WANTED: Cracked, Crashed, Smashed Helmets..

[Running Mommy]

Hey All-
I'm developing a program out here at the schools promoting helmet use/ bike safety. I'm calling it "Don't be a Squiddd... Wear your Lidddd"

For my presentation I would like to show some examples of cracked or otherwise squished helmets.
If you have been unfortunate (or fortunate because it did save your life) enough to have a helmet that has been "altered by impact" and would be willing to donate it, I would really appreciate it.
I will reimburse you for the postage, and I'll also send you back some cool AZ themed cycling swag for your efforts.
Also I would like to have a picture (optional of course) of you and a short story that I could read to the kids. Maybe a bit about yourself and how the accident occured, how the helmet saved you etc. Whatever you would like to say to the kids.
I think it would be nice to give them the whole story, but if you would just like to send the helmet that would be fine too. Anything will help.
I am going to offer up this program to all the local schools.
So if you can help me with this in any way, I please send me a PM.
Thanks!
Denise
P.S. Even if you don't have a helmet but can send me a story and pictures that would help as well. I know people prolly don't keep their cracked helmets around.

[silver]

i have my helmet that saved my life. But I"m not willing to part with it.

I do have some very good pictures and will write you my story in a few days.

[Jenn]

I'll send you mine from yesterday's wreck, it's in bad shape....so is my face

[Running Mommy]

Thanks Silver!

And Jenn- I just PM'd you. Please heal up! OUCH!!

[Eden]

I have one, but the visible damage is fairly minimal - but it could be a good example of why you have to examine carefully and you always throw away a helmet that you've crashed and hit your head in. You could even put it out and see if the kids can tell its been crashed in before you tell them and show them the damage. If you look closely there is a crack in the back. If you want I can send you a photo of the damage to see if you want it.

[Crankin]

I have one that has just a teeny teeny white dot from where my head scraped the pavement when I was going about 20 mph in a paceline. My husband went down in front of me when the guy in front of him slowed unexpectedly. Then I went down.
I will PM you later. Would love some AZ bike shwag. My husband has an ASU jersey, but I guess my alma mater doesn't think they need to make women's cycling jerseys....

[pyxichick]

This is a really scary/interesting thread.

It reminded me of something that my BF had from Bell (he's a sales rep for them)-- he had a spiral bound book of letters sent to the company from grateful survivors of bike crashes. The booklet was about 1 cm. thick and the letters were all just from last year. I gave it to my mom, who is an RN/EMT who survived a head injury resulting from a moped crash 28 years ago (no helmet-- she was only going about 5 mph., just around the block.) She is now a huge proponent of wearing helmets, due to her own head injury as well as all of the accident scenes she's been at.

And my BF who is now a sales rep for a helmet company-- he has a picture of his busted face on our fridge taken 15 years ago when he crashed his Vespa and wasn't wearing a helmet. I think there's still gravel in his forehead from that...

I hope I never have to rely on mine, but I wear it religiously.

Ride Safely!
Kate

[LBTC]

Wow! There are people who have not broken a helmet??

I've broken three, but we don't have any of them left. 2 were returned for new ones (I love how they do that!), and the third, the full face bell ballistic chrome helmet that was tension cracked all over the one side - and I had only slight bruising on my face and neck - we just threw away just over a year ago. We were moving - we had to reduce what we moved!

I've never thought it was unusual to have gone through three helmets in 10+ years of riding, but maybe I really am a spaz.

I think it's great that you're doing this project! Let us know how it goes.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Running Mommy]

WOW!! I'm at a loss for words! Just WOW!! I wasn't a part of TE back then so I had no idea. I will DEFINTELY use your story and pics in my presentation.
Well, maybe just for the older kids. Don't want to scare the kindergartners. Though maybe thats not such a good thing. Maybe scaring them is what they need? But then again I don't want them having nightmares and mom and dad coming after me! But I will use the stories and some of the pics for sure!!

