She did it, Finally!!

[Mel46]

As many of you know my wife and I were 8nvolved in an accident in September of 2015. I walked away with very little damage to me, though the bike had some broken parts, which I have since replaced.
My wife, on the other hand, had a broken shoulder, to the tune of $75,000 in surgery costs that we are still dealing with. Her bike was not as bad off as mine, so hers was easy enough to fix as well.
I took the bikes out for a test run within a couple of months after the accident. Then Dave and I went for a longer ride on them and they checked out fine. Ever so often I would take the bikes around the block to keep them in good running condition. However, my wife refused to get back on her bike for fear that she would re-injury that shoulder. For all of these months since the accident I have been fearful that she would tell me to sell both bikes and walk away.

Today, she decided to try to ride, even if it was just around our subdivision. So I prepped the bikes, checked tire pressure, adjusted mirrors, etc. And we rode, and rode, and she went outside of our subdivision and rode some More! The one complaint she had was that her jacket was not mesh like mine so it was really hot. In fact, she tried to convince me that it was too hot to wear a Jack and that she could just wear her vest...again. The same vest she had crashed in and broke her shoulder while wearing. I put my foot down, she got angry, and we almost didn't ride. As a compromise I told her to order another jacket just like mine so that she wouldn't be as hot. She did, and we rode! Finally!! I know the summer will be hot, but now that she is over her initial fear, maybe we can enjoy riding again, like we use to. Here is hoping. :-)

[easyrider]

Baby steps.. get her anything she wants.. keep mammy happy!!!Good to hear !

[PCX150Rider]

Great news Mel!

Was glad to read your wife has a renewed interest in riding again. ATGATT right?

As I've said before I've spent some time in Georgia and I know what "hot" means down there.

To go through what she has and climb back into the saddle takes a lot. . .mind over matter sort of thing. . .takes courage.

Thanks for letting us know.

[homie]

Congratulations to her and you Mel. You've fully recovered both physically and mentally. No more accidents, you have been there and done that.

[JohnL]

Great news Mel, keep up with the encouragement and get her whatever she wants to feel safe. It's a big step she's taken, it will only get better.

[ItBeMe]

Great news.

[chicaboo]

Great news, Mel!

After my recent accident I would recommend a jacket with lateral protection, as that would've helped me greatly!
I had the lower arm, elbow, shoulder and collar bone armour, and that saved my arm at least, but those ribs...

[Mel46]

If you insist on falling off of a bike, just remember, Tuck and Roll. Your ribs will thank you.

[chicaboo]

If you insist on falling off of a bike, just remember, Tuck and Roll. Your ribs will thank you.

In my case, I didn't see it coming or choose to lay down to avoid an air swim or superman incident.
It's like I was suddenly Hulk smashed into the ground with the added weight and force of the scooter on top of me.
I think my elbow & lower humerus is what actually broke my ribs, since that part of my arm was tender for a while.

[kramnala58]

If momma aint happy, no one is happy. Happy wife = happy wife.

I am glad to hear that your wife mustered up the courage to get back on the saddle, Mel. Even if she never rides again, she got that monkey off of her back.

Hopefully there will have many years of riding together ahead for both of you.

[ScottDR]

Terrific news, Mel! So glad to hear. Please keep us posted and I certainly hope it continues. Cheers!

[Bash On!]

Congrats to you and wife. Good on her getting back on the scooter! Sorry to hear about the $75k injury but glad she's feeling better. Didn't you say that you didn't have medical insurance at one point?

Good idea on the mesh jacket--get all the armor you can. Even in the middle of a 100+ degree summer here in Texas, I won't ride without an armored jacket, helmet, gloves and m/c boots. If it's too hot to wear even that, it's too hot to ride, period.

[Mel46]

Bash on, you are correct about no insurance. She was within the 5 day wait period before it would cover her for the emergency room visit. However, the surgery should have been covered. If the surgeon had gotten pre-authorization before proceeding with the surgery that time period and surgery would have been met. So, despite the fact that the surgeon did a spectacular job, we got stuck with the bill. ...and that is where we are with the bill right now.
But on a good note, my wife can use her arm and finds the vibration when riding to be tolerable. Compare that to my sister, who fell a few years ago and broke her shoulder. Because she didn't have insurance the treatment was essentially to strap her arm to her chest and send her home. Now she can't use her arm. If you have money, the treatment is far better than if you don't. So, we are trying to determine how to deal with the problem, for the sake of future possible problems.

[grndslm]

So how can I avoid an accident like this?

[WhiteNoise]

Well this is certainly a pleasant and happy surprise! She sprung that on you heh?
Something like this?

Wife: "It's nice out today Mel, and I'm feeling good. Look there's hardly any wind. The skies are clear. Maybe we should take a ride. What do you think?" (She looks around) "Mel,... Mel, where are you Mel? There you are! How long have the bikes been running?"
You: "Forever! Now gear up and let's roll!"

Just a little fun ^ thrown in the mix.
But Seriously, I pray she buys and wears protective attire, whether it be under garment armor like Bohn Adventure or well armored Jackets, pants, and gloves. Of course this would include boots ankle height or higher and helmet, full face or modular.

The weather? Sure it gets hot as hell out in the summer. It does for a lot of us.
IMO...That's when you make the decision to ride or not.
The decision is Not: should I gear up or shouldn't I?
If you ride you dress safely for the ride and
always do your best to protect the gift of life. Yours and all those around you, respectfully.

I am thrilled for the both of you. Take your time, Enjoy being windowless
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing Baby!"

[Mel46]

grndslm, avoiding an accident is what we all try to do. Sometimes it is impossible. We were behind a landscape truck in which the driver was texting while driving. He crossed the center lane on a 2 lane road at 45 mph and hit another vehicle head on. How do you avoid that?? The answer is, you can't, so you do what you can to survive it. Full gear made it much easier for me to survive it than my wife, who refused to wear a jacket that day because it was hot outside. Choices make the difference.

As for her decision to finally ride again, it almost was sidelined by her decision once again to NOT wear protective clothing. I am glad that she relented and went for a short ride...in fact, the short ride was much longer than I had hoped for, so I am thrilled. If you let the riding bug bite you, you will want to ride again. Her replacement (mesh) jacket should arrive within the next day, and rain is arriving now, so by the time the sun comes out again we should be ready to ride again. Mother's Day?? That would really be sweet.