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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Steven on December 18, 2015, 03:26:18 PM
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I have got ( unconfirmed) information that Jason was knocked off his bike this morning. 3 broken ribs, a punctured lung, 2 broken vertebra in his neck and a broken collar bone. We will post more information when we have it but it would be great to set up a visit rota as he's likely to be in hospital over Christmas.
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Christ I hope your information exaggerated Steven! Keep us updated and we'll keep fingers crossed its less serious.
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Wow a little more serious than first reported.
All the best Jason
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Awful news! A visit rota is a great idea. Here's hoping for a speedy and full recovery.
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So sorry to here this news
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Not good !
My very best wishes go to Jason and his family. He was once a work colleague of mine, many years ago.
If I can be included on the visit rota I promise not to take a copy of Cycling Weekly with me. No doubt he is a bit 'disillusioned' with cycling at the moment.
If you do (can) read this Jase, stay cheerful, see you soon
Tim
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Get well soon Jason!
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Jason will be in the Heath Hospital up to Christmas, in the trauma ward which is 'A6 North'. I'm told he's sitting up and Ok for visitors between the hours of 2 and 4pm or 6 to 8pm everyday.
The nurse requested that visitors don't phone the ward, just turn up during times allocated.
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I'll pop over tonight
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Thanks for the update, Steve
Andy, I am sure you will anyway, but please send best wishes from the club
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I'll go at 6pm tomorrow..
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Ouch, Hope your on the mend and make a quick recovery.
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Just left the hospital, Jason in good spirits considering his injuries. These are pretty much as described. Probably the most limiting is the damage to neck vertebrae which means he's in a full cervical collar and will be in it for 3 months for physio and rehab. Apparently needing 5 people in order to stabilise his neck to take the collar off!
He was knocked off at the lights by Penhill Rd, he turned left to head towards Cathedral Rd and a transit van was throwing a u turn at the lights. Jason was trying to swerve and hit van with his left shoulder and most of the damage is on this side.
He's hoping to be out before Christmas depending on lung healing/breathing being OK and scan to assess vertebra damage.
He has his phone and wifi so you can contact him!
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Glad to hear Jason is in good spirits.
Still trying to fathom the accident from your post Andy, but sounds horrible.
All the best Jason and hope you have a strong and quick recovery.
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I've been to see Jason today and I can report the trademark smile is still there! He has a full collar and neck support on which does make him look a bit like a stormtrooper from Star Wars. The collar will stay on for 3 months but hopefully he may be out for Christmas. The accident was caused when a van driver, following his sat nav pulled out in front of him to do a U-turn at a set of lights! Hopefully, if his Go Pro is intact, it will have captured everything. He said he got over 150 emails and texts and is happy to see any visitors...
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Just to let you all know, Jason has left the Heath. Good to hear that although I went to visit him at the hospital tonight and found he'd left about 30 minutes before I arrived!
Jason I've a got a cycling mag with a very relevant article for you mate, which I can pop in if you give me your address.
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Tough cookie!
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Hi Everyone,
Thank you very much for all your messages, emails, texts, visits and thoughts ~ It's greatly appreciated.
Things escalated quickly yesterday from in the AM being informed I might be home Tuesday/Wednesday and then by 17:30 being told I can be discharged and had visits from pharmacy etc, so a mad rush to arrange collection from the hospital.
I had received an iPad earlier that day as it's very hard to operate a mobile device in this condition, so I had not yet been on the internet except for picking up emails/text on the phone ~ As such I am very sorry that I missed Steve yesterday evening, thank you so much for coming to the hospital to see me.
It would seem that the staff and other patients on the spinal unit are surprised at how I'm coping and how mobile I am so soon after the accident, essentially I am classed as having a broken neck so it will be good to be home for christmas and not stuck in hospital (although I could really do with one of those electric beds right now ;D ).
So a quick run down is that the impact was at such a force, the force of the impact travelled through my body breaking bones as it dissipated, consistent with an extreme act of violence they say.
Pretty much covered by the other posts but; Fractured Collar Bone (which may need an op at a later date) and broken the top three ribs on my left side, broken chest plate, broken top rib right side, a type of puncture to the lung and three vertebrae in my neck and back with a 3 month spinal therapy recovery plan.
Again, thank you for all the messages and sorry if I've not got back to everyone as the internet based ones were a struggle.
By the way, Harpo dropped off a very nice book for me to make my way through in hospital (The World of Cycling According to G).... who knew he could read ;) ;D
Merry Christmas Everyone
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Great to hear you are home. Give me a shout if you want the turbo set up in January!
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Good news that you are home, at least you can now rest when you want to, I will not mention the tea, once you start liking the tea, it's time to go home The main chat at Physiques last Sunday was all about you and your accident, no Lycra or aero socks mentioned at all. Just rest and do the physio and we will see you in the New year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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Sounds painful :o, Take it easy and don't rush things. Good to hear your leaving hospital and you can get back on your vegan diet.