[smilingcat]

I wish I could tell you my last major accident but I can't. I have no memory of the day of the accident or the week or so in the hospital. Just flashes of what I think happened like a fleeting memory like a dream when you wake up.

The few thing I was told:

I was having a really bonked day of riding so I broke off the training ride. One of the guys from the "A" group came back after being called on the cell phone from our group. We rode our bikes back to the car and on the way back is when I crashed.

The paramedic in the ambulance called my home and told my partner that I kept on losing consciousness in the ambulance and told her that it was bad and to meet me at the hospital.

Other recollection is sort of dream like and don't know but I think I was wired up to some monitor and an alarm going off beep-beep-beep. The sound is something I sort of recall not sure... Then I sort of recall of being fussed over by people when I just wanted to sleep. Sort of remember it was dark like at night time... I just don't have any clear memory of my stay in the hospital or even the first few days home. In fact very little of my hospital stay. I do have one memory was the shock of realization that I had no short term memory and crying about it. Funny that's the only real thing I remember...

The cat scans I have no memory... I wish I could tell you my story but its not there. And even today after nearly 6 years, my memory isn't as good as it used to be. My short term memory is still a problem on occasion. Sometimes, I have to write a note or make a conscious effort to remember. Stupid things like 4 items I have to pick up at a grocery store...

I try not to dwell on what if it didn't happen. Only regret about the accident is I wish it didn't happen. I wish I was like before with near photographic memory and I wish ... but that is neither here nor there.

The only thing I want the kids to learn is that its called an accident for a reason. We don't plan on it. We don't think about such things. And boom out of no where it happens. It doesn't matter if you are beginner going slow or experienced rider going slow or fast. Accidents don't care who you are, it happens to ALL of us. It happens when you are not thinking about it.

Over the years, helmets have saved my life from downhill racing to cycling. I think its pretty cool to be wearing a helmet. BTW, wear a helmet and hit it really hard. You can't crack it. you can't dent it but on these crashes, the helmets crack, dent, and break into pieces. Think about what your head would have done in its place.

I threw away my crushed helmet and few other items from the accident. I have too too many reminders from not just this crash but from others as well.

I have been told to hang up my cleats by my neural surgeon but its hard. He told me that there will be no next time for me. I've used up 8 of my 9 lives. When you have 9 out of 9 lives left it doesn't seem like a big deal but when you are down to your last one. It is a big deal.

Anyway, I wish I could tell you the story but this is the best I could do. Talking about it makes me really sad...

I am a terrible writer so please re-write to make it readable.

thanks,
Shawn

PS it makes me really angry when people young and old don't wear a helmet!!
It save my life several times over and at least 6 of my friends.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I wish I could tell you my last major accident but I can't. I have no memory of the day of the accident or the week or so in the hospital. Just flashes of what I think happened like a fleeting memory like a dream when you wake up.
......................................
The only thing I want the kids to learn is that its called an accident for a reason. We don't plan on it. We don't think about such things. And boom out of no where it happens. It doesn't matter if you are beginner going slow or experienced rider going slow or fast. Accidents don't care who you are, it happens to ALL of us. It happens when you are not thinking about it.
......................................
PS it makes me really angry when people young and old don't wear a helmet!!
It save my life several times over and at least 6 of my friends.

Shawn -
You are so right about this. I don't know what happened to me either, and I've accepted that I will never know the cause of my accident.

Funny though, I had a discussion with someone I knew in passing (not a friend, just someone I had met), and she was sure that I should sue the town that the road was in. And I just can't accept that kind of attitude. I believe my wheel got caught by something in the road - but that wasn't a justification for suing or a reason to blame someone else. Just as you said, it was an accident. No blame to be laid - I'm just thankful that my helmet allowed me to continue to live a full life.

Maybe scaring them is what they need? But then again I don't want them having nightmares and mom and dad coming after me! But I will use the stories and some of the pics for sure!!

Denise -
Maybe scaring mom & dad would be a good thing though - just enough that they don't allow their kids to head out without their helmets.

