Not so much scary, but certainly a story.
Several years back, i went out late one Sunday afternoon during my brief window of riding Allowance and hit the trails.
And headed over to tame a certain trail on the Quantocks. I’d on’y ridden it in a group before so speed was governed by the group and i wanted to ride it faster then usual. Unhindered by a group, plus i didn’t have long out.
Well, off i charged down the trail, i knew there was a section that needed concentration on, it was an erosion gully that needed crossing followed by a rooty step down, speed would’ve made the step smoother..
As i slipped across the gully at speed, the front wheel washed out on the off camber exit dumping me into the narrow and deepish gully and in a split second a pedal strike, of crank arm snag, stalled the momentum, pitching my weight forward and over i went, sailing through the air.
I came to a halt against an embankment, baked hard by the summer sun(it was back in 2005/06. I impacted right on my shoulder and as i came to rest, the bike cartwheeled over me to rest nearby.
First thoughts were naturally one of shock and pain and i shifted to standing and began to assess the damage.
The gear cable outer had bust and my Oakleys lay undamaged on the floor. Then i assessed myself.
First off i knew i’d slammed my shoulder hard, i could move it with little more than an ache, but the raised lump was a clear injury, but not a major concern.
My breathing however was a concern, short of breath, shallow too. I immediately thought ribs. So i felt around the rib cage for heat, swelling, soreness but nothing appeared to suggest a fractured rib. But i knew it wasn’t good and i’d need medical assistance.
The next problem was how. I could’ve gone deeper into the combe and down to the village and asked for assistance, or back up to the heath were i knew i could get a signal and call for an Ambulance.
I decided up would be quicker and safer, so i collected my stuff and wheezed my way to higher ground. It was hard going, i could barely take on air. I’d check my phone for a signal and after around 30mins i had a signal.
999. I requested an Ambulance and was asked for my postcode. Erm, i’m in the middle of the Quantocks, and haven’t a postcode. But i do have a OS mapped, embedded into my head. So i’ll tell you exactly where i am and where i’ll meet the ambulance and which route i’ll be taking to get there. And i talked her through to my location. Explaining the injury and my suspisions that i’d popped a lung. I went ahead to wait for them to turn up.
A further 20-30mins of wheezing along i reached the side of the road, to the arranged location and sat under a tree. Shivering, in pain and with a borked gear outer(funny how we still worry about the bike). I watched he Ambulance drive on by and disappear down the hill away from me, just as a car turned up. I dialed 999 again and told the operator to tell the driver to come back up the hill and pull into the first carpark, i’ll be there.
Meanwhile the driver of the car had got out and come to see if i was ok. Great, he had a bleedin dog collar on. I was expecting the grim reaper..
Finally the ambulance turned up,a 4×4. I told him to hide the bike in the bracken, (i’d called my mate to come a collect it) and off we went to rendezvous with a proper Ambulance incase my condition required aid during transit. He’d confirmed it was likely to be a Pneumothorax. And off i went the A&E for a chest drain.
I spent a week in hospital with a catheter fitted(that’s a whole different adventure, word of advise, never raise the catheter above your chest!)
The shoulder was fubared for 7 weeks from the resulting shoulder separation, ACJ sprain, graded at 3-5.
6 weeks later i was back down that trail again during a recoup ride.
