Cycling accident

[bluesofa]

As someone slightly more famous than me once said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

I have recently been cycling a new route I worked out, a 37km loop which takes me an hour-and-a-half.
So there I was minding my own business about 9 a.m., cycling along an 8km stretch of the Udon-Sakon Nakhon Road (Highway 22)
I was (as always) in the motorbike/cycle lane on the very left side of the road.
It was a nice day, not even anyone driving in that lane in the wrong direction.

Suddenly from behind there was an enormous thump and I found myself flying through the air. I hit the ground further ahead on the cycle lane, landing on my back, staring up at the sky.
It seemed like ages before it dawned on me what had happened, as it was all so fast.
Tilting my head I could see a car stopped ahead of me. There was a woman from the car coming towards me.

She asked me if I was all right. I said no. I attempted to sit up slightly, but my back was really painful, so I lay down again.
The woman asked if I could move my feet. I could. Then she asked could I turn slightly?
I responded by saying that in an accident you are not supposed to move the injured party in case of a spinal injury. I asked her sarcastically if she was a doctor?
She said she was.
Where?
Nong Han Hospital.

The doctor said she just wanted to check my back.
I did try to turn a little, and it was extremely painful.
The doctor called an ambulance. I asked her to call my wife as well, to let her know what happened.

Two police turned up. They asked me about the accident.
I told them I had been hit from behind, and the driver already admitted that she didn’t see me - even though I had a reflective high visibility vest (and as always, my cycle helmet).
While we were waiting for the ambulance, one of the policemen had picked up my glasses off the road and gave them to me. I noticed the lenses were both scratched.
My wife arrived and came to see me. She talked to the doctor and to the police, one of who by coincidence was a relative of my wife.
Even as I was laying there I told my wife to take a photo of the car registration (better to trust no one else and be organised).

The ambulance arrived and I was put on a flat board, which was lifted onto a trolley/gurney.
We went to Udon Thani Hospital. A most painful journey, as the gurney didn’t have any suspension and I was sure the ambulance must have been modified for off-road racing – I could feel every single bump on the road.
 

At hospital I had my back X-rayed and I was told I had fractured my spine and might be in hospital a few weeks. I was transferred to a bed on a ward.
There were 32 beds on the ward. It was a new building, very impressive looking. Perhaps because it was all new, I don’t know.
A couple of hours later another doctor came along. He said the fracture wasn’t too severe and I would probably be there for perhaps three days.
 

Later in the afternoon, I had a visitor: The doctor who had hit me.
She genuinely seemed worried about me, she did cry a little.
As well as bringing me the obligatory food package, she also brought two doctor friends with her from Nong Han Hospital - orthopaedic specialists. They looked at the X-rays and asked me few questions about the pain.
It was then they told me I had also broken my coccyx (tail-bone). They said it would become more painful over the next few days (they were right).

The senior nurse on our ward I thought of as Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). She had a loud voice and appeared to be very unsympathetic to her patients.
She was obviously aware that three doctors from another hospital had descended on the ferang in bed 14. They had told Nurse Ratched how they came to be there.
I overheard Nurse Ratched asking the doctor who had hit me if she had พรบ (insurance) to pay my hospital bill? The doctor told her she had, and would cover everything.
The next daylight the doctor came to see me again. This time she brought her insurance details. I just hope when we get to that point, the insurance claim is sorted without any problems.

I ended up in hospital for three days/two nights.
I have a combined front & back metal brace I need to wear for the next three months. I’ve been told that the first month I need to spend the majority of the time laying down, to allow the fracture to heal.

I have a cycling App on my phone to track my speed and log the route. I’ve had a look at it since and the irony is that in another 200 metres I would have turned off  the main road onto a minor road and wouldn’t have been hit.
Now wouldn’t that have been boring.

[RichardColeman]

Pretty sure if you had hit her, you'd have had the law suit for pain and suffering by now

[malathione]

Get well soon, BS. That doesn't sound at all pleasant. That's a scary road. I rode on it once and only once between Nong Han and Nong Mek and swore never again (I'm easily scared). 

[Justgrazing]

Jesus you were lucky there Mr Sofa ..

Glad to hear your OK apart from the coccyx .. which will be a pain in the a$$ healing no doubt ..

( sorry that was too good to miss ) 

 

[up-country_sinclair]

I bought a magnetic trainer nearly a decade ago. 

Thai roads are not safe for cyclists.

[faraday]

We're all pleased, ecstatic even, ???? that it wasn't too serious. I know it will be tedious - from past experience, lying down & not being able to do much, so keep positive, & posting on here.

Get some Palmer's Cocoa Butter to put on your elbows & other places that'll get a bit sore over time.

 

Have you got adequate pain relief?

Get....well....soon!

 

Ps. You do understand that no boom-boom is allowed for at least 6 months - in any form! ☠️

 

 

 

[ChipButty]

Put a daily massage on the bill they would be screwing you for every baht if it was the other way round,

[ChipButty]

9 minutes ago, up-country_sinclair said:

I bought a magnetic trainer nearly a decade ago. 

Thai roads are not safe for cyclists.

In Phuket it's ok I did a lot of cycling over the years, we do have a lot of cyclist here maybe people are more aware I used to do some fair distances 

[colinneil]

Just when we thought it was safe.... Hes back aarrrrgggg.????