I saw a child in my neighborhood riding without a helmet. Her dad was outside, so I stopped to talk with him - to recommend that she wear a helmet. He said she didn't like it and he thought if he forced the issue that she would stop riding her bike. My response to him was that it would be better for her to stop riding than to die or to be severely injured by a helmet-less head hitting the ground. I also talked to his daughter (in his presence). I pointed out the still-red spots on my face, bruises that I think will never go away - thinking that maybe that would make an impression on the child. Nope. (Of course the bruises that live on my face to this day happened when I was wearing my helmet - but I figured that she wouldn't realize that. Anything to attempt to convince her that a helmet is a good thing.)

Unfortunately our conversation did nothing to change the child's behavior.

--- Denise

[CR400]

I'll see if I can at least get you some pictures of my helment. I have been planning to use it for my own little bicycle saftey class though. Most of the back of the helment behind my right ear was so badly damaged that it fell apart by touching it. The only thing left holding it in place was the plastic shell over the top.

My accident came with help from some ones dog. So please keep your dogs confined.

I was riding with a friend when a dog started to chase him.
The dog crossed into my front wheel, and sent me out of control. I saw it coming though and grabbed my brakes so I only hit the ground at 17mph not 20 or more. I remember uncliping as it happened so I could bail from my bike. I really didn't want to endo, (afraide I would hit my head, its happend before the bike came around with the handle bars almost breaking my nose. different bike and accident).
So I leaned to the side and hope to land on my side. Oops I landed on my head anyway. I was in the air and saw my water bottles falling from there cages and that when I realized I was upside down as well. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact. It felt like I hit really hard on the right top of my head. Sorry I'll continue this in a momment

[CR400]

Ok, I'll continue. I'm at the local library and they only give you so long to be on line at a time.

Right after that I rolled onto my side and skidded a few feet. I remained alert the whole time. The first thing I did after I stopped was to check and move each limb. The way I hit I was really worried about being paralized more then anything. After that I wanted to get up but that little voice on the inside told me to stay down until medical help got there. My friend came back and called 911 for me and stayed with me until I left in the ambulance. The best part was my brother was one of the EMT's that picked me up. Infact he rode in my abulance. So at least I had my family with me. His supervisor wanted him to stay with me at the hospital but I sent him back to work.
At the hospital they sent me to get two cat scans and I had to wait like four hours to be released. They found nothing wrong with my head or neck but I had really bad vertigo for a few weeks after that. They sat me up in bed at the hospital and I thought I was going to fall out of the bed the room was spinning so fast. Apparently I had a death grip on the rails of the bed. I also walked into things for about two week or so after the accident. The vertigo would hit and I would walk diagonally across a room thinking I was walking straight.Which ment I had to go in for another CT becuase I was shownig signs of a possible brain bleed. But by the grace of God and wearing my helment I have no permanent injuries.

[Shimpie]

This is a wonderful idea and a great topic. Too bad I just threw away my helmet last month. I was finally able to let it go even though I crashed 3 years ago. I'll see if I can at least hunt up some pictures of it.

I was commuting to work early in the morning. As I was coming down a hill, a landscaping truck drove pass me. The truck was pulling an improperly hitched trailer that popped off at the bottom of the hill. The trailer wiped me out from behind. I went flying over my handlebars and did a headplant into the curb. I don't have any memory of the impact except for waking up in the middle of the street covered in grass clippings. The only reason I know my head hit the curb is because there is a big red paint transfer on my white helmet. There was no other source of red on the street. My helmet had two cracks. One big red crack directly on top of my head and one on the back of the head.

I felt fine until I arrived at the hospital by ambulance. By then, the adrenaline had worn off and my whole head was ringing. (Here is a good tidbit of advice. Don't assess your injuries until after the adrenaline wears off.) I ended up with a concussion, whiplash, and a very deep palm sized patch of road rash on my butt/hip. No broken bones. No sprained joints. However, I did develop back pain from my compressed neck. Physical therapy took care of that. My injuries would have been much worse without a helmet.
-Shimpie

[Eden]

Hey! did you get a squid yet? How about this one