Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute

Crash Stories

Summary: Many stories of crashes with helmets.
Most often the helmet worked, but on occasion it did not.

Each story below was sent to us by a different person. We have converted names to pronouns and formatted each one in a single paragraph, but have made no other changes. We have comments on what the stories mean below. Please email us your own crash story.

• Added on February 2, 2022
  
  I was about 8 years old, and after going on a bike ride with my father, we got to a downhill portion that I had ridden on countless times before. I don't recall the exact moment, but I somehow could not turn the corner and ended up flying off my bike at a high speed, into a ditch with a concrete culvert. My chin skidded across some rocks and I gained a hole all the way into my mouth, and my head hit the concrete. At the ER, they mentioned how the helmet saved me from a tragedy. I think I may have had a concussion that was not diagnosed, as that was the start of my chronic migraines, but hey- I'm not dead. Haven't ever gone without a helmet.
  
  
• Added on January 30, 2022
  
  Hello, Not sure about information and how it may assist, but I used to be an amateur bike racer part of an amateur team in bike racing oregon. Almost four years ago I went for a bike ride after work where I was fitness exercising for the upcoming Cyclocross season and commuting home from my former career as a landscape architect where I was worked pre-injuries. My injuries occurred on the bike ride when I was horrendously struck by an under the influence driver and thrown into the path of a second under the influence driver. They both were returning from boating when they struck me. I have no doubt the bike helmet saved my life! What should be known is that the helmet saved my life but wasn't able to save me from obtaining Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) extremely unfortunately! The TBI caused me a very long time in medical care from injuries and a COMA. The TBI also caused me to lose my job and career, my ability to race a bike as an amateur, my ability to drive which eventually returned again after much studying, learning to drive, testing and passing again after many attempts. Despite all the challenges that have come as a result of the bad bike incident I have to say that everyone riding a bike for fitness training, racing or committing should absolutely wear an approved bicycle helmet to much better protect life! I have been trying to return to physical fitness by safely riding a trainer bike indoors, but I hope to return to safely riding a mountain bike in the woods away from vehicles but wearing an improved bicycle helmet. I've already obtained safe cycling helmets for when I return to outdoor bike riding,
  
  
• Added on October 14, 2020
  
  I rode my bicycle to work every day for 5 years (12 months a year) in Denver where temperature routinely got below 0F (-17C) in the winter. On January 27, 2017, I was riding my bicycle home from work when a car turned in front me. I was doing about 30 MPH (48 KPH) when I hit the side of the first car only to be run over by a second car as I was on the ground. As a result of the collisions I suffered a broken neck, a spinal cord injury classified as a C4 complete, a broken rib, and two strokes. I spent 32 days in the ICU, 3 months at Craig rehabilitation Hospital, I needed my gallbladder removed, had another brief stint in the hospital for a blood clot (PE) in my lungs. I'm now a quadriplegic but first responders and doctors all agree that I would have died if I was not wearing a helmet. Believe me, being in this condition sucks but it is way better than being dead,
  
  
• Added on August 30, 2020
  
  I was out for a leisurely bike ride in my neighborhood this past Friday when I tried to turn my bike around in a small area in the school yard. The side of my front tire hit a rail tie and the bike slid out from under me. I was left with severe cuts and bruising down the length of my nose and my chin as well as other parts of my body. I rode home with blood dripping down the front of my face. The heavy duty foam in the front of my helmet was broken as well. Luckily all the blood was from the abrasions to my face and not from a broken nose. I can’t help but think that if I were not wearing my helmet, I would have broken my nose and most likely suffered a severe head injury. As it is my nose will be sore for weeks before the abrasions clear up and hopefully do not scar me. I urge everyone to wear a helmet and have already replaced mine with a new one,
  
