| Author | Message | ||
     Dentguy |
Unfortunately I did it with the Uly. She jumped in front of me at about 55 mph and stopped. No time to swerve, no time to stop. I was right on her. Instincts must have taken over because I don't remember hitting the brakes, but my buddy said my back tire was skimming the pavement like a Moto GP bike (cool). I still remember the look in her eyes. They probably looked just like mine. You know the big fish eye, it's too late, this is going to happen look. At least she didn't suffer it killed her on the spot. I hit the ground hard and slid 10 or 15 yards. Good thing I wear the gear it saved my skin. I always say sometimes gear may look uncomfortable, but it looks better than a skin graph and a bloody skull. I am sore and I fractured my heel and toes on my left foot. My foot got between the footpeg and the ground and broke it off. It broke off behind the pivot just after it tried to turn my size 12 foot into a 6. Maybe I'll have two different size shoes now. Plenty of other damage on the bike also. I guess I had the death grip going on because the bars slid forward until they hit the top of the forks and over about 3/4 of an inch. It's funny the things that stick in your mind. I remember being on the pavement and hearing my fan come on while my bike was upside down and saying at least the fan still works. That freaking fan noise never stops. I remember sliding, looking back at my buddy behind me after my head slammed the yellow line, seeing the smoke coming off of the tires on his Street Glide and hoping he could stop. I remember waving my hand that I'm ok (old water ski habits die hard).Wow, what a rush! My spirits are high if you can't tell because I could be the one in the ditch instead of the deer. Will keep you updated. By the way we wired it back together enough to ride it an hour and a half home. I still can't believe I did that. Adrenaline is a great thing! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Sorry your screen name came true. Glad you're ok. Ditch rats are an abomination and should be slain and eaten (or burned) often. It is weird what slivers of stimuli stick in your head during a laydown. I remember hearing the air come out of my lungs as the end of the handle bar jammed me in the chest. | ||
| Hughlysses |
DG, man, what a story. It is deer season, isn't it? I guess you proved once again (the hard way) that Uly's crash very well. | ||
| Hoon |
Best wishes for a speedy recovery Dentguy, I suffered a crushed heel over a year and a half ago-nasty thing to break. Good luck. | ||
| Orangeulius |
Wow. Glad you are ok. I have been on the lookout as I cruise through the Smoky Mtns lately. I think I might slow down a bit more. It's really weird what you remember in an accident. I haven't had any bad accidents on any of my bikes, but when I was about 5 or 6 years old I got run over as I crossed the street by a lady whose kids were lighting matches in the back of her car. She was so flustered she backed up and ran over me a second time! I remember looking up at the differential and thinking "Oh, that's what the underneath of a car looks like." It was an eerie calm. Weird what you remember. Heal quick! | ||
| Geopatr |
Sorry to hear that!! I hope you get better soon and the insurance company takes care of Uly  | ||
| Desmo900 |
You kept the deer didnt you. Venison is tasty. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
TCA Section 70-4-115 allows that, except for non-game and federally protected wildlife species, wild game animals accidentally killed by a motor vehicle may be possessed for personal use and consumption. Welcome to Tennessee ya inbreeds! | ||
| Adrian_8 |
You be lucky.....do ride in the early morning, late evening, and after dark for the next six weeks....the rut (breeding season) is starting and the deer strike risk is very high...or I will say " I told you so"..... | ||
| Dentguy |
Thanks for the nice comments. The ride home was tough enough without the deer strapped on my back although it might have made the papers. I did keep some hair, it's stuck between my front wheel and tire. Some people would say the meat was very bruised. Ft_bstrd... Would that be called vehicle tenderized in Tennessee? (Message edited by dentguy on October 15, 2007) | ||
| Brad1445 |
Glad you still have your sense of humor, Oh and the FAN NOISE!!  | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Funny you should say that. The sales in Brush Guards skyrocketed the week after that law was passed. Several deer were "accidentally" killed in fields. Most died of blunt force trauma due to close proximity to a tubular object. Deer are the dumbest animals ever to walk on 4 legs. Every American ought to consume at least one per year. | ||
| Etennuly |
Glad you're OK. I had similar thoughts as I crashed in July. Some things are so clear, other things are not there. My foot was still on the peg as it broke off too, My size 10 boot must have been just small enough to get out from under it with minimal crush and grinding. Gear is good! | ||
| Florida_lime |
I see (too many) deer, as well as hogs and the occasional 'gator on my way home from work at midnight. The road is fairly heavily traveled during the day, but does run through some swampland and wildlife management areas. Last week, on one of the rare days I drive to work instead of ride, I was headed home in the van. I was literally thinking that I had not seen any deer in a few days, when I saw a buck well ahead. He was walking across the road, slightly diagonally away from me. I slowed way down, then virtually stopped 20 feet away as the buck tried to figure out why everything was so lit up (high beams, plus driving lights). When he figured it out, he was obviously caught off guard. It scrambled back across the road right in front of me in such a hurry that it lost it's footing, falling completely on it's side as it reached the edge of the road. Very unpredictable and comical at the same time, but makes you wonder what might have happened under different circumstances. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Glad you're mostly OK, and I hope your left foot heals quickly and well. This is another gear saved my skin story for us ATGATT crusaders to point to because this could have been TRAGIC If Dentguy wasn't wearing his gear. Good Job Dentguy! (Message edited by diablobrian on October 16, 2007) | ||
