Oregon Dunes & Collarbone <snap!>

[thejeepdude]

Yup, awesome trip to Oregon dunes but i'll keep it short since i have only one hand. We stayed at Horsefall and explored all of the southern dunes that were accessible from there. It was the coolest place i've ever ridden!!! Friday night, puttin around on the beach in the dark, I carelessly blasted around a blind corner and sunk my rolled edge rim 2" into a log. I'll get pics l8r. Quad flipped 4-5 times side over side, bouncing off my head, at one point saw headlights coming toward me from above... we come to rest and reality sets in that i'm miles down the beach in the middle of nowhere and i'm about to pass out. Luckily my buddy came back, flipped my quad over and I knew he'd call 911 if I passed out again... which happened as i reached in with my right hand and felt the bone sticking out of my shoulder/neck. I knew that was just a panic attack, so i breathed calmly, hopped on my quad, rode back to camp and drove to the Coos Bay emergency room. They gave me a sling and some <strong!> meds, and told me to see a specialist when i got home. I'm supposed to do that tomorrow morning, and find out if I need surgery. Good news? the quad survived ok i think, other than a few minor things. and most importantly i'm thankful that i was wearing my helmet and am not in a coma or paralyzed. I also believe i will use my chest protector more religiously! Ride safe guys! You never know when the 'it won't happen to me' happens to you!

[CHAUNCY]

Glad you didnt get hurt too bad. Good thing you were wearing your helmet:) How long are you not suppoesed to ride for ?

[Narly R]

Man thats too bad! How long did you stay at the dunes? Hope you feel better!

[Adam202]

ive amazingly only had 1 crash, i flipped the 200sx back on a steep hill, it woulda landed on me [all 500+ pounds] but i jumped outta the way. ive been riding for like 6 years Quads and snowmobiling. i do drive crazy sometimes but i can do it and be safe, im glad your ok and hopefully youll get some vics as good as the ones im on now :eek2: .

[K2Snow]

You're lucky bro, I was out at the dunes about a week ago and I saw two kids take a bad wreck. one was on a dirtbike and the other was on a quad. The guy on the quad was following the kid on the bike, they missed a dropoff and both went nose first. Kid on the dirtbike was fine, kid on quad couldn't get up. I rushed over to help and the kid was screaming holding his neck. His collarbone was broken and sticking out of his neck, almost broke the skin. I chased after a hummer from one of the hummer tour's and got the rangers out to get him. Not cool.

[JUSTINcredible]

glad ur ok

shouldent ride alone tho, u just never know what could happen

[Bretmd94]

Ive rolled so many times on those dunes its scary. I rolled my old Raptor up Saunders Hill. But i have come away with no major injuries. Sand = no owies most of the time. Good place to practice shifting while doing a wheelie too. I got into 4th on the 400ex and had to bail off the back. If i was in dirt i would have been screwed up. In sand its not biggie at all.

BTW i have had a friend clip a log in the dark while in 5th pinned on his banshee. He had a scrape or two. And his bike landed on its wheels and almost went into the ocean but my freind in his truck got in its way. He might not have been wearing a helmet. Those loggers never listen. :rolleyes:

[thejeepdude]

so I went to the orthopedic specialist this morning... got same day referral to orthopedic surgeon. He recommended surgery, due to the fact my clavicle is in 4 pieces, and it got jammed into my deltoid and pectoral muscles. So, now I'm on the 'bump list' for surgery... they will call and give me a few hours notice to come in. I talked to the surgeon that's going to fix me up, and he sketched out a diagram of what he plans to do. Basically, line up the pieces and screw them together, then brace the whole thing with a plate across my clavicle. He said most people recover 100% with no side effects, though some take longer to heal than others. I'm hoping to be in good enough shape to still go to Pismo for Thanksgiving... I'm gonna win that sand rail! :p

P.S. Vicodin is my new best friend... but I still can't wait till this is all OVER!! :mad:

[anywhereEx]

Sorry to hear the bad luck.

Went riding this weekend and saw a guy on a RM250 wipe pretty bad and he neded up with a broken collar bone and 4 broken ribs. :(

[thejeepdude]

While I wake up this morning, I find myself contemplating the different persepectives of various people I've told about my crash. Several of them, including the first ortho specialist, asked if I was going to get rid of my quad now, and left me with the impression that they'd rather I be reading a book or watching TV instead of being outside enjoying the beauty of nature on an ATV. They say the risk is too high. They say it's not worth it. Well, to that I can only reply "how do you know without trying it?" The truth is, while having my collarbone sticking out of my neck sucks, and while being tied to the bed/couch for weeks sucks, the joy I get from riding far outweighhes the injury! I hope the commies that are trying to make ATV's illegal read this, and stop trying to protect us from a danger that we're already aware of, but we are willing to take the risk for to enjoy the rewards of riding. As for me... sell my quad? Hell no! I might just have to buy another one! I just can't wait to be healed up so that I can get back on and ride!!:D

[Adam202]

thats what i like to hear :D

[Pvt. Maggot]

sucks man :( i broke mine twice...they heal pretty quick but yours are a bit worse then mine were....a chest protecter prob wouldn't have helped...sorry to hear it hope ya heal quick

[thejeepdude]

The thought with the chest protector was that if the fracture was caused by my head being thrown to the side and jamming the edge of the helmet through my claivcle, the protector may have stopped it. However, the doctor said that this particular fracture may not have been helped by wearing the chest protector, as it was cause by extreme impact on the outside of my shoulder, exceeding the shattering point of my clavicle. That said, I will still give extra thought to wearing it 'just in case' on future rides.

[EvilJester400EX]

Originally posted by thejeepdude
I hope the commies that are trying to make ATV's illegal read this, and stop trying to protect us from a danger that we're already aware of, but we are willing to take the risk for to enjoy the rewards of riding.

Preach!