  
• Added on July 31, 2020
  
  On April 15, 2020, while riding a basic green/blue trail (I typically ride much more difficult trails) late in the evening, I crashed while attempting a technical roll over of a 1 1/2 foot high by 3 foot diameter flat top boulder. I had just traversed a much larger boulder and would have traversed another larger boulder had I not crashed. As I set up for the boulder, at about 10 mph, I somehow failed to properly unweight/lift my front tire which proceeded to stop dead at the 1 foot front edge of the boulder resulting in the bike and me being rotated instantly around the 29” tire slamming my face, nose first, directly onto the boulder. My Bern Allston helmet has a soft visor, unlike other designs, wherein the hard visor protrudes much farther in front of the face. I was alone, and do not believe I was knocked unconscious. My first thought after recovering slightly from the rush of pain was, “There is no way I have any front teeth left!” However, surprisingly, when I rolled my tongue over my front teeth, all were still there. At the time, I was upside down, still entangled in my bike, face still planted on the boulder. I was able to get a mile and a half back to my car and get a ride to the hospital. According, to the plastic surgeon, my nose taking all the force of the fall, exploded on impact, and pieces of cartilage were missing. The injury resulted in small fractures to my cheek bones and complete nose reconstruction. Hospital surgery cost...$13,000; surgeon cost...$48,000 (mostly covered by insurance). Recovery time was about a month, but I have a scar, the length of my nose to remind me of the event. The helmet sustained a very small, almost unnoticeable abrasion at the center of my forehead. I imagine the helmet protected my forehead a bit after my face gave way, so very grateful in that regard. But, thinking about the dynamics of the event, I question whether a helmet, designed with a hard visor extension vs. the soft visor of the Bern design, might have taken the brunt of the impact, thereby reducing, or preventing altogether, the injury I suffered. A full face helmet would likely have resulted in no injury at all.
  
  
• Added on May 19, 2020
  
  On 4/6/2020, I was riding at a moderate pace and never saw a low chain or something blocking entrance to a park. I guess I flipped and landed on my head. After surgery (spinal fusion) and rehab hospital work I am well ahead in recovery, all limbs functional. BUT every medical professional throughout the process asked me if I had a helmet on. I did. Clearly, I would have lost my life if I had not worn a helmet,
  
  
• Added on April 26, 2020
  
  On 19April2020 I was riding on the road at 22.5mph (per Strava) when a medium sized, Springer Spaniel dog darted out from the sidewalk from my right, towards me and ran into the rear part of my front wheel, jerking my handle bars to the right and crashing me onto my left side. I ruined a nice pair of cool weather bib tights, my favorite light rain/wind jacket, a pair of gloves and a 2014 model Giro Savant helmet. I sustained road rash on all of the parts of the left side of me that articulate (why just the articulating parts? IDK): Ankle, knee, hip, elbow, shoulder. I also have a lump on the upper, left side of my forehead from the impact, even wearing the helmet, such are the physics of going from 22.5mph to zero in less than a second.
  
  As a second story, earlier in history:
  June 2013 I was riding on the paved road, around Turquoise Lake, just outside of Leadville, Colorado, at an elevation of 10,000ft+, where we were camping. It was a perfect summer day, mid-70's temperature, no wind to speak of, clear and sunny. I had been riding for about 45 mins that day only seeing one other cyclist and no motor vehicles. I had ascended a hill and was proud that I was doing so well at the altitude and enjoying the downhill section. The road was curvy, with the curves being shallow and sort, so it was possible to see through all the curves at the road ahead, except for that one curve to the right, of about 85 degrees, of which I was apparently able to only navigate about 46 degrees. The terrain on the left side of the well maintained, paved road was a dirt shoulder, followed by about a 3-foot drop into a 10-foot wide ditch that was populated by plants, stones and some rocks up to about the size of a watermelon. After the trench, the land rose sharply up what's called a back slope, up the mountain at about a 40degree angle, also populated with plants and stones, that gave way to the tree line after about 15'. The last thing I remember was braking hard, headed for the left, dirt shoulder, noting the rocks in the gully and thinking, "This is going to hurt." The next thing I recall, I was sitting next to a tree, just up in the tree line, looking down at my bike in the trench, with my two water bottles lying in a "V" shape next to the bike. I was thinking how thirsty I was and would like to go down and get a drink from one of my bottles, but I didn't want to have to climb back up to the tree I was sitting next to, while wearing my road bike shoes with cleats. I don't know why I thought I'd have to climb back up to where I was, but that was my thinking at the time. I decided I'd stand up and see how it felt, so using the tree I pulled myself up to a standing position and immediately felt dizzy, and decided to call my wife, who was exploring the shops in the small town of Leadville, and ask for a ride. My call was answered by her voice mail, that I left a brief explanation, hung up and decided to sit back down before I tried to call again. To me, it seemed like immediately after sitting down I called her back (the call record on my phone showed that there was a 40 minute span between calls). The second time I called, she answered and I explained the situation, and vaguely where I was. Again, to me, it seemed like only five minutes passed as I sat next to that tree waiting for my wife and watched as a yellow jeep with no doors passed, as well as another cyclist, who successfully navigated the corner, though neither took notice of my bike in the ditch nor me up in the tree line. My wife arrived after what she claims was 30 minutes of trying to find me, but seemed to be only 5 minutes of my time, with what seemed to me, a perfect Hollywood style skidding stop half on the pavement, half on the dirt shoulder and seemed to jump out of the car before it stopped moving. She climbed up where I was sitting, escorted me down the hill, eased me into the car (a 2004 Subaru Outback), threw my bike in the back and took off towards the hospital that she later said she'd noticed earlier in the day, so she knew where it was. At the small hospital emergency entrance a nurse came out, opened the passenger door, took one look at me and hollered over her shoulder to the other medical folks waiting at the entrance to, "Bring Everything!". I was extracted from the car, still wearing my helmet, which was removed at some point before I was strapped to a stretcher with a neck brace and head restraint. I underwent x-rays, cat scans etc., was diagnosed with a fully collapsed left lung, partially collapsed right lung, separated left clavicle, concussion, and abrasions and contusions on the left side of my body from where my helmet ended to where my shoes began. A drainage tube was inserted into where my left lung had been to drain the fluid there so my lung could re-inflate and I was air Life-Flighted by helicopter to Denver where I spent a few days in ICU. I'm alive, I have a titanium pin in my left shoulder and some cool scars.
  
