This is another crash report. This was the first crash in my 12 years bike history. I have not thought of such vulnerability of a bike before and thought this should be shared to all of bike lovers. I by the way have joined TCC some years ago and was active in bike riding but has been more interested in marathon and trail running for the last two years.
What happened.
Please see the photo of the spot. I was slowly moving and tried to go on the paved bike path, but there was a different level between the bike path and the ground. I hit this part and my rear wheel was lifted up and landed on my head. I was luckily wearing a helmet and did not get hurt my head. But my neck got shocked and injured in cervical cord. Consequently this affected the functions of my right arm. I now can do most of my daily movements with my right arm, but lost some muscle power of my right arm.
Right after the accident, I was sent to a hospital and stayed there for one week without moving my head. Then, moved to another hospital near by my house, staying there for two weeks, receiving rehabilitation.
I was not moving too fast at the time but still experienced such an accident. I suppose this is due the center of gravity. A road racer is very light. Mine is 8Kg. And it is toward the front position. As you can see the image, the center of gravity on a road racer is high and of front. This is obviously different from the one for mama chari. Mama chari is heavy and position is behind.
I was surprised the rear wheel so easily move upward. With this experience, I just wanted to warn all of the road bike riders on this fact. It is very easy to turn over. Once you get injured on your neck, it could mean paralyzation of your arms, legs and whole body.
There are tons of risks in our whole life. This may be one of them, but it will be good to know there is such an risk in advance.
Happy bike life to you all. I will be indulged in running for a while.
Minoru Arai
What happened.
Please see the photo of the spot. I was slowly moving and tried to go on the paved bike path, but there was a different level between the bike path and the ground. I hit this part and my rear wheel was lifted up and landed on my head. I was luckily wearing a helmet and did not get hurt my head. But my neck got shocked and injured in cervical cord. Consequently this affected the functions of my right arm. I now can do most of my daily movements with my right arm, but lost some muscle power of my right arm.
Right after the accident, I was sent to a hospital and stayed there for one week without moving my head. Then, moved to another hospital near by my house, staying there for two weeks, receiving rehabilitation.
I was not moving too fast at the time but still experienced such an accident. I suppose this is due the center of gravity. A road racer is very light. Mine is 8Kg. And it is toward the front position. As you can see the image, the center of gravity on a road racer is high and of front. This is obviously different from the one for mama chari. Mama chari is heavy and position is behind.
I was surprised the rear wheel so easily move upward. With this experience, I just wanted to warn all of the road bike riders on this fact. It is very easy to turn over. Once you get injured on your neck, it could mean paralyzation of your arms, legs and whole body.
There are tons of risks in our whole life. This may be one of them, but it will be good to know there is such an risk in advance.
Happy bike life to you all. I will be indulged in running for a while.
Minoru Arai