I’m grateful to be alive.
On Labor Day, I decided to go for a quick
little late-afternoon out-and-back ride on Skyliner. I was just about
home, cruising down Galveston toward the Flaming Chicken, when a beige
Toyota Prius in the oncoming lane suddenly turned left directly into my
path. The scene has been replaying itself over and over in my mind in
slow motion. I braked hard, but there was absolutely nothing I could
do. My bike and my body slammed into the front quarter panel and
passenger side door, ripping off the side view mirror. I somersaulted
across the windshield and crash landed on the other side. Intense pain
set in about 10 seconds later.
People were instantly there as I
lay on the asphalt, clutching my left shoulder and moaning in pain. I
remember yelling “Call an ambulance!” and then repeating two phrases:
“Can someone give me pain medication?” and “It’s not fair.” A person in
the small crowd came up to me, I think his name was Bill, and said,
“I’m a first responder.” He started the process of assessing me for
head trauma and spinal cord injury and stabilizing my spine.
Unbelievably, my good friend Whit Ross had been buzzing down the street on his motor scooter at that exact time. He witnessed a body flying through the air and over a car. He stopped to help, and that’s when he realized it was me. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to look up and see Whit and hold his hand.
A police officer came, the ambulance arrived and they put me in a neck brace, strapped me to a backboard and loaded me in. I kept asking for more pain medication. In a little while, I was in the ER at St. Charles Medical Center. My wonderful friends Jan and Greg Gifford and John Kelly, along with Whit, were there. It was Jan’s birthday. It was a little cool that day so I was wearing my PPP shirt, a bike jersey I bought in New Zealand and a Sunnyside windbreaker. They wanted to cut them off. John said he knew I would be OK when I refused to let them cut my PPP shirt.
After CAT scans and X-rays, I was diagnosed with a third degree AC separation of the shoulder, among other injuries. The Giffords kept me at their house that night and I was fortunate to be able to see Dr. Cara Walther the next day and schedule shoulder surgery two days later. She put in a plate and reattached ligaments. A second surgery will be required later to remove the plate, but Dr. Walther thinks I will be able to paddle and surf again. Words I desperately needed to hear.
A brush with death is a very emotional experience. On the one hand, I feel grief for my losses. I had to erase a surf trip, a mountain bike hut-to-hut trip and a backpacking trip from my calendar. I’m bummed that I can’t go for a paddle on this beautiful sunny day. I feel concern about the long-term impact on my lifestyle. Right now, my vision is blurry.
But, even more powerfully, I feel gratitude. I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful I’m not paralyzed. And words cannot express how grateful I am to be living here in Bend, surrounded by so many loving friends. Even the people who hit me, cited for making a dangerous left-hand turn, sent flowers. To Jan & Greg for being my “Mom & Dad,” to Kerie for all the house calls, to Cheryl & Doug for all the feasts, to Judy for the spin bike, and to so many others for the food, visits, videos, flowers, cards, calls, errands and healing vibes: THANK YOU!!
My accident was a nearly identical scenario to the tragic one in which Keith Moon was killed last month. One thing I know is that Keith was not wearing a helmet – I was. That helmet, cracked in two places, may have saved my life. As gas soars above $4/gallon and people care more about their carbon footprint, there will only be more cyclists and pedestrians sharing the streets. We’ve all got to realize this and do our part. If you’re on your bike, stop at stop signs, ride on the right side of the street, wear your helmet. If you’re driving your car, put down the cell phone, pay attention and expect bikes. It’s a two-way street and we need to look out for each other.
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2008.
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glad to hear you survived. wondering if the driver was cited for failure to yield and/or careless driving and injuring a vulnerable user of the road, or if the excuse of “i just didn’t see her” magically gets the driver off the hook.
Adding to your personal gratitude – me, and everyone whose life you have impacted by sharing your rainbow of talents, athletic inspiration, love of life, energetic pursuit, outdoor anything and spirited lifestyle. Heal fast, spin on and see you on the water and trails asap!!!!
I’m super sorry to hear about your accident but also super glad to hear you will recover and get to keep on playing. Hopefully, now that one of their own was struck by a car while bicycling, the Bend Police will be more motivated to find the time and energy to focus more on motor vehicle drivers and their interaction with road using bicyclists. Cyclist and drivers both need to obey the rules of the road and better and more even-handed enforcement by the Bend Police would go a long way towards encouraging proper riding / driving behavior.
The Bend PD wasted no time in citing the driver that hit the officer. If only they would act as quickly and decisively when it comes to your average citizen on a bike.
Pam,
Just heard from Pete. Glad you are OK. You are lucky to be alive and YOU WILL SURF AGAIN! So smart of you to bring up the importance of wearing a helmet…Thank you and be well.
I am so very sorry to hear of this incident but at the same time glad you will recover. I know it is very “inconvenient” to be injured when you lead a physically busy life and hope the healing is faster than you can imagine. Think positively and you are in my thoughts from the east coast. Love ya, Cat