This morning, my Facebook news headlines featured a picture of Blast in hospital after a bike accident. His bike helmet apparently did it's job very well. Concussed is much better than paralyzed or dead. Speedy recovery, Mark!

Warmest thoughts and prayers on a speedy recovery Blast

Last year my wife was in a serious bicycle accident. If she hadn't been wearing her helmet she probably would have been killed. As it was she was months recovering.

Best wishes to Blast for a speedy and full recovery.

Everybody else: don't ride your bike without a properly fitted, unexpired helmet.

Blast, glad to see you were wearing your helmet. Best wishes and hope for a speedy recovery...

Wishing our friend Blast a speedy recovery from here in Colorado. Good boy for wearing your helmet! We'll keep you and your family in our prayers.

Our prayers for a speedy recovery!!!! I hope what you came into contact with wasn't too badly damaged! I'll touch base with ClarkTx for updates.

Happy Birthday Mark but this isn't the correct way to celebrate!!

Thanks BacPacJac for the heads up!

Blast, get well soon. Bacpacjac, thanks for the news.

Wow, I hadn't heard! Get well soon, Blast! Thank goodness you had your helmet on.

Blast Sir gat well and thanks for the heads up BacPacJac.

Thanks, everybody. I'm slowly mending. The worst problems are the double vision and dizziness caused by the concussion. It's been a week and neither of these issues has reduced even the slightest amount. Next Tuesday I'm seeing a specialist who may be able to do something with my head...though I keep picturing the doc walking into the examination room carrying a large hammer to tweak the alignment of my eyes.

-Blast

p.s. one benefit of double vision, there are twice as many ETS members! :-)

Welcome back to the land of the living! Take itveasy and those other issues will heal and go away.

Best wishes on your recovery, Blast.

Very sorry to hear this happened and very relieved that you are able to post here.



.

And, no doubt, twice as many posts! Get well soon - we miss our sheriff....

I think you mean four times.

I think you mean four times.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, my friend.

Take it easy real easy plenty of rest sir.

Very funny, Bingley.
-Blast

OK, Blast. Enough about you. What is the condition of the helmet that shielded you? Any pics?

I am sure whatever condition said helmet may appear to be, it should be honorably retired.

Hope all goes well with your visit on Tuesday...

Helmet by Merriwether Adventurer, on Flickr

Best wishes on your recovery!

That's a fairly significant crack in your helmet -- seriously. Best wishes on a speedy recovery.

On that note, I've read that your brain heals better from physical injury if you don't think too much. It's one of the reasons a medically induced coma is part of the treatment in some cases. Or so I've read. Apparently the brain needs energy to think (who'a'thunk) and the same energy is required to heal from trauma such as a concussion. Coma fixes the thinking part so the brain can concentrate on healing.

On a separate topic, the helmet I bought 25 years ago is probably beyond is "use-by" date. Any recommendations for a replacement? All I used it for was holding a mirror and it excelled at that task. Never put it to work like Blast.

Again, best wishes for a full recovery.

Any helmet that old should be retired instantly -- do not ride with it even one more time. Go to a good bike store and find a modern helmet that fits you well. Helmet expiration dates vary from 3 to 8 years, in my experience. It's worth buying one with a shorter date on it if it fits you well.

Basically, any helmet in a reputable store will meet the same certification standard(s), so they all should provide the same level of protection. Comfort is important, and most helmets are adjustable over a fairly wide range.

One important variable is color. I would not recommend a dark color. Based on my riding, and from observations from behind the wheel while driving, a bright or white color makes the rider much more conspicuous, while a black helmet obscures your presence. I like red a lot, but it fades to black in reduced visibility.

So flaunt the color of purity when you ride. It fits, right??

I think some helmet manufacturers will replace for free any helmet that saved your head in a crash. Blast might want to check the manufacturer's policy.

Sorry to hear that.

Rule one of cycling (and this is twenty five years of cycling to and from work speaking): Assume that everyone else on the road hates you, and thinks you would look just peachy as a pancaked road kill.
So make a point of always being where it is difficult to get at you.
Rule two: Your the softest, sqishiest most invisable thing on the road. Always assume that they ain't seen you and be ready to get out of the way real quick.

Do everything possible to increase your visibility - bright clothes, multiple lights, and plenty of reflectors. Keep your guard up, even on a bike path - look out for kamikaze cyclists. Speaking of which, the accident rate would plummet if more cyclists learned and followed the rules of the road. Lessons learned from 35 years commuting (and a bike tour now and then)

No car was involved in my wife's accident, nor any negligence on anyone's part. She was in a what I suppose one calls a peloton of road bicyclists heading downhill at speed, 30+ MPH. One of them hit a crack in the road; my wife struck that bicyclist and was flipped to land on her head. The other cyclist that fell had pretty good road rash but declined transport by ambulance and got a ride home.

My wife wanted to decline transport as well. I was...insistent that she cooperate with the paramedics.

Sorry to hear of your accident Blast. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. : )

Good on you! Head trauma, even if it seems OK right after the accident, is nothing to take lightly. Always good to get it thoroughly evaluated.

A good friend of mine got clipped by a trailer while on a road ride. The first instant his fellow rider realized something happened was when he saw parts of my friends bike helmet fly by in his peripheral vision. My friends helmet was totally shattered but he didn't suffer permanent brain injury. He did spend a week in the hospital from other injuries, but recovered to ride again.

His experience definitely made me a believer in bike helmets!

Over time, I have worn a helmet more and more frequently, in a greater variety of situations and pursuits. This has been helped along by responding to accident scenes where a helmet would have probably saved lives.

I started out wearing a construction grade hard hat while caving -obviously useful because you are always scraping your head and you also need a place to fasten your light. I bicycled and climbed for years without a helmet, but I eventually changed.

My oldest daughter suffered through two hospitalizations resulting from injuries incurred while riding sans helmet. After the second event, I told to wear head protection. "It's too dorky," was the response, and she gave up cycling. Later, after a career in the ER, I notice that her kids do indeed wear bike helmets, which are available in an increasing variety of protective and attractive styles - so much for "dorky."

Fire Captain: "Mr. Magnet? Your wife doesn't want to get in the ambulance."

My words: "Dear, I think you better get in the ambulance."

My tone: GET IN THE $&£€ING BUS RIGHT NOW BEFORE I LOSE MY #¥%^.

My thoughts after I heard myself say it: "I do not usually speak to my wife that way."

My wife's words after I said it: "Okay."

No arguments on that one here. I've lost count of how many cyclists have jumped a light (and I'm on a bike and stopped at the lights) right in front of me. Interestingly they are usually dressed like they are doing the Tour de France. Their Guardian Angels seem to be on the job. As yet no one has been offed by a honking big lorry which is either a very good thing or dashed annoying.