First Anniversary Of My Death

[edkoynock]

I lived in the New Hope, PA. area at the time- country roads. October 6, 2008 around 4:30 AM heading to work on my 81 MNS. Not even a mile down the road a 12 point buck comes running down the embankment straight at me! He apparently survived by figuring out if he jumped over the headlight, he had a good chance of survival. Maybe with a car- not with me sitting up behind the headlight. He hit me running full tilt while I was only doing about 20 trying to get out of his way. He ran into my left side and clotheslined me right off the bike. The bike kept rolling and went into a dirt ditch, stalled and fell over. I was not so lucky.
He broke 5 ribs on my left side. punctured a lung, broke my collar bone in two places and then broke his neck landing on me. All I know is I was floating above the accident scene- I saw my beautiful bike in the ditch, the deer in the road, and ME! right next to him. A while later the police showed up and got me to a hospital. I had no recollection of the 3 weeks I was in there. I got a call from the cop at the scene- they wanted to meet me- it seems I was awake and alert before the ambulance got there. I met the squad and the one who was there told me I said something strange to him. I told him his license plate was falling off the back of his car. He said I could not see the rear of the car because he parked down the road facing me with his brights on. I told him I saw it when he first pulled up. He looked at me like I had 3 heads. He said " what I'm trying to tell you is- you were dead! I tried for over 5 minutes to resucitate you! You couldn't have seen my plate"
The bike ended up with a broken windshield, broken left mirror and left turn signal. Nice sized dent in the headlight bucket. Didn't get back to work til late December and fixed the bike up by spring. Still riding today, even though I stopped taking it to work in the early morning since it's rutting season again. Guess it just wasn't my time.....

[GARTHXS]

heck of a story

glad you are still with us !

[Yahman]

I don't know what to say Ed, other than I'm glad to here that you are still with us and still riding your XS11.

Larry

[Wildkat]

Wow

That isn't an anniversary many of us get to celebrate...

Glad this one had a happy ending and thank you for the reminder...
Wildlife is one of my biggest fears when on the bike...

Glad you're still with us and riding

[ManitoulinLad]

Helluva story - from one infested deer area to another. Alot of people would quit ridin' after that. Your tough & determined. It shows in the story, & the fact you still ride, the same bike even. Up here its the evenings, I don't ride in the late evenings anytime of the ridin season or at night - only the tourists do - Dan

[oseaghdha]

Aye!
That's a helluva thing!

I have a good friend with a similar story: torn aorta in a car wreck. He reported things happening outside the hospital, while he was 'dead'.

Changed his life forever.

Glad you made it.

[Brent]

First anniversary ...

glad you are still with us !

Yes indeed or ...Welcome BACK!

Did you see anyone riding XS11s up there??

Congradulations on getting back in the saddle. As Tkat used to say after a crash. Some ride again, some don't, some can't.

Happy motoring,

[latexeses]

Wow.

I need to ask two questions.

Was his license plate indeed loose?

Are you spending your Sunday mornings riding to church? I hope you are. What a special gift you recieved, in more ways than just one.. It is an inspiration.

Thank you for sharing you story.

Rodger

[edkoynock]

Hey Rodger-
Yes, his plate was hanging off with only 1 bolt, and I do stop by any house of worship that in my path on Sunday. I learned to appreciate life a bit more and to not sweat the small stuff even less! I enjoy riding and I'm glad I found this site! Thanks for all the kind words!

[trbig]

He broke 5 ribs on my left side. punctured a lung, broke my collar bone in two places

Although this sounds bad, none of these are immediately lethal. The punctured lung COULD lead to a pneumothorax and eventually be lethal.. but what is it that caused your death?


OK.. not a doc, but a quick lesson. As your diaphram flexes down to create a vacuum in your chest cavity, this is what draws air into your lungs. As your diaphram pushes back up, it pushes the air out. Your lungs operate in the chest or thoracic (Pronounced thoraxix) cavity. If there is a hole in a lung, as your diaphram draws air into the lungs, some of it escapes into the chest cavity. As more of this happens, it begins to take up the lungs' space to where eventually they have no room to expand. This is what they call a collapsed lung.

There is also a wound called a sucking chest wound where a rib or object goes through and perforates to the outside. As the diaphram pulls in air into the lungs, it will also draw air in through this hole in the chest and again.. compress the lungs. If this happens on the road, some tape and aluminum is preferential, but you need something to seal this wound on three sides. As the "Patient breathes in, you have to block this wound off so air can't get in, but each time the exhale, you lift up on the dressing and let any air that got in escape. After a few breaths, most of any air that got in will be gone and you can seal it up for good.

Just a quick lesson that may save a life.. Sorry if I took this thread over.


Tod

[Montreux_Blue]

Tod, did you learn that from being an EMT or from the movie Three Kings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WZ-yqEoEBg

[trbig]

Naw.. if it's a sucking chest wound like that, you don't need the needle. You need one when it is closed. On a tension pneumothorax, as the lung space gets filled with air, it actually pushes the lungs, heart, etc to the side and your trachea will actually get pushed to the opposite side. You can look at their neck and see the windpipe off to one side instead of in the center.

I didn't learn anything as an EMT... it was because I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express a while back.


Tod

[edkoynock]

Apparently after the deer took me off the bike, I hit the road with the back of my head making first contact and my body weight combined with that of the deer caused some kind of short circuit that killed me. I really didn't feel the need to find out graphically what happened- all I remember is what I experienced and THEN afterwards being told by the police that I was totally unresponsive with no pulse and no respiration. I don't know if the massive concussion caused it. I took it as a sign that it was not my time and to change some things before it is my time. I was wearing a brand new Shoei full face helmet that they told me was in pieces at the scene

[xs11lover]

Wow, that's a story. Hope I never have one like that to tell.