Bad Month

[Bill Ishmael]

Hello all!
I think my riding days are over. On 10/22 I was on hwy 64 between Conway and Viliona, AR when a red pickup coming from the other direction made a left turn in front of me (he did not see me). I hit the side of his truck doing 50-60. The bike and the truck were totaled. I broke all the ribs on my left side, punched a hole in a lung and got a compound fracture of my lower right arm/wrist. I spent 10 days at UA Med Center in Little Rock but, I am home now licking my wounds. As you can imagine, it could have been a lot worse. I was wearing full protective gear which saved my life! I sent Mellow some pics to post!

Bill

[steve3b3]

:(

Bill,

Sorry to hear of your accident.

Heal well. Heal quickly.

Steve

[newbornst1300]

As you can imagine, it could have been a lot worse. I was wearing full protective gear which saved my life! I sent Mellow some pics to post!

Bill
Wow!! scary stuff, it could have been a lot worse.
Im so glad you are still here able to post this stuff and I hope you are recovering well.
Another plus for wearing good protective gear.

[John Anthony]

Bill,

Glad to hear that you're in one piece (or at least close to it). Sorry your bike got totalled, but thank goodness your injuries weren't more serious. I hope you mend quickly.

John

[Mellow]

Bill, holy crap.... I'm very sorry to hear this, please heal fast and let us know if we can help. Hopefully, your riding days aren't over but that's a decision for you to make and if you do we can surely understand.

I attached your pics to your first post.

[dond]

Bill... Very sorry to hear of your misfortune.

ST riders are tough, the fact you are writing to us is proof!

Heal fully and quickly.

[STPilot]

OMG! Very sorry to hear about this Bill, BUT glad your here to tell us about it. Heal well. . .

[campernh]

Bill;,
I will say some prayers for a fast and healthy recovery!
Brian

[Burger]

Wow, those pics are a sorry sight. Really sorry to hear of this news and hope you make a speedy recovery.

Regards,

[Carl_T]

So, so, sorry to hear this happened to you Bill!!!! :( put your work into healing well.

My nephew had uncannily similar bike related injuries combined with initial bad surgical and Hospital care in the first operation that made things worse than they were from the accident (including fluid in his lungs, pneumonia, and staff infections). He ended up after time healing well, and decided to ride again, but that is a very, very, personal decision.

[Coop]

Bill,
I'm so sorry to heard about your accident, but I'm certainly glad you are still amongst us. Kick back and enjoy your recovery time while old Jack Frost is visiting the area and don't forget to visit the forum when you feel like it.
Billy

[clmixon]

Damn Bill!

I am so glad you are OK, While that ST's days are probably over, yours are not. Take your time, heal up and plan for FOGSTOC Redux 2006.

Look at it this way, Statistically you are now perfectly safe from red pickups, no one else on the board can claim that, so you now have a lower risk than the rest of us. ;)

Also, lock up all the blue parts, you know them red and silver guys will stop at nothing to get Blue stuff :rolleyes:

Chris :04biker:

[sherob]

Take your time healing and get some therapy going as soon as you can :( Sorry about you bike, but it can be replaced if that is what you want. I am glad you had your gear on!!!!

Let us know if there is anything we can do ;)

[texxter]

Bill, so sorry about your accident - and so glad you're alive and recovering well. Did they have to do a pneumothorax on you to deal with the collapsed lung? ... Get well soon!

Best wishes

[rsadler221]

Bill, I am truly sorry to hear about your accident. After looking at those pictures it looks like you made one hell of a hit. You got to be one tough guy.

I just added Hyper-lites to my ST and was wondering if I should add the Kisan headlight modulator. You have made my decision for me. I hope you heal quickly and we will be thinking about you.

Robert

[Ziggy]

Bill,
Glad to hear(see) you writing this, Sorry to hear of your crash! It was obviously not your day to die so rejoice in the ongoing promises in your life. Best wishes to you, please reconsider the option of leaving us.... when it's time, the Reaper will prevail, regardless of your defenses...

Tom Zickefoose

[the_suspector]

Bill, sorry to hear about your accident, glad you made it through, heal quickly.

[IntruderCruiser]

you were fortunate not to have received even more serious injury

your in our prayers for a speedy recovery.

[Jeff F]

WOW! That really sucks! Sorry to hear .... Hope your healing goes well

[nurseBob]

Bill,

Glad you're still here to write about it. Take your time to heal. Considering the speed, and the damage, it sounds like the protective gear really played a role in keeping you around.

[Keith_UK]

You've just been through our worst nightmare Bill; but so glad that you're still alive-and-kicking to tell the tale.

Bloody 'left turners'. According to David L. Hough - author of "Proficient Motorcycling" quote: '... almost three-fourths of urban motorcycle crashes are collisions. And roughly half of those motorcycle crashes are precipitated by auto drivers. About a fourth of all city motorcycle accidents are collisions with left-turning cars ...'

