How many of you....

[supernareg]

ride motorcycles?

more specifically... rockets (i.e. gsxr, cbr, ninja, etc) and not hogs.


edit:

reason why i ask, when i was 18, (almost 5 years ago) i came close to not seeing 19.
i used to have a crotch rocket, and someone didnt stop at a stopsign, and i t-boned him. my bike hit the car, and i flew into the car at ~35-40mph, i didnt fly over. My body took entire damage.

damage: Splenectomy, partial pancreactomy (15% of tail), grade III renal lac with 30% lower left kidney not perfused now, fx transverse process of L2,3,4, fx mandible 2 places, fx maxilla, lower left orbital, and zygomatic. Lost about 3300cc of blood from the ruptured spleen and the surgery (also exploratory lap). I was given 5 units of blood. i had my jaws wired shut for 2 months (closed reduction maxillomandibular fixation).

This accident is what pushed me to become a doctor. If you look at me now, the only thing that you'll see is a 4" scar down my linea alba from under xyphoid to above navel. Other than that, you cannot tell all that happened to me.

But now, an MS1, i was just wondering, how many of you ER docs, or any docs ride, and if you did, what kind?

I would LOVE to go riding again, but i was given a 2nd chance at life once.. i dont wanna take a risk and not get that chance later. I would absolutely love and i crave riding, if a rocket passes me i get hard haha.. but 50% of me says get it, dont be stupid with it and ride it seldomly, and the other 50% says go F urself are u crazy?


also, do you guys have any motorcycle accident stories? yours, friends, or patients?

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[Tori's dad]

I rode a ZX-6R, not too fast but fast enough. There is a saying with motorcycles that goes, "its not if you'll lay it down, it's when you'll lay it down" It happens to a lot of people, luckily for me, I laid mine down in a parking lot with no one else around to laugh at me. My buddy laid his down (brand new GSXR 750) on a grass island in the middle of the road after overcorrecting to miss a gravel pile. Mostly, the people I know that have had serious accidents, no offense, weren't really paying attention or were goofing off when it happened. When you're riding you have to be alert at all times, and anticipate situations. I think most bikes are maneuverable enough to avoid ANY accident when the rider has the proper amount of experience. Given your situation, I probably wouldn't ride again, but I haven't been through that and come to think of it, I'm not really that smart, so I'll likely ride again!

 

[southerndoc]

Just last week I had a traumatic arrest from someone who was nearly decapitated after a car pulled in front of him, which caused him to be thrown almost 80 feet. Two weeks before that, another laid his bike down and slid into a tree, suffering severe head injuries. He was harvested two days later.

We call them donorcycles for a reason.

 

[PacoX]

I've thought about it since you get so much speed for your dollar, but too risky. I'll stick with cars- at least I have a roll cage and some sheet metal around me if I end up in a bad situation. A lot more spendy to go slower...but cars (obviously) keep you a lot safer. I've seen production cars with good cages go through some pretty gnarly stuff on a track and drivers come out basically unscathed. Race car safety has actually come a long way in recent years with the high profile NASCAR scares, but I digress.

 

[SoCuteMD]

No, I value my 450K brain too much to do that to it.

 

[domer621]

No, I value my 450K brain too much to do that to it.

I would absolutely love to ride a crotch rocket, but the risks are just too damn high. There are too many stupid drivers out there.

 

[FLTDOC1]

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 7 years old. Had to stop about 15 yrs ago. I am not afraid of a serious accident or trauma. What is more likely is that I get in a minor fender bender. I break a few fingers, a wrist or ankle.
Guess what - I cant work with an arm cast or a full leg cast. If I dont work-I dont get paid. Disability kicks in after 30 days. 30 days of non paid vacation

One of my partners broke his wrist during residency - they managed to shuffle his electives to cover ( he did rads and tox) So he didnt lose any time. That doesnt happen in the real world

 

[supernareg]

What is more likely is that I get in a minor fender bender. I break a few fingers, a wrist or ankle.

funny how that's the exact word for word thing i said, months before my accident

 

[notdeadyet]

There is a saying with motorcycles that goes, "its not if you'll lay it down, it's when you'll lay it down"

Too true. There's also a saying that there are two types of riders: "the inexperienced, and those who've laid down hard."

Mostly, the people I know that have had serious accidents, no offense, weren't really paying attention or were goofing off when it happened.

Nothing personal but that probably says more about the people that you know than whether bad accidents happen to good riders.

If you take a frathouse of boys owning shiny new rockets, you'll get some serious accidents.

If you take a collection of experienced riders with good judgment and fast reaction times, guess what? You'll get some serious accidents.

When you're riding you have to be alert at all times, and anticipate situations. I think most bikes are maneuverable enough to avoid ANY accident when the rider has the proper amount of experience.

I'm sorry, but that made me laugh out loud. There are plenty of great riders in the graveyard. No matter how great a rider you fancy yourself, there are situations that even with great judgment and lightning fast reaction times, you will still get nailed.

Bad riders are wise to worry about themselves. Good riders are wise to worry about the other guy. But the idea that if you're a good enough rider, you can "avoid ANY accident"? Nonsense.

 

[supernareg]

i agree with poster above... as that's how i crashed...

as far as the "reacting and avoiding" sure, if you have the TIME and ROAD to do it...

my case: i was traveling straight... the guy came out from a side street making a left infront of me and i t-boned him. I was about 60 feet from the intersection when he came out... at that much of a distance, traveling at 45mph, u dont have the TIME to react, and if u do, nothin will happen because you've already run out of road to avoid...

however, had he come out when i was 200 feet away, obviously i coulda avoided it. wrong place, wrong time, thats why accidents are UNAVOIDABLE

edit: 45mph = 66 feet per second... not even the best rider, can notice, react, and give enough time for the bike to react, in less than 1 second. Even if a rider reacts.. the bike doesnt have anywhere to go.. turning the handlebars and the bike will turn, but it takes road and time to turn, which unfortunately i didnt have

 

[Midwest Medic]

I used to have a Honda Magna 750. Loved the bike and I had it for about 4 years. I don't know how I am alive after the things that I did on that bike. I was in Iowa which has no helmet law, and somehow ended up never laying it down, never hitting anything except a squirrell. After working in EMS, and now the ED I won't ride again. I love it and miss it like crazy, but my wife and child mean too much to me now to ride again. I trust my riding skills and know that I could get out of a jam, but I don't trust the other person any more. Most of the serious accidents I have taken care of involving a bike are the cars fault. Granted there are some riders that it is their fault for not paying attention or doing stupid stuff, but the majority of riders that I have taken care of were doing everything that they were supposed to.