Hit By Car: Getting Back on the BikeHow to Ride Again After A Broken Neck
Joël and I are out for a road ride meandering along quaint and relaxing country roads. The cars that pass us are few and far between, and they move far over to the other side of the road, giving us ample room. But then we come up a busy road. Traffic is moving fast, car after car in both directions, traveling around 50 mph. We need ride only 25 yards down this road and turn left. There is a huge shoulder, and a turning lane where we go left. But as Joël tells me what we are doing and where we are turning my heart rate goes way up. I start breathing quickly and become extremely nervous. I tell myself I can do this; Joël will stay with me. As we move into the turning lane and traffic is passing me in both directions I have a bit of a panic attack. I'm hyperventilating, my heart is pumping, and I start to freak out telling Joël I can't be here. Too many cars, too much traffic; it brings back memories that I don't like. Luckily we can make the turn soon and we are back on a quiet road. After what happened 10 years ago I don't do well in traffic. Getting hit by a car sucked, and I don't want it to happen again.It was January 2008, I had just moved to Alabama, there for school. At the time I was a triathlete, my cycling occuring only on the road. It was a nice Sunday afternoon and I headed out for a ride, looking forward to exploring the roads of the new area I now lived in. Just outside of Auburn the rural roads were quiet and the southern drivers courteous and friendly. What a great place to live for awhile, perfect for triathlon training.
After riding solo for some time, I was heading back toward town and encountered another cyclist. After some friendly chit-chat I asked if I could tag along to learn the route. Sure was the reply. We rode along in single file and then came the car that changed it all.
What happened next I have no memory of, which is probably for the better. The details have been supplied to me by the other cyclist and other drivers who saw the accident happen. I was hit from behind. After impact I rolled onto the hood and windshield of the car and then flew through the air, finally landing on the pavement. Luckily the other cyclist was slightly more to the right of me and thus just got knocked off the road. The car that hit me was totaled; hood crumpled, windshield smashed. Yup, that's my claim to fame, my body totaled a Toyta Carolla. Makes me a feel a bit super-human. The driver, an elderly gentleman, said he just never saw us on the road; he never knew we were there.
An ambulance ride to the ER and after numerous diagnostics tests I had a fractured fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae with herniated discs, spinal cord compression, and lots of road rash all over. My bike looked like a pile of spaghetti. My helmet in pieces. My clothing ripped in numerous places. Bummer, I had just bought the jacket I was wearing a few days prior. During all of this, the emergency responders called my roommate, and she came to the hospital. The other cyclist came along also. My roommate called Joël, who was currently still living in the Caribbean, to tell him what happened. I was stable, being admitted for surgery the next day, and had friends there to help me out.
A plate and pins were used to stabilize the vertebral fractures and I spent a week in the hospital. For the first few days of my hospital stay I had to ask help to go to the bathroom and get changed, I couldn't bend over and I couldn't even pull down my own pants. Next time you sit on the toilet imagine having to ask for help to get there. I had to wear a neck brace, which I never wish on anyone, it was awkward and uncomfortable. Eating with it on was impossible, especially spaghetti. But, it wasn't all that bad. Friends and fellow students came to visit me. The hospital had internet, cable TV, and pretty good food.
Once discharged from the hospital, I was already starting to feel the jitters of not training for a week. I still had to wear the neck brace for another week and was told to try to stay quiet. I really hurt, so I didn't do much but I go for a walk with my dog and some light strength training and stretching of my lower body. I was picking glass out of my scalp for days. The pain meds had me feeling loopy and upset my stomach. My post-surgery instructions were that I could start swimming two weeks post-op, riding a stationary bike in four weeks, and running and riding outside in six weeks. Sure, mentally I was ready to get going ASAP, but physically it took time. I knew recovery would be tough but I had to get back on the bike.I was already signed up for spring races and for a half-ironman in Germany that summer and I was not going to let this incident hamper my racing. Just after I was back at home my mom came to visit and we drove to Atlanta to a triathlon-specific bike shop so that I could order a bike. I was still wearing the neck brace and had limited mobility but I didn't want to waste time. No riding outside for a few more weeks but I wanted to make sure I had a bike to get on when that time came around. I'm sure that bike shop hasn't sold many bikes to people who couldn't even ride it yet.
As soon as I was allowed to swim, bike, and run you can bet I was back to doing those things. I still remember my first time back in the pool. Turning my head to take a breath was excruciating and I could barely move my arms above my head. But I tried. Most of my workout was just floating and kicking, but I was back in the pool. My first stationary bike ride I had to sit practically upright, I couldn't bend to get down onto the bars. And the first run caused pain and tingling in my neck. I took things day by day, still training and pushing the limits but also listening to my body. Before I knew it was riding outside again (on my new bike of course), attending masters swim class, and running with my dog.
By the time the triathlon season rolled around I was back to training full time and felt no effects of the accident. I won my age group at my first race back, and continued to have a successful season, landing on the podium many times. Ironman 70.3 in Weisbaden went well, minimal lack of endurance due to losing much of my early season base training. The accident didn't slow me down, neither physically or mentally at races.
Fast forward to 2018, 10 years after the accident. No pain and no decreased range of motion at the surgery site. I do have some referred back issues but they are manageable. Massage, physical therapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, anti-inflammatories, and the occasional steroid injection and/or epidural injection keeps me going. The physical ramifications are miniscule, but the memories of the accident stay with me when riding on the road. I become uncomfortable when riding in high traffic situations. Maybe this is one of the reasons I was so drawn to mountain biking when Joël and I really got into it when he moved to the US. It has it's fair share of bruises and injuries but it's off the road and away from cars. Yes, I still road ride on a regular basis, but routes are picked carefully.
I often wonder why did all of this happen? Was it so that I would eventually gravitate towards mountain biking? Because I need a new triathlon bike? Or because my roommate and the guy I was riding with were meant to get together. Yup, that's right. They met that day in the hospital and are now married. I was a maid of honor at their wedding. Fate sometimes takes hold and things happen for a reason. But let's hope having a broken neck is something I never need as a reason for something else to occur again in the future.
- Jess