Well, My Summer's Over

[shootingstar]

I I took up a beading project to keep my hands busy as I was sitting, staring blankly into space. Pretty soon, I noticed I was able to shift my focus onto the project. Every row of beads represented another instance where I was going over the crash in my mind, and after quite a while, I was just focusing on the placement of beads, and the mental image was losing it's power. I'm not explaining it well, but at some point, a switch seemed to flip and, well, I'm not just sitting and staring anymore. I do still seem to have a lot of moments where a rage boils up inside, but I get a sense that there is an end point to it. Somewhere close.

Excellent for bead work. It seems to have come into resurgence ...here and there.

I've been doing art on my own, with evening courses here and there over the years. I walk a lot, some minor book reading and do stretching exercises during last 6 months. I also blog which taps into a lifelong love of writing and taking photos. All 3 activities /pursuits have been part of me ..a few decades ---before cycling passion bit me 24 yrs ago. And they are all passions for those who know me well, that are an integral part of me.


Cycling is icing on the cake ...and I view something to do as long as I'm healthy. If not, (and this will happen far off in the future), I have these other passions.

[lauraelmore1033]

Ha! Driver who thinks he can avoid responsibility by not co-operating with his insurance, is more than willing to co-operate with MY insurance! He was happy to give them the statement that he "didn't see" me (and didn't deny hitting me or hearing me screaming at him to stop) and didn't realize that my insurance company will now share it with his, and since it was under oath, it is official! Gotcha! I think.
1

[Crankin]

That guy must be a true moron.
It sounds like you are doing a good job of processing the memories. Just be aware that it's a somewhat recursive process, and odd things may trigger feelings when you think it's done.

My good news is that DH's lawyer called yesterday. The woman's insurance company has made a first offer for settlement. It's a pretty good offer, but she is going to make a counter offer for a bit more. We'll definitely be taking another cycling trip next year!

[lauraelmore1033]

And as an added bonus, there was a witness statement added to the police report that stated she saw the truck hit me in the cross walk!

[ny biker]

Excellent!

[OakLeaf]

D'oh!! That should help with a quick resolution.


Don't be too quick to rule out PT though. The longer I go with my now 3-1/2 year old injury (and the more I'm forced to figure it out for myself when practitioners aren't trained to see the whole fascial picture), the more I realize how much my displaced sternum contributes to the symptoms. There are LOT of spinal and core muscles that attach to the ribcage. Hope you heal MUCH more completely and quickly than I have!

[lauraelmore1033]

That guy must be a true moron.
It sounds like you are doing a good job of processing the memories. Just be aware that it's a somewhat recursive process, and odd things may trigger feelings when you think it's done.

My good news is that DH's lawyer called yesterday. The woman's insurance company has made a first offer for settlement. It's a pretty good offer, but she is going to make a counter offer for a bit more. We'll definitely be taking another cycling trip next year!

Dh had been protecting me by not letting me see the police report, and now that I have the chance to read it, I realize that it was the COP (who wasn't there) who said I'd fallen over, and that I hadn't fully stopped. He'd even changed the placements of the vehicles involved on the little diagram, so it looked like the collision had happened before the crosswalk,(rather than the middle) like I'd just blown through the stop. Small town police! To be fair, the Driver is probably a new comer to this country, doesn't understand how these things work, and might have felt intimidated by the police and the claims handler from his insurance company. It's also possible that the claims handler didn't bother to use an interpreter, and the driver just didn't understand what she was asking (which was convenient for her...)

[lauraelmore1033]

D'oh!! That should help with a quick resolution.


Don't be too quick to rule out PT though. The longer I go with my now 3-1/2 year old injury (and the more I'm forced to figure it out for myself when practitioners aren't trained to see the whole fascial picture), the more I realize how much my displaced sternum contributes to the symptoms. There are LOT of spinal and core muscles that attach to the ribcage. Hope you heal MUCH more completely and quickly than I have!

Yeah, there are still some hard, lumpy areas on my shoulder and elbow joints, and I could see that turning into something ouchy in my future. My dr did take xrays of my hips and spine and determined that there were no fractures or compressed areas, and my alignment was excellent, so hopefully, it will stay that way.

[AppleTree]

Dh had been protecting me by not letting me see the police report, and now that I have the chance to read it, I realize that it was the COP (who wasn't there) who said I'd fallen over, and that I hadn't fully stopped. He'd even changed the placements of the vehicles involved on the little diagram, so it looked like the collision had happened before the crosswalk,(rather than the middle) like I'd just blown through the stop. Small town police! To be fair, the Driver is probably a new comer to this country, doesn't understand how these things work, and might have felt intimidated by the police and the claims handler from his insurance company. It's also possible that the claims handler didn't bother to use an interpreter, and the driver just didn't understand what she was asking (which was convenient for her...)

Guess I'm not too surprised the police were favoring the driver in their report of the accident, but gee whiz... that is great news there was an eye witness who came forward though... I think you are being very kind and generous in regards to the driver...maybe undeservedly, but forgiveness is the first step to healing, right? At least that is what they say... Glad to hear the you have been able to get out on your recumbent, sunshine and fresh air are healing balms.

[ny biker]

Changed my mind, so deleting this.

[kajero]

I read about your horrendous experience. Even though this horrible thing happened a few weeks ago, I am still sending my prayers and hoping you will have a 100% recovery. I know how horrible those bike riding crashes are having experienced two serious ones myself. It's hard to recover physically and mentally.

I hope all goes well with the insurance, too. You deserve the best.

I hope you are able to bicycle as you want in the future. I love to ride and need to get around there again.

[lauraelmore1033]

Your kind thoughts are appreciated. Even getting around in the car is difficult in some places. We drove over mountain passes a couple of days ago and I was having a full blown panic attack. I have heeded the wise advice given here as I simply don't have the tools to deal with the situation. I'm sure it will get better someday.

[NbyNW]

I've only been on the boards very infrequently, and just saw this ... how awful, but I'm so glad you are still with us! Hope the healing continues in a general positive trend ... IME sometimes it's non-linear, especially the emotional stuff. I hope you can find a counselor who can help you with the emotional trauma. Hope you are getting all the support you need.

[lauraelmore1033]

All I've got to say at this point is thanks to the drivers insurance company for #ing around with me, instead of settling for the paltry amount I would have accepted and thanks for all the support and advice about seeking representation I received here.

[Pax]

Glad things are shaking out.