[ThailandRyan]

Video has just arrived, and it shows you riding in reverse. Don't know what to say, but then there was no tornado, and the house did not lad on the wicked witch.  A better question is, when you were laying flat out on the road did you see any flying monkeys?

All joking aside, glad to hear that you are healing and you still have your sense of humor.  Hope you heal back to 100% and get up an around sooner than they have said.  However, let yourself be pampered as much as possible.

[Crossy]

15 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Video has just arrived, and it shows you riding in reverse.

Beat me to it, but I reckon he was doing a good 60 70 80kph backwards.

Hurry up and get well @bluesofa

[Justgrazing]

42 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

The ambulance arrived and I was put on a flat board,

At least it wasn't a flat bread .. 

Might be prudent to get a luckee charm as well as you do a lot of this biking .. 

 

[poohy]

Good to hear you are on the mend

Well you certainly picked the best (a doctor with insurance) to get knocked over by.

Evidently in honor of you being offline TV gave up the ghost for days

 

[Ventenio]

Yea......horrible luck.  This was the main reason I started sports/activities like swimming.  back home you would get some pain and suffering money, i imagine.  here, maybe another fruit basket.  yea, the weather is hot (and polluted), but it's simply not safe to exercise around cars.  In decades, I can think of almost ten people i met before who were killed while on their bicycle.  how many are killed swimming or running?  your injury will likely change your life and your family.  sorry.  yes, she likely does feel sorry.  

if you are reading this and own a bicycle or a motorbike,   get rid of them.  

ok, laugh at me......

[rcuthbert]

Get well soon Bro.

I've been frequently  weaving through Pattaya traffic, and now I am thinking that I have been foolish. From now on, I am going to exercise caution.

Cheers.

[BangkokReady]

50 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Pretty sure if you had hit her, you'd have had the law suit for pain and suffering by now

I'm surprised he didn't get a bill for fixing the front of the woman's car!

[PatOngo]

Welcome back Bluesofa, hope you're back in the saddle soon, don't forget the amulet!

Edited March 16, 2021 by PatOngo

[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Welcome back Bluesofa, hope you're back in the saddle soon, don't forget the amulet!

His new bike better be taken to the Wat and blessed by a Monk as well as having the Buddha symbol and a sak yant stenciled upon it.  Better safe than sorry......of course YMMV. ???? 

[Gecko123]

I wish you a speedy recovery BlueSofa. Every cyclist's worst nightmare. I checked Hwy 22 (around Nong Han Lake). For the record, that road is way outside of my comfort level, even for short distances. I stick strictly to rural roads, and ride very early in the morning, usually 4:30 am start time. Double rear flashing lights and handlebar and helmet front light. Dogs seem to be generally fairly mellow at that hour, and I carry diluted window cleaner to ward off the occasional aggressive dog. Biggest fear is getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and having to wait until daybreak before somebody gives me a ride home, but that risk is minor compared to the risk of getting mowed down. Although I occasionally go out at other times during the day and evening, I still believe that the 2-5 am time period is the safest time for cycling in rural Thailand. More here:
 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1081864-2-5-am-the-safest-time-to-ride-in-rural-thailand/

Again, wishing you a speedy and full recovery.

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

Buy a lottery ticket.

The accident was a terrible misfortune but...

You were very lucky to be hit by that lady. She fessed up, paid up and did all that she could to fix you.

You are lucky to be alive.

You are lucky to be on the mend.

Buy that lottery ticket whilst luck is in your life.

Glad that you are recovering.

[worgeordie]

Get well soon, 

regards Worgeordie

 

[champers]

Make the most of being waited on hand and foot and I hope you have a full and quick recovery.

[Mavideol]

get well soon ????

[Golden Triangle]

Glad to hear you're on the mend mate, take care I hope you're up and about soon.

[Yorkshire Tea]

As a fellow cyclist, just one question.

 

Is the bike ok?

 

Get well soon ????

[Surelynot]

On her phone? Don't suppose the police checked.....do you know the time you were hit.......close enough to pin her down......just a thought......I hate phones being used in cars.

[Yorkshire Tea]

1 minute ago, Surelynot said:

On her phone? Don't suppose the police checked.....do you know the time you were hit.......close enough to pin her down......just a thought......I hate phones being used in cars.

If he uses strava, it will show very precisely when he was hit.

[rumak]

I am a bit jealous BS .    A little more than three months ago i was on the local playground playing a lighthearted game ( i am 70 ! ) of basketball with the locals.   A guy i joke around with must have given me a little "nudge"  and next thing i knew i was on the ground in great pain.   Somehow he didn't figure that his being 30 kg heavier than me would send me flying.

So, broken hip for old Rumak,  and a 4 month   recovery maybe similar to that you will be going through.  Very good to hear that you did not suffer more damage than you did,  and being fit DOES make a big difference in recovery .    I am finally walking again unaided and am sure you will be as well ( your age ?) 

oh, the jealous part.    I am pretty sure i would not receive as many get well wishes as you have    haha       Get well !

 

[Mansell]

I ride a few times a week on the rice field roads where the drivers mostly farmers give me lots of room. When a Big truck comes I usually pull off the road.....safer.

Curious, were you wearing a helmet? You said you landed on your back looking at the sky. She must have been really distracted to hit you on the shoulder, probably phone. In the west now they check the persons phone lmmediately to see what they were doing.

Light for Ease and Grace with your healing.

[ChipButty]

What about the bike?