Went down for real

[ARF07]

My friends and I were riding up to Deals Gap yesterday, and two of us went down at the exact same time (both 250's). I got tossed about 40ft into the woods and on the way hit a tree with my back. My bike JUST missed my friend, going right over his head. Luckily for us there was a guy on a ZX-6 who decided we looked like a fun group to ride with and was behind us when it happened. He works on an ambulance so he called one and then came down and held my head in place (because I smacked my head pretty hard) while we waited for the EMT's to come. One of the EMT's had the sense to take my gear off before we got to the hospital because he rode and knew they would cut it off me when I got there.

Spent from about 2pm to 1am in the ER. The had to run multiple tests for internal bleeding since they couldn't figure out when my heartbeat was jumping to 130 when I tried to stand up. Overall they told me I got very very lucky. Sore neck, high ankle sprain, and very sprained lower back w/ lots of bruises. It could be a lot worse if I hadn't been wearing all my gear.

Anyways, I've got to call the insurance company and deal w/ them today. Does anyone know how good Progressive is with their payouts? I had full coverage on the bike, and I'd like to get another one but I can't if they low ball me

[Alex]

Youch! Sounds like you got terribly lucky. Many folks who hit trees at speed don't get to post about it the next day. Hope it all works out on the healing front and the insurance front. Were you in front of or behind your friend?

[ARF07]

I was behind him. There were 3 of us (he was second, I was third) and I was simply going too fast and didn't realize it was a hairpin turn. It was my fault. I'm very thankful to be alive.

[LuxMundi]

Glad to hear you are banged up but nothing broken.

Have you had time to figure out what happened?

[ARF07]

Yea, I knew what happened as soon as I went down. I didn't know the roads and was following someone who did. I wasn't riding at my own pace and the turn tightened up on me. I increased the lean angle until my pegs were scraping the ground. I was still running wide, and then it hit the corner or pavement and I went flying.

[bob706]

Glad to hear your doing as well as you are. It sounds like someone was watching over you that day.

[g21-30]

Nathan, hope you recover quickly and get back to riding....soon. Good Luck

[backinthesaddleagain]

did they find out why your heart rate was rising when you stood?

[Snake]

Glad to hear you are ok. Good luck with the insurance.

[austexjg]

Hope all goes well...

[tjkamper]

Glad your not in too bad a shape. I hope insurance works out for you. I have heard mixed reports on Progressive, so I really don't know. I have progressive as well, but no claims ever made.

[ARF07]

Thanks a lot guys

And Greg, no they never figured it out, but by the time I was discharged it wasn't as bad so they let me go home.

[CZroe]

When I picked up my bike from the dealer and rode home from WV to Newnan, GA, I had the opportunity to take Deal's Gap. I decided against it even though there was even a friend in Knoxville, TN who I wanted to visit. It was my first time on the road, so I wasn't going to risk it. Basically, I calculated Google Maps and told it to "avoid highways" and saw that it took me past a familiar-sounding (and twisty-looking) route... US129. I looked it up and, sure enough, it was The Dragon.

I was looking for a safer route home than taking a new bike on the Interstate without prior experience even on surface streets (just the MSF in a parking lot). Thanks for trying to get me killed, Google.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by ARF07

Thanks a lot guys

And Greg, no they never figured it out, but by the time I was discharged it wasn't as bad so they let me go home.

Glad it was ok when you left. Hope you heal quickly and good luck with the insurance. I have progressive for my bike. Years ago my car was hit by another driver insured by progressive and they took care of it right away and fully fixed my damage.

[OldGuy]

Nathan - scary story. Glad to hear that you came out of it like you did. Let us know how the insurance turns out.

I would imagine "riding at your own pace" has a whole new meaning to you now.

[HKr1]

Wow! Glad to hear your OK, Hope your buddy is OK too.

[revstriker]

Wow, sorry to hear about your accident. Hopefully you heal up fine and you're able to get your bike repaired or replaced.

+1 on the riding at your own pace. It's so tempting with a group, or even just one other person, to keep up the pace, but this can be very dangerous (as you know), especially on an unknown road.

I went on a group ride last week and purposely rode toward the back of the group. Told them that I was going to ride at my own pace, so anyone who wanted to get around me, just come up and signal me. For the most part, my own pace was on par with the rest of the group, but there were a few parts where I let myself fall pretty far behind. The group would always re-group at the intersections to make sure no one was left behind. Great group!

Best of luck with your recovery.

[smcbride11]

Ouch. Sorry to hear about the accident, but it's great that you're doing well!

I had a great experience with Progressive last year when my bike was hit - granted, it wasn't my fault, but they had an adjustor out the next day and his estimate was within $10 of the shop I went to for a second opinion. They were ready to cut the check (minus my deductible) on the spot, but I told them to hold off and just get me the whole thing once the other guy's insurance paid off. I imagine it'd be a little different with a totalled bike because of extra paperwork, but I suspect you'll find it to be pretty smooth.

[Momaru]

Yeowch. I've hit a couple trees going full bore on a bicycle, don't even want to think about on the 250. Glad you're mostly ok; heal quick, heal clean. +1 more on riding at your own pace. I'm rather guilty of pushing when I'm out with Nick and Kim

I've also had a claim w/ Progressive and was very pleased with both the speed and quality of service. They paid out on anything that was even scuffed, including my Area P. I was truly shocked and very pleased. Hopefully your experience is similar.