How did the bike cope after that impact? I hope the Van driver is insured and taking all the blame :-\
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Great to hear you are out Jason. I hope Harpo let's you keep th e book long enough for you to read it !
I had planned to visit this afternoon and went out this morning to get you the Christmas edition of Private Eye. Cruel I know since you have broken ribs and it should make you laugh. I will just have to read it myself now !
Have the best Christmas under the circumstances and we look forward to seeing you in club in the new year
Tim
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Sorry bout all the questions Jason, but I was wondering if you knocked your head at all? I was surprised such a heavy collision occurred within residential 30mph streets and its got me reconsidering my own personal helmet wearing policy - basically I wear one for all my training and weekend rides but not for my short commute on folding bike entirely through residential and commercial streets of cardiff. I had convinced myself that everything is moving so slowly (including me) that the benefits and comfort of a warm hat were preferable to a hard shell. I'm in my work suit and going for the 'hello motorists I am a vulnerable human being on a bike approach...please give me space'...not sure that would have done any good with your distracted van driver! It seems so wrong we have to protect ourselves against other road users with helmets, cameras etc
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It's a very personal issue but I would not ride to the corner shop without a helmet. I lost a friend who was 18 when a bus nudged him and he hit his head on the kerb. Jason is one of our most considered riders and he was riding a route he does daily and he would know the hazards. It just demonstrates what we all know, that accidents will happen...
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To many big words for me!;) was amazed by how many calories your body uses when repairing itself, so get munching!!
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Pleased but not surprised to see you're home Jason(I know what a toughie you are!).A minor point-if you have insurance with the CTC(and possibly others)you are(or were at least)entitled to a cash payment-not huge-for each day you were in hospital-irrespective of any fault etc.
Hope you continue to surprise the Doctors!
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Hope you get well soon buddy
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Thanks everyone and that's good to know Tom.
Rob, the main impact was taken by my right side but my head did hit the van, not too hard from what I recall but it was so fast and violent it's hard to tell.
I'll have to check the helmet when I can (although it'll be replaced) for damage, the blow to the head was strong enough to give me a bruise around my left eye similar to a light shadow..... I lost a fair bit of hearing in my right ear, that seems to have returned but it went again yesterday for a short period (similar to when your ears pop so it might not be related).
I should have replaced the helmet a few years ago as it's now had a second impact, the first impact wasn't that heavy but it did save my head from taking a fair old smack and a slide along the road.
Helmets, I don't like them but I wear them and they have saved me from a couple of bumps, slides and road rash to the head.
On average my annual mileage can be pretty evenly split between commutes and all other rides, I have a camera because of the commutes as I find the majority of incidents/crazy fools happen in and around Cardiff (especially as the nights draw in).
So I suggest that I'm more at risk for 40+ miles per week of commuting around Cardiff, 90+ total for the week than a Sunday 90 mile solo ride.
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Jason, Glad to learn you are out of the hospital, get well soon and sure you will be back on the bike in the new year. All the best.
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Glad to hear your home, hopefully you'll have a speedy recovery.
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Jason - what's the news with your physio treatment - heard NHS are procrastinating?
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First appointment with the trauma clinic was last tuesday, due to the severity of the injuries they couldn't do anything and booked the next appointment for the end of January (last tuesday of the month I believe).
I have an appointment booked with the spinal consultant this thursday so we will have to see what this one says.
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Jason
Good luck mate. Don't rush it. You will be using a lot of energy just getting your body back together so don't worry about keeping fit. It is a bonus in your recovery that you were so fit from your cycling that you were so resilient.
Just do as your told for a change and listen to the medics !
I assume you have a Kindle. Give it a hammering
Cheers
Tim
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Jason
Let us have an update mate !
I am sure you have on social media but we don' t all do that.
Cheers and I hope you are cheerful
Tim
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Hi Tim,
Not much going on at the moment, x-rays were taken for the spinal consultant the week before last and he reported that everything is looking good and appears to be healing very well (I will be back this thursday for more of the same).
I also have an appointment with the collarbone consultant next Tuesday, hoping for good news and hope they don't have to operate as it will put my recovery back even further (x-rays will tell if everything is aligned correctly).
Still waiting for all the bruising to go from my body and legs but it's approx. 80% cleared and not much purple left :)
One thing that is noticeable is the pain across my sternum break when I sneeze or cough.
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Good news Jason - what's that 3 or 4 weeks now - you're a pretty good healer but sorry to hear the chest plate is still painful - best avoid colds and just exercise by laughing - reading recent posts of club runs should help with that, the calamity level remains high!
Keep the updates coming, let us know if you need any more reading material - I'm sure some of us can drop by with books, mags etc.
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Five weeks this Friday so doing pretty well, 15 minutes with the specialist turned in to a four hour round trip last time due to staff shortages ~ I hope tomorrow will not be that long.
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More x-rays yesterday and booked back in for two weeks time for more of the same.
The good news, healing extremely well and they've removed the body brace from the collar as it's no longer required, so I was sent home in just the neck brace :)
I will be able to remove the collar when I'm at home to get the neck working again, it's rather painful looking left and right but I guess that's what happens when can't move your head for five weeks.
