|
|
|
| Crashing Stories (1418 Posts)
|
| Topic |
Crashing Stories |
|
|
|
On 11/7/2002
Frank Kerstetter
wrote in from
(166.113.nnn.nnn)
P.S. If i sound rude sorry i doint mean to
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 11/7/2002
Frank Kerstetter
wrote in from
(166.113.nnn.nnn)
Dear Brad,
I had walked that hill about 100 times I have lived on the street for 10 years and this was just one instance and it was due to the wobbs not my poor inspection job.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 11/5/2002
Brad
wrote in from
(20.137.nnn.nnn)
Ok..correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not seeing a lot of "pre-flight inspection" going on here...guys that hit potholes/wet spots/gravel/etc...Even back in the 70's we had our own rules about bombing: walk the hill first, get a feel for road conditions, traffic, etc. We would also have a guy standing at the bottom or at an intersection to check for cars...then take several runs at increasing heights to aclimate to the speed and pitch. On what has became our favorite hill, we have never crashed once since 1977 (unfortunately I can't say the same about a certain other hill the previous year...2 of us had concussions due to wobble) we ride that hill fairly regularly (it's West Main St in Williamstown, Mass)our top speed is 47mph (clocked by being followed by a car back in the day..now THERE'S real intelligence, hey?)...anyway, it seems a lot of these crashes I see in NCDSA could be prevented by a little inspection of the road surface..if there are too many surface variations, you'll be forced into them in the event of an emergency..just pick another hill...just my .02
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 11/5/2002
Frank Kerstetter
wrote in from
(166.113.nnn.nnn)
My neighborhood is called the Hills, with good reason the main road in it is long and steep, they had just repaved it two weeks before my fall. Here is the story of it.
I had ridden the hill many times before and was fairly confident about my ability on it, so I decided to test out my speed, I hiked up to the top of the hill and waited for about 3 min. for a gap in the traffic. I started down the steep two lane road and went down into a tuck, I was really going when I started to wobble, I stood up and tried to balance my self, I couldn’t so I braced for impact on the freshly paved street, they did a crappy job re-paving the road so it had quite a few potholes, I continued to wobble down the street at 45+ mph when I hit one of those potholes. I had my friend recording me so I know where I took off and landed. I landed about 10 feet from the pothole that I hit and my board shot off backward from me and landed across the street. I had my helmet on so my head was fine but both my knees were ripped up and I had road rash all over my arms and back. I didn’t really know what happened because of the severity of the crash so I got my board and started to walk up the hill back to my house. One person who was walking there dog by where I fell only stood and looked in horror. When I got home I noticed how badly I was bleeding and called my dad, he told me to go next door to the doctor who lives there and get checked out. I went over and told him what happened. He started to look me over. When he was done he said that I needed stitches in my knee and he thought that I could have broke my arm so he took me to the hospital and had me x-rayed and stitched up. In the end I had 29 stitches in my leg and I had broke my arm in 3 places and had sprain my other wrist. They said that if I had not been wearing my helmet I would have gotten a concussion, I had had one once before when I was Snowboarding and went to grind a rail and did a face plant on to it and ended up getting knocked out for half an hour and in a neck brace for six months. That was the one time I didn’t ware my helmet due to it was too small and giving me a head ach. Now every time I do anything that involves a small amount of danger; long boarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, or even ride a bike. I have boarded that hill quite a few times now and I still am scared of that crash that I had. I recommend never to not do a hill after you crash always go back and do it again and don’t crash.
Yours truly,
Frank Kerstetter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 11/4/2002
FisH the DisH
wrote in from
(152.163.nnn.nnn)
ok this is one of my favoret crash stories because i didnt get hurt... much. There is this huge hill threw the woods on the outskirts of my town Pawling(located about 70 miles north of NYC) the hill leads into town and it has a bad ass reputation there are five longboarders in my town and its seriously ingured 4 of them enough to turn them away from downhill skateing before this day i had only gotten minor scraps from crashing on this beast when i hit a woodchuck that ran out in front of me. anyway back to my story i was comeing back from my friends house on the other side of the hill i was rideing my G board on me as always since it was summer and i never drive anywhere durring the warmer months. sorry im getting off the topic again so i was flying down the hill almost to the bottom and home free when i notice a car behind me i wave the fella on but he started tapping me thats when i looked back and noticed it was a kid from the private school in town (these guys are known for being jerks to locals). I start bombing picking up speed and pulling away but he is still behind me then he pulls up next to me i thought he was going to leave me alone but he jerked the wheel and hit me with the side of the car. I was next to a drop of at the time so when i fell i rolled down the cliff and into a stream. the board followed of course and hit me in the side. I got up sore damp dirty and a little dizzy and finished my run. when i got home i noticed i was torn to ribbons from rolling threw bushes. why are some people jerks?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/24/2002
snoball
wrote in from
(65.32.nnn.nnn)
On a trip back home this weekend, I scouted some new hills in a pretty quiet, residential neighborhood. I found
one that was a camelback type and bottomed out to a left hand turn at the bottom. Very cool. Unfortunantly, in my enthuisiasm, I failed to really grasp how steep and narrow the road was for the board I was about to use. Or how sharp that bend at the bottom was, but then, I never made it there anyway.