[mikedabike64]

Hope your ok, I hope the insurance call works out for you.

[Ananda]

Originally Posted by Momaru

I've also had a claim w/ Progressive and was very pleased with both the speed and quality of service. They paid out on anything that was even scuffed, including my Area P.

Momaru - did you have the exhaust specifically covered by your insurance? I'm wondering if i need to "add" my yosh to my insurance to make sure it's covered

[SF-Dug]

Don't feel to bad OP because I made the same mistake once in following a way more experienced rider into a turn which led to slow speed lowside (Frame Sliders FTW!!). Alex could testify to this fact.

Don't let the experience bum you down or dissuade you from riding again. Just understand you limits as human being and rider.

Furthermore the most important part is that you are alive and not severely injured. Just apply what you have learned from this experience to prevent it from happening again.

[smcbride11]

Originally Posted by Ananda

Momaru - did you have the exhaust specifically covered by your insurance? I'm wondering if i need to "add" my yosh to my insurance to make sure it's covered

You should at least call. Many policies will cover up to $1,000 in customizations without special riders, but it'll never hurt to see if you need to "register" your mods or not.

[KJohnson21]

Nathan, glad to hear you're OK, hope you heal comfortably.

This could also be a lesson to anyone leading other riders not familiar with your favorite roads.

[mike_sema]

Man that sucks hope all is well

[ninjabrewer]

OMG, glad to hear that you are going to be ok and was not hurt too bad. I know the feeling about riding your own pace, my first time in the canyons, I got left because I didn't know the roads and went my own pace, that I was going slow because it was freezing cold.

nb

[noche_caliente]

Oh my goodness! I am so glad you're ok for the most part! As I'm sure we all know it could have ended VERY badly! How is your friend doing today? Seems like you had a bit of a guardian angel in that other rider following behind you! Be sure to take your pain killers on schedule, or you're going to be in a world of hurt - even more so that you are right now.

A more light-hearted question now - are you going to add to the tree?

[TrueFaith]

I went down riding with a friend riding on unfamiliar roads last year and totalled my first 250R. Only in my case a large patch of sand & gravel in a 90-degree turn was the culprit, not speed. He was riding to the inside of the turn and barely avoided it, but I was on the outside and ran right into it. Had I been riding solo I probably would have been on the inside myself and possibly avoided it, so how riding with others effects your normal track is something to consider also. Riding with another person or group is not as easy as it may seem, especially the first few times. You really have to police yourself and not get caught up in someone else's pace. If it starts to feel dangerous at all it probably is and you need to respect your own comfort zone or you'll never learn to do it safely. I still don't feel completely comfortable riding with other bikes yet. I don't think I will until I feel 100% confident again in my riding skills. An accident will make you doubt yourself for a long time and you just have to keep riding and claw yourself back to where you were, hopefully learning something about your limits along the way. Glad you survived what sounds like a really nasty accident and good luck getting back in the saddle soon.

[CRXTrek]

Wayne,I would never ride in a staggered formation when taking curves.

Sad to hear another rider down. Get well soon.

[ARF07]

My friend is doing fine. He walked away and said he would have ridden away if his bike wasn't totaled. I WOULD add to the tree if I'd gone down on the dragon but we were actually still about 2 hours away from it. Our college is about 3 hours away from there and we had just passed the Ocoee River (if anyone knows where that is). I do have a piece of destroyed plastic that my friend pulled from the wreck for me. I might mount it up in my room somewhere

[paterick4o8]

glad you're alright and looking at it as learning experience. heal up

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by CRXTrek

Wayne,I would never ride in a staggered formation when taking curves.

Sad to hear another rider down. Get well soon.

That's the problem with riding unfamiliar roads. I didn't know the turn was coming up or that I was in a staggered track. I had just slowed to 30mph because of a sign and the lead rider went over a rise and disappeared. I followed and found myself in an unexpected turn with what looked like the Sahara Desert laid out in front of me. As slow as I was going it's no help if the tires have nothing to maintain traction on.

[Momaru]

Originally Posted by Ananda

Momaru - did you have the exhaust specifically covered by your insurance? I'm wondering if i need to "add" my yosh to my insurance to make sure it's covered

I didn't have it specifically covered, but the 'value' of the exhaust and other aftermarkets was figured in on the total value of the bike. I was surprised because many states require a separate rider or declared coverage for aftermarket. Definitely call your agent to check if you're not sure. I'd assume Progressive has equivalent coverage all 'round but never sure till you ask.

[Anthony_marr]

Hi Nathan, glad you survived the crash intact, and hope you're healing well.

Here are three 10-minute videos of Deal's Gap, at least one of which should contain that dangerous curve of yours. If you could ID it, do share.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[ARF07]

Thanks Anthony, I'm healing up ok.

We didn't go down at Deals Gap, we went down on our way there. We were still probably a couple hours away. We could have taken the expressway to get closer, but the guy we were riding with knew how to get there taking back roads, and I went down on one of those. I wish I'd gone down on the Dragon..that woulda been cooler

[nate-bama]

so where in west Ga you at?? Glad your ok !!!

[ARF07]

I live in Douglasville, GA in the summers, but right now I'm up in Chattanooga, TN for college.