May 7th 2003

My name is Chris Young and I live in Auburn, Alabama. I have been riding motorcycles for almost 19 years. Sport bikes for just over 10 years, I have been on the track at Roebling Road, GA. with both of my bikes, CBR900rr and the TL-R. I consider myself a good rider with a good head on my shoulders. I have wrecked many times, well maybe three or four, two times with full gear and two times without. The time I went down in 1992, and I was new to sport bikes and had no gear and someone wrecked me then took off to leave me. Luckily, many people stopped and took me home with a broken ankle and a little road rash, no hospital. Now for my new wreck and story that will hopefully make many of you think before going for a ride.

I had been to talk with a friend briefly after midnight that evening. I was getting gas in my Montero-Sport. And after filling up, I had realized that I left my money at home. So I exchanged my cell phone to the cashier for minutes for me to leave and go home to get some money for the store. While at home, I thought about how nice the evening was and figured I would ride the bike to pay the gas station. (In shorts and t-shirt!!!) I made it to pay the lady but never made it home. Well, not until 26 days later. The cause of the wreck is still a blur to me, but not the crash and the aftermath.

I think I was traveling around 100 mph on the interstate, because I told the police I was doing 70 - 90 mph to make it sound better, but you know how us "BAD SPORT BIKER'S" are, and had only passed two vehicles, one car and one trucker. The trucker did notice my high rate of speed, according to the police report and he was also the one who saved me. He was the one who stopped and pulled over to help, actually, he stopped his rig in the middle of the interstate. Most people get run over on the interstate late at night while lying on the dotted white line. Like I said, I remember sliding and rolling and tumbling and flipping down the highway on my SKIN!!! But not the cause, I slid 300 feet, while the bike kept going to the 600-foot mark. I joke about Bo Jackson, (I am in Auburn, War Eagle!) running the 100 yard dash and lots of other track stars running the 100 yards in just a matter of seconds, but I SPANKED all of them on my back. Believe me, I do not take any of this lightly. This experience has changed my life. While I was in the ER, My blood pressure got down to 60/30, average is 120/80, and I was put on lots of pain meds that night and they continued for almost 3 weeks. I shook like crazy all the time for three weeks, some from pain of my skin and some because coming off the pain meds towards the end. I had 600 cubic centimeters of skin grafts, taken from my left thigh and a broken collarbone. 25 days in the hospital and 7 surgeries. Most of the surgeries were to change the dressings on my arms and legs. Due to the pain of the cleaning of my skin, I had to be put to sleep. One surgery was to cut away the dead skin, and one more was to graft and the last one was too take all the staples out of the grafted skin. My collarbone was never really looked at, it is healing ok, I guess. They wanted to fix my skin before they could do anything to my collarbone.

I know what I did wrong that night. It is not the motorcycle's fault!!! I got complacent and "IRRESPONSIBLE". Never ride with out leathers, especially while trying to break some kind of speed record at night on the "PUBLIC HIGHWAYS".

Hospital bill has been totaled to $45,892.66, (Maybe More) I did have insurance, but wearing leathers would have been a lot better and cheaper.

Keep my accident in your mind so everyone will wear their protective gear, and save the big speed for the track. Many people all over the world have emailed me and told me that I have helped them change their mind about leathers, that's my main goal, always ride prepared, we never know what may happen to us, even if I was the one acting irresponsible.

Thanks to everyone who visited me and called, and certainly the prayers from everyone. I could not have made it with out you.

These wheelie pictures are from a few years ago, SEE I AM WEARING LEATHERS!
I wrecked the TL-R on may 7th and sold the CBR a few years ago.

May 7th 2003 @ 1:00AM

After my first surgery, but before my first dressing change by the nurses. I look dead here.

This is during my first dressing change, less than 24 hours after accident. Later, that dark stuff will be cut off, it is dead skin and highway burn.

The four above pictures are of the day before I got out of the hospital. Notice the checker board looking skin. That is the skin grafts from my right thigh. A few dissolvable stitches and staples held the skin in place for about 5 days. Here the skin can almost be pealed off or flakes off a little by itself. Click on the Picture for a larger view.

This is the day I was released, 5-31-03, (25 days after wreck) with the shoe on that I was wearing at the time of the accident. Adidas saved my feet. I sent the shoe back to Adidas with this picture and the story of the shoe's helping my feet, THEY SENT ME TWO NEW PAIR!!!! Great Company!!!! The scab looking stuff is the skin grafts trying to heal. You will see below that the scabs are now gone, but some grafts remain.

6-16-03
Right leg. Remember the picture above, with my shoe on? Two weeks later is this picture. The red area on my thigh is not grafted.

8-19-03
Still trying to heal, and still hurts a little on the hands and knees and shoulders. Feels like a bad sunburn that will not go away. redness should go away, and I hope the puffiness will go, even wearing burn garments and knee pads.

