Update on my recovery.

[arielmoon]

After getting PMs from Oakleaf and Redrhodie I realized I had not kept you all updated!

I ended up going to another doctor for a second opinion and I am glad that I did. He said there was a hematoma (very common) on the CT taken at the ER and had some concerns about blood clots so he increased my aspirin dosage. He also encouraged me to get back to work so that I was up and moving. Very different from the 2 weeks bed rest I was prescribed by the other doctor.

So I suffered through the first week at work and crashed the moment I came home every day. Pain meds helped quite a bit. I am not one to take drugs but I admit I am relying on them quite a bit.

I hired an attorney that is a regular at the bike shop and he is great. He has contacted the dog owner and asked for their insurance info. An insurance adjuster contacted him just today so they are aware that I will be making a claim. I like this guy cause we are on the same page that I just want my expenses covered and I am not looking to profit from this.

However, BF has ridden by the farm on a few occasions since the accident and they have made no attempt to keep the gate closed that he could tell. He saw the dog one time but he was with some farm hands and showed no interest in him. BF is outraged at the owners reaction and lack of common decency. She even had the nerve to tell someone they both know "I guess your friend is suing me."

I had a check up today and new xrays show some healing but I am still on the crutches for at least 2 more weeks with BF driving me everywhere. My range of motion has increased quite a bit but I have one sleeping position. That means I wake up after a few hours with horrible back pain and no way to shift and relieve it. Acupuncture is helping but it just a slow process as the bone heals.

Thanks to everyone here that has been thinking of me. It really means a lot.

I cant wait to get my life back and get back on my bike!

[uforgot]

Amazing how one instance can change your life. I hope everything works out for you, and that you are on your bike in no time!

[Karma007]

Ariel, That is so awful! It's AMAZING what people get away with. :(

[Aggie_Ama]

Glad to hear you are slowly on the mend. I can't believe the nerve of that woman to still be so self absorbed. Ugh.

[Zen]

I like this guy cause we are on the same page that I just want my expenses covered and I am not looking to profit from this.

!
I do hope you are asking for punitive damages and not just doctor bills.You are certainly enduring a lot of pain and suffering. It may be just the impetus for the dog owner to be more responsible.

[arielmoon]

Thanks everyone!
I do hope you are asking for punitive damages and not just doctor bills.You are certainly enduring a lot of pain and suffering. It may be just the impetus for the dog owner to be more responsible.

BF thinks they may and try to settle sooner rather than later but either way, I will be including punitive damage. My life has been greatly altered by this accident.

[batsheva]

what happened arielmoon???

batsheva

[Biciclista]

loose dog on the road, collision, stupid dog owner, do a search on her last thread.

[TxDoc]

I do hope you are asking for punitive damages and not just doctor bills.You are certainly enduring a lot of pain and suffering. It may be just the impetus for the dog owner to be more responsible.

Agree. THe dog needs to be locked up and the owner needs to learn how to become a decent Citizen. I cannot believe that after causing a major accident they still let that dog run wild. And I guess another question would be - is there an 'animal control' in the area, why aren't the cops locking up the dog and fining the owner?
I hope you recover fast!!!

[jesvetmed]

Arielmoon: I'm so glad to hear you are improving. It seems we have many ladies recovering on the forum. It really does sound like everything has had to change for you. I'm sorry about that.

Keep your spirits up and keep taking great care of yourself.
We are all thinking of you!

[Running Mommy]

One thing to keep in mind...
Years ago I was involved in a car accident where I broke my femur. I have a rod running the length of my femur as a result.
At the time my family and I just wanted my medical bills paid. We are not "sue happy people" as my mom would say.
We ended up getting that, as well as a very small settlement, that we really didn't ask for.
The one thing we did not think of was FUTURE medical issues...
I have since learned that I should have had the rod removed once my leg healed. A good customer of ours is the head of ortho at the local hospital. He was shocked I've had it so long, and made a HUGE case for why it should be taken out. Being a cyclist is a HUGE part of that case...
The problem is, my medical insurance won't pay for it this late in the game..
So now I'm regretting not thinking a few years down the road.
Just food for thought...

edit to add- GOOD to hear from you! Hope your back at it soon, and sorry to hear about the pain. UGH

[Mr. Bloom]

The one thing we did not think of was FUTURE medical issues...

