Over the weekend there were 2 incidents that happened in the same day that I thought was worth sharing with you folks.
As usual saturday was a 75mile ride for the team. To get to our destination we had to use the 360 highway which is usually a pretty decent place to bike as it has wide shoulders for cycling. However due to the fact that the terrain was pretty hilly, there were some parts where you were really flying on the downhills, and slow coming back up the other side. We were supposed to do 37.5miles, then turn around.
On the way back 2 accidents happened. The first accident involved Marie Archer, a 40+ yr old lady, really good triathlete, mum and wife. I was not in this group of cyclists as I stopped to help a friend who had punctured. What happened was Marie took a tumble, and broke her collarbone/shoulder (cant remember which). As I remember seeing her sitting on the side of the highway in pain, but still wanting to carry on cycling back. However we advised her not to and called the ambulance in, and when the paramedics came out the first thing they asked her was "Maam how is your arm feeling, and if you can rate your level of pain on a scale of 1 - 10 what number would it be". The reply came " ZERO!". Gosh I was impressed with this lady who had just fallen off her bike, definitely in pain but refused to think about the pain. She was also very positive about the whole thing, and joked about coming back into training with an arm cast or using just one hand to bike. All in all, pretty impressive from a 40+ yr old woman. It instantly struck me as, no matter how much pain or suffering youre in, you can always choose to be positive and think about other things. And that in return, will make everything recover, heal and get you back on track much faster!
Secondly was the more serious accident on the 360 highway. This is the excerpt from a local blog.
Anthony Kaim, the cyclist hit on Loop 360 at the Pennybacker Bridge Saturday morning, is scheduled for three surgeries this week but has no brain injuries, according to his wife.
Kaim broke several ribs and his left hip, shattered his pelvis, fractured his spine in four or five places and broke his jaw in three places, Heidi Kaim told me this morning. He’s in intensive care at University Medical Center at Brackenridge.
“I think it’s a miracle he’s as good as he is,” she says. “He’s actually conscious and talking and in his right mind. He’s asking a lot of questions because he is a lawyer.”
Anthony Kaim was riding southbound on Loop 360 when he apparently ran over debris or hit a bump, which caused him to lose control of his handlebars and hit the cement barrier on the right side of the road. He bounced back into traffic on the left and was hit by a car.
“It wasn’t like anybody was at fault, it was just a freak accident,” Heidi Kaim says.
Anthony Kaim is a Category 3 cyclist who rode on the University of Texas cycling team and now competes with the Gulf Coast Cycling Association team. He had recently finished law school and works as a clerk for a Fifth Circuit Judge in Austin.
He is scheduled for two surgeries Tuesday and another on Wednesday.
“He would just want to thank everybody for keeping him in their thoughts and prayers,” she says. “He’s touched by everybody rallying around.”
She’s sure he’ll be back on the bike as soon as he can. “It’ll take physical therapy for a long time. They’re thinking in six months he can be slightly active again. It’ll be maybe a year before he’s able to ride.”
Joseph LaFico was in a group of cyclists about 15 minutes behind Kaim’s pack. When he arrived at the accident scene, emergency crews had closed the roadway.
He describes Kaim as a “very experienced cyclist, definitely not a newbie. Just a good, solid guy who rides under the radar.
As I was cycling back I saw the scene of the accident and once again it told me how lucky I was to be here cycling and enjoying my life. Sometimes I tend to complain and to think "oh how unfair life is etc etc" but reflecting back on that day it seems that life wasnt so bad after all. As a triathlete Ive been in my fair share of nerve wracking accidents before that left me with permanent scars. The most scary one was skidding off a turn coming down genting highlands and almost going over the side down the ravine (and thankfully there were no cars coming the other way). However after witnessing that accident, I suddenly had more of a sense of appreciation for life and myself, plus also realising that life shouldnt be toyed around with but it should always be cherished and revered, as you never know when the last moment might come. I hope all you readers appreciate, love and accept your ownself, for having the chance to be alive and healthy is certainly one of, if not the greatest thing you can ever have! Hopefully everyone takes good care of themselves, and stay safe in whatever you guys are undertaking/doing. Always remember better safe than sorry!
Take care,
Yuen
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