background: so, my dad rides a lot- 20-25 miles 2x a week on his aged ellsworth id- it's old enough that the red ano has faded quite a bit due to sun exposure. to top it off, my dad's 65 and would probably beat most of us up the hills. the only thing that kept him from finishing the counting coup last year was a freak cold that took him down for about a week. his normal ride is from coto de caza down the south ridge and out the fire roads towards san juan thru caspers. he rides it enough that he should really be a wheeled docent for the area, which would be cool. my mom isnt a huge fan of him riding solo, but he's checked thruought most of the ride and he knows he has cell reception, which amazes even me. (in the telecom industry) today: normal ride. makes it to the turn around point and starts heading back to home. heading down a hill at a swift pace he apparently hits something (i do not have all the details) large and gets thrown off the fire road. when the wreckage stops, he finds the bike on top of him- this is all i know. i think it was steep- i couldnt ask him too many questions due to the o2 mask so, a calm phonecall from mom at 1230 this afternoon says that dad is at Mission and I'm to go to caspers to get his bike. the wife leaves for Mission at this time and I go to get the bike. it turns out two equestrians came up on my dad sitting on the side of the fire road. these fine people made the call. the guys at caspers were nothing but cool about the whole thing but did inform me that he had to be pulled out by hellicopter. i'm not worried yet. perhaps they're being careful. so, I get the bike- it's fine- zero damage. just some extra twigs and sh!t in the rear derraleur. I'm STIL not too worried at this point. I also ask the guys at caspers about his GPS- they said nothing was attached to the bike on the stem, but they'd go back and look for me. (they later find it and i get to go back down- at least we have everything, that and the guys at caspers outdoo themselves again!) so, it's off to the hospital. dad's in the trauma dept. no shock there- he did come in on a helicopter. I finaly get to see him and he's got a neck brace on and a tube in his side. but, he's coherent and having conversations and relating what he can to me. here's what the list of damage is: T2-T9 fractured 5 ribs fractured 1 clavicle fractured. collapsed lung yes- they're all fractures. so, NOTHING is misplaced/out of whack. at least that's what the 1st x-ray said. the lung? the tube in his side made that a quick fix- it was fine in about 45 minutes. he was not on a reperator ever, just some O2. we'll put that one into the "win" category. bad: the docs say that some vertibrae don't heal too good on their own, so we'll have to do surgery for those. the plus is the doc is one of the best at vertibrae related neuro. where we currently stand: MRI and CAT scan currently in the works. Neuro doc by later this evening to assess and make reccomendations on what's next. funny part: he blamed it (jokingly) on the 26" wheels on the ellsworth after spending 2 weeks on my 29er seven and one week on a ellsworth 29er. yes, even in the state he's in, he's got his normal cheery outlook on life. that and he was stoked that his Path jersey didnt get cut off due to it's fine full-zip feature. :lol: good part: he's NOT in the ICU. the doc's think that he's doing fine enough that the ICU isnt needed. (mini-whew). so, what's next for dad's life? -get healthy -get back on the damn bike (likley my seven- i cant ride it well anyways! stupid neanderthal singlespeeder) -come back with a vengence and kick all a$$ at next year's counting coup. (watch out, OMR! :bang gist: get $&@*ing insutrance, people!!!! my dad's likely so see nary a bill for this helipcopter ride/hospital stay. oh, that and ride where you'll be found quickly after a major crash or NOT ALONE. a big thanks out to the following for help/support: the equestrians that found my dad the caspers employees Andy aka rut, Tammy, Meat Foot /oregon guy Mike (some of you guys met tammy and meatfoor in d-ville) thanks for reading my ramblings. I need another beer.
Glad to hear that he is going to recover and nothing more serious happened. He sounds like a true rider keeping a good mood about the entire thing considering his tumble. I hope if something like this ever happens to me I have good people around that are willing to help me as they did for your Dad. Cheers to a speedy recovery!
Healing vibes, bud. First you are off the bike and now your dad goes down. I am really sorry to hear this. I hope all turns out well. Please let your dad know that he is in our thoughts and prayers. PM sent
Wow, you're handling it a lot better then I would. I hope everything works out good. Obviously your dad's in great shape, so that should help some. This is a dangerous sport we choose to partake in, but it still bugs me when I hear of things like this happening.Please keep us informed as to his progress.
Wow, just read about it in OC Register and was coming to the board to see if it was one of the crew or locals. Glad your Dad is doing okay in the right hands, and heres to a speedy recovery.
Healing vibes out to your dad!!! I ride with my dad a lot and can empathize with your situation. My prayers also go out to you guys.
Wow......what a true cyclist. Serious fall and joking about the reasons.:clap: Get well vibes to him and peace to the family! Keep the STR family in the loop, eh? Donations, flowers, innertubes....helmet?
Hey Ethan, best wishes and healing mojo to your pops. Good vibes all around, this could've been bad. Hope he heals soon . We'll have to ride soon.
Hope your dad has a speedy recovery. Glad to hear his sense of humor is intact, along with the rest of him. He sounds like an amazing rider. Healing vibes so that he's back out soon!
Again E- Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Remember, I live closer to him than you do. If you need to share a 6'er or something (for those that don't know-he also has a VERY pregnant wife) let me know. :drunk: The Eagle Scout in you is standing strong. You are showing what you are made of. You seem to be standing tall, taking it all in and doing what is best for your dad and yourself. Good job my good friend!!! :clap::clap::clap: Hang in there!!
I just blamed my fall on the 26er I was riding. I swear I was just used to the 29er.... Hope he feels better!!
So your dad riding the Fully Loop this Thursday is probably not in the cards, huh? Well, I wish him a speedy recovery. BTW...I spent about 5 days in the ICU for a ruptured spleen. The beds were quite comfy.
Wow Ethan, That's some rough news but its sounds like he can make a full recovery. From what you told me and written above your Dad sounds like cool guy and a tough hombre and I hope he makes a quick turn around. Carl
I have always liked that guy Your dad is the man. He has always been so cool. I hope to see him on the bike again soon. Stay strong.
Ethan, best wishes for your dad's speedy recovery, like others have said, at least his (and yours) attitude is healthy. Let us know if there's anything we can do... doc recommendations or whatever.
