I broke my neck.

hey Kaz... ur friend is good.. his instincts of not wanting to touch you is spot on.. with a broken neck like that its best not to move anyone .. broken bone.. stabilization is key...
on side note... looks like you were in UCSC (love that place) sweet carpets and mailboxes there...

 

@kazlx . Uhmm...I don't know where to start, so I'm just going to start writing and see where this goes. I thought about this post and your experience all night and even paced around the house. Showed it to my wife, who called me a knucklehead. You're not a knucklehead (unless your wife says so).Before I saw this thread, I stared making plans with @burt and a few Monkey Pissers to try some new durt, and now I'm a little psyched out. Risk<-->Reward Risk<-->Reward Risk<-->Reward Risk<-->Reward. I notice your helmet was designed with horizontal courses. Is that a Smith Forefront 2? It looks like it compressed as designed to your benefit. This doesn't always or only happen to the fast guys or the careless or the night riders or the smug. Are you planning a sabbatical from riding because you are spooked, or did the doctor tell you it's time to consider retirement? Is it that you would be reluctant to continue to send it and therefore would find bicycling mundane? How did your extraction go? You walked out gingerly while your friends hauled your gear? You don't have to respond to any of this. I'm glad you had people with you to help. I'm glad your kids and wife don't have to wipe your butt for the rest of your life. This calls for a shout out to the risk takers who live to walk away. Right on Kazlx!

 

That looks like a pretty gnarly crash to me. Glad you are OK.

 

Hawk ... because it is a slippery slope from Bumblebee to fire roads and spandex.

 

I already have a road bike....

 

I don't.

 

Back to troy lee this sat!!

 

You ask what most people ask so I’ll quote yours. I’ve been riding a long time. The trail was Juggs in Santa Cruz. Fun, but definitely nothing there even remotely scared me. It was a Smith Forefront 2 and I definitely believe it contributed to saving my life and everything else.

There was no extraction. Sunday around noon was the crash, I hiked out with my bike, rode back down the road to the car and hung out a few hours until we drove home to OC. Went to doc next day, got X-ray. Following day (Tues) got CT, then got called back that night by neurosurgeon and knew it wasn’t good as soon as he told me who he was.

I’m going to take a little break to just gather my thoughts. The more time passes even already, I know I want to get back but not sure what capacity. It may sound weird but I’m not scared. But all those points you hit I’ve seriously thought about. How hard do I ride, what’s that line, where’s the difference between gingerly cruising and pushing. I know I could go to oaks and Laguna and there’s trails I could ride thousands of times, not push myself and never have an issue. But we all know the adrenaline is part of the fun. Riding new stuff. A little faster, bigger, more style.

Bikes have been such a big part of my life for so long. Good friends, a good close crew, memories, trips, going from college kids to husbands and dads. It makes me die a little inside thinking this could be it. My wife definitely hates the idea of me riding again, but it’s also a lot of knee-jerk and I know it’s been a lot on her. I totally understand her view. She’s pretty cautious by nature. She’s never understood it but she’s also always just let me just do my thing.

If it was just me, I don’t think there’s any doubt I’d be back out ASAP even just mellow to start. But I do have a wife and two little boys. It’s definitely a conversation I’ll have with the doc for at least some more info for myself. Even before the surgery, my wife asked, I think looking for validation, and without missing a beat, he gave the 180 and said he didn’t think it would be a problem. So there’s no right answer.

sorry. Typing on my phone so hard to make sure I hit it all.

 

F!! Welcome to the club, though I escaped with no surgery. Back in August 2014, I fractured my C1 & C2 as I tried to ROLL a drop at walking speed that I should have just dropped at speed like my friend before me. My front wheel twisted, I went OTB and lawn darted. Like you, I didn't know how hurt I was and thought about riding but my neck was too stiff to look in one direction so I rode back to my car. I drove home, planning to take a shower, some Tylenol and get some sleep. However, I couldn't feel the water hit the back of my head in the shower and knew that wasn't good. My wife drove me to Scripps Encinitas and long story short, they transferred me to Scripps La Jolla by ambulance foe a full blown trauma work-up after they took x-rays.

The spine doctor said 40% of people with my injury die from asphyxiation, 40% are quadriplegics and 20% are fine and make a full recovery. Obviously, I was one of the lucky 20%. As I mentioned, no surgery for me and I was told 8-11 weeks in the neck brace. I was released to ride after 7. My wife was surprised but he told her..."he could crash the exact same way and won't fracture those two vertebrae again. They are stronger now than before". The hardest part about riding after being cleared is your neck muscles will be weak from not having to support your head. Fear of crashing has not been an issue as I actually ride more aggressively now. I figure playing it safe was how I broke my neck the 1st time. The more aggressively I ride, the more focused I am.

Good luck and best wishes for a smooth, speedy recovery. Lots of quality helmet options out there and you could always wear a neck brace. I always wore a Leatt on dirt bikes and I'm convinced it saved me more than once.

 

Amazing how you you were able to have a video of this horrible accident. I'm so glad you're okay. I always wear a quality helmet and neck brace, but I'm on a motocross track on a dirt bike.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

So sorry to hear this but glad things are going to be alright. Tough to see exactly what happened in the video. Nose dive in a gap? Scary how quick it happened. Like the fact you still want to ride again. Get well soon!