6-16-03
This is the arm with the broken collar bone, the worst arm and shoulder. EMT guys on the scene that night, told me that they could see my tendons moving around when I tried to move my shoulder on the interstate. Notice the hand as well, it is the same hand that was twice that size in the bed the day after the wreck.

8-19-03
Same arm and shoulder as above, but different angle, making it appear the be my left arm, like below, but it is my right, like above.

8-19-03
Still red, but not as bad. Like the other picture, this mirror image is just reversed, and it is my left arm and shoulder like the above picture, not the right arm. Sorry about the dirty mirror.

6-16-03
My back and stomach did not need any skin grafts, just three time a day changing and cleaning from the nurses. My shoulder blade is chipped as well, I believe. It pokes out in one area and doesn't on the other shoulder.

8-19-03
Dirty mirror again, but my back looks very good, remember no skin grafts were done on my back. Picture is also reversed.

(I am posting all letters, not just the nice one's. People need to learn from my mistake, SPEED ON PUBLIC ROADS and NOT WEARING MY LEATHERS)

Hey man,
I don't know what to say! I just was simply searching for Hayabusa 2008 photos in google when I noticed some strange images of burned skin which led me to your comprehensive report of your terrifying and unfortunate incident. I have a Suzuki Hayabusa for almost 2 years now which is my first bike by the way!! I'm a motorhead man so I got used to its power and behavior fast. I live in United arab emirates-Dubai that is very hot and humid during the summer-7 months a year between 40C to 50C. I'm a big Bike enthusiast and ride all summer long. Now here is the point: In hot summer I used to ride without any gear just a helmet and a t-shirt and jeans and somehow I've been lucky to be blessed so far! After going through what happened to you, I'm sure there won't be a single day that I go for a ride without gear. Period.

Thank you very much as you might have saved my skin that one day would get peeled off!
Now, click on the link below and watch me being stupid!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIICUbHSq9k
Well done for all you've done to warn others.
Salute

Hi Chis,

I found your website when doing a search on 'healed skin graphs'. I have a similar story, on 9/2/07 I wiped out my Ducati Monster, and slid 220 ft. I was wearing jeans and a summer riding jacket, though, but also suffered 2nd degree burns as my bike caught on fire during the crash, and sprayed gas on my lower legs and set them on fire as well.
Pics are at www.dropshots.com/l2fly

Anyway, I was wondering how skin graphs heal? How bad is this really going to look? See, I'm female... a few scars don't bother me, but they took skin from my entire left thigh, and part of my right, to graph over my right shoulder and lower legs... are my days of shorts & skirts without nylons pretty much done?

Hope I'm not bothering you with my questions... I figured, no one better to ask than someone who has been there!

Thanks!

~DJ

Thanks for posting your experiences, you made a mistake and paid the price, but more than that you are trying to make something positive out of a very negative incident. If just one person gets saved by reading your site then it would have accomplished something amazing. As to those who post "could not have been doing 100mph" what the blazes does it matter, Chris is trying to show that by not wearing the proper safety gear you get hurt bad, that goes whether its 20mph or 120mph.

As a big person, I currently don't wear leather trousers, but I do wear a properly designed motorcycle armored jacket and gloves, as well as strong boots, getting leathers if your not the normal shape is a right pain, but having seen this website I'm guessing not as much pain as not wearing them!

Here's Hoping your recovery is full and that you can achieve whatever goals you set yourself.

I've just read your page and was amazed at your luck that night and your positive attitude since. Well done for putting this out there on the web to try and educate others, though some it seems will never get the message.

For those that doubt your speed that night because of your 'lack' of injuries, I can only say that they obviously have never had experience of motorcycle wrecks at 'any' speed! I ride a motorcycle (cruiser) and luckily have not had an accident since I was learning (more years ago than I care to remember), but my first crash happened when I was doing only 20mph down a country lane with no protective gear, just jeans and a thin jacket. The road rash on my knees and arms lasted months and was incredibly painful, and that was from only a very short distance kissing the tarmac cos I tumbled off the road and into the woods! My ex-husband was also a biker and has had two accidents. The first happened when he was doing about 40mph and a bus pulled out in front of him at the brow of a hill. He slammed straight into the side with no time to break and although the bike was a write-off, he walked away with only a broken collar bone and sprained muscles. His second happened when he was doing less than 10mph while white-lining. A car turned out in front of him and he hit the side of the car and flew over the handlebars (again). This time he didn't walk away so easily. He had numerous cuts and bruises and several broken bones (despite wearing the right gear). He still has the scar on his face, 15 years later, from where he hit his screen on the way over it which sliced his nose and forehead open. His visor was open at the time. This just proves that speed is not relative to the severity of injuries received, it's all in the luck of the draw!

These doubters are also missing the whole point of your story. It's not about what speed you were doing, what speed is safe or not, or indeed being after sympathy, it's all about wearing the right gear.

I'm 21 and getting ready to buy my first street bike. I wasn't even thinking of getting leathers but now after reading your story I'm going to check out some prices right after I send this. Hope you're all healed up now. Hope you're still riding too.

