Ducati Monster Forum

On September 21st I was in an accident, I was traveling North on Hillhurst in Los Feliz CA going about 45mph when a car pulled out into my lane from a parking lot on the right.  No time to react except brake and no escape points to swerve to, I locked the rear tire and slammed directly into the drivers door.  

The left side of my body took all the injury, which included a shattered left elbow and forearm, and 4 cracked ribs, and a badly bruised lung.  I also had massive internal bleeding as my spleen had exploded.  I was taken to LAC USC hospital where thankfully one of the best trauma teams in the USA is located.  I went through 3 full transfusions, had a splenectomy, and was unconscious for 3 days.  I then hallucinated for a week in the ICU on the painkillers.  The surgeon from the trauma team told me I was in really bad shape when I showed up, and they had doubts I'd make it from the bleeding.  They couldn't even call my mom in NJ to say I was stable until 12 hours later.

I'm pretty lucky in hindsight knowing that I'm not paralyzed, don't have a head injury, didn't lose a limb, but the 11th hour thing from the bleeding has shaken me up quite a bit.  It will probably result in my not being able to ride any longer because the roads now terrify me.  Even the drive home from the hospital was very difficult.  I'l probably need to opt for a bigger car as well to feel comfortable.  I remember the crash, and just knowing that I wasn't doing anything wrong in such an non-congested time and that this could happen out of nowhere has me really shook up.  I'm not normally one to throw in the towel after a hiccup but this feels different.

But I did lose 20 lbs while I was in the hospital, FTW

Dante

Wow - sorry to hear about the accident.  I guess you really never know when shit is gonna happen.

Hoping the best for you and your recovery.

Sweet jebus man... Glad you're on the road to OK.  Not really sure what else to say, other than get better.

whether you ride or not - good luck with a full recovery.

Damn! Glad to hear you made it!  [thumbsup] Good luck on the recovery.

Holy cow. Glad to hear your doing better.

IF you ever get back on a bike.. think about this...
could you imagine how much it would have cost to remove 20lbs from your bike :D

just trying to cheer you up!

Holy shit dude! Glad you are still with us! Do you need anything? Are you able to take care of yourself? We can bring you bacon and cigars if you need them.


sac

  That sucks!  Glad to hear you've survived without any major complications.

   

shit, man, really sorry to hear that.  i read your other post about getting from culver city to warner bros in 25 minutes in rush hour ... anyone who can do that is too good to hang it up!  [thumbsup]

but i can imagine how you must be feeling.  hope your recovery continues. 

you can always get a big-ass truck and put ducati stickers on the back! 

speedy recovery ND!

Wow.

 :o

Glad you're OK!

Hope you can conquer the fear of the road. After my deer incident last September, riding still isn't the same for me. I'm so overly paranoid on a bike now that it sorta takes all the fun out of it....  :-\

Sorry to hear about your crash. :(

Hope you heal up quickly, just take one day at a time.

Holy BALLS!  Dude, heal up quick.  

If you're thinking that you won't be riding on the street anymore, I only have two words for you....

Time to get a track bike!  Okay, so that was like five words, but I never claimed to be good at math.  On the track you don't have to worry about stupid cagers pulling out in front of you.    ;)

seriously, though... Glad you're still here to tell us the tale SacDuc and I were talking about you our last trip up the 33 a few weeks ago.  I'll bring you along in spirit this Sunday...


Glad you're on the mend.  



[bacon]

Holy crap - what a nightmare... man, you are one blessed mofo; glad you're still here with us

What happened to the driver? 

I think it was something along the lines of, "Where's that friggin' pussy Dante been?"  [cheeky] And as guilty as I feel for saying that now, I am in a way relieved that a SoCaler actually had a legitimate excuse for not going on rides.  ;)

As for your biking future, just don't think about it. One of two things is going to happen. In the future (weeks? months? years?) you may start getting the urge to get on a bike again. Or you won't. If you do you can start slow and ride where there are no cars. Maybe you will get your comfort back. If the itch to ride never comes back to you, well their are lots of other things to do in life. In the meantime just concentrate on healing yourself. Let the motorcycle thing work itself out for now.