Although you will take little comfort from these stats Bill, it does nevertheless demonstrate that you have plenty of company, both past and present, and no doubt in the future too. A sobering thought for us all. Get well soon mate - I do hope that your riding days are not over, yet.

keith

PS - From Bill's dreadful experience:

Lesson #1 - I'll never ride my STeed again without wearing full protective apparel; and
Lesson #2 - If I do nothing else this winter, then just like rsadler221, I'm certainly fitting hyper-lites and a Kisan headlight modulator.

[mshihrer]

Bill,
Sorry about your accident. Hope you heal up well and fast.

[BC Rider]

Yikes. Hope you heal well and glad you are alive.

Thanks for posting this as I have been waffling about installing a headlight modulator on the ST. I might now prioritize that. I always thought the ST was quite visible, but there are some out there who are obviously pretty blind.

[eddiemack]

You are lucky to be alive. Here's to a speedy recovery:beer3:

[g17]

Bill, sorry for the accident. Heal fast!

[Bill Ishmael]

Well I am still healing from the wreck in Oct 2005. The wrist is the last thing to heal before I can say I am recovered. It has been an adventure! In order to get a little more fun out of this, I found a used 2006 Mazda MX5 with 2500 miles on it. The car is fun to drive but, I will tell you the thing I miss the most from riding the ST1300, the people. The forums are not even close to the quality of this board. Also, If I could have extended the middle finger of my right hand the other day I would have given a one finger solute to one of my fellow Miata owners. What a stuck up bunch they are! Beep Beep my horn and wave and do not even get a look back! I guess it is the common risks that bikers experience that makes them a lot more friendly.

[Killtimer]

Good to hear you're on the mend Bill. Just because you're "between bikes" doesn't mean you can't visit. :)

[Mellow]

Bill... good to hear from you and glad you're healing.

Sorry about your Mazda experience... but, you know you'll never find a place as good as this one...

[Burger]

Well I am still healing from the wreck in Oct 2005. The wrist is the last thing to heal before I can say I am recovered. It has been an adventure! In order to get a little more fun out of this, I found a used 2006 Mazda MX5 with 2500 miles on it. The car is fun to drive but, I will tell you the thing I miss the most from riding the ST1300, the people. The forums are not even close to the quality of this board. Also, If I could have extended the middle finger of my right hand the other day I would have given a one finger solute to one of my fellow Miata owners. What a stuck up bunch they are! Beep Beep my horn and wave and do not even get a look back! I guess it is the common risks that bikers experience that makes them a lot more friendly.

Glad to hear of your progress. Just coz you don't ride right now doesn't mean you can't keep posting here, as others have said. Heck, Charlie took up a whole thread on a car :eek:

Regards,

[sherob]

Once a STowner... always a STowner :D Glad to hear things are healing up... ;)

[motomac]

Bill I am glad you survived this crash. By looking at the pictures you are lucky to be still among the living. I have a theory about accidents with large vehicles and hope you can help. Did you go over the back part of the truck when you hit? It looks as if you hit at an angle towards the bed and probably launched over the bed. Had you hit the cab area straight on you may not be here. The government keeps promising to look into crashes of motorcycle again, as they did in the Hurt sturdy, but haven't got off the dime yet. I think due to the larger vans, SUVs, and pickups on the road is one of the causes of increased motorcycle fatalities today. Maybe not, but we used to get launched over top of the vehicles we hit and got hurt pretty badly, but we lived. The sudden stop when we hit these large vehicles is killing people.

[Mark]

Ditto,

I rode MCs as a kid then intermittantly for 25 years; but, never thought of myself as *not a rider*.

Enjoy the Miata, ignore the posers of any stripe (any one who sees you and doesn't wave back) and stick around (so you never loose the MC bug! :-) )

Glad to hear the mending is coming along nicely,
Mark

[ST/SV]

Apparently I got on this forum after your accident so a belated "GET WELL". After looking at those pictures it is good to know you're still with us.

[Bill Ishmael]

Bill I am glad you survived this crash. By looking at the pictures you are lucky to be still among the living. I have a theory about accidents with large vehicles and hope you can help. Did you go over the back part of the truck when you hit? It looks as if you hit at an angle towards the bed and probably launched over the bed. Had you hit the cab area straight on you may not be here. The government keeps promising to look into crashes of motorcycle again, as they did in the Hurt sturdy, but haven't got off the dime yet. I think due to the larger vans, SUVs, and pickups on the road is one of the causes of increased motorcycle fatalities today. Maybe not, but we used to get launched over top of the vehicles we hit and got hurt pretty badly, but we lived. The sudden stop when we hit these large vehicles is killing people.

