Did this helmet save my life?

wishitwasallflat
wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
edited April 2013 in Road general
Had a bad crash yesterday - lost grip on rear wheel and slammed into a country road hedge (solid tree type hedge not a nice soft garden job!). Took the intial impact on front of right shoulder and chest and spun round and hit the road on back of shoulder, ribs and the back of my head. The helmet has split at the back (I jammed the clip in to open the split for the photos) but there is also a hole about 2-3 cm in diameter which almost penetrates through the whole shell that has a splinter of wood stuck in the bottom of it. Reckon it must have been a branch in the hedge that stuck into it when I hit it :!:

F******g scary but still can't wait to recover and get back out there :D - wondering though would (wood?) you agree I am possibly lucky to be alive :?:

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Comments

  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    I'll say that it certainly helped, though am sure from the "you must wear a helmet" thread that others who disagree that they do any good will state that it made no difference.

    Glad your OK though and looking forward to getting back out onto the bike.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • simon_masterson
    simon_masterson Posts: 2,740
    Saved you from superficial injury? Absolutely. Glad you are OK.
    Retro(ish) TT 2017-
    Fixed TT 2015-2016
  • drays
    drays Posts: 119
    It's hard to judge if it's saved your life but it's made the difference between recovering from a serious head injury and nursing injured shoulder and ribs. i went over the handlebars of my MTB 18 months ago landing heavily on my shoulder and hitting my head on the ground. My helmet was dented and split on one side and certainly saved me from a serious injury. I've had physio on my shoulder, but it could have been a lot worse!
    2014 Planet X Pro Carbon
    2012 Boardman Hybrid Comp
    2010 Boardman Pro Hardtail
    c1994 Raleigh Outland MTB
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Simon Masterson wrote:
    Saved you from superficial injury? Absolutely. Glad you are OK.
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    Whether it saved your life or not it proves that wearing one is far more preferable than not wearing one.Your head is in one piece where if you where not wearing it could have been a totally different story altogether.
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
  • elderone
    elderone Posts: 1,410
    If you think it saved your life then thats all that matters.Either way it saved you some head injury which is what it,s meant to do.
    Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Thanks for the replies folks - I don't want to trigger another helmet debate (honestly) but am really interested to hear others opinions on this one (and to share my experience for reference/interest). I always wear a helmet, always have and will.

    I do agree the skull is way harder than helmet foam - but personally I am glad the helmet took the impact anyway! It was more the fact that whatever made that dent nearly penetrated right through the shell that surprised me. I wasn't at all surprised that it split - came down hard on the back of my head - but was surprised at the hole. Never reckoned on crashing into a branch though, or getting a penetrating impact of that type, just expected the usual down on the road type impacts.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    elderone wrote:
    If you think it saved your life then thats all that matters.Either way it saved you some head injury which is what it,s meant to do.

    Agreed - its pure speculation to say anything other than the helmet took both a blunt (split) and a penetrating (dent) impacts that my head would have taken otherwise - maybe the drugs are making me over dramatic in my thread title - sorry :oops:
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    wishitwasallflat wrote:

    dsc00001.JPG

    Did the twig penetrate the shell and go into the foam underneath or is that black circle in the shell a separate bit of damage. Looks like it went in quite a way?
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Graeme_S wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
    And being harder, your skull is more likely to crack...
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Danlikesbikes wrote:
    wishitwasallflat wrote:

    dsc00001.JPG

    Did the twig penetrate the shell and go into the foam underneath or is that black circle in the shell a separate bit of damage. Looks like it went in quite a way?


    penetrated almost right through the black foam (not sure what's happenede to the images though will try to edit)
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    Sh8 deleted the images on image shack and from my camera (obsessively tidy!) and didn't realise they would also delete from here - will re-take and re-post if anyone is interested.
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    It definitely did, and you'd almost certainly be dead now if you hadn't had the foresight to wear a helmet.

    Next.
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    wishitwasallflat wrote:


    penetrated almost right through the black foam (not sure what's happenede to the images though will try to edit)

    Did not notice it first time round, but could have been a lot worse I guess if you were not wearing the helmet. Certainly several stitches at minimum I would guess?
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Graeme_S wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
    And being harder, your skull is more likely to crack...