Ribs and sternum seem to be healing Ok, no concerns there so I've not needed to flag these with the hospital.
I'll give an update when I have more on the collarbone which should be Tuesday as that still gives the most amount of pain/discomfort, having said that I'm still bruised so that could also be playing a part in it.
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Glad to hear you're on the mend!
How long before you can get back on a bike? :D
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I'm thinking a week or so and I'll try the indoor trainer, hopefully it should be Ok.
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Andy's was the question I'm sure everyone wanted to ask but weren't brave enough for fear of answer...that's a super positive answer though Jason!
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That's a great place to start, a controlled environment and you can stop at any time. I did a session every day, although the first one was only 3 minutes!
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Bet you feel like a free man without the brace ;)
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As above, great to hear your positive about it and take it easy to start.
You're welcome to sit on my wheel, when you start back, like the old days!
;D ;D ;D
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That's good news..you must be itching to get back on the bike....
Will there be a claim against the van driver?
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Definitely, letting the British Cycling Legal Team (Leigh Day) handle it all, I think it will be a lengthy process.
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Morning Jason,sorry to be a bossy medic,but..
Don't rush things,follow the advice of your medical team,but above all don't despair if it seems to be a never ending struggle,you were fit and will be again eventually.
No going out on the road until safe with regard to refracture risk to your neck
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Certainly no road Andy :)
I would have thought another 8 weeks (thinking about it) before I'm on the road and that is if everything is healing correctly, seems a long way off :(
At least I'm not missing out on the best weather of the year.
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Update; I met with the collarbone consultant yesterday morning and a case manager (provided through the legal team) yesterday afternoon.
The collarbone is aligned correctly and he referred me to the physio team (Heath) who have referred me to physio department (Cwm Taf), so I will have to wait and hear from them before I start the physio treatment. He has suggested that if everything continues along this path then I should be back out on the road during the end of march, this is just for the collarbone so I hope that my spine/neck will fall inline and have healed before the end on march.... I'll be meeting with the spinal consultant next thursday.
So things are progressing very well considering the extent of the injuries.
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All going in the right direction - great news!
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Good to hear
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Good news, I've got a PDF somewhere with the workouts I did on the turbo when I did my arm in. They were quite good once it was out of the sling as the warm ups were varied and there were intervals that were out of the saddle, helped to build a bit of strength in my arms when I was ready to put weight on them again. I had to get one of those saddle cushions things from the Tesco cycling isle as my arse quickly regressed back to civilian life and couldn't handle long sessions in the saddle! It was a good day when I threw that in the bin.
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Hello Jason - weather is at last picking up - hope you're still recovering strongly - how long before you might venture out? Your last update suggested another month...
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Glad to hear things going in the right direction Jason. Sounds like your first ride back isn't too far off, on the turbo at least. Before you know it you'll be back on the road, which will fit in nicely with increasing daylight (I've no great expectations of the weather!). And the Paris-Nice and Spring Classics are just around the corner to whet your appetite. Look forward to seeing you back in the saddle.
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Had an exchange of emails today. Intensive rehabilitation from March 21st and hopefully back with us in late May - can't wait !
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This shows how long I've been off forum. I'm glad your recovery is progressing Jason take it slowly, old toe strap was wrong, the weather isn't improving.
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Thanks all.
Toestrap: If I get given the Ok by the consultant for rehab then I hope to venture out end of march or the start of april for a little local loop, that will let me know how bad my legs will be after 4 months off.
Allan: It's a good week on Eurosport, the classics have started with track cycling most of the week.
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Good Evening all
Glad that Jason has made a full recovery and is back to hurting everyone (in a good way) on any given Sunday.
Unfortunately two other cyclists from another local club, Pontyclun Flyers were involved in an accident last night going through Pencoed on a gentle evening amble, (from their facebook page see below)
Its massively disappointing to see so many similar incidents, Jason, I relayed your good experience with the folks from BC. You would think with the increased number of cyclists on the road that motorists would take more care and consideration, I suppose this is just wishful thinking.
Safe riding all.
Pontyclun Flyers Facebook post
Some of you may be aware of a road traffic incident a number of us were involved with last night. A car struck Gareth Lambert and Charles Grandfield.
Charles left hospital last night with a broken arm and significant cuts and grazes. Below is an up date from Clare re Gareth:
Thank you all for your concern for G. He def lost the argument with the Clio. Is mourning the loss of bike and clothing but he is ok. Will be in hosp for at least a few days due to collapsed lung but apart from that no internal injuries. He does have 5 broke ribs, and a number of cranial and facial fractures. Think those are the most concerning for docs. It has also given him two wicked black eyes! Heading in to see him in a while ago I will keep you posted. Better dust off my nurses gear... Xx
I'm sure you'll wish Charles and Gareth a full and speedy recovery.
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Not good to hear.
Charles has been to a couple of our mid weeks.
Wishing them both a speedy recovery