+1 for emphasis. There is usually a statue of limitations that keeps you from having a future claim, so you will need to consult with physicians for guidance and make sure this is part of the compensatory settlement.

I'm glad you're seeking punitive compensation as well.

[arielmoon]

Running Mommy- wow that is incredible! I cant believe no one said anything about taking the rod out. Then again I should not be surprised. When I was having my wisdom teeth removed, a stainless steel dental instrument broke and went up into my sinus cavity where it remains many years later. Last time I went to the dentist, they were freaked out and I was told I should see an oral surgeon about getting it removed.


loose dog on the road, collision, stupid dog owner, do a search on her last thread.
Great summary- I would only add fractured pelvis in there :p

[Irulan]

Thanks everyone!

BF thinks they may and try to settle sooner rather than later but either way, I will be including punitive damage. My life has been greatly altered by this accident.


There are some situations where it is good to be working with a lawyer who specializes in these things, to look out for your best interests. Keep in mind that the other guys insurance wants to give you as little money as possible - that is their job. So, I am glad you've hired one. Especially if the owner is blowing off the seriousness of the injury.

I would do exactly what the lawyer tells you to do. In most cases, this involves not communicating directly with the other parties and waiting as long as possible to settle. In the beginning you really can't tell what kind of treatment you will need or the long term effects.


I just want my expenses covered and I am not looking to profit from this.


Lawsuits have a bad rap, but in some cases I believe it's the right thing to do, to go after someone for negligence and to get your payment for pain and suffering and maybe teach them a lesson in the process. You might have to endure discomfort and pain and lessened athletic ability for years to come. What is that worth to you? That is not frivolous. It is not about "profiting" from the lawsuit, it's about compensating you for current and future pain, your loss of enjoyment of life etc.

[arielmoon]

There are some situations where it is good to be working with a lawyer who specializes in these things, to look out for your best interests. Keep in mind that the other guys insurance wants to give you as little money as possible - that is their job. So, I am glad you've hired one. Especially if the owner is blowing off the seriousness of the injury.

I would do exactly what the lawyer tells you to do. In most cases, this involves not communicating directly with the other parties and waiting as long as possible to settle. In the beginning you really can't tell what kind of treatment you will need or the long term effects.


Lawsuits have a bad rap, but in some cases I believe it's the right thing to do, to go after someone for negligence and to get your payment for pain and suffering and maybe teach them a lesson in the process. You might have to endure discomfort and pain and lessened athletic ability for years to come. What is that worth to you? That is not frivolous.

Great advice- thank you!

One of things that sold me on my attorney is that he is a very active cyclist too.

[jobob]

Gahhh - what an awful experience! I hope you heal up soon, and completely, and get your life back. :cool:

[maillotpois]

Great to hear from you. What a dreadful thing to be going through. I hope the settlement and your recovery both go well. :)

[mtbdarby]

Glad to hear you're making progress both physically and legally.

Slightly off topic, I was out riding on a paved trail and saw a loose dog running with his owner. As I slowed down he grabbed the dog - it was the president of our bike club:o

[kermit]

Thanks for the update. I've been wondering how you were. It's amazing how stupid people can be when animals are involved. I hope you can get some relief for your sleeping. I can only recommend a temperpedic bed. After my husbands back surgery, that thing is the best. Could be included as a medical expense. I have a bad lower back from a horse wreck, have been given lydocane patches to wear. You might want to ask for some. They really work for localized pain.

[MRS HORSEPOWER]

Wow, I have had this happen to me too passing the farm houses by me, come over a hill to find a Black lab ready to get me!
I wish you well on your recovery, Thanks for the post in my thread :)
Tina

[Irulan]

After my husbands back surgery, that thing is the best. Could be included as a medical expense.

you have your insurance bill it to THEIR insurance. Ask the lawyer how to do this. I had to have some special neck pillows after my car accident.

[OakLeaf]

Hang in there kiddo. I'm glad you seem to be able to get around a bit and you're healing pretty quickly. +1 on not settling until you know as much as it's possible to, what the future holds.

Sending my thoughts for a quick and FULL recovery.

[arielmoon]

I had another x-ray yesterday and the bones are healing very well. I am allowed to "walk" on the crutches for a week. Next week I get to put weight on the left leg and try one crutch or a cane. I can also start driving, swimming (my idea) and PT.

