My helmet (probably) saved my life today

Coming home from work a woman pulled out in front of me. Over the bonnet I went and landed on my head. Blacked out, briefly, and a trip to hospital in the ambulance. Nothing worse than a very stiff neck and a few scrapes (no idea what state the bike is in, will find out tomorrow) HOWEVER my helmet is split all the way through on the left hand side where I landed. Not that I needed convincing, but every medic I saw tonight (quite a few!) assured me I'd likely be dead if I hadn't worn my helmet.

That is all, pics to follow…

glad to hear you got away with it

Thanks Tony, now to cash in on my luck!

good job your safe and for wearing a helmet. Now, where's TJ to tell us that in fact the helmet caused your stiff neck??

And medics are expert crash investigators?

However that is the circumstance where they do work – you probably would have had a proper head injury without one – hospitalised and rehabilitation for a while Maybe even a skull fracture.

If the impact would have been enough to kill without one then even with one you would have had a serious injury. Thats the nature of the beast

Glad you are Ok tho

have gone otb and split my helmet three times now

whatever the doubters say i dont think my skull would have come out intact or at the very least a very large lump and gash

nd medics are expert crash investigators?

However that is the circumstance where they do work

One of the paramedics said (with irony) "You'd have had a bit of a sore head". Yup, no kidding. I'd rather have a stiff neck than a fractured skull. I always have, and always will, wear a helmet. Such is the freedom of choice! 😀

Absolutly Kimbers. crushed helmet and headache = maybe fracture certainly flesh wound without one possible serious head injury.

They simply do not turn life threatening injuries into non injuries tho.

edit :Aye Kit – but you would not have been dead. You probably would have had a proper hospitalised type injury

And medics are expert crash investigators?

However that is the circumstance where they do work – you probably would have had a proper head injury without one – hospitalised and rehabilitation for a while Maybe even a skull fracture.

If the impact would have been enough to kill without one then even with one you would have had a serious injury. Thats the nature of the beast

Glad you are Ok tho

I'm happy you semi-concluded that wearing a helmet helped him somehow. To this TJ i'm grateful 🙂

I met an army guy who used to ride without a helmet, until he landed a jump badly and scalped himself. He wears one now…

Raddogair – I have never said they dont mitigate some types of injury

Raddogair – I have never said they dont mitigate some types of injury

I was happy just to put a smiley face beside a comment regarding yourself after the last helmet debate, but then a you can mitigate an injury from anything designed to 'prevent' damage, its just the way our world works

Bickering aside, glad your ok.
Personally, I'd not ride without a helmet, & that was before witnessing neverfastenuff's crash last summer, where he was stretchered off with a broken bone in his neck. Seeing him come down with his full weight onto his helmet, & the sickening crack as it did its job was enough.
Its up to the individual though.

Glad you're Ok fella! 🙂

Nice to see I'm not the only one that lands headfirst. I'm like one of those 'lawn darts' because however I fly through the air, I always come down head first. I have a big 'ol noggin, which explains it I think. 😉

Glad you're OK fella

What TJ didn't mention was that the rotational forces could well of killed you – I reckon you had a lucky escape

😉

Relieved you came out (relatively) unscathed mate – I've yet to experience any helmet-impacts, but won't be riding without one anywhere.

TJ – that is about the biggest crock of shit i've ever heard.

The helmet has more functions that absorbing impact. It also reduces the deceleration of the brain inside the skull, by moving when you have an impact thereby reducing the extent of internal injury to blood vessels etc. I'm pretty sure I dont really need to tell you about the benefits of that….

without a helmet, i am sure i would at the very least, be alot ugier than i am now… I've smashed my jaw into the ground with a full face on and couldnt eat properly for a week, ive concussed myself a couple of times. Overal, I have destroyed 1 full face helmet (giro mad max), and 2 Giro E2's, and 1 met kaos.

I'm a beleiver

I'm a beleiver

Those that have used them always are! 🙂

glad you're ok
+1 for helmet wearing here

you can just imagine,

Dr,"i'm sorry Mrs kit but Kit has brain damage/is dead"

Mrs kit, " but TJ said he'd be safer without one!!"
🙄

+1 for helmet wearing.

Friend did the dart thing into the ground. Few days later collapsed and was then off sick for about 2 months.

A colleague/friend at work landed on the back of his head (getting out of a jacuzzi at a fancy hotel) and is only now – several months later – able to walk properly. Will be off sick for about 6 months. All better in about 2 years.

It's not just the nasty cuts and fractures the helmet saves you from. It's all the mashing around of your brain as well.

TJ you are not only stupid but dangerous. I think that your views could only cause injury to others.