 

Right turn, front wheel dug and knifed hard and whipped me around and then when backwards head first in that log at a rapid pace.

 

I sort of have a reputation in the crew of taking hits and to just keep getting up lol. Glutton for punishment I guess.

I guess the hard part for me is just feeling like the riding chapter isn't finished being written yet...

 

It isn't.

But the nasty crashing chapter may have just closed.

 

Hoping that chapter has been archived already lol

 

Holy crap! Glad you are well.

 

Thanks! Getting better every day so far. Took a shower by myself today so that was nice. Didn’t set any land speed records but still felt great to be more independent.

 

Man, that helmet took a beating. Glad you avoided permanent damage.

I had a yard sale in Bend where I didn't think I hit my head. The hole in my Smith Forefront told a different story, and I replaced it with a Forefront 2. After seeing yours, I don't think I'll ever wear anything else.

 

I'm a Forefront believer. The honeycomb did it's job for me

 

The only flaw I see in the design of the Forefront 2 is the inability to attach a Niterider light to it because of the honeycomb obstructing the vents. I “downgraded” to a Smith Session just so I could attach my light.

 

Hey I moved this soberly to Crash confessions. Geez! I hope this all plays out healthily!

 

Club Forefront:

 

Ummm...I'm noticing a trend with this helmet.

 

It's a trend!

 

I'm not goin' in on this trend, if'n you don't mind.

 

hey man, thanks for posting this. I've flirted with stuff like this all of my life riding moto's, racing cars/motorcycles, mtb's, gokarts etc etc. I always justify in my head why I'm safe or making the right choices. I had a run in with my spine years ago, that caused me to slow down and ride more calculated then before, but I still flirt with the limit more then I would admit to.

I'm sorry that you had to go through this, and thankful that after the bad luck, you had nothing but good luck and the cards falling in your favor. As hard as this is to read, it's important that all of us learn from stuff like this and pull back and evaluate our choices, our vices and the life path we see for ourselves. I'm sure you'll be back on a bike. I have a buddy that had a similar injury on a moto, and he's back to his old ways, but just refined and with a focus on maximum fun while keeping it rubber side down.

The only thing I can add to this experience for you is my experience with my spine issues. There will be ups and downs and there will be periods where you dig at yourself, your life choices and the consequences. Just remember that something like this could happen to anyone, and statistically, you're more likely to get injured driving on the fwy. One of my best friends from home was a pro-am motocross racer... he slipped and fell on the ice while bringing things in from his car during the winter. He shattered two vertebre on his spine, which ended his racing career... but he still shreds on a bike 22 years later.

There is light at the end of this tunnel. Be strong, be vulnerable and be methodical and don't push too hard too fast. Normal will come in time.

 

That’s what I try to tell people. I really put this more in the ‘freak accident’ category than I do in the mtb related. Obviously accepted risk is present in everything that we do, but I’ve heard of people just like your buddy, or swimming pools, or a million other ways. Mine happened to be on the bike. I don’t think it will pull me away permanently, but I’m sure it will be different and I’ll just have to evaluate it as it comes. I don’t want to let the fear of ‘what if’ rule the rest of my life.

 

That looks like someone drove over it!

 

I think I may have posted this before, but it makes you think. Like some others on this site, I believe there is a greater plan than our own plans.
A Curse or a Blessing?
Much food for thought



There was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all for the beautiful white horse he owned. Even the king coveted his treasure. People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse is not a horse to me," he would tell them. "It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?" The man was poor and the temptation was great, but he never sold the horse.

One morning, the horse was missing from the stable. All the village came to see the old man. "You old fool" they scoffed. "We told you that someone would steal your horse. You are so poor, how could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. Now the horse is gone, and you've been cursed with misfortune."

The old man responded, "Don't speak so quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know, the rest is judgment. How can you know if I've been cursed or not? How can you judge?

The people contested. "Don't make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed to know what's happened here. The fact that your horse is gone is a curse."

The old man spoke again, "All that I know is that the stable is empty and the horse is gone. The rest I don't know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can't say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?

The people of the village laughed. They had always thought the man to be a fool; if he wasn't he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. Instead he was a poor woodcutter, living hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After 15 days the horse returned. He hadn't been stolen, he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered round the woodcutter and spoke, "Old man you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was really a blessing. Please forgive us."

The man responded "Again you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don't judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge. If you read only one page, how can you judge the whole book? All you have is a fragment! Don't say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know, I am not perturbed by what I don't know.

"Maybe the old man is right." they said.. But deep down they believed he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with the horse. With a little bit of work the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

"You were right." they said The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever."

The old man spoke again, "Don't go so far in your judgments. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment of the whole".

A few weeks later the country engaged in a war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded because he was injured. The enemy was strong and people feared they would never see their sons again. Once again, they gathered around the old man crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. "You were right, old man," they wept. "God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son's accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever."

The old man spoke again, "Why do you always draw conclusions? No one knows. Say only this: Your sons went to war, and mine did not. No one is wise enough to know if it is a blessing or a curse. Only God knows."

The old woodcutter was content with what he knew and not disturbed by what he couldn't understand. Epictetus said, "I am always content with that which happens, for I think that which God chooses is better than what I choose."