3 years ago my head was run over by a truck in a motorcycle accident. AMA!

I was on my work(about 7am) traveling about 45mph in the left lane about to get onto I-95. There was a back up in the right lane and I was just cruising through the intersection in the left. As soon as I went into the intersection a Ford Ranger whipped out of the left lane and tried to go left at the intersection into the Wawa. As he turned left into the gas station and I smashed into the side of him and went in betwixt his tires. He drug me across the intersection and hit a curb and stopped. I thought it was over at that point, but thats when he tried to drive over the curb and get back onto the road. At that point he ran over my knee, hip, ribs, collar bone and then over my head.

How much money did you get from him?

Do you still ride?

If not in traffic, perhaps a dirtbike or something more solitary?

Obviously you were wearing a helmet, but was your head damaged in any way, or did the helmet absorb the impact really well?

Was the helmet damaged at all?

Did you send a thank you note to the makers of the helmet?

Only 60k... and after attorney fees and unpaid medical bills I walked away with 31k.

Nope. I think I will when the kids are a little older, so I'll say I don't ride right now.

I've been looking at a dirt bike, but probably will end up getting a 4 wheeler, more kid friendly.

I had minor brain trauma and had 2 bulging discs which were pinching nerves going into my head and I had migraines everyday for about 2 years. Now there are less often but still every 2-3 days. The helmet really did a great job at holding up and it definitely saved my life.

The helmet was pretty scratched up from the accident and getting dragged along the asphalt, but no visible cracks or anything. Everyone signed it like a cast while I was in the hospital.

I did send them a thank you note. They wrote me back and said they wanted me to send them my helmet for testing and there is no way that I was going to give it away.

Imagine what kind of testing they would do with that helmet.

They'd evaluate all of the stressed areas and figure out it's weak points and use the data they got from your helmet that survived alongside you to make sure other helmets survive. Not only could your helmet save you, but it could save thousands of people's lives in the future by giving real data that they couldn't simulate.

Very good point. I didn't think about it like that, I just didn't want them to keep my helmet.

You should send it off with the agreement that they would return it. (I hope it wouldn't get destroyed in testing though)

That is a good idea... I have their contact info, I'll give them a call.

Cool AMA by the way. I'm really happy you didn't get squashed!!!

How long were you in the hospital btw, did you have any kind of rehab afterward?

Haha thanks, me too.

I was only in the hospital for 3 days and they sent me home. After that I had 9 months of physical therapy for my leg/shoulder/neck. I was walking again in about 3 months and my shoulder never really recovered.

Did the driver receive any criminal charges or sentence?

It's amazing how so many 'regular' people can do that to someone on the road and totally believe they did nothing wrong and feel no guilt whatsoever.

Originally he was charged with reckless driving, but got the best lawyer in VA and was taken off his record.

What kind of helmet was it? Seems like useful information to have =D

This is the one I was wearing

I need to leave them a kick ass amazon review.

I thought it was over at that point

I know this feeling all too well, I got hit by a car and slid 50 meters down the road on my helmet, damn thing was worn down like a gobstopper ( full face Shoei ) I honestly can't stress the importance of these things, anyone who rides without one is an idiot. And then some.

I agree. I live in Virginia so helmets are required by law, buteven if they weren't required I would have still had one on. I can't stand going to the beach in SC/FL and seeing everyone riding around without a helmet on.

EDIT: Removed NC.

I live in NC and it is required by law to wear a helmet down here but in SC it is definitely not.

I stand corrected. I thought it was like that for both NC/SC.

1-95....wawa...virginia....i think you live near me. fredericksburg by amy chance?

Wow... Yeah, it was the Wawa on 208 heading toward Rt 1/Mine Rd.

Was the person who cut into your lane apologetic? I am hoping he hadn't realised you were under the car when he tried to reverse...

He has never apologized to this day. I sat next to the guy in court and had no idea it was him, but he must have known it was me, I was the only busted up guy on crutches in the courtroom.