| Daves |
glad you made it! I got 2 deer on Sunday but I shot them  | ||
| Mastros2 |
"Several deer were "accidentally" killed in fields. Most died of blunt force trauma due to close proximity to a tubular object." Haha, good one! DentGuy, Glad that you are ok for the most part! Keep up the good spirits. | ||
| Ulywife |
Dentguy - glad you were able to come and tell the tale. Gear is good! Sounds like you were pretty lucky, all things considered. Good luck on fixing the Uly. I had a deer try and jump over my Suburban, she missed but did run away after bouncing back onto the roadway. | ||
| Tipsymcstagger |
I went down earlier this year and remember thinking, "I hope my GPS isn't ruined" as I was still sliding. Glad your gear precluded the need for skin grafting. Mine did as well. Tipsy | ||
| Dentguy |
Thanks again for all the positive comments and great stories. Picked up the x-rays today and got a look at the cracks in my bones. Then I went to the Orthopedic Foot and Ankle center where they fitted me with a beautiful aluminum, black, foam and velcro thing. The bottom looks like it would be great for flat track or hanging upside down from a tree like a young Forest Gump. Also spoke with insurance about the bike, they were very nice and informed me that I have to take it to the dealer to get it looked over. I'm not looking forward to that. Looking down at my cankle it's about the same size as the one on the last 800 pound guy Maury Povich and the fire dept. took through a wall to get out of his house. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm going to ride again. I tell them I can't wait to ride. I guess they just don't understand. One thing thats really odd, I have developed a real desire for a nice piece of venison. | ||
| Hooliken |
To a speedy recovery bro. | ||
| Atoms |
I am glad to hear that you are ok dentguy. I also appreciate your obvious compassion for the deer. We can be bad-ass bikers and still try to live in harmony with our fellow earthlings. | ||
| Sanchez |
Note to self: buy some deer whistles for the Uly. | ||
| Diablobrian |
non-riders can't understand why we ride, so it's even harder for them to get why we continue to ride after an accident. I figure I'll always get the looks of horror from non-riders when they ask what happened to my leg because I always conclude the story with what I see as the logical conclusion: My triumphant return to riding (on my Buell). It's a rider's thing, they wouldn't understand... | ||
| Karlsbad |
Dude ! A crash is never funny, but I had to laugh when you talked about that dam fan coming on. It's funny the things you recall and remember about a crash. Hope all is well, speedy recovery to you,and don't forget to make your insurance company give you new tires, something about accelerated load degradation rendering the tires unsafe for further use. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I also appreciate your obvious compassion for the deer. We can be bad-ass bikers and still try to live in harmony with our fellow earthlings. "Lighten Up Francis"  | ||
| Karlsbad |
Touch my stuff , I'll kill ya | ||
| Bearly |
Sorry to hear about your acciDent. What time of day where you riding. Scary here in NW Virginia in the Evenings and at night with the dear. What kind of boots did you have on? | ||
| Jmhinkle |
Glad to hear you are in pretty good health all in all. Knock on wood, I haven't been down on a bike yet not counting screwing around in the dirt. I have been over and over and over in a car. The whole time I was thinking "please land right side up so I don't have to undo this seatbelt upside down." Followed by "dammit, how do I get this belt undone while hanging from it. I know what you mean about noticing the weird things. | ||
| Dentguy |
I did some more inspecting of the bike and my boot this morning and found out what got my heel. The back of my boot has a perfect circle with a deep mark under it that matches up with the helmet lock. When I put my boot up there it matched right up with the lock and some marks on the side that fit the preload adjuster and I guess the side bag held it all in place. I still think the front of my foot got between the footpeg and the ground to break it off because the foot peg is clean. Well maybe not that clean it has touched the ground before in some turns and it did tumble down the road right behind me. Who knows I wasn't looking at my foot I was staring at a deer with the big fish eye. I'm off to try and do some work today. I work outside and I'm on my feet all day (usually). I'll see how that goes. My foot is still huge,the colors of the rainbow, and very sore. I can put weight on it when I have this big boot strapped on or a shoe. Also, all the other sore spots have showed up like the neck and shoulder, but I feel great inside. Bearly....it was 6pm the perfect time to increase my odds of getting a deer. I put my Sidi boots on before I left and noticed they were broken so I put on a different pair that I had. They were very stiff more so than the Sidis but I don't know the brand. The Sidi boots are very comfortable. I don't think any other boot would have made the difference. I was on Rt.647 in Amissville between Marshall and Flint Hill. I was on the way back from Thorton Gap(211) and some Skyline Drive riding. I'm sure you know where I'm talking about. Ft_bstrd...The "lighten up Francis" was funny. The wife and I say that to each other all the time. (Message edited by dentguy on October 17, 2007) |