Doctor is a hoot and told my BF that it would be about a year before I can do housework and two years before I can do barn chores. hee hee! :cool:

[bmccasland]

One of things that sold me on my attorney is that he is a very active cyclist too.

Is that one of the boxes to check when searching for an attorney.... "um, excuse me, do you ride a bike? What is your favorite brand of cycling shorts?"


Doctor is a hoot and told my BF that it would be about a year before I can do housework and two years before I can do barn chores. hee hee! :cool:

We wouldn't want you to heal to quickly now would we??? :cool:

Glad to hear you're feeling better. Maybe the dog and the owner will be put on a leash.

[Selkie]

Your doctor sounds like a keeper!

Hope you continue to heal quickly. Sending you lots of good karma!!

[redrhodie]

That's great! You have such an amazing attitude.

[Fujichants]

Doctor is a hoot and told my BF that it would be about a year before I can do housework and two years before I can do barn chores. hee hee! :cool:

Barn chores - do you have horses?

Get well soon! What a crappy situation, I hope everything gets paid for (also future medical bills).

And that thing is still stuck in your sinus cavity?

[invsblwmn]

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE think about your potential future bills. I got hit by a car in September of 2007. Just had to have another surgery about 3 weeks ago to my left knee. Medical bills, treatments, medications all get real expensive. I am so glad I have an attorney. He has helped to keep the bill collectors at bay for all of the treatments that still haven't been paid by the insurance company... long story...litigation, blah, blah, blah...anyway, it is NOT about the money. It IS about your health and needed medical treatment. Prepare for the worst. Get a good attorney. If you get a settlement, put it away until you are fully healed in an interest bearing account. Take care of you. Wishing you the best. Dawn

[OakLeaf]

Glad you're coming along! Keep it up. :)

[arielmoon]

Barn chores - do you have horses?

Get well soon! What a crappy situation, I hope everything gets paid for (also future medical bills).

And that thing is still stuck in your sinus cavity?

Thanks!

Yes, I have a horse and I trade with the farm owner for board by feeding and cleaning a few stalls every day. I am actually thinking about selling him because the people are planning to move next year and I may not be able to find such an affordable deal. Plus I want to focus on cycling and other thing and the poor guy has not been ridden in a long time. :(

Yes, the dental probe piece is still there. I could never get a surgeon to call me back about it and I didnt want to have to pay to have it taken out.


PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE think about your potential future bills. I got hit by a car in September of 2007. Just had to have another surgery about 3 weeks ago to my left knee. Medical bills, treatments, medications all get real expensive. I am so glad I have an attorney. He has helped to keep the bill collectors at bay for all of the treatments that still haven't been paid by the insurance company... long story...litigation, blah, blah, blah...anyway, it is NOT about the money. It IS about your health and needed medical treatment. Prepare for the worst. Get a good attorney. If you get a settlement, put it away until you are fully healed in an interest bearing account. Take care of you. Wishing you the best. Dawn

Thank you for the advice. My attorney has similar advice. So sorry to hear you are still having problems.

[Iris616]

Wow-Arielmoon! I haven't been on the boards much, so missed the post about your accident. I'm glad you're healing well.

[arielmoon]

I went to the doctor on Wed and had another X-ray. Everything looks good and the bone is bridging nicely. He was pleased that I am walking without a cane or crutch but wants me to continue PT until I am walking without a limp. I have been on a stationary bike in PT and he told me I could ride the trainer at home. I suppose it goes without saying that Dara was attached to the trainer as soon as I got home... LOL :p

I will see the doctor again in 1 month.

[Pedal Wench]

You're doing good! How is the legal side of things going?

[arielmoon]

You're doing good! How is the legal side of things going?

Nothing new there. My attorney wants me to reach MMI before we file.

[ASammy1]

So glad to hear you are healing so quickly ;)

[OakLeaf]

Glad to hear it's going well... and that you're so enthusiastic about getting back on the bike! :)

[arielmoon]

Anyone have any thoughts on overcoming any dog phobia I may have??

[kermit]

I would tell you that Murphy's law has struck hard but I know where you ride and everybody has dogs. My mom lives off of SR 40 and we ride around the Double Diamond farm area, lots of dogs. Can you find something in the forest a little more open and less residential/horse farm? Nothing wrong with the trainer for a while. Glad you are better.

