Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Man Down (Conwy)

Seattle Hooky Day post
So… a few of us decided to play hooky yesterday and go riding on what seemed to be a perfect day for it.
The morning was cold but hey…we live in Seattle so it wasn’t that cold! We met at a Starbucks of course and spent some time chatting it up, checking out each others bikes and admiring the bike of a newcomer (John on a Legend).
From there we set off to the Whidbey to Clinton Ferry terminal and we were off for a great day of riding. While on the ferry we checked out some maps of the area and planned some routes.
Things were going great, the group was riding well together, we were keeping good distance, keeping within the posted speed limits and enjoyed the ride. About 7 miles into the ride everything changed….
Conwy (Steve), third in line, had a little mishap. He took a turn a touch too wide and ran across some of that junk the trees like to drop in the road. That sent the bike sideways and he with it. That’s about all I can say concerning that since I was up front and didn’t realize what had happened right away. John (the guy behind me) and I flipped a couple of u turns and got back to find Steve sitting next to his bike (which was in a ditch) and Bob (odatbob) standing next to him.
No offense to Steve but what a crappy feeling to see a rider down!
Steve was shook up pretty bad but ultimately got up and was able to walk around. His shoulder and leg were hurting but he had movement of his fingers and toes. Couldn’t really raise his arm but he did land on his shoulder so it was to be expected. We checked him out…no blood, his vision was good, and he was upset about his bike so his emotions were working. His ego was bruised but we didn’t really notice that till later.
We got his bike out of the ditch and got him and the bike back to the mainland. Got the bike to a dealer for repairs and got a family member to pick Steve up. All seemed fairly well…
I got off the phone with Steve a little bit ago and turns out he’s in the hospital.
He’s the proud owner of:
• A broken big toe
• A broken ankle
• A broken shoulder

He is currently in pretty good spirits and has his family with him. His sister is also an RN at the hospital he is in.
He is awaiting surgery for his shoulder and ankle. Seems as though they will need to pin his ankle. His shoulder is another story. He is either going to get a plate to assist in the healing or he will be getting a new shoulder ball.

Also...John is not a member of this forum but Steve and I both agreed that he was invaluable to us. We were all level headed but John was that guy that kept his cool, got the phone out and started making calls. He assesed the situation and took charge. A big thank you to John from us all for yesterday! We would be honored to ride with him again!

Here are some pics:

One of the last times Steves bike will look like this

In the ditch

Steve after the spill

Steve talking to his pride

Some damage shots:

Ouch!

I'm sure you'll be seeing him soon, pass on my thoughts and hope he gets back riding soon.

Now that is one bad day, we will be thinking of him. Hope it all works out OK>

Hope he's ok!! I bet he's more gutted about his bike than injuries... I know I was.

Dang! That bites!!! Sorry to hear this. I know Steve's gotta be pretty bummed out about this. Let him know we're all pretty bummed out about this too, Zdenko! Thanks for the posting.

And Steve, when you see this....get well soon, Bro!!! And don't worry about the bike. I've found from personal experience that fixin' these babies is usually not as much of a headache as you first think it's going to be.

my prayers are still with Steve at this time...I think He was raised to be the man.."Men dont cry!!"..well after hearing the injuries He suffered I wish we would have ignored His pleas not to call 911..I stayed with Him at the CycleBarn till His father showed up to give Him a ride.Not a whimper..I guessed He had sprained foot and bruised shoulder..I am glad He will be ok and heal up..Gods Blessings to you Steve!!My prayers for a speedy recovery!!!And besides..you owe me a bottle of water!!!! PS.as z didnt tell you that at least 6 people passed the scene and not one stopped...90 minutes later as Steve took His solo serenity walk,John and I waited at "StevesCurve",and at least 4 cars stopped and asked Steve(hobbling along)if He was alright,then they cruised by us scowling because we made our friend walk down that hill...We had to join Steve at the turnoff inorder to avoid those judgements!!!Then nobody stopped again!!

1st thing i noticed in the pictures is the good gear he had on,, probably saved a lot of road-rash. wear that gear everybody!!!!!!!! best wishes to all you guys up there.

Sux, but glad he's gonna be ok to ride another day.
Tell him we're with him in spirit, and take them vicodin, they're good for pain, down them with tequila for added comfort.
chin up to ya conway!

Ouch! That will be hurting...
Please send Steve my best wishes for a speedy recovery and hope he's back on his ride again soon.

Add my thoughts to Steve for a quick & full recovery. It's raining this weekend anyway

jh

Sorry to hear this, but real glad to see your OK..
The bike will be good as new in no time.

Glad to hear that Steve is not more seriously hurt. Pride heals, chrome can be replaced, but not so much with riders.

We will keep a good thought, and our eyes open for tree stuff in the turns.

oh man that stinks, best wishes to Steve; hope he gets well soon. Gotta love cagers man, I remember when I went down the lady right behind me started honky the horn! I kid you not, I had a 500 lb motorcycle on my leg and she was honking her fraking horn! Thankfully my wife was just behind and pulled in front of her with our SUV; got out and gave her the evil eye and some very kind words lol.

Always hate to hear about these. Best wishes for a quick recovery. Thank goodness he had friends with him to help out.

OUCH! Glad he is doing ok (much better than it could have been).

Soren

jeez, thats got to be the saddest thing i ever seen , poor wee TBA lying there helpless and semi conscious in the ditch . oh the triumphity of it. hope your back up and running soon wee TBA.Hope your up and running soon too Steve mate ;-)

Dang , that's just a sick feeling seeing the pic of Bonnie lying on her side , that makes me hurt and kinda sad . But her rider is still among the living , and that's what matters , ultimately .