I was told he didn't know I was under there. He was a 76 year old man and said he didn't know he hit me at all. I smashed into him at 45 mph, he had to have known.

Also, he didn't reverse, after he hit me and drug me across the intersection he hit a curb, he was trying to go over the curb apparently and get back onto the road and that's when he ran me over.

Were you fully conscious the whole time he was running over you? If so, what did it FEEL like to have your head run over?!

I was fully conscious the whole time.

First, it was terrifying watching it run over my leg, over my hip, over my chest and right towards my head. I remember the extreme pressure and how much it hurt and then it was all over with. After that I remember just laying on the asphalt unable to move but thinking how happy I was to see the sky again.

Weird question, right after you were hit, were you helped by a middle aged guy with white hair and a white beard? Cuz my Dad saw something like this and helped the guy out.. I think he went to see him in the hospital....

That really sounds familiar. I knew a lady and 2 guys came to see me in the hospital.

After I wrecked a whole bunch of people ran up and were surprised to see me alive. I couldn't move at all and thought I was paralyzed. I remember 2 people keeping people away and not to touch or move me in case of spinal injury, and I think one of them could have been your dad.

Does your dad live in VA?

Yeah, fairfax county, he commutes to Arlington and dc...

edit: I think he went to see you because you were at the same hospital while my grandmother was there i believe? I'd like to say she was at Inova hospital...but i could be wrong

Check and see where he was. I was at Mary Washington Hospital down in Fredericksburg.

Do you have trouble concentrating, memorizing or are your overall learning skills affected?

I've definitely noticed some trouble with spelling and grammar and that my short term memory is quite bad since the accident.

What were the charges of the truck driver? Did you and him interact personally? Did he visit you in the hospital?

Thank you for doing this, I am sure it is not easy to relive that experience! Glad to hear that you are staying strong and getting better from year to year. Also happy cake day!

He hired the best lawyers office in VA because he had a CDL he didn't want to lose. SOMEHOW the judge offered him a drivers class to take and it would be taken off of his driving record... I'm still pissed about that to this very day.

Thank you! My hands are shaking thinking about the accident all over again.

Let me get this straight. A 76 year old man gets hit by a guy going 45 on a motorcycle, then proceeds to run the man over assuming it's just the curb and the judge lets him keep his CDL? I get that accidents happen but at what point is it deemed a person incompetent to drive (much less have a CDL)? I'm blind in one eye and when I went to get a CDL they denied me. They wouldn't even let me take the test.

And what the hell does a 76 year old need a CDL for in the first place?

Running people over.

That's hilarious.

How did your family react when it happened? Did they think you were going to not make it? Did YOU ever think you werent going to make it?

I lived out of state and wasn't able to contact anyone for the first few hours, so when they were notified I was able to talk to them and calm them down.

I however thought that I was going to die. After I was drug across the intersection I thought that it was over with and I was just going to be banged up a little. At that point I was stuck under the truck and looking up at the rusty pipes underneath his truck. Then his tires started to squeal and spin I quickly realized that he was about to run me over. Before I knew it his back tire was going over my left leg and hip and chest and I realized the last thing I was ever going to see was his rusty pipes.

I realized the last thing I was ever going to see was his rusty pipes.

Did you let him know his pipes were rusty after the incident?

This cracked me up.

That is absolutely terrifying - what a horrifying thought, to be positive you're about to die and absolutely helpless to do anything but observe. You mention your physical trauma, but do you have emotional/psychological trauma from that experience?

I was quite shaken after that accident, and couldn't stop thinking that I had just watched myself get run over and had accepted that I was going to die. That took a few days to get over, but no lasting issues (to my knowledge).

Did the person who ran you over ever apologize?

Nope. Not once.

I'm guessing you were wearing a full face helmet. What is your opinion of the half face helmets that are typically worn by Harley riders. Would someone wearing a half face helmet of been killed in the same accident you were in?

If I was wearing a half face helmet, I don't think that I would have survived, or if I did I wouldn't have the lower part of my face anymore.