    No, that doesn't follow. In theory, you could damage a polystyrene shell by poking it with a plastic straw. Poking the side of your head with the same straw might get irritating - perhaps even painful after a while, but it is unlikely to crack your skull. It all depends on the object, the material, and the force being used.
  • freddiegrubb
    freddiegrubb Posts: 448
    As posted times before ----skulls ,all depends on the quality of the bone, as said by a doctor
  • de_sisti
    de_sisti Posts: 1,283
    Did it save your life? I suppose you'd have to have the same crash, under the same circumstances
    (weather, terrain, speed, etc, etc) to find out.
  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    De Sisti wrote:
    Did it save your life? I suppose you'd have to have the same crash, under the same circumstances
    (weather, terrain, speed, etc, etc) to find out.

    Excellent suggestion always wise to take the scientific approach - once I'm back on the bike I will do the experiment and get back to you.

    If you don't hear from me then the answer was ... Yes it did :D
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Imposter wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Graeme_S wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
    And being harder, your skull is more likely to crack...

    No, that doesn't follow. In theory, you could damage a polystyrene shell by poking it with a plastic straw. Poking the side of your head with the same straw might get irritating - perhaps even painful after a while, but it is unlikely to crack your skull. It all depends on the object, the material, and the force being used.
    That's facile
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Graeme_S wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
    And being harder, your skull is more likely to crack...

    No, that doesn't follow. In theory, you could damage a polystyrene shell by poking it with a plastic straw. Poking the side of your head with the same straw might get irritating - perhaps even painful after a while, but it is unlikely to crack your skull. It all depends on the object, the material, and the force being used.
    That's facile

    'Facile' works well on the internet though - and to be fair, it is no more or less facile than your previous reply.
  • declan1
    declan1 Posts: 2,470
    Imposter wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Graeme_S wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    That dent doesn't look very superficial to me. If I had a dent like that in my noggin I wouldn't be happy at all.
    Your skull is harder than polystyrene. Something that does serious damage to your helmet might only do superficial damage to your head.

    The couple of times I've come off and hit my head I've been glad I was wearing a helmet, but I'm not convinced they saved my life either.
    And being harder, your skull is more likely to crack...

    No, that doesn't follow. In theory, you could damage a polystyrene shell by poking it with a plastic straw. Poking the side of your head with the same straw might get irritating - perhaps even painful after a while, but it is unlikely to crack your skull. It all depends on the object, the material, and the force being used.

    I can guarantee tarmac is harder than your skull. If you're willing to show us how to fall off at 30MPH without a helmet and smack your head against the road WITHOUT having a fractured skull, I'm sure we'd all like to know how!

    Road - Dolan Preffisio
    MTB - On-One Inbred

    I have no idea what's going on here.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    declan1 wrote:
    I can guarantee tarmac is harder than your skull. If you're willing to show us how to fall off at 30MPH without a helmet and smack your head against the road WITHOUT having a fractured skull, I'm sure we'd all like to know how!

    I was talking about the hole in the lid made by the hedge/branch/twig/whatever - hence the 'facile' straw analogy...
  • BigTK
    BigTK Posts: 47
    Pics arent showing, could you load them up again?
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Imposter wrote:
    declan1 wrote:
    I can guarantee tarmac is harder than your skull. If you're willing to show us how to fall off at 30MPH without a helmet and smack your head against the road WITHOUT having a fractured skull, I'm sure we'd all like to know how!

    I was talking about the hole in the lid made by the hedge/branch/twig/whatever - hence the 'facile' straw analogy...
    And you knew damn well I was talking about the dent.

    Facile
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Imposter wrote:
    declan1 wrote:
    I can guarantee tarmac is harder than your skull. If you're willing to show us how to fall off at 30MPH without a helmet and smack your head against the road WITHOUT having a fractured skull, I'm sure we'd all like to know how!

    I was talking about the hole in the lid made by the hedge/branch/twig/whatever - hence the 'facile' straw analogy...
    And you knew damn well I was talking about the dent.

    Facile

    The dent/hole made by the twig/branch-type thing? The same thing I was talking about? It's really not worth getting upset about.
  • de_sisti
    de_sisti Posts: 1,283
    wishitwasallflat wrote:
    De Sisti wrote:
    Did it save your life? I suppose you'd have to have the same crash, under the same circumstances
    (weather, terrain, speed, etc, etc) to find out.

    Excellent suggestion always wise to take the scientific approach - once I'm back on the bike I will do the experiment and get back to you.

    If you don't hear from me then the answer was ... Yes it did :D
    Well, you did pose the question on an internet forum, so don't be surprised if you get
    responses that you don't like. And yes, my point wasn't sarcastic, it was totally rational.

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