Search This Blog

Friday, November 21, 2014

....and With Any Small Victory, There Comes Collateral Damage!

OK. 
Seriously!
How DO I opt out of this chicken outfit!
So.....
Excuse me while I stop shaking my head so I can type straight!
After the excursion yesterday and the resulting, brief glow of victory, I went right back to work.  Or tried to at least.  Regaining my footing, I went back at it, but with little time in the day left, only managed to put out one ride and a few repairs.  As the day wore down and we were packing up to leave, I got a call from Angela.  On her way home from work she got a flat, and had no tools or tube for repair so was forced to walk it home the remainder of the way.  Grabbing the necessary items we headed home to get her fixed up.  After a quick fix (and a short jaunt to the closest air pump as there was NO way I could put in 120psi with a hand pump!) she was up and running again, and her and Kaleb headed out to the store to pick up a few things. 
Quickly easing into domestic mode, I finished up the dinner of leftovers for the kiddos, setting aside everyone else's and set outside for a brief moment to breathe, enjoy a Yuengling and video billiards.  HOWEVER....
Upon picking up my phone to play, it rang, signaling it was a call from Angela.  Upon answering I was greeted by a slightly panicked Kaleb, quickly informing me that Angela had crashed on her bike!
Mind you, Angela rides a high end carbon fiber/alloy frame road bike that weighs less then my lunch!  Given our experience with other catastrophic accidents, some resulting in death due to the riders position, with head aimed directly at the ground, the anxiety in his voice gave me a rush of anguish and panic when he said she hit her head on the ground, first!  It was only when I heard her voice, in obvious pain, in the background did I calm down slightly. 
Quickly setting up Logan to watch out for the kiddos, with Kaleb limping back with Momma's bike in tow, I jetted over to Subway to meet her.
Here's the odd thing.  To look at her, you could tell she was in OBVIOUS pain and anguish.  Cradling her left arm, she proceeded to give me the breakdown of what happened. Following behind Kaleb they were traveling through the parking lot, when Kaleb did one of his patented "I'm not paying attention to the other rider" maneuvers and swerved in front of her, with no time to react or brake, she crashed into his rear wheel sending them both sprawling to the ground, her landing face and shoulder first on the tarmac, but to see her sitting there you never would have guessed it!  No abrasions on her face or shoulder no obvious scratches or torn clothing, even though she also complained of cut up knees and thigh.  She stated, unequivocally, that she broke her collar bone, as she heard and felt it snap.  Somewhat incredulous, as to the absence of even the slightest swelling, we still needed to get her to the ER as the pain was quite obvious! 
Once there, she started to get blurred vision, a ringing in her ears and weakened knees.  Once in the room, and all the necessary annoying paperwork filled out, she was seen by the nurse, x-rayed, cat scanned, and informed that yes, in fact here clavicle was broken, in two places and she fractured her nasal cavity!  And yes, she did, in fact have several abrasions and cuts on her legs and knees but not so much as a mark on her pants?!  Even as far as several spots where the chain ring dug teeth marks into her calf! 
Once released from the hospital, we settled her in at the house, but she is still in a lot of pain. 
And of course, facing about four weeks of recuperation. 
oy.
So, today, has been a gauntlet of insurance calls, doctor calls,etc. etc.  I just hope she will get a chance to rest!
OK, now I best get back to doing something to keep the wagon train moving!
Here's the one I was able to put together yesterday.


image 1
26" 7 SPEED SCHWINN JAGUAR!!!
ONLY $90.00!!!



3 comments:

  1. What's the old C&W line?

    "If it weren't fer bad luck, you wouldn't have no luck a'tall."

    Can't wait to see what happens next, at a considerably safe distance, of course.

    ReplyDelete
  2. YIKES!!! Poor Kaleb, he must be feeling some major remorse for the obvious trauma he has caused. Hope the momma mends quickly. Sounds like it was a low speed incident, could have been a lot worse if it was at a busy intersection or on a high speed road. Hate to ask but are they wearing gloves, glasses and helmets? I think of them as the Holy Trinity, whatever god you prefer protects those who protect themselves. =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, John. Yes she is on the slow mend. But as she is, shall we say "strong willed" she doesn't like being down, so she has been pushing herself, a tad to much. Had to keep her primarily in bed, as she didn't want to stay away fro the kiddo's. Sadly, no, Kaleb feels nor show no remorse. Your typical teenager, he thinks the world revolves around him. He blames Angi for the accident, stating she "should have stopped in time" and the only remorse he has shown is for the fact that he has not been aloud to take off and do what he wants on any given day, instead being "forced" to help out around the house. Typical.

    ReplyDelete