  
• Added on September 11, 2019
  
  So, in February of 2012, I went bike riding on a rugged hill behind the house where I lived. This hill was very Rocky, with lots of dead shrubbery also. I had decided for some reason to ride down this hill on a cruiser bike, but I was wearing a Schwinn helmet. I remember after I started going down the hill realizing I wouldn't be able to make it down safely, so I frantically hit the brakes. My front tire hit a rock, and I went flying off the front of my bike. From what I know, my helmet directly hit a huge rock. I woke up from the concussion, rolling down the mountain. I found out later that I was lucky, and so far the only injury I know about from that was a broken shoulder, but if it wasn't for that helmet (which was cracker after the accident), the accident could've turned out much different,
  
  
• Added on August 28, 2019
  
  Five days after a violent biking accident, I am very grateful that my husband was wearing a helmet. As he said to me when I arrived at Foothills Hospital Emergency and asked about the helmet. He replied, it cracked, it did what it is supposed to do, protect your head from serious head trauma. It saved his life. He has a broken shoulder, three broken ribs, collapsed lung but if he had not been wearing a helmet, I know it could have been fatal. Helmet save lives. I will forever encourage everyone I know to wear a helmet while biking
  
  
• Added on August 11, 2019
  
  I was Mountain Biking Valley Forge Park alone which I did on a regular basis. I knew the trails like the back of my hand. This particular ride was a couple days after a bad storm with a lot of flooding. Evidently the flooding changed the trails quite a bit with debris scattered all over and logs and the usual obsticles not in their usual spots. Well I came to a small wooden bridge that is only about 15 foot span over a small creek. I felt like something was not quite right when I came up on it but stupidly proceeded anyway. I flew over it only to find out that the two 10 foot long planks that desending off the far side had been moved by the flooding and were now split down the middle. And you guessed it! My front tire went right into the void in the middle and dropped probably 4-5 feet to ground sending me over the handle bars and right on top off my helmet. I was also clipped in so the bike came with me also. I knocked myself out and then came to looking around wondering what the heck happened. As soon as I saw the split planks and bridge behind me I new instantly that I took a bad spill. My Gyro helmet saved me from a major head injury. I rode back with cold sweats and feeling clammy but at least I was able to ride back to my truck. I know i sustain a minor concussion but it could have been sooo much worse if it were not for that Gyro helmet. Thank You Helmet!!
  
