Hey! unsure how this works or if it even goes through? but trying to see, tell, hear, a story about myself and others. Major crash due to motorist neglagence has really rocked my world.. will not go any further until I know how this works, but would love to share and inspire others. I have much to say and many photos I would love to share with all my brothers and sisters out there but, dont know how this works. Someone please tell me

Hello Chad,
I'm really new here myself. I found this site from googling : motorcycle accident survivors groups. I've found many friends, got needed support, shared stories, and started a safety & awareness program of my own. All this just since late March.
You found the right place to open up with anything on your mind. The forum hosts safety suggestions, new ideas on equipping bikes for riders after life altering accidents, as well as giving tips to riders on how to cope after disaster strikes. Help & information is the best way to describe what gets done here.
We're from all over the country, all with a love of riding. Some of us have been injured, & some have loved ones either hurt or lost either of their own actions, or at the hands of a failure to yield driver. As you might expect, the stories are as wide as you can imagine.
Our host here is Garry Van Kirk. He has been an unbelievable help to me. He helped me through the ruff times, & was just a listening friend as well. He has been dealing with some personal issues since he recently moved. I've been in contact with him and believe he'll be move available for his duties with the site in the next couple of weeks. I know he will respond to you as soon as he is able.
If you would like to, sign the guest book. You'll find me there as the most recent visitor. I received a few very nice responses within the first few days.
If you go to the forum again, just do the same as you did this time. Be creative, the catchier the title, the bigger the read it will get. Spend some time reading some from the past. There are some very interesting & informative reads in there. You can click on the mailbox left of the forum under the writers name & find their e mail address if you should choose to respond directly with anyone.
I have just returned to work after a 2nd 6 month stretch of surgery & therapy following my wreck on May 12th of '07. I've worked 2 months in the past 15. I've driven almost 2 million miles in a truck & with all my experience, could not stop my accident from happening. I was hit broadside at 35 mph, by a failure to yield driver who left a stop sign and hit me.
I'll look forward to reading your next forum posting ! You did everything right the last time, now you just need to do it again, & write what you want! It could be the start of an interesting relationship for you, like it was for me. I gotta go get some sleep so welcome, enjoy some great info, make bacsuv a favorite website, & check in often. I still can spend hours reading new things I hadn't seen yet.

Hey Jeff, whats up? Listen man, really appreciate the information. Wanted to say that I have a hard time devoting too much time to this thing, I am a single daddy, I mean , I dont pay child support, I am dad. So, busy busy is my life. But hey, what I really had hoped to do was share a little story and show how I survived the accident.
In the begining I was hit by a soccer mom in a minivan, she made an illegal left on a red light! The first words she uttered was "damn bikers" little did she realize she was talking to a motorcycle cop! not too bright! I was unconcious at the scene, hell I was out for 3 weeks, it left me with broken hips,broken shoulders,broken back, inter-cranial truama, crushed right leg, shattered spleen, puntured lungs, and and and, Prognosis? total vegetable, quality of life zero, partially paralized, Wow man, A man and his machine went down hard that day! They had to take my right leg below knee. bummer. But, This man survived with a soul full of piss and vinegar! Well, a little fear of God as well, Anyway. I was back to my job of 20 years in a only 2.5 months! eeerrggg. Kicked me out of rehab 4 mos. early, they were sick of me telling them how I was gonna " build me a new bike and come back here an do a smokie burn out!" and I did.
Had my beautiful daughter 1 yr and 14 days after impact, she is my angle sent by God to save my life! she did, Its too bad her mother turned out to be a such a bitch! She left me shortly after Sophia was born, and she tried to take her but I would not let her... So now I find myself alone raising my beautiful girl. It aint too hard for me. It is a labor of love. So, Jeff, what I think I am trying to say is I made it, others can too!!!! I ride my FXDWG 93,95,98,01, (parts bike) It was built from wreckage. I bought myself a new frame and had back under me in less than 8 mos. Some say it is better than it ever was... Yee haw...No special controls or anything like that, it has forward controls so braking is not that much different than before. No worries man!
My tag reads....1LEGR...Ha ha ha.. go figure. thought that was catchy...what do you think? I have a nice prosthesis that I work on myself, it has a cool socket that I leathered out, and has a bar/shield logo right on it!! ride in shorts all the time.. As far as awareness? I drive my truck with a tag that reads. ICBIKES.. YES, I see bikes. both eyes open all the time, I am an old ABATE member and I live " look twice save a life" Damn right, it could be mine.. So hell, not sure where this going, long boring story, I really want to post some pictures for others to see, maybe help someone out?? In closing I want to say what no one wants to hear!! wear your damn helmet! arrrgggg, I know no one wants to hear it or say it, but I will! the head injury is the worst of all of it. It left me with a serious brain seizure disorder, which was the hardest thing to over come... cant get a prosthetic brain!!!! no brain no ride... And also want to say... is there any one legged women out there who might need a good man? No one is shopping for that but I cant seem to find a woman who can handle my condition? I am fine, grow a huge garden, bow hunt, (and leave half as much scent on the ground as I used to,) Nothing wrong here at all, just lonely for love from someone else besides my daughter and my mother.. Who knows , Unsure if any of this hits home with anybody but it is my victory, and wanted to share it.

