The Morning Commute

I typically (though not always) ride my bike to school. This morning commute keeps me healthy, keeps my pocketbook a bit more full (having to spend less on gas), and keeps the planet a bit healthier, even if it is only a small reduction in carbon emissions. Today, an unprecedented event occurs "on my way to the office."

I will first point out the ironic first lyric to the song I was listening to: "I am at ease...." I was very peaceful, enjoying the cool morning (the fourth of it's kind in a row). I had made it about three blocks from my house, riding just outside the white stripe of the 2-lane, 30 mph speed limit road. The park was on my left, and residential streets passed on my right, marking each block. As I crossed the fourth street, I noticed that the car in the oncoming lane of traffic began to turn. I can't recall if his blinker was on, but I was alarmed because I was already half-way through the intersection when he began to turn. I looked through the windshield and saw that he was not looking at the road (I honestly think he was texting). Since he couldn't see me, I began yelling as loud as I could and tried to get out of his way, veering further to the right in the intersection. It was no good, however, because he did not square off his turn, but cut through all four lanes (his original lane, the lane of oncoming traffic, the right lane of the intersection and headed for the left lane of the intersection) and struck me as I was 3/4 of the way across the street. His bumper hit my left leg, and the force of the impact (as I said, he took the curve pretty flat, so was still probably going 10-15 mph) flipped me over, and in the air--upside-down--I saw my bike shoot out away from the car that had just hit it. In a split-second, I landed on my head, trying to brace myself with my hands. Fortunately, the young man, a high school student (not MY school, though) did stop. I had come down on my left side and was lying on my stomach. After a moment of trying to collect myself, I rolled over onto my back to sit up. I had a sickening feeling as I watched the upper portion of my left leg swing around, but saw the lower part, just above the ankle, drag limply behind. The kid got out and started apologizing, saying he didn't see me, but all I could do was tell him (and I think I actually said it fairly calmly), "You broke my leg. You need to get me to a hospital." The homeowners on the corner of the street came out and called 911. A vehicle following behind me on the road pulled in and waited with me, offering help and ultimately giving his statement to the police when they arrived. I was helped over the sidewalk, spoke briefly to the police, and was then placed on a back board and had my neck put into a collar and had my head taped to the board.

I'm thankful that I was wearing my helmet, because it prevented the situation from potentially being much worse. I'm thankful for the EMT's and their treatment of the situation, ensuring that I wouldn't have any further injuries and taking all necessary precaution. Still I was fairly confident that everything was fine, except for my obviously broken leg. CT scans and X-rays confirmed what I was feeling, and even before I spoke to the doctors, I was betting I would need surgery. This was confirmed by the orthopedic surgeon.

So now I sit and await surgery, which will likely be this evening or tomorrow morning. I will have a titanium rod inserted into my tibia, and the lower portion of the broken bone will be screwed into the rod, as will the upper portion, thereby uniting them to heal. Essentially, it will be like a cast on the inside of my leg, instead of the outside. The benefit is a shortened healing time, and the doctor said I might be able to walk on it as soon as 2-3 days or 2-3 weeks (depending on how my body heals). I was very surprised to hear that I won't be receiving any other additional form of splinting/casting. The surgery will take care of it all.

I've included some pictures, though they hardly tell the story in all it's gruesome detail. I WANTED to take a picture of my foot all askew as I sat in the intersection, but alas, it did not happen.

The splint that keeps my leg from freely flopping around.
Some scrapes from bracing for impact.
Apparently my face made contact with the pavement as well.

Please don't worry about me. I am doing fairly well. As you pray, ask for justice and provision (I haven't spoken to the young man's insurance company yet, but I want to ensure that they will be paying for all the costly services to come, including a night's stay in the hospital).