<p>I brought my son home from the hospital last night. He was in a very bad bicycle accident on Sunday morning. We don’t know exactly what happened, but apparently my 17 yo son, on his way to meet a friend to go for a bike ride, applied the brakes incorrectly and flipped his bike on a downhill approach to a stop sign on our own street about 1000 feet from our house. The police tell me that there was a <strong><em>fifteen foot</em></strong> skid mark left by his helmet. </p>
<p>He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital, where he told the ER staff he was in France – as opposed to any town in our local Connecticut area. </p>
<p>(Since he returned from his year abroad just two months ago, it wasn’t the strangest thing I could imagine – but the ER staff didn’t know anything about that at the time!) </p>
<p>After multiple CT scans and X-rays, nothing is broken except a chipped tooth. He is very badly banged up on the face – about 40 stitches total and a lot of road rash. </p>
<p>Every doctor I met told me his helmet saved his life. </p>
<p>Please please please – make your kids wear their helmets. One thing I’ve said that apparently made an impact was “If you think your hair is more important than what’s under it, you are probably right.” It’s one way of calling them stupid for NOT wearing the helmet that they understand. </p>
<p>The other thing to stress to your kids – and us too – is DO NOT LOCK YOUR CELL PHONE. He did not have any ID on him, but he did have his cell. But it was LOCKED so the neighbors (who couldn’t visually ID him due to the helmet and the facial damage) couldn’t ID him from the phone, and couldn’t call me to tell me either. When someone finally had the presence of mind to ask him his name – well everyone knew who he was! And came flying up the street to get me.</p>
<p>I am glad everything will be okay. Any accident involving our kids is a parent’s worst nightmare. Thanks for the helmet reminder. I hope your son has a speedy recovery.</p>
<p>So happy that your son is okay. My kids must wear helmets! Most kids in my area no longer wear them. Families have gotten much too lax about it.</p>
<p>I am so happy that your son is all right! What a terrifying incident. I agree about the bike helmets. I see way too many kids riding without them.</p>
<p>Trouble is my ‘kid’ is a 19 year old college student so I can only hope she uses her brains to keep her brain intact and wears her helmet however ‘uncool’ she looks - especially with the way some kids drive on campus.</p>
<p>My son didn’t wear a helmet skiing until he had a near-miss. Lots of stitches and lots of blood and a broken collarbone but no brain injury, thank God.
Bikes are the same thing. Wear one. THe real bike people do!</p>
<p>Your comment about the hair is similar to a slogan I’ve heard in relation to bike helmets - if you don’t need your head, you don’t need a helmet.</p>
<p>Wow cnp55. I’m glad he’s making it through this literal scrape. He should hang on to that helmet as a savior and reminder.</p>
<p>I went biking near here and didn’t wear a helmet since it was just fairly flat and sedate (not a valid excuse). But then I decided to come home a back way I hadn’t been before that was a steep mountain trail with boulders, rocks, and loose scrabble. I realized how dumb it was not to wear my helmet since it would have been very easy to fall onto boulders or over the edge. I rode extra carefully the rest of the way home and was glad when I was on the easy flats again.</p>
<p>I used to ride a lot (my best year was 4,000 miles). My old helmet has a big crack in it. The newer one doesn’t. You’re an idiot if you ride a bike without a helmet. (In fact, my last motorcycle helmet has a big scuff on the side due to a bad combination of a fast dirt bike, a dry wash, and a patch of loose sand.)</p>
<p>I am extremely pleased to hear that your son is going to recover. That’s really scary.</p>
<p>cnp, thank you for posting this! I’m so glad your son is going to be OK. What a scary situation to be in.
My H’s former boss owes his life to his bike helmet. Yes, those helmets do save lives.</p>
<p>So glad your son is okay … and that he was wise enough to wear his helmet.</p>
<p>My D wanted to go helmet-less when snowboarding a couple years ago. I put my foot down & said absolutely not. That winter, a snowboarder fell & died on a local hill where S boards. This past winter, another young snowboarder died on another local hill where S boards. Neither young man was wearing a helmet. Late in the season this year, I overheard S’s friend saying that he (the friend) doesn’t need to wear a helmet because he is “too good to fall.” S told him that he wears his “because I like my brain the way it is.” Whew … between mom & tragic reality, he finally figured it out.</p>
<p>I am so glad that your son is alive and in remarkably good shape despite his accident.</p>
<p>A few months ago, the young adult only child of one of my kids’ teachers, a widower, died in a bicycle accident. Sadly, his death was avoidable: He wasn’t wearing a helmet. He also didn’t follow traffic rules.</p>
<p>Because your son seems to have suffered a closed head injury, it would be important for you to find out about some difficulties that can occur months after the injury. Sometimes personality changes --such as anger problems or flatness of emotion – occur. Mentioning this in case your son’s personality or behavior changes months after the accident. If there are such changes, do have him seen by a doctor who is familiar with the difficulties that sometimes arise after closed head injuries.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, my thoughts are with you and your son, and I hope he recovers quickly and completely.</p>
<p>I am so glad your son is okay.
My kids have been good about wearing a helmet but my 14 yr old has been giving me trouble about wearing one to ride to a friend 2 minutes from home. She also doesn’t think she needs one on the skateboard. She would rather walk versus wear a helmet.
What I find disturbing is the trend I am seeing of kids with the helmet on but not strapped or the helmet hanging on the handlebars. Obviously Mom insists but the kid removes it.</p>
<p>Wow, your son must have been doing some crazy bike riding. There’s no way my casual bike rides along the side walks in my neighborhood could end like that!</p>
<p>I just treated myself to a new bike- the '70’s 3 speed was… The dealer emphasized that the left hand controls the front brake and one could flip over when stopping unless the rear brake is also used (ie use both hands/brakes)- the manual says the same thing. Remember to replace any damaged helmets, once cracked it won’t do its job. How scary, what a relief.</p>
<p>So glad your son is ok-- and thank you for posting this thread. As one who specializes in the treatment of head injury and brain injury, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of helmets! Wishing your s a speedy recovery.</p>