Thats all folks!

[j.d.b.]

Just a note to bid you all farewell. I had a bad collision last Thursday. A young woman in a minivan waiting to make a left turn suddenly accelerated and put her van crosswise to me as my front wheel entered the intersection. I had maybe ten feet to slow from about 40mph with no where to go. I wound up slamming my face into the side her van square-on. The motion of her van flipped the bike to my right as it impacted the van, flipping me right into the side of the van.
I haven't seen the bike yet, but as I lay in the street, I saw a lot of red plastic scattered around. My helmet did it's job. I'll never forget that view or the feeling as my head hit the vehicle, It sounded like a door slamming. I lost consciousness for maybe fifteen seconds after i bounced off and landed on my back in the street. I have neck damage and a lot of soreness and swelling around the old body. No broken bones and no broken teeth. The EMT's were fast and professional as were the Trauma center medical staff when they received me. A fine plastic surgeon made sense of what was left of my lower lip and chin. I just got home this evening.
Be very careful out there. Many piss-poor drivers on the roads.
Goodnight and farewell, riders,
Josh

[alx123]

Sad to hear news like this. Get well soon buddy.

Lower lip and chin damage? the impact might be so strong that your full face helmet was broken.

[homie]

And that's plenty my friend. You had a good ride and sometimes we get warnings in life. Take it for what it is, move on and count your blessings. No body is going to encourage you to get back out there after a crash like that. Probably the only thing that saved your life was the fact that you ride a scooter and not a street bike. A few miles per hour faster and no helmet would have saved you. That exact same scenario took place two blocks from my house on a street bike, but no survivor Rest up, get well, collect your money and get back in the cage. Put a bumper sticker that reads 'look twice, save a life, motorcycles are everywhere'

[honkerman]

Sorry to hear it J. I'm praying for your speedy recovery.

[Rickjds]

Thanks for sharing. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[Oyabun]

Josh - I'm happy to read your feedback here as it means that you're on the way to recovery. I know that the scars are fading away sooner or later.
I wish a speedy full recovery and who knows we might see each other on this or an another forum.

[gn2]

Open or full face helmet?

[easyrider]

Hope she has good insurance.. if there is a positive note... from now on you will be driving in style if so!..Good luck with all the repairs.

[WhiteNoise]

Well Thank God You're alright and able to tell us the story!

Holy Cow that could've been a lot worse at a 40mph impact. Geez. Intersections are the hot spot for sure. All of us have to be on top of our game the Whole Ride. More vehicles on the roads and a good number of those driving them left their minds at the office, or cooking, or at school, etc. Cell phones and gadgets to distract are No help either! Just too much friggin' stuff going on behind the wheel these days. Driving should not be in "that mix!"

I'm so sorry you got hurt Josh I'm sure it was a frightening experience. Just knowing that you didn't have an avenue to escape.....You had to stay on path. Horrible.
Sooo...I wonder how Van-Lady reacted to all this? Uh-Oh! She'll be sweating this one out for sure.

Take your time to heal properly. Do as you're told. Take your prescribed meds. Pain killers do work.
I definitely understand your position of "throwing in the towel." A face on hit would have me questioning myself about riding again too. I get it. Most of us if not all...get it.

Please, Don't be a stranger, let us know how you're progressing. Chat with us, any 'ol time

[kramnala58]

Wow, just the sort of things that likely scares us all, the other driver doing something totally unexpected. It is one thing to say we should always expect the unexpected, but a completely different thing when it actually happens.

Sorry to hear of your accident. Glad to hear it wasn't worse than it was. I trust your healing comes along okay.

[flyingzonker]

And that's plenty my friend. You had a good ride and sometimes we get warnings in life. Take it for what it is, move on and count your blessings. No body is going to encourage you to get back out there after a crash like that. Probably the only thing that saved your life was the fact that you ride a scooter and not a street bike. A few miles per hour faster and no helmet would have saved you. That exact same scenario took place two blocks from my house on a street bike, but no survivor Rest up, get well, collect your money and get back in the cage. Put a bumper sticker that reads 'look twice, save a life, motorcycles are everywhere'

This.

[flyingzonker]

Open or full face helmet?

I wear a full face helmet which while wearing I got flipped off my bike a couple of years ago. Wound up with a swollen lip, among other minor scrapes and bruises. And that was a low speed, non collision affair.

[flyingzonker]

Just a note to bid you all farewell. I had a bad collision last Thursday. A young woman in a minivan waiting to make a left turn suddenly accelerated and put her van crosswise to me as my front wheel entered the intersection. I had maybe ten feet to slow from about 40mph with no where to go. I wound up slamming my face into the side her van square-on. The motion of her van flipped the bike to my right as it impacted the van, flipping me right into the side of the van.
I haven't seen the bike yet, but as I lay in the street, I saw a lot of red plastic scattered around. My helmet did it's job. I'll never forget that view or the feeling as my head hit the vehicle, It sounded like a door slamming. I lost consciousness for maybe fifteen seconds after i bounced off and landed on my back in the street. I have neck damage and a lot of soreness and swelling around the old body. No broken bones and no broken teeth. The EMT's were fast and professional as were the Trauma center medical staff when they received me. A fine plastic surgeon made sense of what was left of my lower lip and chin. I just got home this evening.
Be very careful out there. Many piss-poor drivers on the roads.
Goodnight and farewell, riders,
Josh

Thanks for the precise description of your calamity. It is an old story but never seems to go out of fashion--and as long as there are drivers like that young lady, it never will.

[flyingzonker]

I think you might have come out of it a little less wasted if you had been wearing one of these:

[relic]

Have had a hard time replying to this one. j.d.b. considered you as a kindred spirit
a split decision by the other driver placing her priorities over your vulnerability seems to be way too common

[riding@100mpg]

so sorry to hear that. take as a warning shot and run for cover. sounds like you lucked out a little,could have been a lot worst by the decription. take care of yourself and get better. never like to hear a fellow rider's bad story.

[Mel46]

The fact that you survived says a lot. A decent helmet, and maybe a good Jacket? You can count your blessings. I am glad that you are well enough to be able to write about your misadventure. I would not be surprised if you found out that the driver was distracted and did not see you coming. There are too many distractions these days, and drivers seem to think that they can multi-task while driving with no unexpected consequences.
Take time and get well. Let an attorney do the worrying about the outcome of the accident investigation.

[Jge64]

This has been a good read. Please Get well. And it brings up the fact that a full face or a modular helmet, even for a scooter, is a great idea. I own both open face and full, I'm moving to my full helmet from now on....

[WhiteNoise]

^^ if we had a clapping emoticon (smiley face), I would place it here. Consider it Done anyway
Others should consider wearing the same. Please cover thy head fully. Live a Little (more)

[GatorGreg]

Wow, that's terrible. I'm glad to hear you're gonna be okay.