Shogun down

[Halfanewb]

Got up early this morning for the saterday ride and thought i would ride in to meet the guys at toowong. Wonderful weather and all was going well until i entered a section of wooden cycleway which is the beginning to shultzes canal, this section is fairly straight with a left turn at the very end where it turns back into paved path.

I slowed down a bit and took the corner at normal speed and bam! i was down on my left side and bang! i slammed into the opposite rails with the bike. I tried to stand up but couldn't get any grip on the wood my shoes just kept slipping out. A couple of roadies pulled up to give me a hand getting to my feet , i was pretty shaken up and a bit dazed from hitting the head on the boards as i went down (another thank god i wore a helmet story).

F**K i thought as i looked at the bike, the back tire was flat, it had burst when the rear wheel had hit the deck rail, one of the two guys picked the shogun off the deck and the other guy was asking if i was okie, thats when i noticed my left lower arm was covered in blood, i rolled it over to check out the elbow oh man /shudder there was a gouge just below and to the side of the elbow about 4cm long 3 cm wide and about 2cm deep, the flesh was hanging out everywhere and it was pissing blood. F**K!

One of the guys got on his mobile and called the ambulance and teamed it up so we would meet them back at the road and the other guy changed out my back tube while i kept pressure on the wound till the bleeding slowed. Once the bike was rideable we cycled back to the start of the track about 1k away and met the ambo's there who dressed my arm with instructions to go see the doctors asap.

the cause of the accident was the fact that the council had treated the raw timber boards with oil yesterday and with the layer of early morning dew floating on the top the boards they were like ice. The damage to the arm came from the fasteners the council used to screw the boards down, big screws with heads about 2cm wide with a allen key fitting in the center , one of these was raised above the level of the timber...

A few hours and 14 stitches later i'm at home and the arm is starting to ache like buggery

[europa]

Oh joy. What a beauty. Hope you heal okay.

The bike's rideable - no damage?

Richard

[tuco]

Holly crap batman!

Lucky the other two guys were there.

Another good reason to carry a mobile phone.

Are you going to have a word with the council re poor workmanship and idiotic oiling of boards?

[MountGower]

S

[Bnej]

You should at least inform the council of the incident and let them know that they need to put up warnings if they're going to do that.

[sogood]

Wow, that hurts! Hope you'll recover quickly and get back to cycling.

Anyway, you'll have a good road rash story to amaze the kids with.

[Halfanewb]

Thanks guys,

I've just woke up from a analgesic nap and i'm feeling pretty sorry for myself atm, doc says it will take about 4-6 weeks to heal, there wasnt enough skin left to close over the wound so all he could do was stitch the muscle back together.

Bikes had some surgery too, had the bends in the rims edge straightened out and wheel trued, the new conti from probikekit is a loss with a 1cm cut in it and the left shifter has a scar on it, two tubes one for the wheel and one for the bag + a new rear tire /sigh

I should have gone with you MountGower !!

[europa]

Definitely have a chat with the council, in person so they can see your wound, even if it's just you waving it in their face while you chat. It sounds like they created a hazard and (maybe) left it un sign posted - at the very least, they need to be aware of that, at best, they need to do something about their practices. Compensation? Wouldn't hold my breath.

Bummer about the bike. Still, at least it has some honourable scars, something to be proud of there in a skew-iff sort of way (the attitude I'm taking the scaring on my left brifter).

The wound sounds horrid. Look after it. Hope it all heals well. Being completely non-medical myself, I prescribe a bottle of whisky - it doesn't help the wound but at least you enjoy being a hero

Richard

[MJF]

I remember a case in the ACT where gravel was left on the corner of a road without warning signs by a road crew, and a learner motorcyclist dropped his bike - ACT paid for repairs to the bike etc. I'd expect the responsible council to do the same... much cheaper than a negligence claim.

[gururug]

Maybe a local bug or cycling association can assist you in communicating with council and MP's if they are no help.

