A friend lost it on a curve while riding a motorcycle. He went into a pulpwood plantation head-first at about 60mph. Knocked down almost a dozen trees. Busted him up pretty good too.

A redneck hunter and his two sons, out for deer don't ya know and attracted by the sound of a guy skydiving horizontally through a pulpwood plantation, found him. Drifting in and out of consciousness he saw the tobacco chewing rednecks leaning over him. He swears he heard the theme music from Deliverance.

Country boys treated him right. As one of them went to get the truck they lashed him to branches where he had fallen. They got him gently on top of the dog box and to the hospital quickly. Taking him in the truck saved my friend well over an hour because the site was on the other end of the county from the nearest ambulance. And in a remote spot down a lot of unmarked dirt roads.

The rescuers did a good job. Kept his head, neck and back straight by lashing them to two pieces of wood. ER doc said they did a good job and saved his life. He was bleeding internally and would have died in a short time without an operation.

His helmet was literally split in two. Without it there would have been no need for a rush to the hospital.

After three months he was back at work but took most of a year to resemble 'right'.

Lessons being that when things go wrong on a bike at speed they happen fast. Your the smallest and softest thing around. Helmets help a lot. If your lucky someone might find you and make sure the pieces all get to a hospital. So drive like your life depends on it.