As soon as i set my rear foot on the deck, i was off and gaining speed very quickly. That was cool. What wasn't was that as I flew over the hump, some cars appeared at the bottom and started heading uphill at me. No room to carve off any speed at all, the wobs started. I relaxed and stuck to the board best I could but they weren't having it. They increased in velocity and my brain said,"You're about to pitch forward." The 2nd car passed just in the nick. I quickly dropped low to the board which had the intended effect of pushing my weight back a bit, and also decreased the falling distance. The board shot out from under me like a turbo rocket, went sailing through the AIR and hit a dirt mound about 20 feet away spraying debris 5 feet into the scenery. It left me behind stacking very hard on my tailbone, then twisting and turning for another 25 feet before i came to rest on my stomach. With another car coming right for me, I didn't have time to ponder my condition. I limped off to the grass and fell down from dizziness.
The skin along the entire length of my arm from shoulder to wrist was chewed up. This is beyond mere road rash and i have to change the dressings 3x a day. A couple of superficial cuts on the inside of my left wrist, my right knee tweaked, and a bruise above my tailbone about the size of a small dinner plate. I am of course walking funny. Now, these aren't particularly bad things when I consider that had I pitched forward, I'd easily be in the hospital right now with god knows what broken.
My father had not walked back up around the bend in time to see this happening, for which I'm thankful. Some skaters carry their wounds as badges of honor, but I do not. They are usually evidence of stupidity, not courage. Sometimes we forget the emotional affect our accidents have on those who love us, and that's stupid too.
Up till now I've been very lucky. Too lucky maybe. And I still think I am considering the potentials. I don't regret going for it, that's in my blood. But I do regret my total
thoughtlessness and lack of humility for the environment, for not being wise enough to think,"I don't have the right tool
for this job. I'll have to wait and come back." My impulsiveness left me for days barely able to walk or sit,
unable to help out around the house ( some of you might like that idea, I don't though ) and screeching like a mo' fo' everytime I've had to wash my wounds.
I will go back to those hills to retrieve whatever skin
hasn't been eaten by the turkey vultures ;-) ha ha...only
this time i'll have my gear on and the right board and hey, maybe even a skate buddy to watch each others backs. But I
won't be doing this for a few weeks and that sucks.
If you gots it...WEAR it!!
If you don't and you go for it...well, welcome to the
wonderful world of Uncessary Pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/18/2002 Kludy
wrote in from
(198.81.nnn.nnn)
The cool thing about that day with jimmy was that he skated all day and did get lots of camera time. He is the man !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/17/2002 KLUDY
wrote in from
(198.81.nnn.nnn)
STAND-UP RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/17/2002 KLUDY'S STORY (WRITTEN BY JUSTIN KLUDY SON OF KLUDY MAN)
wrote in from
(198.81.nnn.nnn)
O.K. I GOT ONE FOR YOU !My spelling is not to good but here goes,.Myself , mark , gary and jimmy was to meet a film crew on a hill in the city to film some stand-up. gary and i meet mark with the film crew at this hill at the time we where told to be there. Bad timing because workers where diging a trench across the road we where going to bomb the hill for the cameras. We where hanging around to see when they would be done with the road work and then jimmy flindt comes by us with a great big smile on his face and he never saw the work being done. we were making other plans for another hill, next thing we know here comes jimmy, which he had jsut cut the arms off his leathers vbecause they were uncomfortable, we look up, here cmes jimmy, there was a man in the rod waving with fear in his eyes for jimmy to stop, jimmy had no clue there was a trench 2 feet deep acrosas the road but he saw it in the workers eys, jimmy sees the mans eyes then sees the ditch by now hes going fifty miles an hour and paniced right in front of the film crew he jumps the leap of faith off his skateboard he gets up off the ground his arm was hamburger meat, scared the film crew so bad they did not film him any more that day, i dont know about that part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/16/2002
JD old school
wrote in from
(65.58.nnn.nnn)
Just checked out the "Crash Story" thread for the 1st time.
