Life changes so quickly

[blassy]

Good friends of ours.
Husband and father of 3 small kids. Been cycling competitively for 20 years was out on a ride on a beautiful day yesterday morning with about 20 fellow riders.
Hit a hole in the road and went over a 15 foot embankment and broke his neck.
Rushed for emergency surgery for a fracture at C6 and C7.
He could move his arms but couldn't feel his legs when he went in.
The long wait for recovery begins but obviously they won't know much until the swelling subsides etc.
And just like that your life changes in an instant.

[BigBlue1]

So sad. You are right. Live everyday like it’s your last has always been my motto. I mean think about those shooting victims shopping and partying, that was the furthest thing from their minds I’m sure. You just never know.

Good luck. Wishing your friend all the best.

[DasKptl]

Originally Posted by BigBlue1

Live everyday like it’s your last has always been my motto.

That's my motto, too. But it's too hard to execute and realize in everyday life.

[Brew]

"Enjoy every sandwich"
- W. Zevon

Sorry for your friend.

[Dan Pierce]

Think about that every time I climb in the saddle, like this weekend.

My best to your friend.
dP

[RichM]

Wishing your friend a full and speedy recovery.

[Beo3]

Very sad, and hopefully his injuries are recoverable.

[brandrea]

I hope your friend makes a complete and full recovery.

Life is very fragile indeed.

[BreguetRolex]

Originally Posted by blassy

Good friends of ours.
Husband and father of 3 small kids. Been cycling competitively for 20 years was out on a ride on a beautiful day yesterday morning with about 20 fellow riders.
Hit a hole in the road and went over a 15 foot embankment and broke his neck.
Rushed for emergency surgery for a fracture at C6 and C7.
He could move his arms but couldn't feel his legs when he went in.
The long wait for recovery begins but obviously they won't know much until the swelling subsides etc.
And just like that your life changes in an instant.

This is so gut wrenching to hear . I also ride 7 days a week about 7000 miles a year and still every time I clip into my pedals I get butterflies.. About 6 years ago I had a terrible falll at a rr crossing where my front wheel had gone into the tracks at about 21MPH. Was really banged up but lucked out on anything broken.

Wish your friend all the best..

[dxbtousa]

Very sorry to hear , wishing a speedy recovery.

It is indeed a fresh reminder to stay positive and live each day to the max.

[123Blueface]

Sorry to hear.
You are so right. Changes in the blink of an eye.
I wish more people would understand that and how insignificant a watch scratch is overall.
Such trivial stuff that consumes lives rather than the things that really matter, like in your friends case, moving your body below neck.

[JerseyChris]

Sorry to hear about your friend.. that is terrible.

[swils8610]

Chris, I’m sorry for your friend. Thoughts and prayers are with you both.


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[LandWatch]

Very sorry to hear and Hope he recovers fully. It’s terrifying how something like this can happen in an instant. It makes one realise how precious life is and how time should not be wasted ...

[SearChart]

I'm very sorry to hear. Hoping for a full and speedy recovery.

[gmh1013]

Hope he makes a full recovery! Ive been riding a motorcycle and all in the world is good....3 seconds later im flying down the road....and not on the bike and spend 3 months in a hospital....life can change in a fraction of a second.

[Headshrinker]

I realized that it was not worth risking my life anymore, so I have drastically reduced my time on the road with my bicycle, and have taken to the trails. I have also decided to sell my motorcycle after several close encounters with deer. I am turning 61 this year and do not heal as well as in the past. I pray your friend heals and gets back in the saddle again; maybe on the trails.

[masterserg]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/05/us/bj...rnd/index.html

One word ... Peloton.

Hope your friend recovers.

[Waxtactic]

Terribly sorry to hear about your friend. It's awful when something like this happens. Best of luck to him and his family.

[V25V]

Cycling is crazy dangerous, especially with all of the "distracted" drivers out there these days. Freak incidents like this would not scare me off as much but the 3000lb+ vehicles out there and the morons behind the wheels certainly do.

[jag32]

I hope the best for his recovery.

[Fat_ninja]

Hope he gets better, but agree. This is why I minimize the risk in everything I do..

[RW16610]

I'm very sorry to hear this terrible news, Chris. Things can change so quickly in life, it's scary. I hope he's able to make a speedy full recovery from this. I'll certainly says little prayer.

[locutus49]

Being 69, I live life somewhat cautiously for this very reason. Accidents can happen to everyone though. Thanks for sharing.

[elfutboler]

Terrible thing to hear and for his family to experience. I've cut back on the road cycling myself as I've certainly become more risk averse as the years go by. Wishing for a full and speedy recovery for him.

[blassy]

Small update.
Had an 8 hour surgery on Monday night. Surgeons operated from both the front and back in an effort to manage the damage to his C6 and 7 and get things stabilized.
Still no feeling in the legs but arms are fine.
As he was told - spinal column is quite something. Any trauma basically forces a shut down like a surge protector.
Surgery was a success but it could be days, weeks, months or never. As the swelling reduces things should be ok but it's a waiting game at this point.
Now it's just dealing with a range of emotions.
Anywhere from...at least I'll get to see my kids grow up...to I don't want to live like this.
I'm supposing anyone would feel the same way.

[JasoninDenver]

My best wishes to your friends.

The last 5 years of my legal career involved representing cyclists, or their survivors, involved in bike versus car accidents. Too many tragedies. Too many fatalities.

I gave up riding on the road and switched to gravel riding and mountain biking to reduce the risk of being injured due to other’s negligence. Your friend’s accident scares the crap out of me because it is of the kind that can never be totally prevented against.