  
• Added on March 20, 2019
  
  I had a bad cycling crash on a busy road in Glasgow, Scotland back in November 2000. A car hit me coming out of a junction as I was going downhill. The driver was not paying attention and I did not stand a chance. I suffered a bad concussion - total blackout, very heavy bruising, a broken molar tooth, a deep cut in my chin that required stitches. An ambulance was called and I was taken to the nearest Accident & Emergency Hospital. I had x-rays and tests and awaited the results in a very shaken groggy state lying on a stretcher. The doctor who was dealing with my injuries came to stand over me. He brought me x-rays of my skull in one hand and my poor helmet in another. He held the helmet up before me (it was a Specialized Airforce) and told me I was very lucky and that in his opinion my helmet saved me from permanent brain damage or worse - DEATH. I will never forget his words and the impact they had on me. I blessed that poor helmet and the large crack in the foam. The driver of the car was eventually charged with dangerous driving. I was insured with British Cycling and went through a lengthy compensation case. I did win my case and was compensated. I was able to replace my bike (It was wrecked in the accident - a Vitus racing bike), my helmet (replaced by another Specialized) and my tattered clothing. I look at your great website regularly to keep up with all the new helmet designs, regulations and certifications. I must say that I am biased towards Specialized helmets (I suppose that is understandable!)
  
  
• Added on November 11, 2019
  
  Thinking the short 40mi gravel race was in the bag, my tandem team hit the deck hard. We hit a rough line while on a descent. My team scrubbed our speed down to 25mph and positioned ourselves in the most stable position possible. Then the rear tire kicked out and we both hit hard on our left sides and slid through gravel for a bit. When our heads hit, the helmets took the brunt of the force, and neither of us lost consciousness or even had any road-rash on our heads. Now our shoulders, arms, hips, and legs look a little worse for wear, but who cares about a flesh wound when a helmet saved our lives,
  
  
• Sent to us on May 15, 2019
  
  I was biking down a road in town on the sidewalk going down a incline always scan the intersection for cars I'm very dangerous rider cut across roadway bike in the road where u should not bike flying on sidewalks with people I was a adrenaline guy it was Thur Night there weren't to many cars on the road it was late at night was listening to music love doing it when biking did not have the bike app on don't know the speed I was going i think about 20-25 mph there was a car turning right coming across my I don't know if I swerved or the car hit me think the car on my left ran a red light car hit my bik i was thrown 30 smacked my face on the sidewalk blacked out for a few sec it was very minor concussion peeled skin off didn't break a bone just some cuts and brusies my hand had laceration to my face was taken to the hospital doctors did CT scan there was no brain trauma I was discharged 2hr later very shaken from the accident the main important part of the story is wear a helmet I could been a lot worse have not been on the bike it has to be fixed very lucky to tell this story Wear a helmet your life is always more then that the helmet you wear G-d Bless
  
  
• Added on August 6, 2018
  
  Hi im Pete and i was invoved some time ago in a serious bike accident in a collision with a car on a main highway. The main reason i tell this is because i had just bought a nice new shiny bright green helmet, fairly inexpensive but very good looking. I was 18 and thought it was really really cool. Anyway i was travelling down a hill on my bike one day touching 30mph or more when a car at the last second turned into my path. There was a huge crash and in the event i was thrown off my bike. My cool green helmet somehow detached itself from my head and i suffered a serious concussion and i was Knocked Out for 40 minutes. I cant recall any police or paramedics at all attending to me at the crash scene and i woke up later in Hospital. I always recommend to anyone that you should always pay for a good helmet that fits well and secures to your head well and not one that looks cool. You never know when you might need it. Although i am ok now it took me years to get my confidence back,
  
  
• Added on March 26, 2018
  
  On the 8th August 2012, the day before my wife's birthday incidentally; sorry my dear! I was in a local road race on a circuit that I know extremely well being close to home and racing on it every year. It was a big field that week, about 85 riders and on a straight stretch of slight downhill I must have lost concentration, touched a wheel and down I went at a recorded 35mph. If I had waited another ten metres I would have landed on grass and mud but instead I went down by a farm entrance and head-butted the road, possibly hitting a large kerbstone with the side of my head below my helmet [a Giro Met].
  
  I have no memory of what happened and my next memory is waking up in the intensive care unit at a specialist neurosurgical unit about fifty miles away. The most local hospital referred me to the specialists there. I was placed in an induced coma for a week or two and my wife was told that I was unlikely to survive. But here I am! I sustained a basal skull fracture, multiple brain haemorrhages and a subdural haematoma, five broken ribs and a punctured lung plus a fractured collar bone just for good measure! I underwent a craniotomy to relieve the fluid pressure within my skull, had a shunt implanted two months later. Unfortunately that became infected and blocked so was replaced a further few months down the line. I now have a programmed shunt in place. My consultant thinks my helmet did save my life even though I sustained other injuries as well. However in my letter you can see what I have achieved thanks to surviving in the first place!
  