My helmet definitely saved me when my head bounced off the windscreen of a car afew years back. I'm not about to try the same experiment again, sans helmet to find out though.
As for paramedics being experts in "crash investigation" – they see a f&^k of a lot more crashes and their results than the rest of us. So yeah, I believe what they say.

Glad you're ok, kit.

What about the driver? Did you get the cops involved?

Glad to hear it's not as bad as it could have been. Where did it happen?

Kit – Glad you are ok

I too got knocked off yesterday morning but I seen the car in the filter lane and as always assumed they would do something stupid. They turned right in front of me. I was on the brakes and swerving as soon as they made their move so i got slowed somewhat and they went through the side of me rather than me going over their bonnet or roof. I feel very lucky myself after that.

Its an incredibly scary situation so i know how you feel.

Is your bike a write off?

well put rocketdog g

They abolutely work. I've like everyone on here has had a fair few offs, but there's only been one were the helmet definately saved me. Spent weeks just looking at my smashed bright green Bell with a huge grin on my face after it saved my nut.
I actually rode home covered in blood, had two puncture wounds and the slide wore a hole in my bars, I looked a total hero (still dine out on it now) Getting cleaned up at the hospital made me cry like a baby.

What the hell does crash investigating have to do with a paramedics view on a cyclist involed collision are they commenting on who's to blame or the injury?

The paramedics view comes from seeing the aftermath of many many accidents and dealing with and seeing the end results. There opinion is based on life experience of seeing the outcome of those that wear helmets and those that don't. I'd trust that

Glad you are ok Kit.

If you need any help with the insurancey style valuation stuff then let us know.

I did not say that helmets don't work –

Goan – Member

TJ – that is about the biggest crock of shit i've ever heard.

The helmet has more functions that absorbing impact. It also reduces the deceleration of the brain inside the skull, by moving when you have an impact thereby reducing the extent of internal injury to blood vessels etc. I'm pretty sure I dont really need to tell you about the benefits of that….

Goan – you have no idea of the science involved in this at all – your statement does not even make logical sense and is incorrect in physiology.

fauxbyfour – Member

TJ you are not only stupid but dangerous. I think that your views could only cause injury to others

Stupid for following the scientific evidence? The science is not good but it is clear that if you are uninjured after an accident wearing a helmet then you would not have been killed with one. You might have been injured.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1019.html

I wonder if ANY "dark green anarchists" wear helmets or does it actually go against what they believe in?

I wear a helmet when appropriate. I do not wear one all the time. I follow the science not the superstition

TJ – so you dont think its worth wearing a helmet, cause you wont die, but just end up with a far more serious injury? Thats logical

Lyons – did I say that ever? No I have not.

What I said is that the science tells us that if you are uninjured following hitting your head wearing a helmet the forces of the blow are of a level that would not result in death without the helmet.

Helmets are very good at protecting you from minor injury. They are not good at all at protecting you from major injury although they might mitigate a major injury. Thats what the science says

yeah, so they are worth wearing… I dont like any injuries, even minor ones.

The science is that helmets do protect your head from impacts. They spread the load of the force. They also help from smaller hits like on low branches.
You can find an increase in neck injuries from wearing a helmet though, especially full face or motorbike helmets. They put a lot of stress on the neck, where the force from an impact is concentrated at the base of the helmet. Lots of motorcyclists suffer from broken necks.

Wheras I know for some of the riding I do that the risks of even a minor injury are so low as to be virtually zero – and that is a risk I am prepared to accept.

i dropped into a ramp on my bmx witha beanie on. i was mortified as i didnt realsie i didnt have my lid on.
i put the lid on then 5mins later stacked and had concussion for days. 🙂

Thanks for the love, guys 😉 Neck isn't feeling as bad this morning as I thought it would – the scrapes are more painful. So a bit of MTFU or whatever (and an easy day off work) should see me right.

For those of you who know Edinburgh, he crash happened here:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=323738&Y=674324&A=Y&Z=110

I was coming downhill from the lights, and a queue of traffic was going up the hill. I could see the car sitting at the junction waiting to turn out so I was expecting them to do something and started to slow a bit, and sure enough she pulled out just before I got there. I tried to stop while swerving round the front of her, but she was too busy looking at the car letting her out on the opposite side of the road and basically drove into me as I tried to go around her!

Lots of people stopped to help, including the driver and a witness. Ambulance arrived in a few minutes and so did the police. I heard they'd made quite an issue of it actually, which is good to know, sending three squad cars and 2 bikes.

I'm off in a while to collect my bike from the police station. All I saw was the front wheel, which was bent at a comedy angle, so no idea about the rest.

tbc – was going to pop down and speak to you about the insurance so thanks for the offer.

My helmet – not exactly dramatic, but it clearly did its job!

Glad you are ok. happened to me a year ago, my head went throught the screen. No damage to my head at all.