Yes, you are very correct in saying that if I had totally hit the cab, I would have sustained a lot more damage. My memory of the event is sketchy. I remember the big bang at impact. The next thing I remember is sliding down the asphault on my left side and seeing the sand going past my face shield. Then I overheard a nurse, who no doubt got caught in the traffic jam I created, telling the Air-Evac folks what was wrong with me. I don't remember anything about ride just the loading and unloading. A couple of days later I found out that some bone fragments from my wrist were found inside the door of the truck. What that tells me is that my right arm hit the cab and then my body went over the bed of the truck.

[Brekfast]

Get better Bill, get better !!

I suppose at this point it's no use, but how the hell could that driver miss you like that ????? Was he on his cell or something ? This is just infuriating.

Henrik
Montreal

[STeveGray]

Yes, you are very correct in saying that if I had totally hit the cab, I would have sustained a lot more damage. My memory of the event is sketchy. I remember the big bang at impact. The next thing I remember is sliding down the asphault on my left side and seeing the sand going past my face shield. Then I overheard a nurse, who no doubt got caught in the traffic jam I created, telling the Air-Evac folks what was wrong with me. I don't remember anything about ride just the loading and unloading. A couple of days later I found out that some bone fragments from my wrist were found inside the door of the truck. What that tells me is that my right arm hit the cab and then my body went over the bed of the truck.

OUCH!! That hurts just reading about it!

Thanks for updating us and know that you've got a lot of people here pulling for you to both heal quickly and to heal well.

[Pred8tor]

Whoa!! It's hurts just to see the pics and read about the crash! Glad you're doing better, and thanks for the updates. As someone else said earlier - this is every motorcyclist's nightmare.

Stay in touch!

[motomac]

Thanks for your reply Bill, and I hope your wrist mends enough to get back on a bike and enjoy riding again. I know how the mind blocks out stuff at times like this and you constanly go over what you can drag out of the depths of the memory to see what you can do better the next time you have an occasion like it. Again hope you heal well and quickly.

[Bill Ishmael]

Get better Bill, get better !!

I suppose at this point it's no use, but how the hell could that driver miss you like that ????? Was he on his cell or something ? This is just infuriating.

Henrik
Montreal

Believe it or not, this guy was a rider also. His step mother worked at the hospital I was taken to (UAMS) and checked on me daily. After I got out of the hospital he made a 70 mile trip to my house to apoligize. He was going to pickup his son for visitation and a fishing trip. His attention was not fully on driving. He told me what scared him the most was after figuring out what had hit him, he looked all around trying to locate the rider. When he saw me, he went to check and found me with my eye lids open but nothing but the whites showing. He really thought I was dead.

[Brekfast]

It was a close call Bill, I am glad we are here talking about it. Heal up and hopefully your riding days are not over just yet.

Keep us posted !


Henrik
Montreal

[CrashTestDanny]

Well I am still healing from the wreck in Oct 2005. The wrist is the last thing to heal before I can say I am recovered. It has been an adventure! In order to get a little more fun out of this, I found a used 2006 Mazda MX5 with 2500 miles on it. The car is fun to drive but, I will tell you the thing I miss the most from riding the ST1300, the people. The forums are not even close to the quality of this board. Also, If I could have extended the middle finger of my right hand the other day I would have given a one finger solute to one of my fellow Miata owners. What a stuck up bunch they are! Beep Beep my horn and wave and do not even get a look back! I guess it is the common risks that bikers experience that makes them a lot more friendly.

Welcome back, Bill! Sorry to hear about the wrist - not sure I could live without mine...

[basco]

Well I am still healing from the wreck in Oct 2005. The wrist is the last thing to heal before I can say I am recovered. It has been an adventure! In order to get a little more fun out of this, I found a used 2006 Mazda MX5 with 2500 miles on it. The car is fun to drive but, I will tell you the thing I miss the most from riding the ST1300, the people. The forums are not even close to the quality of this board. Also, If I could have extended the middle finger of my right hand the other day I would have given a one finger solute to one of my fellow Miata owners. What a stuck up bunch they are! Beep Beep my horn and wave and do not even get a look back! I guess it is the common risks that bikers experience that makes them a lot more friendly.

Hi Bill, sorry to hear of your accident. You gotta do what you gotta do as for as getting back on a bike. I can't say that I have been thru what you been thru but I have had a lot of close calls in very dangerous situations and you either brush off the dust and try again or forget it. I gave it for 10 years before going back so maybe it takes time.

As far as the Miata goes, MCers are a different bread, don't expect any cager to wave back.

Have you tried, forum.miata.net (http://forum.miata.net/vb/)? Good site and there are some MC'ers there.