Interesting indeed!
Although Iv been bombing hills for over 20+years Im glad to report I have never suffered a serious injury on a board.
Sure, all the typical falls skinned knees palms & elbos. But I blame that on my younger age no pad or helmet wearing ignorance. Yeah, my wrist still make crazy popping sounds as I turn them for early day falls in the 70s & 80s.
HERES MY BEST TRUE WAR STORY THOUGH:
Aug 26 (my freakin Birthday) I wake up @ 6am and its a beautiful summer morning. Feeling good I figure I'll ride my New GT Mt.Bike to work 4.5miles from Longview to Kelso WA. Hey it just happens to be my lucky morn. Remebering I had just bought a 4 pack of Double A batteries for my remote I had 2 new batteries for my Walk Man. So I head out to work with my fanny pack loaded with my walkman jammin on my favorite Led-Zeppelin ol tape. Im cruzing feeling good It was B-day and Im gonna get a lot of "Happy Birthday JD" from my fellow workers. Im cruzing down the main road to the shop and Im always pretty cautious on this street being there are MEGA semi's cruzing this industrial area. One of favorite songs is playing "Nobodys Fault but Mine" and I know that I need to cross left to right side of the road to get into our shops entrence.
I look over my left shoulder see nothing behind me on the road then a quick peek up ahead at on coming traffic..Nothing So, I turn the handle bars left and start my 20ft cross 2 lanes to the curb on the left side of the road.
I cant remember to much from this moment on.....
I witness accounts say: I didnt even make it to the center line divider. Seems a fully Dressed Honda Gull wing hit my back wheel and part of my bike frame. I was tossed almost 6tf into the air where abouts I landed about 4ft from the point the motorcycle contacted my bike. I came down directly on my ass with my legs straight out in front of me. At this time due to the the speed and height of my fall
The momentum threw my head back onto the pavment knocking me out....And as I was told slide on my ass and back for almost 15 feet. I awoke a couple mins later and immediatly jumped up to me feet. The biker guy grabed me and ask "Are you ok?" I really coundnt understand what his words were. I just keep saying "Its aug. 26th Its my Birthday Im on my way to work" over and over again.....I think the biker thought I had lost it! But, I just wanted my brain to be clear! I thought Hell, Im ok....He asked me again "Dude ARE YOU OK?" I said "Yes, now get the F*&K off me pal!" He jumped on his Gull Wing and Rode away. My bike was actually ok (bent rim) from being completly rode over by that heavy Honda. So I pick up my bleeding body and push my bike about 1/4 the rest of the way to work. I do notice that the back of my head is bleeding pretty good and my ass feels like its wet, Yet on fire!
I push my bike upto the guard shake and drop it and The guard walks out and starts screaming at me "Hey you cant just drop your bike here and...." His eyes got all wide open and he says "Son, Have a seat right here I'll get the onsight Doctor" I didnt sit down, I walked right into the mill and my Forman Instantly Freaked out! Took me to the plants Doctor and Sure as hell they call the EMTs. Nice ride on my stomac all the way to the hospital.
What I didn't realize was I had lost almost 1/2inch of my left ass cheeck and was bleeding like a stuck pig!
When I left the hospital I walked 3 blocks to my 7yr old sons house (lives w/his mom) And showed him the open wounds and Told him "IF I EVER SEE YOU ON YOUR BIKE WITH OUT A HELMET I WILL GROUND YOU TILL YOUR 30!"
Truth is Im probably Damn lucky to be alive.
Now when bombing hills on my speed decks I wear full leathers and a full face helmet.
Life IS good! Im living proof. Hope my story didnt bore you
It opened my eyes to just how easy it is to B-HERE-N-GONE!
