Accidents and injuries – the salt ofriding

Part 2

Continuing from the first part of this article series, I shall discuss head injuries, bone fractions and relevant methods for minimizing the risks of such traumas.

Head injuriesAccording to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, head injuries, especially traumatic brain injury, arethe leading cause of fatalities and permanentdisability in motorcycle accidents. Researchclaims that just by wearing certified helmets,we can reduce motorcycle accident deaths by29 to 35 percent. I was bewildered to learnthat, according to the U.S. Department ofTransportation, the use of helmets is notmandatory in many states in USA. Earlier thismonth, in Chicago, I saw several ridersprotecting their heads with flaming skullbandannas and sports caps. Clear advantagesaside, let's not gamble with our lifeunnecessary and give helmets a try, shall we?

What to do?

Numbness (arms, torso, hands, etc.),nausea, severe headache and dis-coordination (inability to grasp objects,difficulties to move) are some symptomsof what could be a concussion. If youcrashed and your head had gotten intocontact with any hard object, doctors urgepaying the hospital a visit. Somesymptoms might not be easy to identifyimmediately or they could even comelater, when the damage could have alreadytaken a toll on your health. We mustprotect our little biological computers!

The helmet - leave it be or take it off?

A scientific paper published by T. Branfoot back in 1994 claims that cervical spine (the upper part of thespine that goes from the scull down to the top of the shoulder blades) injuries do not occur often in survivingmotorbike riders – just around 1% arevictims of this serious condition. On theother hand, the risks for not ensuringadequate airway are considerable inpatients wearing tight full-face helmets.Due to the low probability of cervicalinjuries, the study recommends to removethe helmet of a crashed rider promptly andsafely. Medics add that supervised helmetremoval by the conscious patient is thebest option. But what if the rider isunconscious? C-spine stabilization ishighly advised – hence two people shouldtake on the task of helmet removal. Eventhough statistical data does not provide aunanimous answer, in most cases,insufficient access to fresh air poses a much bigger threat to the rider as the clothing and helmet may obstructbreathing, disturb vomiting or make it difficult to assess head injuries and the overall well-being of theinjured.

Bone Fractures Unless you are riding a three-wheeled bike, you are most likely going to end up dropping your bike andsliding/flying/rolling somewhere far away during a crash. Motorcycling accidents happen so quickly that therider’s leg often remains underneath themotorcycle, resulting in a broken orfractured leg. Snapped ankles are likelycandidates too.. To support this, theCenter for Neuro Skills reports brokenlegs as the most common injury forhospitalized motorcycle accidentvictims. Wrist and arm fractures arecommon injuries as well as ridersnaturally react by trying to break theirfall and catch themselves. Othercommon fractures resulting frommotorbike accidents include physicaldamage to shoulders and the pelvis. Arather mystical condition known as the biker's arm may be caused by hard fall. The nerves of the upper armget damaged during the crash, leading to permanent damage to the arm.

What to do?

Should you crash while riding and end-up potentially having suffered one of the above injuries, the firstthing you should do is to get off the road. Everything else is of secondary importance. Crawl or roll shouldit be necessary but make sure to be off the path of other motorists ASAP! If you are pinned down by yourbike, try to make yourself as visible as possible – hand waving and using the bike’s horn have beendescribed as highly efficient means of attracting attention to oneself in similar situations. Evaluating theinjuries is the next important step: if youhave difficulties in moving any of yourlimbs, feel strong pain or notice bleeding,call for an ambulance – you needimmediate help. Keeping your phoneclose-by (e.g. in some pocket) whileriding helps a lot in such situations. Incase of pain, avoid moving that bodypart too much until the ambulancearrives. Whereas if you are bleeding,attempt to carefully remove some of yourclothing and use it to stop the blood flow.If you managed to attract attention ofsome people around you, defeat yourpride and ask for assistance: whether it is with removing your helmet, clothes or with moving around, orwith dragging the bike off the road. Your bike or its debris can cause further injuries for incoming riders whoare unaware of your fall. Maybe after reading this you are thinking: “Hm, I don’t really know what I’d doif…” – no worries, we humans are forgetful creatures. My advice would be to refresh your first aidknowledge to possibly help yourself or a fellow rider in the future.

ATGATT attitude I realize how dangerous motorcycling can be myself, yet I cannot resist the temptation to get on my bike and ride – it is simply too good. However, theunderstanding that I will not be able toride for a long time or never again aftercrashing makes me think while on theroad. What can I do to keep riding?

My approach to it is wearing all the gearall the time (ATGATT). I never leave myhi-viz jacket at home – even though once,while wearing it, I had to slide and drift toavoid collision with an oblivious cardriver. Daytime, lights, high visibilityclothes and still nothing – the old lady didnot see me coming from 50 metersaway… My helmet is also always on – Idid not have the chance to really test it

yet, but that is quite alright. It does save my eyes and face against sharp insects on a daily basis, though. I recommend keeping your full-face helmets closed too – several times I saw red-hot cigarette butts flying right beside my face. Try to pay attention to these – they might get caught up by your clothing and things might get warm rather quickly. Besides that, I have read that 35% of all crashes show major impact on the chin-bar area – one more advantage of wearing full helmets.

All motorcycling gear protective benefits in a nutshell:

• Helmet – protects the head from concussions and the eyes/faces from object impact at 100+ km/h.

• Protective jacket – covers the neck, guards our shoulders, elbows and back. Reduces risk of skin abrasion and bruises to the minimum.

• Padded gloves – prevents road rash on the hands and keeps them warm!

• Reinforced pants – protects the knees and limits the likelihood of skin lacerations. Some even have soft pads in certain places for those ultra long tours!

• Motorcycle boots – allows us to forget about skin and, potentially, toe loss during an accident.

We are lucky to live in these times when protective motorcycle clothing is widely available, affordable and effective! While motorcycle airbags are still under development, it is us who have to take care of ourselves while on the road - our bikes are safety-free excitement machines, after all.. Yet Eleanor Everet has once delicately defined it: “For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind”.

References: “Effective strategies for motorcycle stops” by NHTSA, 2014“Motorcyclists, full-face helmets and neck injuries: can you take the helmet off safely, and if so, how?” by T.Branfoot, 1994