RR: Battered & broken by the Fully Loop 4/25/07!

[Burdman]

___Disclaimer___kind of long story!

OK, so last Wednesday night, I’m out for a casual ride with Jeana, Jen and Jon on the Fully loop. It was a great night that was to be followed with some great stir-fry cooking @ Jen & Jeana’s place. We’re all riding along, talking and having a great time. The Loop is like a playground, b/c it’s so non-technical and fun to ride, which allows you let your guard down and not worry about drops, huge ruts, boulders, pee-gravel or etc, as is the case with some other trails throughout OC.
Can you anticipate what’s coming in this story?

OK, so I’m riding in my usually manner on the Monocog 29r, doing jumps, taking the berms, and doing wheelies often. So I attempt a wheelie on one of the trails that runs along side of the road (not sure which road), but unfortunately go too far and land straight on my back…Ouch! My shoes locked in my pedals and I couldn’t get them out before I went over and it also happened so fast, I didn’t hit the back brake in time to put the front wheel back on the ground. So there I lay for a few seconds, not able to breath as my friends are running up and asking me if I’m ok….damn I felt stupid.
I finally catch my breath, stand up and tell my friends what an idiot I am and we have a laugh. My back is pretty sore at this point, but I’m not about to let a silly mistake like that end this ride, so onward we go.
I am riding along again stretching out my back that’s pretty darn sore, but I’m back to attempting wheelies again, and my friends are just shaking their heads at me and providing facial gestures that I interpret as they don’t approve of my actions (hey-fall off the bike, you get back on…right?).

So about ten minutes later, we’re cresting the top of the downhill that leads to Gilbert St. and Jon takes off in front of me, I cruise by Jeana and point my 29r downhill. This hill is not technical by any means, but you can pick up some good speed, so you still need to stay alert.
Well, as I come off the first railroad tie, bad things happen…the left side of my handlebars snaps…Uh Oh! I’m cruising probably between 20-25mph at this point, but ironically as almost in slow motion or “the Matrix’ fashion, I see the situation and I’m cognitive of hearing myself say; “this is not going to end well”.
OK, back to regular speed, I have about a millisecond to try and save it, but to no avail and as the front wheel pitches sideways, over & up I go…OTB!
As Jen quoted; “Scott-you looked like a rag doll being tossed around and at one point your bike was at least 10ft above you” and she also said it would have been an awesome highlight video! So tumble I did, landing hard on my back. I blacked out for just a second only to awake and hear Jeana for the second time that night yelling, “Scott, are you ok?”…”no….I’m definitely not ok”.
As I sat up, I knew immediately that my left arm was not in good shape. I came to this assessment quickly, because I couldn’t move my left arm (I’m so smart) and I also reached up and felt the end of my left clavicle…but I know you’re not supposed to be able to feel the end of your clavicle (see how smart I am).
As we continued to assess the situation, it was decided that I needed to get to an ER immediately, since I was having severe pain in my upper back too. I was admitted to St. Jude and after the usual waiting game in an ER bed; they started the evaluation. The first thing the ER doctor asked was how and where it happened and his reply; “Oh, Fully loop, I broke my neck on the drainage ditch three years ago while mountain biking there”…great!
So after he cuts off my jersey and points out the obvious (broken clavicle), he sends me for X-rays and a few CAT scans.
I was admitted at 6:45pm on Wednesday night and by 12:03am Thursday (now I can finally get some Morphine for the pain), I have the confirmed total damage.

The laundry list:
Left fractured clavicle
Fractured ribs #2 & 3 on posterior left side.
Compression fracture of T-12 & L 1 vertebrae (T-spine fracture)

Ouch! Not a great night on the fully loop, but I guess it could’ve been worse. It appears I’m off the bike for a little while, which is a real bummer, because the Downieville gathering is coming at the beginning of June!

Battered & broken by the Fully Loop…who would’ve thunk it?

Be safe and wear your helmet all….you never know what can happen.

Cheers-
Scott

P.S. special thanks to Jeana, Jen, Jon, Heather & Andy(aka rut) for their support.

[Keith B]

Wow - you got pretty messed up there mate! Interesting that your bars broke - would you care to name and shame the brand or even the material they were made from?
Get well soon - being away from the bike isnt a nice feeling!

[Waldo]

Ouch! Brother, I feel your pain! (check my post on the Injury thread ). Mine were compression fractures (12-15%) of T10 & T12, plus a hairline fracture of the sacrum. I have to wonder if the compressions didn't happen on your first wheelie gone bad - that's the same sort of impact that did me in, landing like an inverted turtle. Glad you were with friends & got immediate treatment at a good facility. In my case, I was given a less than thorough exam that missed the compression fractures, and they had me try to walk out 6 hours later - talk about pain!

Yours is a great cautionary tale to remind us that it can happen anywhere, anytime, and that the buddy system can be a lifesaver. And I was just looking at some new bars today...might have to consider that more seriously (and I agree - please elaborate on that part).

I hope you heal well and quickly.