Of course if you stop riding monsters you will have to delete your account and never post here again. If you're lucky Nate will still let you lurk.  [cheeky]  Kidding of course.

sac

like you said you have to be very thankful that you did not get any more catastrophic injuries such as head injury/paralysis/loss of limbs or any loss of sense like vision, hearing, etc.

do what you feel is right.

good to hear that the outcome of the accident, which was by all accounts extremely serious and life threatening, did not turn out to be as catastrophic as it could have  been.

stay safe.

Dante,

Your accident is a terrible thing, and I hate hearing of it.

Also, I can relate.  In 1990 I had a similar experience, only I hit the passenger side.  I broke four ribs (broke; not cracked) and cracked a fifth.  Furtunately for me my internal bleeding was minimal.  Still, I spent 6 days in the hospital.

Naturally I worried that I wouldn't be up to riding again, but in time I couldn't stay away.

Perhaps in time you will decide you can't stay away from riding either.

Or perhaps you will decide that riding is not worth the risk.

Either way, the imporatant things are your health and your loved ones.  Keep as firm a grip as possible on both.

In the big picture, everything else is nothing.

God bless and godspeed to your recovery.

P.S.
I live very close to Loz Feliz, and must say that riding around there can be very, ah, exciting at times.

That is a great diet! I lost 23 lbs when I was in the hospital for two and a half weeks with my four crushed neck vertebrae in 2007. God damn stupid turkey!! Almost as stupid as the driver who pulled in front of you. At least the turkey was a dumb wild animal and didn't have to pass a driving test! [bang]

Seriously, thank God you were quickly taken care of and rushed to a top flight ER. At least I wasn't bleeding to death! I was in the middle of south east Oklahoma country heading for Arkansas. Took awhile for them to shut down the highway and get me evac'd by med-chopper to a hospital in Arkansas. Don't remember a thing about it. Nothing, zip, nada... Last thing I remember was gassing up in Antlers, OK with my DML buddies 36 miles back up the road. Lost a whole week and a half out of my life. Sometimes I think that's not a bad thing. [thumbsup]

Everyone handles these tragedies differently. You are not right or wrong. Do only what makes you feel safe and comfortable. You want to buy an Abrams tank for commuting then do so. You want to give up scooters for a while, no problem. Being the genius I am ( :P) and being heavily sedated I apparently told my completely freaked out wife who thought I was going to be paralyzed from the neck down that "Don't think that this is going to stop me from riding". I don't remember that but supposedly the hospital room went quiet and she starting crying. I figured when I got home all my bikes would be piled up on the sidewalk for bulk garbage pick up! [laugh] Luckily for me they were heavily locked and cabled and she didn't know where the keys were! [thumbsup]

Again, I'm so glad you are OK and I hope your healing goes well. Don't worry about motorcycles. If you feel the interest again down the road they will still be here and I don't see any of us going anywhere. As if we had something better to do! [laugh]

Take care and heal up!!

Brian

Dante,

Just to reiterate or paraphrase all the points above ... don't put pressure on yourself. At the moment use your energy to recover properly.

The Boss (yes my wife) was involved in a similar incident last year. She almost got around so her injuries weren't from the collision. But like you she did require an emergency spleenectomy only they didn't realise until she had been internally bleeding for 6 or 7 hours. She was laid up in a foreign hospital for a week.

I don't remember discussing it in the early stages (only when she stood up at the scene trying to continue riding) but we really didn't focus on riding for a while.

First thing was to become physically well again. Eventually she got back on the bike supported by the OzMonster DMF members and the recovery party they threw for her. She gradually built confidence on roads she knew well and was very apprehensive to start with. Then one day it just clicked and she was back to kicking my arse.

But as it turns out she never really doubted she would get back on the bike. Although I don't think she will ride in Italy again and she has a particular distrust of Audi drivers. I think you are trying to rush, or pre-empt a decision you are not yet ready to make. You may ride again or you may not but it is something you don't need to concern yourself with at the moment.

Give it time, recuperate and think about these things later.

All the best for a rapid recovery.

Ditto on all the good wishes  - and for a speedy full recovery.

Let us know if you need anything - there are lots of generous people on this board - ready to help if we can.

Dante, my sincerest wishes for continued and rapid recovery.  Relieved that you didnt suffer worse.  Disappointed that I may not get to meet another local Monster rider. 

And I thought passing a kidney stone was a great way to loose weight...

