WANTED: Cracked, Crashed, Smashed Helmets..

[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