And yes, I do have a Miata and I am very stuck up. :D

[jbim]

In order to get a little more fun out of this, I found a used 2006 Mazda MX5 with 2500 miles on it. The car is fun to drive but, I will tell you the thing I miss the most from riding the ST1300, the people. The forums are not even close to the quality of this board. Also, If I could have extended the middle finger of my right hand the other day I would have given a one finger solute to one of my fellow Miata owners. What a stuck up bunch they are! Beep Beep my horn and wave and do not even get a look back! I guess it is the common risks that bikers experience that makes them a lot more friendly.

Bill:

Good and fast healing to you. I am back to riding after a 25-year gap. A few years ago, I bought a Honda S2000 for my 50th birthday. I guess you could say I bought the S2000 instead of a motorcycle. A few years later, here I am with the ST. I still enjoy very much the S2000. It's the closest you can find to a bike on four wheels (unless you can afford a Lotus Elise). What happpened to you could happen to any of us. It's scary and I suppose the scars are deep. If you think you will never ride again, I suggest you try the S2000. The S2000 is a limited production / selling car. The S2000 owners are similar to riders. You will always get a look or a wave from a fellow S2000 driver.

Good luck.

[RoadSurfer]

Coincidentally, Bill, I'm another Canadian who went from a totalled bike (a '91 ST1100) to an S2000. The ST was totalled by the same sort of blind driver who hit you; it was the classic left-hand turn in front of me scenario. Like you, I also broke a wrist, though in my case that was the worst of the physical damage. I bought the fairly expensive car with the settlement money. And I did so at a time when I thought I'd never ride a motorcycle again. (Of course I had long known about the possibility of the notorious blind left-hand turning car-driver; but experiencing it firsthand seemed to bring home to me the true danger of motorcycling all the more, uh, forcefully.)

That attitude lasted about three years. Each spring the juices started to flow again and each year they got a bit stronger, until I finally bought another ST11, though this time with ABS. In '04 I traded it in for a new Wing, but I hope to return to the ST ranks soon.

By the way, though I loved the S2000, it too got totalled -- as a result of hydroplaning while on an interstate, doing the speed limit next to a transport trailer that it slid into. My wife and I walked away from that little experience, but we could have been killed. Which shows to go you something or other. ...Like, it definitely is dangerous out there, on two wheels or four, no matter what we do to increase our safety margins.

Good luck. Enjoy the Miata. (I had three of them over the years as well, but the S2000 is in another league.)

[GregSTer]

Sorry to read about the accident. We would never wish that on anyone. Not to minimalize you experience, but just to share. I took a hard crash in 87. Was riding a Moto Guzzi and got ran off the road by a car. At the time I was a hard core year round rider with at least a quarter million miles under me. My injuries were not as bad as yours, but I did have a torn rotator cuff and some nerve damage. It took almost a year to regain full use of my right arm. Also had some bad road rash and a broken thumb. I was wearing only an open face helmet and had some nasty cuts and scratches on my face. Minor scarring resulted.

An emergincy room doctor told me he calls them "murdercycles." A MC cop told me, it's not a matter of if you crash, but when." A lot of people asked me if I was going to ride again. I said no, I'm done with it. Well -- I did wait until my kids were pretty much grown up, but I've been back up for 4 some years now. Just took me a while to get back on the right machine.

You may too! Never say never.:06biker:

After all, the most common cause of accidental death is being born.;)

[acebradley]

Glad to hear you're doing well. Easier said than done, I'm sure. Last October I laid down mine (based on an analysis of the accident, I think that not folding STeed STicks in on some fairly tight cornering contributed) and managed to finish my ride with two broken ribs, two cracked ribs and a fractured ankle. I can't blame anyone but myself, but I really can relate to the "ribs thing". It hurt to sneeze, cough, laugh and breath deep. I remember that pain vividly!

I also could not wait to get back on the bike (minimal damage).

Good luck with the rest of the recovery.

[Bill Ishmael]

I really appreciate all of the words of reflection, good wishes and wisdom all of you have given me. If you look at my orginal message, notice the key word in the sentence ; "I think my riding days are over". I have told the folks that allow me to pay my bills and the folks I love that my motorcycle days "may be over". I have also told several how much fun it is to ride my favorite "twistie roads" in my "4 wheel motorcycle" but, to some of the more trused friends I add that the 4 wheeled motorcycle is a poor replacement for the St1300. I remember one recent ride over Mt Magazine in the MX-5 that my wife came along on. Going down on the Havana side of the mountain, there is one curve tht you really had to lean over on. When I told her how much more fun going around that curve was on the ST1300, I got "the look". When I give in to the urge to buy another one, I hope I have the sense to check out what the lack of mobility in my wrist and hand will do to the safety aspects of riding. Today, I would not be able to use the front brake or twist the throttle. We will see what tomorrow brings!

[JW-1300]

You probably recognize my aviatar.

If you want to put all your parts to the test, come on up the hill. We can fix you up with a ride. Can't stand the "the look" though. (Been there, done that)