In Praise of Helmets

LOG 16.11.16

Planned route: SW6, Ewell, Farthing Down, Bletchingley, Four Elms, Ide Hill, down Bayley’s Hill, Hildenborough, Kemsing, Knockmill, Knatts Valley then to Swanley for the train to Victoria, about 120Kms.  Solo ride.

Weather: 

sunny, light wind

What happened: 

I remember turning R, to the SE, into Popes Lane near Oxted, on track and on time, at about 1000.  Thereafter I have no memory of events until I woke up in St George’s Hospital, Neuro-ICU at about 1700. 

The road runs E/SE and Emma H says that the low sun made driving difficult.  She wrote “- You were cycling along Popes Lane going a reasonable speed,  if not slower than many of the cyclists I often encounter in the area.
- As I approached you from behind on Popes Lane coming from Gibbs Brook Lane you appeared to try and move over to let me overtake.
- I stayed a good distance behind you as I was not going to overtake due to the poor state of the edge of the road on the right and the upcoming bend in the road.
- You had made efforts to move across and slow down when you hit a pot hole and disappeared from my view.
- I pulled around you, stopped the car and immediately dialled 999 whilst pulling you out of a second pot hole filled with water that you had hit having been thrown from your bike hitting the first hole.
- It was clear that in being thrown in to the second pot hole the right side of your face, nose and eye socket had borne the brunt of the impact on the edge of the pot hole.
- Your bike was on the side of the road snapped in two in the middle”

The bike was a much loved Van Nicholas Yukon with a titanium frame.  Until l Dec last this was the bike that I regularly used on MWW runs. The conclusion by the lads in my LBS is this was a material faillure not a weld failure and that other materials would probably have failed.

Apparently I was air-lifted to St Georges which houses one of 27 Major Trauma Centres in England.  http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Documents/2016/MTS-map.pdf

This was fortunate in that the range and depth of services available at St George’s is considerably greater that than of East Surrey Hospital, Redhill.

What next:

·       I anticipate a full recovery, without surgery, within 12 weeks – say mid –February.   Apparently even senior citizens can expect successful healing of multiple fractures to the bones around the eye sockets.  The skull and spine fractures are not impinging upon nerves.  Apart from bruising my discomfort is limited to the v severe headaches that frequently follow concussion.   I suffer partial historic memory loss but this is not likely to permanent.  I have been fortunate.  I hope to be back on the bike in late February.

·      We have unpacked suitcases – on the Monday following the crash we were scheduled to fly to HK then Vietnam and on to Burma for a 3 week vacation.  I guess we will rebook for late April if I survive skiing in March

Conclusions/Lessons learnt:

·      I must have lost concentration for this to have happened.  I am at a loss to understand why: I had a short food and drink stop on Tilburstbrow Hill at about 10k back; I was not in the least tired but I was looking forward to brunch at the 1809 café in Hildenboro’ about 20k ahead; my only time constraint was nightfall – six daylight hours remaining with several contingent bailout points available

·       if you have the misfortune to be involved in a head injury case or indeed any trauma ask about the nearest major trauma centre or even better know where it is - St George's, Tooting for the MWW patch

·       the helmet probably saved me from serious sustained injury

·       once/twice a month I lead a small Fulham Gruppetto ( a group core of 2 good friends from around here plus myself) on rides into Surrey, Kent and The Chilterns and one week or so each year on Mt Ventoux or the Alps - we have an unwritten expectation re helmets.  In future I will not accept any occasionals unless they too are in helmets.