Quote Originally Posted by JennK13 View Post
A friend of mine broke his ankle because he couldn't unclip while mountain biking - the bike went one way into a boulder; his foot was attached to the pedal, and ankle went a different way. OUCH!
I guess back in the days of toe clips, CX was almost unknown in the USA, and early mountain bikes used flat pedals. So there aren't too many off-road cyclists here who ever had to deal with toe clips.

If your friend had been using toe clips, would he have had time to reach down and loosen the strap? The procedure for getting out of a clipless pedal is ALWAYS quicker and safer than getting out of a toe clip, simply because it doesn't involve your hands! Obviously with either system, there are times when someone doesn't or can't get their foot out fast enough, but being able to keep both hands on the bars to brake and steer makes clipless a whole lot safer.

IAE, it sounds like he didn't land on his head at all, and I'm glad for that. Hope his ankle is healing/has healed well!