  In defence of the hospital I also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and am on biological therapy that renders me very immunosuppressed, hence the infection. Nevertheless, I was in hospital for four months in total and discharged despite being unable to stand unaided. After initial physiotherapy my wrecked sense of balance gradually improved. I arrived home again in December 2012 before deteriorating when the infection had eventually taken hold and blocked the shunt. At this time I returned for another holiday in hospital when the programmed shunt was replaced. This time they got fed up of me after one month so went home again.
  
  Despite warnings from the physiotherapists I started cycling again. I fell over a few times when starting or stopping. At slow speed it was much, much harder to stay upright. I persevered and by March was riding out with sympathetic club-mates who I instructed to tell me if I was not riding in a straight line etc. I managed rides of 20-30 miles at this time. Then via turbo-training in the September 2013 I rode a 60 miles sportive after which my club-mate complained that "It was obviously going to take more than the little matter of a fractured skull to stop me from trying to compete with my club-mates!
  
  
• Added on January 10, 2018
  
  In the past 12 months I have crashed twice, once while out mountain biking and once road biking.
  
  The mountain bike crash was traveling down hill on a clay track over jumps when I landed short and went over the bars. I landed head first on the ground smashing the front of my helmet and also cracking it through the middle aswell.
  
  Just the other day I was road biking along a country road at about 50k or 30mph when a sheep crossed the road in front of me sending me over the bars. I landed on my back and had a hard hit on the back of my head and smashed the helmet at the back and again cracked it through the middle and at the front.
  
  Both times the helmet I think saved me from if not a fatal crash then from a very serious head injury.
  
  I can not tell people enough that helmets on bikes can and will save your life,
  
  
• Added on November 24, 2017
  
  In San Fransisco February 2016 I was cycling early one morning. I blink and suddenly wake up in an ambulance with paramedics telling me not to move. I had been hit by a car and left on the road unconscious. I had a fractured spine, broken leg and a concussion. The surgeons told me if i hadn't been wearing a helmet I'd be a vegetable (at the very least). Every day I am grateful I had been wearing a helmet. It saved my life,
  
  
• Added on October 16, 2017
  
  This detailed London Guardian article covers post-concussion symptoms,
  
  
• Added on October 6, 2017
  
  This thoughtful testimonial is on a separate page
  
  
• Added on September 26, 2017
  
  This article in Bicycling has 10 good crash stories with great photos: The Helmet That Saved My Life,
  
  
• Added on December 27, 2016
  
  Just so you know! I was wearing a v good helmet, which saved me!
  
  
• Added on December 15, 2016
  
  I was riding my bike a kid knocked into me I flew off my bike bounced off of my helmet in the rocks. I cut my arm open and needed stitches. The doctor said my head would've been cut open without the helmet and it probably saved my life. Bike helmets RULE> >>>>>>>
  
  
• Added on December 9, 2016
  
  I sustained a severe brain injury, hit by a breadvan jumping the lights in September 1992. At the time I'd been in my final year, preparing to write up a chemistry PhD at London University's Imperial College. Supported completely by a patient supervisor and college I completed my research and was awarded a MPhil. My time in London allowed me access to the National Hospital in Queen Square for physiotherapy, w./ assessments and proximity to a company of solicitors, as a eventually successful legal case had to be made. I do my best to let people hear how important cycle helmets are, and encourage as many as possible to use them, but am still noticing exceptions most days by cyclists presumably imagining accidents don't happen in the early hours! (Mine had been exactly that!) My helmet had saved me, (as the A&E people had been adamant about.) Before this guy jumped those lights, I had luckily got myself a quality helmet and a good early system so I had it on. This guy got 'mummy & daddy' to contact Charing Cross hospital w./ some sort of 'a cyclist may've been admitted 2 you, did he survive?!' I reckon it's a good story enough to make cyclists pause before telling themselves wearing a helmet isn't necessary!
  
