On Wednesday the 23rd of May at about 12:07 p.m., I was involved in an accident. I rear-ended a pickup truck that had stopped for traffic. I was traveling at the posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour. The two biggest mistakes I made were riding an unfamiliar bike out in traffic and allowing my attention to be distracted from the task at hand—riding that motorcycle safely. My attention, in this case, was distracted by a strange noise. However, it does not matter what the distraction was; distraction is dangerous. I do not try to excuse my mistake. I only write this in hopes that someone will read this and it will help keep them from making the same mistake. I am normally a very safety conscious rider and have taken both the MRC and the ERC. It only takes a minor mistake to become a big problem. And it can all happen in the blink of an eye.
It is a great day for a ride. While Chris’s 1200 Buell isn’t as comfortable as my Gold Wing, it is responsive, and a fun way to get out. Chris will be back from sea soon and I am taking his bike out so it will be ready and gassed up for him when he gets back. A nice run to Silverdale for gas should do the trick. I hop on the highway and pass a slow-moving car.
Blink of an eye. I take the exit off the highway. Slow and corner through the green light. Now through the next corner and watch my speed. There’s a red pickup truck in front of me. I’ll follow it at a safe distance and set my speed to it. We are traveling at about 35 miles per hour, the posted speed limit.
Blink of an eye. What’s that sound? My life is about to change; I looked.
Blink of an eye. I look up, red truck, five feet. I grit my teeth in anticipation of what is going to happen next. I instinctively try to brake.
Blink of an eye. BOOM! I think I close my eyes, and feel the forces throw me into the truck.
Blink of an eye. I stop; I look. The inside of the pickup bed.
Blink of an eye. I’m on the ground. I look back down the road. I see shattered bike.
I look up the road and see the truck move away, then stop. I see the yellow line to the left. I tuck up into a ball and roll to the white line, sitting up cross-legged as I stop. I have no idea how I did that.
Blink of an eye. It’s hard to breathe and I’m hot. I reach up to unzip my jacket and finally understand pain. Wow, my wrists hurt! They must be broken. My wrists fall to my lap. The world is black and white.
Blink of an eye. Two men approach. I only know they are men from their voices. The world is shades of gray. One comes behind me and holds my helmet still. The other man whom I can only describe as having a beard and a very kind and gentle voice, bends down in front of me and asks, “Hey, buddy, you with me? You went through a rough landing.” I tell him I am hot, and I think I broke my wrists. He helps by unzipping my jacket as far as he can. The world is gray. I can’t remember much of what he is saying; I just know it helps me stay focused. He holds my hands to support the weight. I’m not sure why, but I think they’re bikers.
Blink of an eye. A deputy appears, the world is back to gray. He asks me my name and I tell him. He asks if I know where I am and I tell him. He asks if I know what day it is. I say, “I think it’s Wednesday; I didn’t check this morning.” He laughs. He asks more information about the bike and me, and tells me the ambulance is well on the way.
Blink of an eye. The firefighters arrive. The world is lighter now, but only in front of me. Many people ask me many questions. I must have studied; I get them all right. I’ve learned first aid and CPR, yet I am very scared.
They remove my helmet, my jacket, and my gloves. They lay me on a backboard. Boy, this is scary when it happens to you! They put the backboard on the gurney. They lift me up and load me in the ambulance. I’ve been here before; I used to drive an ambulance, but not like this. The paramedics and firefighters check blood pressure and start IV’s and splint my very sore wrists. They start me on oxygen. The world slowly clears to normal.
Blink of an eye. We arrive at the emergency room. After many hours, they determine that I only shattered both bones in both my forearms but sustained no other injuries. I was very lucky.
But it all happened in the blink of an eye.