Man...  that's terrible.  There are just too many of these stories.  I am glad you made it.  How's your recovery coming along?

Damn,

prepare for the multiple difficult stages of coping. After my near death on 2007 I was a different person for a few months.

Good luck, feel better

Dante, I can't tell you how sad this makes me feel.

It's as though I'm reliving the accident w, you since I have had 2 major crashes .

One that involved 7 broken ribs and laid me up for 12 weeks and also involved a Thoracotomy ( which is repairing a hole in my Lung ) which was filling up w, blood and fluids.

6 days in the Hospital.

2nd crash was in some ways worse .

I broke all my Ribs on my right side , crushed my right Elbow and right Ankle ,snapped 2 Tendons in my middle and ring Fingers of my left hand, badly bruised my right Knee and Shoulder , broke a Vertebrae ( spent 3 days in a Trauma Center ),  got knocked out after my Helmet split 6 inches from my S4Rs going airborne while trying to avoid a Truck that was blocking most of the road .

As I tried to miss the Truck , I hit something that sent my bike into the air and the bike turned over and came down on top of me and we slid 300 feet in the middle of the road.

I was out of action for almost 5 months .

Ended up w, a Staff infection of my right Calf and Ankle which took 7 weeks to get rid of plus Surgery and 5 days in the Hospital.

I thought I was going to die w, the 1st crash because of the lingering pain. I just didn't seem to be getting any better for weeks and the Surgeon was cutting off my pain meds.

The 2nd crash I was doped up for 5 months so I some how got through it better than I thought I would.

For some reason I didn't hesitate to get back on my bikes when I was well enough to ride.

Maybe it was because I felt that the 2 crashes were avoidable and I learned valuable lessons that I wouldn't repeat.

Maybe it was because I just love riding so much.

Your 1st crash , especially one as bad as yours , is so very traumatic.

It has such a impact on your psyche and it wounds not just your body but your soul.

You have to get over both wounds.

Like the lose of a family member or a divorce or breakup w, a S/O it takes time to get over the hurt to your soul.

Heal your body and time will heal your soul.

One thing about pain, as time goes by we tend to forget the intensity of the pain.

For now just concentrate on doing what you need to do to heal your body Dante.

You will with time assimilate back into the world of travel in one way or another.

God bless.

Dolph      :)

Heal up man, get out and about I know it can get depressing being immobile while healing(had a few hospital trips from my MX days).

I always hate to hear stories like this, and it freaks me out just a teeny bit more when it is a person whom I read their posts.

I wish those stupid kids who put their phones into their laps to text their friends would read stuff like this.

Get your body and head healed.

Dante - sent you a pm   [thumbsup]

Dante,

First - glad that you're alive. Given that it's only been a few weeks since the date of the accident, I'd be patient with yourself and any thought of getting back on a bike. I'd imagine that your hesitation is normal for what you went through, but only time will tell if you'll be able to find that comfort zone that you had before when you'd ride. Just don't rush it.

Rest, heal, and get well.  [beer]

My friends like to say that I have now been "pre-disastered" and I'm now safe on the road... then there is the reality of Dolph's stories. Now matter what, or how good a rider you are bad juju can happen more than once, twice, etc. But all the comments are right, forget the riding decision right now, you have better things to do like heal up. [thumbsup]

i hope you have a full and speedy recovery.  now you gotta listen to what your head says vs. what your heart says.  either way, glad to hear it wasn't worse.

Ciao!

WOW!

Glad you are still with us and recovering.  To a complete and speedy recovery [beer]

Thanks guys. The driver was entirely at fault, he will have a lawsuit on his hands shortly. Jerk  didn't even go to the hospital or inquire about my condition.  I won't rush my decision whether or not to keep riding, though right now I can't fathom it, and I know my mom would never sleep again if I did. I had so much help from my parents and my brother and his wife, riding again almost seems like it would be extremely disrespectful to them.  And that this was so out of my hands and not my fault is also very disturbing. If I lived in a rural Irish town it might be different, but LA is truly insane, worst drivers in the world.  Much to ponder, but I got lucky this time.