[Halfanewb]

Some good news , i did ring the council this afternoon, mostly in the hope that they would put some signage up so that other riders don't repeat my accident over the long weekend.

About 4.30 this arvo i got a phone call from a gent working for the council who asked me in detail about the accident, the precise location, my injuries and the damage done to the bike , he gave me the address of their insurer and told me to submit a claim for damages with a quote for the damages to the bike, any medical bills and include his name on the request.

/Fingers crossed.

[MountGower]

D

[Bnej]

Some good news , i did ring the council this afternoon, mostly in the hope that they would put some signage up so that other riders don't repeat my accident over the long weekend.

About 4.30 this arvo i got a phone call from a gent working for the council who asked me in detail about the accident, the precise location, my injuries and the damage done to the bike , he gave me the address of their insurer and told me to submit a claim for damages with a quote for the damages to the bike, any medical bills and include his name on the request.

/Fingers crossed.

They will have public liability cover for that sort of incident so they will probably cover your medical and material expenses at least. Hope it all works out well.

[mikesbytes]

Sorry to hear of the accident. Take good care of that arm and get it checked again not too soon.

As per the others, please contact whoever is in charge of that cycleway. You may be able to prevent someone esle from having the same fate.

[pugsly]

Hope your injuries heal quick, and council/their insurers do the right thing by you.

At least it was an arm and not a leg, so not so long off the bike.

[Mulger bill]

Oooowwwww! What a waste of flesh and bike.

Heal soon Newbie , hope the council don't stuff you too badly.

Don't forget to show off the scar

Shaun

[nimm]

wowzers all the best with the recovery...

[bigbuzz73]

Some good news , i did ring the council this afternoon, mostly in the hope that they would put some signage up so that other riders don't repeat my accident over the long weekend.

About 4.30 this arvo i got a phone call from a gent working for the council who asked me in detail about the accident, the precise location, my injuries and the damage done to the bike , he gave me the address of their insurer and told me to submit a claim for damages with a quote for the damages to the bike, any medical bills and include his name on the request.

/Fingers crossed.

Mate,
Get yourself some legal representation and sue the Council. The phone call from the Council sounds like an admission of liability, giving you a fairly solid Tort against them.
For those that say suing makes us just like the Yanks, I ask you this: How many times has some d**khead Council parking officer booked you for overstaying a meter a few minutes? How many times do Councils hassle law abiding people with their petty By-Laws? How much money does the Council blow on trips for their nose-in-the-trough Councillors?
I think you get my drift!
What if you had been some 80 year old or a young child? They may not escape as lightly so make the mongrels pay.
Wayne

[moosterbounce]

Heal quickly Newbie - I cringed big time when I read your post...then read it out to my husband and we both cringed!! Ooooooowww!! It will hurt for a bit and feel stiff, but try to battle through. You know we all have our fingers crossed for a speedy recovery and back on the bike (though don't rush it).

I used to play mixed indoor hockey on a wood floor and during a game, one of the boards sprung up during rough play (ok, there was a big trip, and someone took a big dive) and it made a pretty big and nasty hole in the guys upper thigh!! Even though the centre had "play at own risk" signs up, they paid damages as their equipment was faulty apparently.

Having that screw sticking up is "faulty equipment" indeed.

Moo...

[Noids]

Ouch mate. Hope the arm goes all well for you, glad to hear that the Shogun will survive its injuries also

See how you go with the council, sounds like they are doing the right thing with medical expenses/repairs for you. Have only seen 2 personal damages claims close up myself however and both of these involved extensive lawyering over the course of several years with a poor outcome for all parties involved except the lawyers. Not sure if I would recommend going ahead with a further claim unless you are pretty sure it would be over quickly or you really want to put the time and effort into it.

Either way, glad to hear you're OK and hope you're back on the Shogun ASAP

[MichaelB]

Bugger, sounds nasty. Hope no infection sets in and in the end you are well and that it all works out.

I sent off my membership to BikeSA last week as their membership includes liability and personal insurance. Hopefully never have tio use it.

Speedy recovery.