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                                               Brother Larry Ritchey                      " Free Spirit " Artist: Jillane Curreen

 When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,  to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are.  They are there for the reason you need them to be.  Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.  Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.  Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.  What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.  The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.  

There are many different responses to crisis. Most survivors have intense feelings after a traumatic event but recover from the trauma; others have more difficulty recovering — especially those who have had previous traumatic experiences, who are faced with ongoing stress, or who lack support from friends and family — and will need additional help.

What you share in this forum, may prevent that next Accident, that next Casualty

Make sure to add your Website and e-mail address !

On any given thread click the mail box or the PC icon for email and URL addresses

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Sept. 1, 2008 Wreck

Hello,

My name is Chris and by the title it's obvious I was in an accident last September. I will try to make this short, I was on a group ride on a familiar road came up to a left hand sweeper and the bike just wouldn't turn. When I came to I could feel my femur grating, after being taken to Winchester Shock/Trauma and basically being informed my injuries were too much for them I figured it just wasn't my femur. So the short of it is broken right femur, split right knee cap, broken right tib/fib below the knee and above the ankle. The right ankle is shattered, the heel shot out the back of the foot and the tissue on my calf from about half way up down to the heel just disentigrated.

I had 4 surgeries in September to repair my broken bones and a plastic surgeon creat a "free flap" to caove the missing tissue on my right calf. Basically he took out my left lat grafted it to my calf and then took skin grafts to cover it while reconnecting blood vessels and nerves.

I spent 26 days in INOVA Fairfax Hospital and 14 days at INOVA Mt. Vernon Rehab all the while complaining about the pain in my hip which was attributed to the amount of metal the had place in my right leg. Well come to find out at my first follow up with my ortho I was informed my hip was broken.

So I was scheduled for surgery On Dec.1 and as I', being wheeled into surgery my ortho told me he was removing the rod in my femur, which both myself and my wife questioned but Dr. knows best. So on Dec. 2nd the therapists arrive to exercise my leg and as they lift my leg the femur snaps! So now I'm back in surgery again on Dec. 3 to have another rod placed in my femur.

So now I'm home even back to work but still have a lot of pain and swelling in my right foot which I am told may never go away. I believe myself to be lucky in that I still have my foot even though there is still a chance I may lose it. I have been told even if I keep the foot my recovery time will be somewhere around the 3 year mark.

I was extremely happy to find this site so I could share my experience and hear how others cope with these kind of accidents. I would also like to thank several people; first snd foremost my wife who has been my friend, pshycologist, pharmacist, nurse and physical therapist. My entire family without whom I would have gone crazy, Ray (a complete stranger) who took care of me at the accident scene and my wife at the hospital, all my friends from DCsportbikes.net on the ride who kept me stable until the ambulance arrived. My plastic surgeon Dr. Veneet Mehan who is for lack of better words a magician, my nurse Tabitha at Fairfax who knew just how to make me feel better and Lindsey and Allison my therapists at Mt. Vernon.

Thank all of you for listening i hope to hear from you so that I can better learn to deal with my injuries and depression.

Chris

Re: Sept. 1, 2008 Wreck

Hi Chris. thats my picture above. Do not ever loose hope that you will be ok. Do not dwell on the past. # months after my accident I was looking for a new bike. Found it and worked on it on crutches and from my wheelchair. You have to look forward at all the good things that will happen to you and say thanks to all the good people you will get to know because of your accident. The guy with me at the top of this page is one of them. ANYTIME you want to chat, My email adress is here. Take care and keep your head up.

Re: Sept. 1, 2008 Wreck

Hello Chris,

Sounds like you have come a long way. I can only hope you get the same kind of help & support I found with family & friends, & most importantly, this web site.

I'm nearly 2 yrs past the accident that wound up with me finding this site. My healing included buying this lap top, getting on the net, & eventually finding this site.

I also made it back to work again, which does a lot to boost the spirits. I will carry the effects of my injuries for the rest of my life. Some days worse than others but the other option isn't on my list of "a better way".

Keeping the faith and your spirits up are important. I fought with depression & still do on occasion. When people tell me "it's good to see you", I respond "it's good to be here". That's how I feel. I came close to loosing all this, and it only makes me love it that much more.

This site did so much for my stability for the future. I hope it does the same for you. Garry, the man behind this site has not been able to be as available lately due to some changes in his personal life. I assure you, his heart & sole is still here in the meaning of the site, which is any help an accident victim needs to survive.

It is about surviving. It is about helping people cope with the injustice that is dealing with the survivors of far too many accidents.

Feel free to write anytime. Good luck as you continue to heal. For Garry, and so many others here, welcome! May we all fight the dangerous distractions that kill too many every year.

A Rider Taken Down, But Not Silenced

Jeff

Re: Sept. 1, 2008 Wreck

Larry & Jeff,

I want to thank you two for replying to my post, it's good to talk with people who have been through a traumatic motorcycle accident. And yes you are both correct if it hadn't been for my friends and family I would never have made it through the first week in the hospital a good support group does much more than I had ever thought about.

I also wanted to let you know the cause of the crash since I didn't include that in my original post; it appears that the rear tire broke the bead on the rim and went flat very fast. The VA State Trooper who interviewed me at Winchester Hospital asked me what I thought had happened and I told him it had to be a flat tire and he said during the course of his investigation that was his conclusion also that the rear tire went flat. He also cited me for reckless driving which I had to hire an attorney to go to court and fight the charges. Thankfully the judge was sympathetic and agreed the crime didn't fit the punishment and he dismissed the reckless but I still was charged with improprer driving (1 point and $45 fine) I can live with that.

Chris

Thanks again for taking time to provide the encouragement and I will try to keep you posted on my progress.

Re: Sept. 1, 2008 Wreck

Hey Chris, you want to hear a good one?

My bike, after being totaled, was sold 5 months after I bought it from the insurance company. A friend turned me on to a guy he knew, looking for a "project bike" for the winter.

He did a pretty nice job getting it back on the road. He had not had a bike before & figured it was the cheapest way to get on a Harley Dresser. It was brought by our house to see, which was a little emotional for my wife & I.

I later heard that within weeks of having it on the road, he had the rear axel bolt break while riding down the road.

I had replaced the tire, brakes, & wheel bearing on the rear just a few short rides before being hit. It was only a week or so later that I rode it to work for the first time after, and the last time ever.

It's looking good, but it's kind of creepy looking back at what could have happened to him & I. He had torn it down completely, over the winter, and upon hitting the road tragidy almost struck again.

Anyway, you keep us posted on how your doing, OK ?