Thanks for trying to do what you are. I have been riding for about 20 years, I have to make some comments myself and hope through your site it reaches out to others.

Gear is great, wear it all the time but Training is another important tool that not many people get. I have read some comments from people and one specifically... There is a guy saying he is getting a Hyabusa for his first street bike. Someone needs to mentor that fellow and show him the error of his ways. There is no way in hell that someone needs more than a 500cc bike for a first ride. I just don't understand why folks go out and get the biggest bike for a first bike. Even cruiser riders need to get smaller bikes so they can pick the things up when they tip over.

I commend you for getting this out there, I see too many people riding around in shorts and t-shirts and no gloves. It boggles my mind. I ride dirt, on the street and I even road race I ALWAYS wear the gear.

You have done a great service my man. If you have changed one persons mind it is all worth it and it looks like you have done more than that.

Mechanism of injury is s freak thing. Sure this SHOULD have been A LOT worse. Thankfully something happened and Chris was able to slow down and not hit anything.

I had a similar accident at about 65, I was wearing gear and got some rash to my knees, shoulders and hands. I tumbled 280ft according to police but I didn't hit anything and I must have rolled just right. I got up and walked away. Everyone was amazed I wasn't worse, including myself.

I have seen worse wrecks with less damage and wrecks that are not so bad with worse consequences (Paramedic).

Chris,

Thank you for your page, story and graphic pictures. I’m one who doesn’t get some of the negative posts. Obviously you had a wreck. Some of those negative mails almost indicate you could NOT have been going 100mph. Actually if you were going say 30mph or 45mph the story would have even MORE impact to the public as pretty much everyone has ridden at those speeds. As it is, with you stating you were probably going 100mph, your story potentially might not have as much impact on riders who ride the speed limits (or close to them) with thoughts going through their heads of “I don’t ride that fast and should be OK without leathers”. Actually, having what happened to you at 30mph would be a real eye-awakening for more people to show how much damage can be caused at a slower impact. So I’m not sure as to why people think you are being dishonest stating you were going the speed you were going. I don’t think there is much ‘bragging’ going on with it. Foolishness and bad risk taking is what I got out of your story and pictures

I’m a Harley Rider and saw the link to your site on a Harley discussion forum and had to check it out. I’m probably one of the slower riders out there who had my ‘thrills’ in sports cars back in my youth and don’t have much ‘need for speed’ so to speak. I’ve seen enough of the sport touring bikes, the sport bikes and super-sport bikes with the riders wearing tanks, shorts and usually tennis-shoes (unless it is COLD outside). Here in the great northwest lots of fun roads to ride on with twisties and banked curves to give almost any type of rider a ‘thrill’ depending on the speed one wants to traverse thru them with. As you have found out … RISK is everything…Risk of Riding Gear, Risk of Speed and Risk Of Time Of Day. It depends on how much risk one wants to take and with risk consequences can soon follow. Just because one can get away with riding 100 times with shorts and a t-shirt or riding like an idiot on the roads doesn’t mean the next 100 times you do it will be as successful as the first 100 times. How complacent we become when we do something for the first time and we ‘get away with it’. After the 10^th time it somehow becomes ‘normal’. I often used to see a particular rider on the major highway here doing 80+ in the opposite direction standing on his seat and looking as if he is being crucified on a cross. I used to see him up to 3x a week for a period of about 6months. All of a sudden I stopped seeing him. It has now been about 2 years since I saw him last. I get the feeling he actually has a feeling now of what it would be like to be crucified. Hard to tell if he had a serious bike injury or even died as there are so many Sport bike accidents here in the northwest but with the risks he took …. I think something serious happened to him.

I understand your point of riding without proper gear. Whether it be 30mph to 60mph to 160mph. I think the point is well taken. Often times we only make changes in our riding styles if something happens to someone close to us and we can see first-hand what tolls it takes on a body. Your website serves as a 1^st hand experience as to what can happen to someone out on the road. Not only does it provide a means of making people think about the gear they are choosing to ride with, but also the risks out on the road. Whether it be oil slicks you hit at high rates of speed… or picking up debris in your tire… or even possibly mechanical failure causing the bike to lock up. The site provides a 1^st hand perspective as to what you had to endure and cautions all of us to think about what we do when we sit back in the saddle and ride. I take my kids on the back of my bike. They have leather jackets, helmets and gloves. They don’t have chaps or leather pants. I would feel terrible for them to ride and we happen to have an accident and to see the damage on their legs due to my own stupidity of not ensuring they each wear leather pants/chaps. So even with me, who has been wearing leathers when riding, I’ve learned something from this site and will ensure my kids are as protected as can be while out cruising with me.

Thank you so much again for the site and from what I’ve read … you have helped people change their riding habits (speed and gear), including mine, and hopefully helped many who haven’t written to 2^nd guess bad decisions while riding.

Peace to you and yours,

Jeff (May ’07)

I would like to thank you for your page because it has really helped me. I have a 2002 TLR and it is also yellow and black like yours. I use to do up to 185mp/h in jeans and a t shirt but that is over now. We’ve only had the bike for about 5 months and it is the first super bike that I have ridden. Thanks for the great content
Benito

Hey Chris,
I have a life changing story that happened 9 days after your horrific night. I was out for a ride on my '97 YZFZ600R, it was about 7:30pm. I had on my riding helmet, jacket and gloves with some blue jeans. Just cruising along at approx. 50mph when out of this side road comes an '88 Honda Civic Wagon doing 90+(according to the CHP report) At a "T" intersection he skid 150ft to the stop sign 50ft past the stop sign and into my left side. My body crushed his windshield and hood, my bike flipped a few times straight up in the air. After we skid a few more feet the car hit the curb, my body flew 5ft off the hood head first into a cinder-block wall. I laid there 45min unable to move, while he was to drunk to get out of his car. When the paramedics had finally shown up i was blacking in and out of consciences. I was in a coma for 7days, I broke my left leg in two places, left arm in two places, hip in for places shattered the left side of my face (cheek bone, eye socket, etc..) Had a skull fracture. After 5 weeks and 7 surgeries i made it home. Rehabbed for 10 months. All the while, being drug in and out of court. In the end I'm about 90% ok, and he got a DUI!!! ( 60yr old, retired professor at a major university) I never wanted to wear full leathers just a jacket and gloves, but i learned first hand you need the protection, safety first!!! Thank god for helmets that's the second time a helmet has saved my life! Thanks for your time, Jimmy-, California

Hi Chris,
I am a Road Safety Officer from London and feel like I should join the queue in congratulating you (a) in your remarkable recovery and (b) in your brave decision to try to help others. In the last 18 months I have spent a lot of time working with young riders (16-19 yrs) who are riding Mopeds and Scooters badly and have had loads of crashes, some of them fatal. I know that you ride bigger bikes (faster) but at least you had some decent clothing. Our lads wear 'shorts t-shirts and flip flops' as a regular occurrence and many don't even buy a pair of gloves because they don't HAVE to! It is also seen to be cool NOT to do their helmets up! I know you were riding really fast when you crashed but I'd like to tell your story to demonstrate 2 things. Firstly, crashes always happen when you are not expecting them, and secondly the need to wear decent clothing, just in case it does go wrong. I do school talks to around 3,000 youngsters a year and am in the process of doing some posters and writing a workbook, I'd really like to use some of your photos. Please let me know if that is OK, good luck with your recovery and keep up the good work.
Elaine

Chris,
Well I happened across your site from GSXR.com. I recently bought a GSXR 750, my first street bike. I know its a rather large bike to start on so I am selling it already for a 600. I just got my license and I signed up for the CHP Motorcycle Safety Course. Your site just re-assured to me that I need to wear full protective gear. Regardless of what rational I was using, mainly just saying to myself, I wont need to today I'm just riding in the city, or I'm just going to a friends house a couple miles away. From now on I'm riding in my jeans and my armored leather jacket. Never again will I ride in shorts and a t-shirt. I hope you are doing well and I hope you are on a speedy road to recovery. I also hope this hasn't put a damper on your want to ride. Hope this letter reaches you well. Later - Dan

Hi Chris,
I'm sorry to hear/see about your accident. well by now maybe your all healed up and feeling much better, I hope. I'm glad i stumbled onto your website and read your story. I'm currently rebuilding a 1995 CBR900RR... it too was previously wrecked. I definitely will be wearing full protective gear when ridding! I'm also going to take a ridding course. It's good that I saw your pictures after the wreck, woke me up a bit more to putting safety first. And i have to say... man I have to say.. you poor guy and that poor TLR! Thanks for the website... and man those girls on bikes!!
Take care, David

Chris,

Hi! My name is Virginia Oakes and I am a RN and a motorcyclist (cruiser, not sport bike). I am the lead instructor in Georgia for Accident Scene Management and I teach a course for motorcyclist called “A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist”. The course is a bystander’s assistance course for motorcyclist teaching what to do in the event of an accident until professional help arrives. It is a great course and has helped save lives and reduce severity of injuries because of proper immediate care. Here is our website: http://www.accidentscene.net/

I would like permission from you to use some of your injury photos and your story in my course. I would also like to share your website with other instructors. It is helpful for participants in the course to see these types of injuries and here your story. We talk about personal protective gear along with how to treat road rash, fractures, and wounds at the scene. We also talk about the accident scene and how to stop traffic, and you are right, the trucker did save your life that night when he blocked the highway with his rig.

I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you. I am glad to see you are healing well. You sharing your story and pictures on the web is a very brave thing of you to do and will make a difference in someone else’s live.

Take care, Virginia and Robert

Just saw your website on the V-rod owners group on Yahoo. I know you must get lots of messages about it but I got to say that it is one convincing site and that all riders should be required to look at. I am signing up this week for an advanced safety course and beginning to research on safety gear. I at least have a full helmet, Shoei.
Thanks, Anthony

I doubt you remember me but I was one of the early members of the original TLR page/board -back when everyone was still waiting for their bikes. Even the pics of my old '98 are still up there (2 pics near the bottom with my then Girlfriend -blonde in the yellow bikini and black leather pants). I decided to have a look at the page to see if it was still up and read of the accident/recovery and sale of the TL! Wow! Sorry to hear about your crash, but it sure looks like your healing up well -at least relative to the initial damage. Any plans to bet back on the road (or track)? Anyhow I just wanted to say hi, and thanks for keeping the page up still -a bit of a blast from the not-so-distant past. I've long since sold my '99 TLR (after I lost my license for 18 months on it), used the money to do some traveling and now that I'm back I've started on a TZ250-based street legal single project that I hope to have running in the next couple months. Without the community that formed around your website and message board I probably wouldn't have kept the TL for long enough to become one of the legion of raving fans of "less-is-more" when it comes to cylinders on a motorcycle. So a very belated thanks for getting the site & board going and keeping it running.

Chris,
My name is Jason Smith and I live in Rison Arkansas. I just got my first bike last Saturday,    GSX-R600. I have rode bikes of my friends several times over the last couple of years but never had one of my own until now. When I was 7 almost 8 years old I fell out of the back of a pickup truck at about 50 mph. I come out of the hospital after 23 days and remained in bed for a few weeks after that. I had several skin graphs and the left side of my face was peeled off including my ear which was picked up by the car behind us. My ear was saved and I had plastic surgery to help the scars on my face. I tell you that to say this, I am now 19 years old and
haven't thought much of it since then... Until now. I am guilty of riding in shorts and stupid stuff like that but because of you it will not happen again. When I read your story and saw your pics I realize ed that I know how that feels and I don't want to go through it again. If I keep on like I was it will happen to me. I just want to thank you and ask you where is a good place to get some leathers?
                   Thanks,          Jason S.

Chris, I just came across your article on one of my Motorcycle boards posting. I am glad you survived your accident. I am an avid rider and have been riding for over 17 years. I have been very careless on the bike and trying to be cool and look sexy on my sports bike. I have had more close calls then I can recount and have gotten in trouble with the law by speeding on the highway. I started riding with some guys who rode very wild and me being a female trying to prove myself that i can ride with these guys very hard. Well, most of those guys are not riding anymore due to them wiping out and basically wrecking their bikes. A good friend of mines was killed instantly from racing a number of years ago. He was racing and when he wrecked, his neck broke and he died on the spot. I have no need to prove myself anymore but I still like to ride without gear on until I just read this article. You always say it could never happen to me but the truth is it can. Thanks for opening up my eyes once more and good luck on your healing process. I will pass this on to my biker friends. Thanks, Yolanda W. Washington DC

Stumbled onto your bike wreck website tonight. I have to say, though your injuries were indeed shocking, I'm glad you lived to tell the tale. You've done a service with your website, especially the picture of your helmet. I think only people like you and I who have had near-death experiences can really appreciate life, and how in a split second everything you have ever known can be over. Your accident wasn't an accident, Chris. Nothing happens for no reason. You may feel like you were a victim of terrible fortune - but on the contrary, there is a reason why the great God of this universe protected you in an accident that has killed many people. Don't think about your helmet, Chris. I know someone who was killed, by a head injury, in a wreck under 30 miles per hour while wearing a helmet. Grace was the only thing that saved you. God kept you on earth for a reason, and I hope you seek him and find what it is. Very glad you are ok. Hope you get back on the bike someday.

Well I read your story about your crash and that sux man, I'm only 19 and your story changed my mind about riding with out gear on, I've had a 1999 ZX-6r and my buddy wrecked that, he did 130 into a guard rail and only got 2 small scratches on him, he was wearing jean shorts and a T-shirt, I don't know how he only got that, he way lucky but now I've got a 96' YZF 600 and I'm turbo'ing it, at first I was like yeah I don't really need leathers cause I don't really do stupid things but speed and speed will kill I guess or leave ya with a 45,000 dollar bill. I'd like to just say thanks for your story and let ya know that I'll be wearing leathers from now on. Garth

Chris, looking good. Are you riding again? I hope so. You obviously are a skilled rider that just had a mishap. By the way, I wrote you that I never ride at night. Who am I kidding. I ride at night all the time, but I have yet to ride without my leather jacket, gloves and boots. I have leather pants, but I have a tendency not to wear them unless I'm going for a long ride. Note: I pulled up to a light the other day next to a guy with his girlfriend on a Gixxer 600. Both of them were in shorts and t-shirts. I said, "where's your gear"? They both laughed and took off. Maybe I should have given them your website. Jeff

Chris, just seen your site and the pictures. More unfortunately I saw the comments from some, who evidentially didn't understand the reason for you posting and showing the results. Like you say, its a moments temptation which led to disaster. I ride bikes for a living, ( almost a living anyway,) and see more than my fair share of rider/tarmac interfaces. What's interesting for me in the UK is the bill for your treatment, and its about 39K sterling.....which is not usually considered by the public over here, since we don't pay as end users for our heal care. Perhaps, if we did then bikers over here would be more cautious when riding without leather kit...mind you, didn't stop you did it. Its not to condemn you, merely to comment, that I think you should be thanked for having the courage to stand up, ( slowly) and say to the entire world, I cocked up, I suffered the results, I hope no one else has the same. Well done. And... for those smart asses, you loose 1 mm. thickness of skin for every meter you slide, at 30 mph. and you only start off with 5-6mm in the first place. Let the cow take the strain.
Adrian

Chris
COME ON TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR CRASH???????
GO ON I DARE YOU??????
YOUR INJURIES COULD NOT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A 100 MPH CRASH, OTHERWISE YOU
WOULD BE MISSING A LIMB OR TWO.
I CRASHED AT AROUND 60-70 MPH WITH LEATHER JACKET, PROPER BOOTS, AND JEANS.
GOT SIMILAR INJURIES TO WHAT YOU HAVE SUFFERED TO YOUR LEGS, BUT WITH A
FEW MAJOR DIFFERENCES.
1. COMPOUND FRACTURE TO LOWER LEG (for those who don't know what it is then " sent the bone in my leg out the back of my calf muscle") 2. lots of road burn to legs, but most concerning was the fact that my knee
cap had been broken and worn down. needless to say not much injury to upper body except a few broken ribs.
sorry to be a bit blunt, but I hate bull shitters, who seem to revel in glory about such accidents.
face facts and the truth, your crash must have been at low speed???
if you were really wearing shorts and t shirt that is. I haven't got a problem with speed or stunting, if you are wearing the correct gear. I regularly ride with AVERAGE speeds in excess of 100 mph and TOP speeds
around 165 mph and not on motorway either, (isn't the Isle of Man a wonderful
place, NO SPEED LIMITS YOU SEE) enough said, get well soon and buy some proper gear before you ride again cheers
Chris, Wales UK

Chris,
Thanks for your website and info. As the summer season has been opening, I've had a nagging sense that I'm acting like a wimp, wearing my full leathers with pads, gloves, boots, back protector, and full-face helmet. What I see are many riders who wear the minimum of clothing, especially the young women on the backs of motorcycles in their muscle tees and holey Levi's and hair blowing in the wind. Your experience has reminded me why I bought these items in the first place. I enjoy riding, and have been down numerous times because I enjoy a moderately aggressive style of riding (and find gravel and diesel fuel in the most inopportune of places). Each time, I was wearing ALL the gear, and, I WALKED AWAY from each with NO INJURY (other than bruises that eventually fade). Thanks again, man.
Patrick Sonoma, CA.

Hi Chris. Fate had a cruel lesson in store for for you, but it may be a blessing in disguise as you have learned from your mistake. I also hope that once the scars on your body and soul heal you will not give up on riding, just the kind of riding that brought you to this predicament. I really can't understand why would some people give you s**t when you have obviously regretted your earlier practices and you simply want to share this lesson with more bikers. Let's enjoy our riding in the most responsible matter so we will not hurt ourselves and others. Unfortunately most types whom think they are invincible and put their lives and others on the line, are not very likely to be reading this site. I say each and everyone of us "adopt" one such rider and try to steer him/her to the path of responsibility. The seed we plant will surely one day pay dividends. Of course I do not talk from the high pedestal of infallibility as in my 14 years of riding despite dressing up for riding I do succumb once in a while to the urge to push the bike to its limits. Fortunately I haven't had any accident to speak of but biking is a calculated risk isn't it? We just try to tip to odds to our advantage with correct protective gear and attitude. And yes I come from the land of probably the highest percentage of utterly irresponsible bikers whom usually wear their leathers they were born with and don't even own a helmet. Myself and a few select carry a lonely crusade over here.
Get well soon.
Nick
Athens Greece
http://flyingbrick.freeyellow.com

Hi Chris! I just read your story. I really want to thank you for sharing it. You know....people bitch and point fingers and say "you should have known better". But the truth is, we have all done it. "Oh its so damn hot today, Oh I'm just going to the store and back". It's a numbers game in my opinion, we will all go down eventually if we put enough miles on, whether it be our fault or someone else's. We have all had that sick feeling in your stomach when the little old lady switches lanes right in front of you, or a pothole that wasn't there yesterday. I am as much at fault for riding with shorts and a t-shirt than anyone. But you know what, after this email is sent, I am going on ebay to start shopping for some good leathers. Thank you again for your story. I certainly wish you every
success in a full recovery.
Best wishes,
Mitch Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Canada

Hi!
Just read your crash story, I hope you are recovering and feeling better, Its a good thing you get info like this out for people to read. Even though I always wear my full leather I need to be reminded why I do it from time to time, When the sun is shining its very easy to want to skip the gear. I see lots of movies from the states where guys most of the time only wear jeans and a t-shirt. I think about what would happen if they'd take a dive
every time I see it. Hope you and your family are doing ok
From Sweden / Håkan

Hey Chris
This is a old friend in a weird way...James ...quickly; You was the first Person Online back in 98'99 when you had your Brand new TL in the Boxes at the Dealer .........I thought that was the coolest thing I have seen..........Well to make a long story short bro...........I am Sorry to hear about the Major Road Rash .........I just seen the pictures, major ouch.........I always wanted a TL but after riding a few of them..........Major wheelie bike........I will stick to my Gixxer......www.bikepics.com/Member search.....James .....of Novi, Mi...........peace out bro

Hi Chris
Thank you for sharing your experience with us and hope everything is going well with your recovery. One of our friends is a motorcycle instructor and often stops in at our house for a coffee break whilst doing CBT's. Consequently we meet a lot of young riders (16 + years old) who simple don't understand the need to wear good protective clothing. In view of this we are trying to put together a poster that will inform riders about the dangers and consequences of not wearing protective gear whilst riding - a nearly impossible task with teenagers who 'do not intend to crash'! My 16 year old daughter has been pointing some of her friends to your site, with the result that you have raised their consciousness to a new level and they are now starting to think about what they are wearing whilst on their bikes.
With regards to the poster we are putting together (which will be put up in schools, local bike shops and motorcycle instruction centers), we were wondering if you would be willing to allow us to use some of your pictures to highlight injuries that can be sustained in an accident when not wearing adequate protective clothing on a bike. In order to give you an idea of our intentions of use for the pictures, I have attached a draft (pdf file) of what we would like to put together.
I currently ride a CBR 600F and one of the reasons I have got involved with this project is that my own experience of coming off a bike has taught me a valuable lesson about wearing the right gear. My daughter is now thinking about getting a bike and, having spoken to her and many of her friends, realize that this generation simply do not seem to understand the necessity for adequate protective clothing whilst they are on bikes. Unfortunately, whereas I can lay down the law to my daughter (and she knows I learnt the hard way), there are many parents
out there who, not being bikers themselves, don't think about what their kids are wearing. The aim of the poster is to try to get these kids to think about their own vulnerability and what they can do to reduce it.
If you would be willing to allow us to use some of your accident pictures for this project we would be very grateful to you. If you will give consent, please can you let me know at your earliest convenience so we can get this up and running.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and helping to raise awareness.
Take care, Kind regards
Philippa
Norfolk, UK

To all the people who say that Chris should have had a lot more damage done to himself for going 100 mph+, have you ever gone 100 mph or even 175 mph as my 900rr tops out at on the gps says. (on a back street) I hit the back end of a car square on going 62 mph. You probably are wondering how i know 62, I was being clocked by the police and got a ticket for speeding. The other car stopped at a green light with her turn light on but did not turn. The only thing I got was a broken right leg a lot of bills due to no insurance, and o ya nothing left of the bike. So 100+mph and road rash that last for that long is understandable because mine went away in about 1 month. Good luck with every thing and do not give up, this is my third fall and my fourth broken bone and 2nd surgery.

I just saw your page and read your story; it's really awesome you can share it in such a humble but helpful manner. If only more folks out there were interested in safety rather than blazing tricks and speeds, just minutes after purchasing their bikes. I was curious to know if the TLR was still up for grabs?

Hi sorry to hear about your unfortunate incident:( The best thing about your experience is, your alive to tell about it, so that others may learn from you:) There is always a cause and effect to everything we do. Just imagine all the heart aches if you did not survive. You learned and it's time to move on and I hope you don't stop riding:) If you do, its OK:)

Chris,
Someone just posted a link to your site on www.foc-u.co.uk, and it really goes a long way to show how little protection you get from a pair of shorts, compared to pictures you see of quality leathers that have been crashed. I've had nightmares of sliding down tarmac without leathers, and now I know what the result looks like... scary! You should try to get those pictures used in campaigns, and get them shown in riding schools. I live in London, UK, and you see too many sportbike riders wearing shorts and t-shirts here in the summer, scares me.
Oh, and don't take offence from the people criticizing you. You've learnt your lesson the hard way, and it's a good thing that you're doing what you can to let others learn from your mistake.
Regards,
Linus

Chris,
I saw your site from another site, www.sportbikes.net First; I want to express my condolences to you. I am an avid motorcyclist in DC and lately I have watched crash videos and seen many pictures from various sites on the consequences of being stupid on a bike. I have been to multiple motorcycle schools, including the MSF Experienced Rider Course, in order to reduce the chance of becoming a statistic myself. You site helps my education - thank you. My friend Scott is the type of rider who wants to perform wheelies and endos - all for the glory of looking cool. I recently compiled a list of what I told him was "Cool" stunt videos and burnt them to a CD. I gave him the disk. The CD actually contained some great footage of stunts, but ALSO all of the wrecks that occurred because of those stunts. Hopefully he is watching them this weekend and realizing some things about bikes. I want to help him get away from these acts of poor judgment and know when enough is enough. I commend you on your efforts to educate the riders of the world as I have tried to do with my fellow rider - Scott.

Second; I briefly read over most of the letters sent in by other riders. Some of them were quite reassuring to you and others were quite rude. I feel that you obviously learned your lesson and shame on those who pour salt in the wounds. One day they may be in the same situation and maybe someone will pour salt in their wounds. I am very sorry to hear this happened to you, let alone ANY motorcyclist. I certainly hope that this email finds you well...and thank you for helping me hear another story that I can remember when I am riding.

Dear Chris..
I'm in Reykjavík Iceland and I'm new to this great lifestyle of biking, Glad that you survived the accident and I hope that people that views your website learn from your mistake. Hope you get well and one thing wanted to know is in the future will you be able to ride bikes??
Sincerely
Simon G.
Reykjavík Iceland

Chris,

I have been riding for many years, started serious sport bike riding about 9 years ago while in Tokyo, Japan in the Air Force. The best pieces of advice I ever got from a more experienced riding buddy:

Get yourself into an MSF class
Invest the money in a good set of leathers, boots and other protective gear.
Respect the bike!
Ride within your ability.

Your story is sad but hopefully others can learn from your experience. I have pesonally seen people walk away from accidents due to the fact that they were wearing leathers and a helmet. Though I don't wear full leathers on every ride, I never leave without a riding jacket, gloves, jeans-you get the picture.
Here in Pennsylvania the mandatory helmet law was repealed only three days ago, against strong objections from medical and safety advocates. That's a personal decision for the rider, but I hope we all make the right decision. I will pass a link to your site to every rider I know. Something to be learned!! Take care of yourself and I hope you fully recover

Cedric C.
03 GSXR 1000
Philadelphia, PA

Just seen your site after link on MCN in England, I never go anywhere without my leathers, sometimes it is very tempting but your site will now stay with me always. It's a shame that you had to suffer in such a way to prove to others the consequences of going without. If you go onto the MCN website in the UK you will see threads at the moment about kids riding around in shorts etc and i see them every day. It's the it'll never happen to me syndrome. Anyhow, from a biker in England to a biker in The US, hope your recovery is swift.
Regards
John M

Thank God you have the sense to wear a helmet. When I dropped my 91 GSXR 750 I had my Shoei on but just jeans and a sweat shirt. Left work , 10 blocks from home , when the front wheel flipped a loose sewer plate, I passed this plate every day but it always looked normal. It flipped the bike and sent me down the road,40 mph tore the jeans and sweat shirt off but the helmet was amazing. If it wasn't a full face I might look like the Phantom of the Opera now. It took all the punishment that my head and face would have. Totaled the bike but luckily no broken bones a lot of rash. But damned if I looked stupid standing in a helmed and boots in my underwear. Bob

hello Chris I just wanted to tell you that I read your story about your bike accident. all I can say is god was definitely with you. but as I read your story I got the chills because my fiancé of 7 years loves bikes and he has had over 3 different ones in the past 4 years. he is a crazy driver and also has had some accidents with all that road burn and everything. but needles to say unfortunately he is in jail right now and he still cant wait to come home to ride his tl 1000 s. I have always told him he needs to wear his leather also he is very stubborn. but anyway to make a long story short I just wanted to let you know that I am sending him all the pictures of you and the story you wrote and I'm praying to god that he will change his mind just about riding period!!! well god bless you sweetie and good luck if you still ride. I'm sure you stay with the leather now huh?? thanks again - Angelique~

Dear Chris,
I think that you have done a great service to other motorcycle riders. It is terrible that you had to learn a lesson the "hard" way but it was something worth sharing. I highly doubt that you will repeat the same mistakes! I am glad that you did not leave your helmet at home that night. I am sure the outcome would have been much worse. Unfortunately I have seen many motorcycle accidents that ended in complete tragedy. I hope that your recovery will be complete and that you will not suffer any lingering problems. Despite your tremendous lack of judgment that night, I still think you are a responsible cyclist and I wish you all the best in your future. Thank you again for sharing your story. I think it just might save lives (and skin!!)
Regards,
Valerie F., M.D.
E.R./Trauma Specialist
P.S. "Howard" is a jerk.

Hi Chris,
Thank you for making this site. If it even saves one skin (and I think it probably already saved more than one) it is worth it. I started riding three years ago and I have never ridden my bike without helmet/leathers/boots/gloves because a friend of mine had a similar experience as you did and he told me about it in rather graphic terms. I haven't crashed so far but I have been hit by a rock on the freeway, on the padded shin part of my leathers and I am sure it would have broken my bone if it hadn't been for the armor in my leathers. Hope your healing process is going well
Chris

Hey Chris,
I was looking through the BeginnerBikes website http://www.beginnerbikes.com and came across a thread that discussed your crash. My sincere thanks for sharing your experience, strength and hope. Judging from the postings, a few of us are a little wiser now, thanks to you. A beginning rider, I wear a full face helmet, my mesh jacket (it's summertime), jeans and hiking