Paul Cassel wrote:
Today I fell down hard on my road bike. I figure I was going about 25
mph when I hit new paint at the end of a wooden bridge I’ve been over
dozens of times never finding any traction issues. However, sometime
recently, the City decided to put new wood and paint on the bridge.
Add some dew at 0600h and it made for a slippery surface. I skidded
sideways and then, when I hit the tarmac again, I high sided. I was
not wearing a helmet, but have good reflexes in the curl and roll. I
ended up with a terrible case of road rash, my eyeglasses embedded in
my cheek (the lens came out and stuck into my cheek right at the
cheekbone) and a lot of debris embedded into my muscles plus other
injuries. I truncated the ride returning 20 miles instead of the
planned 40. My bike sustained minor injuries with the saddle being
the most badly damaged.
Evaluating the crash, I figure that I may have been more badly hurt
wearing a helmet, but ironically, I’ll will buy and from now on wear a
helmet when riding. This sounds paradoxical, but here is my logic. The
only place I hit was my face from the cheek down. I hit the glasses
very hard, scraped away a lot of skin from my face, nose, upper lip
and chin. There are other lower body injuries as well including a
badly hurt right arm and leg. I would guess that had I hit just that
way with a hat on, the visor would have exerted rotational force on
my neck making for, perhaps, much more serious injuries.

However, what will remain with me for a long time, and it was the
first thing I remembered when I woke up there on the bike trail, was
the sound of my face / head hitting. It was a loud crack-like sound.
I had some time to review things on the ride back home and then
waiting in the hospital urgent care to think on things.

I was mentally unprepared for the suddenness and ferocity of this
crash. Had I hit higher up on my head I surely would have had a great
chance of sustaining serious brain injury. Instead of a little nap
and a hideous headache now, (along with at least two weeks off) I may
have been looking at permanent injury or even death. It was the
realization that even at bicycle speeds, something I dismissed
before, one can get badly hurt.

Yes, I’m still opposed to mandatory helmet laws, but I doubt you’ll be
seeing me ride without one from now on.

A visor will break off (quite easily) before "exerting rotational force on
{your} neck". Good decision; questionable reasoning.

Bill "glad you weren't hurt worse; heal quickly and fully" S.