  
• Added on April 13, 2016
  
  During a cycling trip to Mallorca I had a pretty major accident on day one which, had I not been wearing a helmet, would have resulted in me no longer being here. I was descending at approx. 40 mph when I approached a tightening right hand bend on the MA-10 heading down into Pollensa. As I hit the brakes I lost control of the rear and was immediately aware of the fact I would not make the corner. I tried in vain to get around but ran out of road, went into the road side ditch and was catapulted off the bike, head first into a rock. I would estimate I was still travelling in excess of 25mph at the point of impact. There was a lot of pain in the neck and back, I was bleeding heavily and struggling to breathe, but was fully aware of everything and did not lose consciousness. The helmet was cracked in several places but took the full impact against an uneven rock surface. After x-ray's and CT scans I was given the all clear as far as brain damage and fractures was concerned. Indeed I escaped with nothing more than stitches to cuts on my knee and head (no doubt from the force the helmet was pushed onto my head), concussion and whiplash. I was discharged from hospital 48 hours after the accident and was able to spend the rest of the break recuperating by the pool with some pretty angry family! I was back on the bike within a week. I wouldn't even ride to the corner shop now without a crash helmet on and will be telling anyone who listens that it should be a legal requirement. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!
  
  
• Added on April 11, 2016
  
  I survived a bicycle accident that occurred in a bike race. I was going 30 miles per hour when my front wheel was taken out from under me due to another rider. I flipped over my handlebars, hit the back of my head and landed on my back. I suffered a concussion and was knocked unconscious. My helmet was completely cracked all the way through in two spots on the back of the helmet. Additionally, the adjuster strap that tightens the helmet to my head had snapped off. I was taken to the ER via ambulance and had a full array of tests-ultrasound, 3 x-rays and a CT scan. I spent two days in ER. All tests came back negative, the most notable being the CT scan since my head took the full force of the accident. If my helmet didn't save my life then at the very least it saved my quality of life.
  
  
• Added on March 24, 2016
  
  I recreantly hit unmarked road works at 15mph the result was fractured scull,eye socket, patella (top pallet )and the loss of two front teeth, on top of concussion and loosing my memory of the entire day. the thing is I was wearing an urge Realjet enduro helmet, I now own a full face downhill but it will be a few weeks until I can wear it,
  
  
• Added on March 21, 2016
  
  I learned all this today while researching a replacement for a Scattante helmet that I had a very bad crash in last July. This value "low end" by many cyclists' standards helmet did it's job perfectly -- it protected me from a severe head/brain injury. I was accelerating past 17mph in full sprint up a hill when suddenly my chain got caught in my rear cassette. I was thrown off the pedals and the bike before I could even think. I did an endo and landed on my head, then left shoulder, then left hip and knee. Broke my collar bone, got a very bad road rash on my hip and leg but I believe my head took most of the impact. The interior foam on the helmet (this is an eps inmold construction) cracked in 2 places. I am extremely thankful I was wearing this helmet. I did not sustain a serious head injury. My bell was rung, sure, and my doctor said I very likely sustained a concussion. I had a slight headache for about a week, but thankfully no long-term symptoms. I did not ride for a good 3 months. Normally I do about 3-4k miles a year,
  
  
• Added on February 26, 2016
  
  I was riding to work in May 2015. Something I did every day for years. However, I lost one day. See, as I come down the hill at 14 mph, out dashes a rabbit. Into my front wheel. Rabbit gets thrown back into curb. I go over front of my bike. My helmet soon was no more. I hit something in the road helmet first. The plastic shell shattered and the inner foam squished and crumbled. I actually had a very messy gash right above my hairline where the plastic and road grit cut me from where the helmet disintegrated on impact. I was more than a little dazed, as I took my helmet off and was trying to figure out how I got hurt while wearing it. A neurosurgeon was the second car to come up on my wreck. Seeing my apparent lack of helmet and fairly nicely covered in blood head, he thought I was soon to be a patient. Nope. Just a very mild concussion, lots of stitches and several months of treating road rash on my wrists. My head healed before I could comfortably shift and brake again. The rabbit wasn't wearing a helmet and did not survive. Dumb bunny,
  
  
• Added on September 7, 2015
  
  Crash report: I survived a 50 mph car hitting my bicycle from behind. I was wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet, as I did every bike ride for 40 years. (Brand: Shoei). Bike pushed me up, I spun around to come down head first on the roof, then bounced back with my leg going through the back window of the Mercedes. My brain was well-protected (tho I'm in a NIH TBI study because no one knows much about TBI). Perhaps you could recommend that safety-conscious cyclists wear these helmets,
  
