Your Worst Crash...............so far.

dai_t75

Christ, this makes for some scary reading! Are there any members here who haven't had a massive off? Or should I just accept it will happen to me someday?

The Mechanic

When I was a Junior I was in a road race at Otley. The first bit was neutralised and the race proper started when we turned off sharp left onto a minor road. This was over a small bridge and the minor road had been newly stone chipped. As everyone jockeyed for position the speed ramped up a fair bit as we went round the corner. There was a massive pile up and yours truly was on the bottom. Ended up in hospital for the rest of the day. Both hands completely skinned, all down my left side, left elbow, ankle all severe road rash. Left knee cap was down to the bone. They contemplated doing a skin graft but I guess things were not as comprehensive then as they are now. I am left with a scar on knee cap the size of a 50p piece and a nice blue scar on my left palm, when manifested itself when the hands healed up a bit.

The worst bit was not being able to use my hands for about two weeks. Having your Mum wipe your bum when you are 16/17 is not good for the self esteem.

marksteven

Apr 2011 sunday club run on a lovely spring morning .About half hour in the bunch slows, the guy in front X's over the bike in front & down he goes at about 15mph. Me behind him . no where to go , hit him in the back straight over & pile driven into the tarmac . The phase the sorgeon used to describe my elbow was MUSH !!!!! :? . & a cracked rib that stuck out if i sat up . Three day later pinned with 6 looong srcews 2 metal plates & some physio . now good as new ,full movement & a boosting points scar .By the way bike only had a buckled back wheel , & none of my other kit was marked in the slightest, how lucky is that

jmillen

Crikey, some of these are shocking and make mind sound very mild...painful at the time though !

Worst road crash was cycling along a one way road at about 20mph, to have a woman not bother to look, before flinging her car door open right infront of me with no time to avoid. Big car, massive door ! I thought I was safe at the distance I was at but no, straight into the end of the door, and off the bike and into the road. Very painful wrist with suspected hairline fracture, which I had to keep in a splint for a couple of weeks. Usual bruises and cuts. Bike needed new forks, bars, shifters levers. Was off the bikes for several weeks

Mtb crash was trying to avoid someone who had stopped at the bottom of a rocky section at a trail centre. I moved to the left as I was coming down to avoid her, but failed to notice the rock on the left, which my pedal clipped. Over the bars right the way to the bottom and landed in quite a heap. Cracked ribs and cuts and bruises. Thankfully, bike was pretty much undamaged, surprising given the distance it travelled.

Stay safe out there folks

wavefront

My worst crash was as a 15 yr old, in the late 80's, (before helmets were around) when I had a paper round.
One November afternoon, at dusk, I was a little late home from school so in my rush to leave the house and get to the newsagents I grabbed my paper satchel with my bike lights  still in it and headed out. 

A mile down a relatively fast road a car (obviously) didn't see me, and pulled out into my path and I crashed into it, hurtling me over the bonnet and into the path of an oncoming 'old people's bus which managed to stop an inch or two from me. I was knocked unconscious, and the policeman who was first on the scene thought I was dead. He later to me how he'd seen a strange etherial glow under the bus beside where I laid - Apparently my bike light had knocked itself on in the crash and was glowing inside the orange fluorescent satchel!! Bad road rash, broken collarbone, cuts etc and a short stay in hospital. Concussion was pretty bad and I still have a major 'gap' in my memory from my teenage years.

But if I now see a cyclist without lights on in poor/less than perfect conditions I just want to yell at them! Lesson learned for me!

philbar72

Never had a spill, more by luck than judgement.... However I have had a van open its door on me breaking my wrist! When I was a nipper.

Mikey41

As a child I took most of the skin off my left elbow, and then took a trip over the bars, faceplanted the road and broke a front tooth. It was an adult tooth too, so now half of one of my front teeth is artificial.

Other than cartwheeling into a ditch when I bailed off a fast-moving scooter, and my obligatory Comedy Clipless Moment, no other crashes so far.

Not that I intend to crash if I can help it

Mikey23

Broke a fingernail once ...

fossyant

Most painful crash has to be on a descent of the Cat and Fiddle. Going round the bends at the 'false flat' near Lamaload and the bike went - I'd hit some spilt dairy products from tankers. Slid right across the road on my backside and hand. Had a big 6" square of skin missing, holes in my hand and a huge rip in my shorts. Then had to cycle home with my red butt for all to see ! Getting into the shower stung.