Wear your safty gear and SKATE HARD!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/6/2002 eric
wrote in from
(209.240.nnn.nnn)
havent rode a board in about 11 years, bought a sector 9 and was cruising this moderate hill, carving back and forth. then some card came so i had to go straight for a bit. by this time i was going faster than the traffic. it was time to turn the corner and realized i was going way too fast. thought i could jump over the sidewalk and run it out in the grass, first foot touches ground and slam, my whole left side bounced twice. now im a big guy 6-8 300lbs, i had never slamed like that 11 years ago, are theese boards faster than before or what? anyhows a month later my ribs are still hurting with serious pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/1/2002
K-LEE
wrote in from
(68.35.nnn.nnn)
Now I know why some folk say "Know the course before you run it." I've been doing this cross-over type of skating I call "street slalom". I go for a skate on my "street" deck, (i.e. Z-33 blank, Deadbolt trucks, 65mm 81a NO SkoolZ)and while I'm doing all the usual street stuff (ollies, grinds, what-have-you) I keep an eye out for any kind of natural "cones" and try to weave through them as part of my run. Well, I was skating home on campus a few days ago and saw a construction area with cones all over the place. My slalom-sensors went berserk! I pushed over to the chest-high cones and ran through the first set. Must have been like 8' spacing, because I had no problem navigating them. That urged me to push harder for the next set. I didn't realize at the time that construction workers probably don't care if their cones are 5' or 10' apart, just as long as they do their job and keep traffic out. The second set of cones went from 8' to 6' to 4' really quick! Needless to say, I caught one of the big square bases on a heelside turn and went down on my hip! Hard! Why do I always fall the hardest when I slalom? One of the construction workers gave me a "What the hell have you done, son?" look to which I responded "Ouch, Aargh, Uh...Sorry about your cone dude." The funny part is that the cone broke my fall, so instead of having a hipper on my hip-bone like usual, I have a long bruise above my hip where I hit the cone. Now I know why we don't use traffic cones in slalom courses. As I was skaiting away, one of the flipper kids skating nearby saw the whole thing and asked me "Are you alright?" I put on my best poker face and replied, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, it was nothing." I went home and curled up into a ball of agony. At least I've got that poker face wired.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 10/1/2002
Jax
wrote in from
(4.62.nnn.nnn)
So get this: I'm crusing down a hill in Issaquah, Washington and I had noticed before that it comes to a completely blind intersection. I was doing about 25 and decided it was time to stop so I put my right foot down to slow down so I could carve hard or just bail and my foot went down right in a pothole and got caught. My board left me in the dust and I scraped both my elbows and both my knees, even through my pants. I bought a helmet the next day because I really like my brain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/26/2002 jason
wrote in from
(151.197.nnn.nnn)
thats 6 inch jagged asphalt rocks, road was freshly eaten by a asphalt shredder
heh
jason
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/26/2002
jason
wrote in from
(151.197.nnn.nnn)
woo hoo!!!! gotta love those super fast construction workers.....let me explain...
yesterday, as i was riding my dropped speedboard home from the local shop, FLYING home on my new flywheels wich i had just picked up, i was truly amazed at how they just didnt want to slow down, i could drag a foot and be back up to full speed in less than 3 seconds, amazing....anyways, as im coming down a local road that joins a crossing road where i normally make a right onto then an immediate left, doing a little bit of a standup slide around each turn at about 35... i realize THERE IS NO ROAD for me to make a right on, it was there when i left 4 hours erlier, but a damn construction crew SHREDDED THE ROAD, so all there was was A HUGE pit of 6 foot jagged asphalt rocks for me to go on, so i IMMEDIATELY start carving the full width of the road as im doing about 45, so i start really carving deep TRYING to pull a light slide with no gloves to kill some speed and a van comes FLYING up behind me and starts honking the horn, so i make a frantic look and hold up my index finger and tried to signal them to back off, thinking i was going to crash before i would ever put myself into the meat mincer of a rock pit the road ahead was, realizing there was one small tight road i could crank off to the side, i knew i couldnt make it doing 45 , so i started carving even harder, around here we have these rounded curbs so you can actually ride ON the curb without grinding, so im using the full width of the road AND the curbs to slow down, and then out of nowhere i feel a van bumper on my ass, the friggin van was PUSHING ME.... so i started pounding HARD on the hood and then gave up and PUSHED off the van and cranked a right as hard as i could, drop knee and into the small side street, doing about 35, well, i effectivly pulled off my first colman 180 slide with no gloves, sucessfully ripping the skin off my hand, well, just as i got oriented, somehow still on the board and still cruising down this tight tiny road, WHAM went right into the back of a parked buick, board went under, hit the tire and flew back out and went down the hill without me, and i was left on the trunk of a big assed old buick, actually ONTOP of the trunk, nothing broken somehow, im thinking i must have dove AT the car and jumped right as i notice as i was sprawled acrost the rear window with no pain in my legs, i got up and ended walking back home, finding my speedboard in a rain drainage gutter, having to pull the grate and climb in and get it, that my friends..is a crash story....
btw, the people in the van came up to me on my way home and bitched me out for "GOIN BACK N FORTH IN DA DAMN STREET YOU NO NECK IDIOT PIECE OF WHITE TRASH SKATER" at that point i wanted to put my beutifull new (logos f#@!ed up from scraping along the curb) abec 11s up the dudes ass,
peace
jason
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/26/2002
lexx
wrote in from
(195.92.nnn.nnn)
1 year and 5 months, thats how long I have been on the waiting list for an MRI scan for my shoulder. Now i've got the appointment my shoulder is back on form, the NHS really does work. Good thing I'm not a granny waiting for a new hip 'ey...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/25/2002
Matt Traver
wrote in from
(202.14.nnn.nnn)
Hey,
i haven't had a serious crash yet, but, i would appreciate if someone could e-mail me and tell me how to effectively crash on a skateboard to prevent broken bones...