Sorry to hear that , but im glad you are doing good i wish you the best  [beer]

And you are lucky you now have time to decide whether you will ever ride again or not. You could just as easily have had that taken away from you right then and there. Count your blessings... as I am sure you do. I damn sure do, every day! [thumbsup]

Glad you're ok. You will ride again for the same reason you did in the first place.  [thumbsup]

+1

thanks for sharing your amazing story with us.

hope your recovery goes well.

good reminder that even if you do everything right, some drivers will still manage to find you without looking

Thanks again for coming all the way down to visit me, Sac and Junkie. Great to see you guys again, thanks for the gifts, and thanks for the food! I'll be up your way soon as I'm able to get out.

Our pleasure..  [thumbsup]


We were glad to come down... It was nice to meet your mom and dad.  They're great. 

Happy we were able to help out.  Good to see you in one piece (relatively)   ;)

Glad to hear you are well.  IMO talking about your trauma may help you both understand and reflect to see if motorcycles are a part of who you are.  If you're not ready or fit then life has plenty of other offerings. 

Cheers. PM sent.

sac

Your spleen weighed 20 lbs?  :o




Get well soon. [thumbsup]

My fat ass benefited from my broken neck to the tune of 20+ pounds. Still not the recommended weight loss program. Even my step son wondered where the baggy skin on my legs came from. No worries. Some really good tex-mex food and beer and margaritas put the "healthy" weight right back on by the end of the year. No harm, no foul! [thumbsup] [drink]

Wowser, apparently a stay in the ICU is $12,000 per day. 10 prescribed injections of Fragmen blood thinner, $2,000. Good thing I'm insured. I wanna know how much the 3 surgeries cost.

My bill was f#@king staggering! What pissed me off the most was the $17,000 med-evac chopper ride I missed because I was knocked out! [bang] Bummer. :P

Might have been tough for you to enjoy it being strapped down and in pain, but I know what you mean, $17k and you slept through it. My ambulance ride was probably only $1,500 and unfortunately I was awake for most of it. Woke up as they loaded me in with a tremendous pain in my elbow. Little did I know that wasn't the serious injury.

Hope you're feeling better every day. [thumbsup]

Thanks, I definitely am!

Any news from your appointment you had on monday?











 [bacon]

Gotta up the coumadin to get my blood thinner, white cell production want way down, and I'm at the hospital now for a check on my splenectomy.

"Be" your avatar ;) You'll kick this

I hope you are healing fast [thumbsup]

Keep us updated.

sac


/also remember, booze is a blood thinner

ANd blood is a booze tinner. [drink]

Thought I'd post an update for you guys.  The bike was declared totaled (not sure why) and my insurance did give me a check which covered almost everything I lost, gear wise anyway.  The lawsuit is still pending, though California's legal system sucks huge donkey nuts.

I'm doing my physical therapy, still on pain killers and blood thinners for awhile, but I'm back at Warner Bros. working as of last week.  Really good to be back to a semi normal life, though things are still settling.  Just moved into a new house in Burbank to be closer to work, no more hour and a half commute home, that's where the lane splitting came in handy though now not an option for me.  Moving actually wasn't my idea, my douchebag of a roommate, about a week after I got out of the hospital, told me he was moving out soon to get a place with his girlfriend.  No income, can't physically lift more than 10 pounds, perfect time to move!

In any case though, I'm in the new house, back to work, and got my whole family coming in for Thanksgiving this year.  My first feelings back in the hospital were those of bitterness and vengeance and wanting to take the negligent driver to court (which I am), but at this point I'm much happier that I'm still around.

When it rains it pours........


Glad to hear things are improving - thanks for the update

Onward and upward [thumbsup]

Glad you're settled in your new place.  Carl and I are picking up his new (to him) 900ss this weekend. Maybe we'll have to swing by and bring you another "gift".   [evil]




[bacon]

Congratulations on the weight loss!

Next time, might I suggest a vegan diet?
Just saying...

Your apprehension in traffic is not unusual for someone who has had your experience. I know a few people, including bike passengers, who have a hard time riding in cars. It gets better.

Legally, as long as you don't expect instant karma you will fare well. Don't rush the process. You may find lingering injuries months down the road that you hadn't accounted for. It's not just a lawyer thing, it does happen.

Although my recent accident was nowhere near as severe as yours, the one thing I will never forget is laying on the side of the road in severe pain yet experiencing the sheer joy of being alive. That is a perspective changer and that feeling is something I have tried to cultivate ever since. (The joy part, not the sever pain part).