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....

[Running Mommy]

Eden- Yes that is a GREAT Idea!!! I'll take it! I'll send you a PM with my addy.
Thanks all! I knew I could count on you girls to come through for me!

Now I just need to find an artistic person to help me with my graphics. I want to have my motto on the top of the bike safety stuff I hand out to the kids. I think I might even develop a website if this gets big enough. But I want a cartoon character type squid wearing a helmet. I think that will catch the kids eyes. I'm aiming for the younger set. K -5th grade.
WOW! Thanks again!

Denise

[Eden]

I couldn't attach this to a pm I guess so I decided to put it here..
my smiling and 99% intact face -thanks to my helmet! after hitting the ground a few minutes before.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Denise -
I almost didn't post here because a lot of the women here (at least some of the women who were here back in 2004) have seen my story before - but I think the story of my crash fits well with your request.

Almost exactly three years ago, during National Ride Your Bike to Work Week, I crashed on my way to work. I believe I flipped forward (as in over the handlebars) and my bike followed. I landed on my head. My injuries included a skull fracture and a severe brain injury - and that was with the cushioning of my helmet. I do not believe I would have survived that accident if I hadn't been wearing a helmet.
The story of my crash and recovery is in this article that I posted on crazyguyonabike.com: What do you mean I can't ride my bike?

In case you don't want to read the entire article (or in case you just don't have time:

A description of my accident is on this page: The crash: A couple of missing days.

Some photos of my bloody and cracked helmet can be seen on this page: Please, please, please: Wear your helmet!. And I've also included a picture below.

I crashed on May 20th. The first picture below was taken on May 22nd or 23rd (and I've been told that the non-showing side of my face was actually in worse shape, yuck!). The second one was taken on June 4th. Amazing what some healing time can do...



This helmet definitely did it's job!

Let me know if there's something here that you think could be helpful in your project. The article was written under the assumption that the audience would be adults, but if you can give me some guidelines I would be happy to try to rework a small piece of it for your kids.

--- Denise

[trekin']

I would be happy to send you the helmet that at least kept me out of the hospital, if not saved my life...the damage doesn't look like much, but I hit the side of a moving car straight on with my head when my bike skidded and slipped in some sand at an intersection, about 2 years ago. I did not have any head injuries, but I eventually ended up receiving chiropractic care for my neck and upper spine. I think the lack of visible damage proves how well they are designed to protect us, because I hit that car pretty hard (and scared the poor woman driving it half to death!). I am very fortunate.

Just PM me with your address, and I'll get it right out to you.
Carolyn

[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