say “I was in and accident” without causing panic and mayhem in a usually peaceful and chilled environment.
My old man arrived; he has that worried “I TOLD YOU SO” look on his face. He takes me to hospital where I wait 20 minutes; I still don’t understand which part of “ I was in a motorcycle accident and my leg and back hurts” did they not understand. I finally got to lie down. The nurse came in (no she was not hot) I took my boots off, and my riding pants…hmm.. lotsa blood…. The nursed has a concerned look on their faces, I have a look at my leg.. whoaw!!! I lay back as they put a IV in my arm.. “to help with the pain” ok, whatever. The nurse informs me that they need to clean the wounds…that is I lost my sense of humour…funny thing is.. they were taking my pulse and blood pressure while wiping grazes and open wounds on my leg… I have yet to experience such pain in my life…. I hear the rapid beeping of the machine measuring my pulse… and then it ends…mutherf%^$&er it hurt…
The young doctor comes in and has a look….”hmmm, you were on a motorcycle you say?”.. yup…”you were lucky”.. I guess so…. He starts injecting the anaesthetics into the wounds.. I almost pass out. I have some water while he puts 22 stiches in my leg, while enquiring about the bike I ride and the fuel efficiency…”and where can I go to learn how to ride??” the doc asks me…I am quite surprised, half expecting a lecture on how idiotic riding a motorbike in traffic is.
I got a ride in a wheelchair to the x-rays where I felt like a model posing for cosmo…”move your head a bit forward, shoulders back…” after my pic’s were taken I head back to the ER, the doc sez no bones are broken an I can go home and rest…”You’re lucky” .. thanx doc. Now where’s my painkillers……