  
• Added on May 25, 2015
  
  My wife and I were riding on a concrete Greenway in Alpharetta Georgia when she was caught off the trail on the edge and ended up falling back onto the concrete which clipped my rear tire and subsequently ended up in me falling down and breaking my collarbone. The attached photographs of the helmet I was wearing say it all. I can remember the sound of the back of my helmet hitting the concrete while my collar bone broke into 3 pieces. There is no doubt in my mind that this helmet at the very least save me from what could have been very severe head trauma and at most permanent disability or death,
  
  
• Added on March 8, 2015
  
  Writing from the hospital - going stir crazy. I ride to work as soon as it warms up - I'm an admitted weather wuss. It was gorgeous, 55 degrees and clear. My bike was obnoxiously visible day glo lime with very bright head and tail lights. My pants were black, but my jacket was bright yellow with reflective tape. My helmet - Giro Aspect - had after market LED on the back. I may ride home after dark, but I am as visible as I can manage. I was outside lane on the curb, heading south. From a north bound lane, a car turned smack into me. I hit ground hard, head right to the curb. My bike is toast. I have a nicely wretched shoulder, lots of road rash, broken cheekbone, minor concussion and a very well broken leg and destroyed knee. Definitely nasty injuries, but I'll heal. My Aspect however. She got the worst of it. The shell is cracked into three chunks with a fist sized chunk just gone. The guts are little more than crumbs. Had I not been wearing a helmet, the cracks would have been my skull and crumbs would be brain. Wearing a helmet was never debated growing up. We rode on open wheels, we wore a helmet. I've worn a helmet for 25+ years. I am a reasonably safe, experienced, careful rider. I have heard all the excuses on why I don't need a helmet. But I don't wear a helmet because of what I do or don't do. I wear one because I don't trust other motorists as far as I can throw them.
  
  
• Added on February 23, 2015
  
  During a morning session at a velodrome I was towing a group of 4 riders around the 3rd turn and saw another rider cross my path a bit too late. The other rider rode up onto the track and I T-boned his bike. We both were thrown from our bikes and landed on concrete. I slid across the infield on my head and face and was knocked out for a bit. Both of us were taken by ambulance to the local ER. He had a fractured skull because he was warming down on the infield track without a helmet. I just had a slight concussion and loss of skin on my lower lip. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet I would have had far worse injuries like my counterpart. The other rider apologized later--he said he blacked out because he didn't eat breakfast that day,
  
  
• Added on September 18, 2014
  
  Heading to the fourth day of a safety training seminar running on time but just barely. I made a left hand turn in a busy intersection with traffic and unfortunately the intersection is crossed diagonally by a railroad track. I took the outside turn lane going about 15 mph and when I hit the rail road tracks my bicycle slid out from underneath me so quickly I didn't have time to brake or put a hand down. The bright side of the accident is that I don't remember anything about it. One minute I was 45 degrees to the ground and the next minute I was two miles down the road trying to remember where it was I was heading. I pulled over and assessed my road rash and condition. Another minute of thinking and I was able to recognize where I was. Another thirty seconds and I remembered where I was heading. After a full day at work my left shoulder was really starting to hurt so I went home and went to urgent care to get the shoulder x-rayed. No broken bones and for obvious reasons the doctor was more concerned about the concussion but confirmed that I was okay. It wasn't until I got back from the doctor that I thoroughly examined the helmet. It was broken through in four locations. I've never begrudged wearing a helmet but now I am a baptized and confirmed disciple!
  
  
• Added on September 16, 2014
  
  A helmet saved my life, I was riding dirtbikes for the first time on a track and was going faster than I should hitting the jumps and feeling the adrenaline, I was told that after a few laps I hit the biggest jump going to fast and I landed sideways and my head first. I only have pictures of me smiling in the ER. Still have memory loss. Wear your helmet,
  
  
• Added on September 4, 2014
  
  Hi I am a crit racer and average at least 20 mph or more per ride. Returning from a solid ride tonight I lost control taking a corner went into a slide and hit the back of my head on a higher than normal curb. Other than being embarrassed as several cars stopped I nada few scrapes and a helmet that looked like a cracked egg but my squash is ok. I didn't take my wife's advice and skipped a trip to the dr.
  
  
• Added on August 17, 2014
  
  Always wear and inspect helmets after a mishap! I suffered the misfortune of a bicycle crash recently, and I will spare you the details. ...my helmet clearly saved me from a more serious injury. Two friends of mine, who are engineers both told me to buy a new helmet. The helmet, other than a scratch appeared intact. