The Adventure Continues With a Bigger Bang (Literally)

Post date: May 24, 2010 8:42:14 PM

5-21-10

I just survived a motorcycle accident. I was wearing my helmet and pants, possibly my coat as well, but the impact was still strong enough to knock me unconscious. I suffer some amnesia of the event.

I awoke in an ambulance, confused. At the hospital, they x-rayed neck and nose. My neck had no problems, just muscle strains, but my nose was fractured. So much blood was coming out. My face was swollen. My lip and eyebrow were both slashed and bleeding also.

The concussion made me goofy. I was joking and flirting with the nurses, saying, “Soy soltero” (I am a bachelor), because that part of my Spanish lesson kept repeating in my head at that time.

I was there several hours awaiting the x-rays and the doctors’ determinations. They said that I was okay and that my nose needs no repair unless it causes me trouble in the future, in which case I will need to see a specialist.

An English teacher and a representative from the Department of Public Welfare visited me to explain how my situation was to play out. The police had my motorcycle. I debated pressing charges, but eventually dropped them after learning that the process would take many weeks or months, which would cost me just as much to fix it myself, and because I had virtually no memory of who hit me, they would probably would not catch the person. The teacher was especially nice; he was not being paid to help me, and he also offered to help me after the hospital in any way I needed.

Upon discharge from the hospital (for only $40 USD), I went to the police station and verified that my belongings were there. All were there except my ipod and camera, which had been in my jacket during the crash. Any number of things could have happened to them- stolen or crushed by cars if they flew from the jacket. The police also took me to my motel and an ATM to get cash. I offered them money for the assistance, but they declined it. I was impressed and grateful. So many people seemed to be doing more for me than was necessary.

What hurt the most was seeing my motorcycle. The front forks (front tire’s supports) were busted, the wheel is bent somewhere in the rim or rotor, and the plastic fairing needs to be replaced. The front headlight is cracked, but that may survive awhile longer. The wheel had pressed into the radiator, but the radiator seemed okay. The handlebars are also bent and need replaced. The wires from them had pulled out and must be reinstalled. Basically the front end of the bike is totaled. I am lucky to be alive.

Inspecting my helmet, it was scratched and dented in many places, but no major cracks. Black blood splatters stained the inside of the visor and mouthguard, and it also stained the pads on the inside around the forehead. I must have been laying on my back as blood run over my face.

This will cost me much, but I should be able to continue my trip.

5-22-10

Today I reclaimed my motorcycle, without a fine, from the police. All was there except my camera and ipod, as noted before. We discussed where we could take it. We will take it to a nearby town on Monday. Tonight I slept at the home of a brother of a kind man I met at the hospital. They both had helped me to take my bike and gear to his place for safekeeping. I contacted mother and informed her that I was okay.

5-23-10

There was little to do but wait. I went to a pay-for-internet café and completed some emails. Attended a Bible study that my host attends every sunday, and there I met a boy who witnessed my accident. He said I was waiting at an intersection when someone behind me hit me and pushed me into the intersection, into the line of traffic. That is when someone else slammed me from the front/side, throwing me from the bike. He said no one stopped to help for awhile.

5-24 With the help of my host and his brother, the man I met at the hospital, I took my bike to a motorcycle mechanic nearby, and he said he can repair the bike without replacing the broken or bent pieces, that he can weld and straighten everything, and for a much cheaper price than by ordering new parts or repairing it in the U.S. We´re talking $320. Not bad, I guess. Now I am at the internet cafe and will shop for a new camera and helmet. I will let the lost ipod be for now. Helmets are only reliable for one wreck. The $250 or so I put into my present one may have bought my life. What a costly dream this is! Tonight I am going to my host´s english class and then out to tacos. I was unable to complete a call on the public phone (remember those old telephone booths? They´re used here, minus the booths. so, I have been unable to reach my health insurance company to see if they can give me some money for my $40 medical bill (minor), travel delays, and lost gear. May be yet another thing I must for help with. I´m like a baby here in Mexico.