Bummer. at least he is OK for the most part. Shoulder and ankle breaks do suck hard though. Bike didn't look too bad in the shot either, looks all cosmetic,still a real bummer but better than bent frame or broken engine cases. Hope he heals well and fast.

yeah...most of the damage was cosmetic. Im really surprised at how well these bikes do when dropped (in this case crashed). Karen has dropped hers a couple times with just minimal scratches on her mirror and lever.
If the turn signals werent mounted so high they wouldnt bend and dent the tank.
The shift lever was tweaked but the bike fired up after a few tries. She ran well. The shifts from 1 to 2 and back were clunky but still rideable.

Assuming Steves not in surgery tomorrow Im going to print this thread and take it to him. He'll get a kick out of all the well wishes.

Bad luck, Steve. Wishing you the speediest possible recovery. It's going to be sore for a while but you will get better and the bike will be easily fixed.

Oll An gwella, dheworth An CornishCelt, Nigel

My thoughts and wishes are with Steve for a quick recovery.

"Steve's Curve" is in my GPS at N 47-54-40.8 by W 122-22-47.3. Elevation 195'

Steve has bought and paid (or is buying...) for this curve.

Thanks guys for the comments, I think we all did what was needed for Steve, however some lessons for everyone.

First, ALL groups really should chat (SafetyChat) before riding off - get some understanding on ride order and especially ask about experience levels. It sets the mindset for all. I failed on my end here.

Second, never trust a down rider's assessment of their injuries. As Z said, we did our best to check him out - wiggling toes, fingers, leg/arm movement seemed to indicate nothing broken - we were obviously wrong and so you might be as well in similar situations. From now on, unless the rider can do jumping jacks and arm wrestle, I'm calling for EMT's.

And finally, good equipment works. Steve had excellent gear and it saved him from much much worse. From boots to jacket, the marks left a story of success.

On that last note, while waiting for Steve's father at the Triumph Cycle Barn, Bob and I talked to the cute gal in apparel and we told her we knew of a guy who was in need of a new Triumph jacket. Bob said she shouldn't have a hard time finding and catching Steve, "he's moving a little slow." I'll hand it to Steve for toughing it out, not too many people I know walk around busted up like that.

Steve, all the best, and I hope to catch up to you in the hospital later today.

John.

My thoughts are with him and his family. I hope he makes a full recovery.

I'll be sure to follow these excellent rally guidelines of yours before we all head out from Prescott to the Grand Canyon at next month's Southwest Triumph Fest, which Steve, as far as I know, was planning to attend but of course unfortunately will now miss, John.

Thank you for taking the time to post them.

Glad he's one o' the gear wearing crowd. Road rash would have made it much worse.
Heal up Steve, and get back on ASAP , maybe we'll see you at the 2009 SWTF .

(Oh, Dwight. don't get any less beer on account of Steve not being able to make it. We will, after all, have to toast to his full recovery )

Sorry, forgot one very important thing for all you riders who have added headlamps to your bike. On this ride, I was the "vintage" bike with my 2001 Legend. Z, Steve, and Bob had Americas and each had added twin headlamps.

Here is what you need to know, your headlamps drown out your front turn signals. Each of the bikes I could not see their turn signals (on/off) from a distance. So.. don't trust that the person in front of you will see your signal.

This is proably more important for you when you are attempting to commuincate with the rider in front of you. Don't be surprised if they miss it.

The added visability the headlamps offer (three is unique to the human eye so it gets noticed) probably outweighs the turn signal visability (especially front signals, rear are absolutely a must).

Just thought everyone should know that feedback.

John.

Excellent observation John.

The same is true (though to a lesser degree) of riding with high beams on all the time.

Glad to hear that the injuries weren't more severe. Pass along my best please.

It's good to know he's going to be okay; still, a broken toe is a lingering thing...
That bike looks so sad on it's side in the ditch, I can only hope I never see that in person.

Glad to see he was wearing gear(leathers,boots,helmetand gloves) these all make a differance.Hope for a speedy recovery.

It's the simplest of falls that seem to cause the most amount of damage to the bike and the person riding. Please pass Steve a speedy recovery from me.

Sorry to hear about the accident, hope for speedy recovery Steve and hope the repairs go well. Dont let it put you off biking, after all you did get up and walk away thank heaven.
Baz

Get better Steve! I missed out on this ride due to meetings at work, wish I could have been there to help you out. But great job Z, Bob and everyone else there. Have a speedy recovery Steve!

went to visit Steve in the Hospital today as all surgery has been complete..Screws and plate in His ankle..Ball in His shoulder?(He had good insurance!!).He was very upbeat but recovery could be 6-8 weeks and He needs to be in Australia in June thru August so riding is out till then..but He wants to get His bike home from the shop after repairs..we all voluteered to make that happen!Should go home monday and is working everything out with family for support and help.He was surprised at all the response of well-wishers as "z" had printed out the pages from this site.I will visit again tomorrow because that is what we do!!We took a picture but I am unable to load..perhaps "Z" will help us out...please "Z"!!

Lookin' good Steve! I'll try to make it down tomorrow to give you some cheer.

Here is a link to see "Steve's Curve." Enjoy!!!

http://www.slide.com/r/eqAnAXLj4z_L-FKs90A1ilFMsIJFWMEe?view=original

John, "the Legend" guy...