I think half face helmets worthless, they really wont do much for you in an accident.

Holy crap -- amazing that you are still alive. Are you fully recovered or ?

I'd say I'm about as recovered as I'm going to get. I broke 2 ribs and fractured my collar bone and they still hurt every day. I also have bulging discs in my neck and still get migraines quite often. I tore my rotator cuff when he ran me over and I cant lift my left arm up above shoulder level anymore.

You mentioned that you spent roughly 29k in court fees and unpaid medical bills. From your comment here, it seems you have ongoing medical issues. Are you undergoing any kind of physical therapy for these, and who has to pay for treatment of these things (such as the pain management from migraines and the bulging discs)?

Also, Happy Cake Day!

I was told by my doctor after 9 months of physical therapy that I wasn't showing any signs of improvement and didn't think I would if I continued.

Anything I encounter from here on out is on my dime.

Do you have any pictures of your wounds? Specifically your head after being trampled by a Ranger.

I have a few but don't want to post them. They are less than flattering.

Do you still ride?

I don't yet. Every time I see a motorcycle I wish I did, but I'm going to wait till the kids get a little older before I get back on.

I'm fairly new to biking and I had my first spill a couple of months ago (no serious injuries) and I still haven't gotten my confidence back. I can't imagine what it must be like after a crash like that.

It's going to be tough, just be glad you weren't injured more and be more cautious. People aren't looking out for motorcycles and you have to always be on the lookout.

It's hard to explain to a non biker but it was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've ever done and I want to feel the rush again. I think that I would be ok to ride again, but that could all change when I get back into traffic.

How did you survive...?

I'm actually not quite sure. I really think that I should have been killed.

Can you prove that you weren't?

Actually... I can't...

I'm not gonna lie, at first I thought that there was no way anyone could survive this; and then saw the pictures and thought it was a joke thread about you being a motorcycle and its head being run over by a truck.

More seriously now;

Q. When was this? I've read from the answers that you still have migraines and short term memory loss. I've had very light head trauma a few years back, lost vision for ~30seconds, the ER told me I was fine but I had migraines after that for at least a month and had to sleep ridiculous amounts.

I think your head will get better over time, as I am completely fine. The brain does a good job at repairing itself, it just takes a long time. I'm sure you're aware, but a lot of sleep helps a lot.

Cheers.

This was June 2nd 2009.

I'm hoping the migraines go away. At this point I've just learned to live with them.

Lol even the judge was thrown back in the transcript, "Ran over the head of the motorcyclist?!"

How are the bulging disks in your neck? Did the hospital do anything to try and fix them?

They are still bulging as far as I know, I started going to a chiropractor about a month ago to get adjusted and it seems to help

That is crazy. I'm glad to hear that you're alive!

Did you save posting this until your cake day? or was that just a coincidence?

Thanks, and I wanted to do an AMA for my cake day.

I've been hit by a truck too! We should hang out sometime. I was driving along the freeway when the car in front of me lost control and crashed into the median, went back out into traffic, and then into the median again. I decided to pull over and check on them, and a truck stopped also, but with it's bed still sticking out into traffic. As I was talking to people in the car that crashed, another car crashed full speed into the truck which then hit me. I don't remember anything, but I was apparently launched about 15 feet forward and then slid another 15 feet on my face/shoulder. I had multiple skull fractures, maxillofacial fractures, and brain trauma. I have similar issues like you with word finding and focus. I wish I could remember some of it, like you!

I think this makes us best friends.

Would you let your kids ride a motorcycle for general everyday transport?

I've always been tempted to get a bike, but I haven't as stories like this just freak me out.

I wouln't let them. I think that a bike for an occasional pleasure ride is ok, but for everyday transport is too dangerous.

I was a safe rider, and can't even count the amount of close calls with drivers not paying attention while on my way to work.

You lived by wearing a helmet. My mom's brother died at the age of 24 by not wearing one, same exact situation.

Just be thankful.

EDIT: Also, happy cakeday.

Wow... I was 24 when I was in my accident.