July 24, 2003 Crash

Trek 7600 Bicycle vs. a Ford Thunderbird

The morning of July 24th started out like any other morning. Get up, feed the dogs, get dressed, kiss the wife goodbye, and jump on the bike to ride to work. My route was 11.25 miles to the office. However, this day was going to be far from usual. After cresting Bell Mountain on Hobbes Rd, I ran into a fog bank. Fog is a fundamental no-no to a cyclist since visibility is key to safe cycling. So after the fog didn't break at the bottom of the hill, I turned around to head home. I was headed eastbound on Hobbes between Chaney Thompson and the Parkway, in bright sunshine, when a distracted driver crossed 3 lanes of traffic, hit the curb on the other side at the same time hitting me. I was properly positioned with my headlight on, taillight on and wearing a bright red jersey. I could have had a neon sign; it wouldn't have mattered. However, the likelihood of being hit head on by a motorist going the wrong way is 0.017%. It's like getting hit by a meteorite.

The scene

I went left shoulder first into the windshield, bouncing up over the car on onto the sidewalk. I was rushed to Huntsville Hospital where I had emergency surgery to remove my spleen and insert two chest tubes for the collapsed lung. Since I was in such good shape, I tolerated the surgery well and was in ICU for 4 days and the hospital for a total of 7 days.

The bike

Six months later I had reconstructive surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN to treat the paralysis in my arm. For the laymen, I have a spinal chord injury. For the medically inclined I avulsed the C7, C8, and T1 nerves and had postganglionic ruptures of C5 and C6. The damage could not be repaired; so three surgeons in a 10-hour surgery used other body parts to restore some function to my arm. A muscle was removed from my right thigh and attached between my left elbow and collarbone. A nerve from up in the shoulder was used to control it. The left phrenic nerve from my lungs was used to control my biceps. Finally part of my right C7 nerve was used for my left shoulder. What does this mean? I shrug my shoulder and take a deep breath to move my elbow and if you tap on my left shoulder, I feel it in my right index finger. Thus I have been dubbed Dr. Frankenstone.

The car

I was scheduled to have eye surgery to treat the nerve damage. I damaged the 4th cranial nerve that controls a muscle in the upper inside corner of the eye. Without that muscle, I got double vision. It is equivalent to lazy eye in children and the treatments are the same. Normally these heal within a few months, but mine decided to take a little longer. Decked out in my hospital gown, the doctor and I finally decided I did not need this surgery before I was wheeled into surgery.

Finally, I had my left wrist fused in December 2004 to keep it from flopping around in a relatively straightforward surgery.

From pictures on this site, you can see that I now ride a recumbent tricycle modified with right handed controls.

The Results

Ruptured Spleen
Collapsed Left Lung
Broken Left Collarbone
Ruptured Left Shoulder Artery
Paralyzed Left Arm
Two Broken Vertebrae
Left Eye Nerve Damage
A Nasty Case of Road Rash on Both Knees

By the Numbers

3	Number of hospital stays
4	Number of trips to the operating room
14	Number of incisions
16	Number of medical providers in 4 states
31	Number of units of blood
250	Number of stitches & staples
500	Maximum fine for an uninsured motorist in Alabama, in dollars
3,000	Number of cubic centimeters of blood removed from my abdomen
250,000	Approximate cost of medical bills, in dollars

If you are not already, I highly suggest you become a blood donor. 31 people donated their time and blood so I could survive. Whether through the American Red Cross or LifeSouth, give a pint today. LifeSouth runs a national cycling event called the Five Points of Life to promote blood donation, apheresis, cord blood donation, bone marrow donation, and organ donation. I cycled with them as they came through Huntsville in October 2004.

David Stone, LCI #1244

League Cycling Instructor
Huntsville, AL
(256) 348-6414 (cell)
BikeEd-HSV@knology.net
www.knology.net/~BikeEdHSV/courses.htm

Updated
10/11/2005