Hi Chad!

Great to hear back from you! Sounds like you sure have your plate full! Now, I must say, You could inspire many men with your determination, morals, since of responsibility, and most of all, love for your daughter. You get it. She is the greatest thing you've ever done, and the primary reason for your being!
Having her to inspire you to continue through life is better therapy than any shrink could give. I would personally like to applaud you for standing up to diversity, and having the strength to see the bigger picture.
It sounds like you were very lucky with what you went through. My accident always seems so minimal when I compare to how massive others like you dealt with. You know, that's what impressed me most with this site. I saw myself deserving to be told to shut up, move on, & stop whining by people much more worse off than me......but they didn't. They understand that at all levels of loss, support is essential. I praise them all for understanding.
It's so cool how you moved on. I'll lose 2 summers of Ohio riding, but starting to make plans of shopping this winter for what will be my new ride. '09 will be better.
The info you can offer on the process of healing is just what this site needs.(and more people visiting) As you scan around, you see helpful suggestions on how to set up the bike, equip yourself with needed tools, or adjust to new situations aimed at your riding future.(Ain't that what it's all about!) How cool is that!
I sure understand the time element needed to web serf. I bought this lap top, and got on line back in Jan. It gave me a sense of strength through knowledge after the first 7 months of dealing with healing. It got me here. (great move!) I've returned to work as a truck driver delivering groceries to stores all over my area. Getting back in the groove and dealing with the hours has been rough. Not much time for anything else during the week, but I'm Soooo glad to be back again!
Give any info you can, or choose to, to guide the brothers & sisters on getting past the Hell that is the blessing of surviving. You, & your insight is important. Not to mention your devotion to life itself!
You can start a new Forum, or add to this one. It's your choice & the cool thing is, as you notice, if you add to this one, it rises to the top with a new input & it shows "new" next to it.
I'll keep an eye out for you, and feel free to contact me later. You are an inspiring individual who ranks high on my charts! (where ya from?)
Welcome back! Give that girl a kiss for me!

hi, chad,

i wanted to thank you for what you chose to post on this site. i am sorry for your struggles, and i can match you for a few of them. i was a passenger on a bike that was hit by a driver who passed out from a diabetic seizure and crossed over the median of a highway in austin, texas. we were both moving in excess of 70mph, according to witnesses-- and the crash was a big splash of bike and bodies, with mine ending up in the ditch about a foot ahead of the bike.

i have an above the knee amputation with what they were able to construct to give me part of my right leg--it's a metal pin, now. my entire pelvic area was crushed and reconstructed and my scarring resembles a badly sewn raggedy ann doll with a poorly attached leg. it's not pretty and i am still in a lot of pain.
it's been over three months since i burned through my leathers and left some expanse of freckles on that highway. i am still being fitted for my prosthesis and i am staying with my father while i recover.

my former breeding partner, in all his brilliance, decided it would be a great opportunity to pounce and served me with 'ex parte' papers to gain emergency and eventual permanent custody of our six-year son. i had raised luc on my own, as his dad was an active alcoholic, with five rounds through treatment under his belt. i was still on the trauma floor in austin, with a six-inch open wound, when i was served with those papers. one of his 'proofs' of my lack of parenting ability was that i had 'biker' friends and was therefore an incompetent parent. he had taken photos from my myspace page of some of my more tattooed brothers as evidence. one of those photos was of my dear friend fritz, who died that day. it was his brothers and sisters who rose to the challenge and had a benefit within seven days of the accident to help me and my dad offset some of the costs of the travel, the bills, et al. it was held at dally's in austin, and i hope i'm spelling that right, as i'm a minnesota native and was just learning the territory down in austin.

some of the bikers i met through fritz were patch holders, and some of them weren't. but they were the ones who showed up. they were the ones who gave what they could. i woke up in austin to an entire family i didn't know i had. i came back to minnesota without them, and my dad and i are doing the best we can. i don't know if i'll be able to ride again--it hurts to sit in a car or on a chair for too long. but i know the struggle of raising a child on my own and i am still learning what it takes to heal.

as i work to massage and loosen the extensive scarring around my leg and across my abdomen, i realized the scarring is an apt metaphor for the emotional damage that remains from the crash. fritz has been cremated. the bike parts have been gathered by his brothers to live on in other rides. and i am still here, working to soften the scars. living to heal.

i would be grateful to hear more about how you've survived and lived since your crash and how you care for your daughter on your own. i hear you when you talk about being 'broken' and whether or not you can find a woman who might accept you as you are.

thanks,

j