matt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/25/2002
Diego
wrote in from
(61.174.nnn.nnn)
So it happened in DHX 2002, Before the first hairpin to the left a friend of mine (not necessary to mention his name) forced the pass and I had to let him take the inside so I wouldn't make him fall. But then I was too much outside the turn and went straight to the wall, I noticed right away that I had pulled-out the right shoulder (broke it into four pieces and with five tendons compromised. The real cool thing about it was when they were putting it back to its place, nice going, but I wouldn't recommend it even to my friend who pushed me off! The real fun of it was that it wasn't even racing time, just practice!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/24/2002
efarpe Downhill
wrote in from
(66.119.nnn.nnn)
i took a nice hit the other day. i did a cool 5m face/shoulder plant through a rocky side road going about 70ks round this corner... it was bad. when i eventually got up i was VERY confused, i was dissoriantated and at that speed the only idea i had of where i fell was by following the path i had made as i slid across the gravel. unfortunately my board was nowhere to be seen... me in a state of shock the pain slowly creeping in on me, nausea setting in and what do i have to do.. "wombble" along the side of a mountain searching for my board in thick bushes on a steep slope in agonisg pain...i eventually found my board after nearly passing out, in the gutter on the opposite side of the road.! so next time you take a hit try (if you can) watch your board! peace.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/23/2002
Malakai
wrote in from
(207.42.nnn.nnn)
Hey been longboarding for about a yer now, thing is I had never bailed I mean I had gone down but never with any real injury. But now I have, it was a weak bail, carving a small hill fresh asphalt, tight toe side carve and my wheel dug into my board I was way to on top of my trucks and on the edge, the board halted my legs got crossed and I hit the ground hard, managed to cath myself with my left hand but my right got pinned, lost a good bit o' flesh on my elbow and hand, now I have bled and I no longer fear my board for I know the pain is real and the expirience is priceless....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/22/2002
the rookie
wrote in from
(198.81.nnn.nnn)
DDDD what is your email?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/18/2002 -
wrote in from
(195.93.nnn.nnn)
So I'm cruising down this hill for the first time when I realissed I should of checked the road first. I straigghten out and avoid various pot holes and I'm now going at about 40 when my board hit something don't know what. But it hit something. My friend said I cleard about 4 metres of concrete before slamming head first into a grassy mound. Now my knee is buggared and so are my wrists. But hell you only live once.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/15/2002 h0dad
wrote in from
(132.181.nnn.nnn)
h0dad recalls a crush on an older woman who runs a video store in his neighbourhood. On the way down to get membership he steps on a back wheel while kicking and takes a dive, losing a bit of palm, that sort of stack one has whilst riding a new setup in Dr Marten boots. Anyway, so much for impressing the woman in the shop. He bleeds all over the first membership form and has to start another one. Babe gives h0dad bandaids so that he can finish the next one. Got some grazes on his back...funny how that happens sometimes, when you cant remember rolling or anything aye.
Agreed on the way stacking is occasionally satisfying..sometimes it's neccessary to remind one that it's not always fatal, and to relax more, to combat the trepidation factor. h0dad has a friend who kind of tricks himself into having a low-grade stack so that he can relax into his session more. We're talking surfstyling here, not speedboarding or anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/13/2002
joseph
wrote in from
(203.51.nnn.nnn)
crashin is fine sometimes but now i have no steingth in my left hand. i dont crash much but when i do i am always going fast and end up breaking or tearing something. my elbow got broke at the end of last year and three or four weeks ago i stuffed all my forearm and hand muscles. all the road rash and bruises are gone but the hand is so weak! crashin is alright when you dont do it too bad. sympathys good aswell. but i didnt get much of that just got yelled at.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On 9/13/2002
K-LEE
wrote in from
(64.106.nnn.nnn)
DDDD,
We may be masochists, but I like slamming too. A good hard slam (no bones broken or anything major) wakes you up and reminds you why you should be proud of your skills as a skateboarder and that even longboarding IS a bit extreme after all. So the next time you carve that hill successfully, you can think about how badass you are that you didn't fall like last time. I'm usually stoked about any fall I can comfortably walk away from, because I can try again!
|
|
|
|
|