[arielmoon]

I would tell you that Murphy's law has struck hard but I know where you ride and everybody has dogs. My mom lives off of SR 40 and we ride around the Double Diamond farm area, lots of dogs. Can you find something in the forest a little more open and less residential/horse farm? Nothing wrong with the trainer for a while. Glad you are better.

And the sad thing is that riding through the horse farm area is one of the appeals here. :( I think I mentioned to you before that I ride that area around DD/ Live Oak Stud quite regularly. It is so beautiful!! :(

And you are so right though because there was an older guy that had the same thing happen to him 3 weeks before me (at a different location). 2 dogs ran out and he fell, shattered his pelvis, was knocked unconscious and still has another month in a wheel chair. :eek:

[redrhodie]

I wonder if a bike clinic could teach dog avoidance techniques? I did a search for FL, and found this list:

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6213/fl.htm

I don't know if this is at all helpful, if any of these places are even near you, but I hope it is :)

I was hit by a car door when I was a teenager, so I know how hard it is to get back on the bike. At least in my case, avoiding a car door was easy to learn. They take up so much room, and you don't ride in that zone. But with a dog, I don't know....is there anything you could have done to avoid it? Would some kind of repellant have helped, or where you were on the road, or speed?

If there was nothing you could do, then can you ride where there are no loose dogs? Do you have a safe route until you get your mojo back?

I'm really glad to hear you're so much better! You rock!

[arielmoon]

I wonder if a bike clinic could teach dog avoidance techniques? I did a search for FL, and found this list:

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6213/fl.htm

I don't know if this is at all helpful, if any of these places are even near you, but I hope it is :)

I was hit by a car door when I was a teenager, so I know how hard it is to get back on the bike. At least in my case, avoiding a car door was easy to learn. They take up so much room, and you don't ride in that zone. But with a dog, I don't know....is there anything you could have done to avoid it? Would some kind of repellant have helped, or where you were on the road, or speed?

If there was nothing you could do, then can you ride where there are no loose dogs? Do you have a safe route until you get your mojo back?

I'm really glad to hear you're so much better! You rock!

Thanks for researching that! Only one in my area and I have never heard of it. I have talked to the gang at the bike shop since I ride with them quite a bit and I think it would be worthwhile to try and talk to some of the dog owners along the Monday afternoon ride route. Other than that I dont know.

Unfortunately, in this case I never saw the dog until he was about 5 feet from me. I remember diving for the drops/ brakes but I dont think I even had time for that. He had misjudged his angle and/or my speed (18-19mph) so badly that he slammed into my front wheel. I can clearly recall the moment when he realized his mistake! There would have been no time to reach for pepper spray or anything else people have suggested to me. I know the ideal thing is to speed up but in this case I think he would have hit me in the middle or the back tire at the very least. Any other dog (including this same one) has come from behind more or less where speeding up did help.

[kermit]

Have you thought about a letter to the paper/media? Just a friendly heads up to all dog owners to be aware of their puppies. I imagine that the Ocala paper would be interested in keeping the peace between the growing cycling community in Ocala and the residents. Just a thought. Once again, glad you are healing.

[TxDoc]

And you are so right though because there was an older guy that had the same thing happen to him 3 weeks before me (at a different location). 2 dogs ran out and he fell, shattered his pelvis, was knocked unconscious and still has another month in a wheel chair. :eek:

And still the police does not take those dogs away??? What about a mandatory leash law? It's unbelievable that those dogs cause accidents and no one seizes them or fines the owners. :(

[arielmoon]

I drove by the scene of the accident today to see if the dog owner had done anything. The gate was wide open and the dog was resting in the driveway, 20 feet or so from the entrance, watching the cars going by. :(

[redrhodie]

That's really maddening, but I'm not surprised.

I hope you got a picture.

[arielmoon]

Sadly I only had my cell phone and when I turned around to try and get a pic the dog had wandered off somewhere. :(

[coz i can]

Hi there arielmoon, honey my heart goes out to you, it sux doesnt it. As a dog owner, I am so mad (actually my dog died unexpectedly 2 weeks after my crash, timing not so happy, sidetracking oops) As a dog owner I have always maintained that you need to be totally responsible for your dog's actions and be accountable should that result in harm to another person. They make me so angry, and still leaving the gate open makes my blood boil!:mad:

I am glad you are healing I return my healing vibes to you. Hang in there chick. Its tough, but so are we:) and will be tougher as a result of what we have been/going through. Take care