[Pain Freak]

Wow, sorry to hear about this. Take care,I hope you heal quickly with little pain.

The Fully Loop is notorious for injuries. I'm not sure if it's people taking it for granted or just letting their guard down, but I have heard and know of more injuries on this little urban trail more then any other. Weird,huh?

I was doing a night ride once about 6 years ago or even longer when a friend and I were kind of racing each other and he hit that cement culvert, where you make the turn from the sidewalk back to dirt...yep, another broken collar bone. I've been fortunate and have yet to be hurt by the loop, but I always do say a prayer to the fully loop powers before I set out. It doesn't hurt to squeeze a little hammer gel in the grass before you leave, I heard this is a good way to pay homage.

[tkblazer]

geez, another fully loop victim... i swear i hear more people getting injured there than any other local trail.. hope you heal up soon dood

[CPATCRASH]

Wow Scott thet sucks! Back in 1989 I got some air in the same spot and drifted right and caught the bar end in the fence. I ended up with a broken shoulder and clavicle. The Fully loop will get ya.

[Burdman]

Originally Posted by CPATCRASH

Wow Scott thet sucks! Back in 1989 I got some air in the same spot and drifted right and caught the bar end in the fence. I ended up with a broken shoulder and clavicle. The Fully loop will get ya.

Thanks Pat... I started drifting right as well, just before the front wheel pitched and off I went. At least I think I did....it happened so fast and I don't really remember everything.
It sucks, but could be worse. No Downieville for me!

Originally Posted by Keith B

Wow - you got pretty messed up there mate! Interesting that your bars broke - would you care to name and shame the brand or even the material they were made from?
Get well soon - being away from the bike isnt a nice feeling!

Keith B...Thanks. I was running carbon fiber bars, which I still will in the future, b/c I still believe they're a good product. I'm not a heavy rider, but do like jumping and playing and I guess this is prime example for checking out equipment more often and confirming it's still in good structural shape.

[roadkillross]

damn as sson as i read the bar snap i oculd just imagine how bad tinbgs were gonna get, get well soon

[Burdman]

Originally Posted by Waldo

Ouch! Brother, I feel your pain! (check my post on the Injury thread ). Mine were compression fractures (12-15%) of T10 & T12, plus a hairline fracture of the sacrum. I have to wonder if the compressions didn't happen on your first wheelie gone bad - that's the same sort of impact that did me in, landing like an inverted turtle. Glad you were with friends & got immediate treatment at a good facility. In my case, I was given a less than thorough exam that missed the compression fractures, and they had me try to walk out 6 hours later - talk about pain!

Yours is a great cautionary tale to remind us that it can happen anywhere, anytime, and that the buddy system can be a lifesaver. And I was just looking at some new bars today...might have to consider that more seriously (and I agree - please elaborate on that part).

I hope you heal well and quickly.

See my reply below. Running carbon fiber bars. This is just a good reminder that we need to check our equipment from time to time....and I'm guilty of not doing this like I should. Thanks for the support. I read your post and hope you've healed with no lasting effects?
Cheers-

[Keith B]

I got the EC90 SL bars partly due to the light weight but also because of the strength that Easton claimed for them. If you crash with Carbon components its best to check them straight away and be careful. A crack wont jsut propogate it will fail catestrophically in alot of cases. Be careful out there guys.

[ODB]

Eesh, bar snap ... what a nightmare scenario. Hope you heal fast.

[Sprockethead]

Dude, sorry to hear about your injuries. I hope you heal up well and get back to 100%. I was a Fully victim last year, dislocated shoulder.

[Keith B]

Maybe I'd better revise my head attire for the F-loop........

[Jordansrealm]

I hope that you get better quickly! Two big things that I have been considering that I keep hearing stories about that keep me from buying them. Clip pedals and Carbon bars.

[LoisMustDie]

Dood, heal fast!

I was just talking w/ Waldo the other day about carbon fiber bars and how bad it would be if they broke in mid-flight. Do you think your earlier digger put a ding in the bars?

How do those bars look now? Carbon fiber has a nasty habit of exploding when it breaks. Are they still recognizable?

[Kid A]

dood - crazy ride. best healing vibes and wishes for a quick and full(y) recovery!!! being off bike sux, try to keep up spirits

[jcampbell]

Keith... I've been saying this for a while and always feel like an momma lovin ass wipe when I have to mention it just about everytime I ride with you.. but you need to wear it all the time.

[Keith B]

[slowSSer]

heal up quick, Scottie!

note to self: ditch carbon bars. oh wait....already done!

[soul rider]

i hope you are no worse for the wear and have a speedy recovery. healing vibes
(never mind doing about 30 mph hitting a nice jump on Blowhard falling 8' out of the air and crashing into a fence in Utah, i just got a broken hand from that) my worst injury was on the loop, a nice bell ringer which really screwed with my head for a while.
as of late i have been seeing so many people on expensive bikes with no helmet...if you can put 2k on a bike you can put 35.00 on your head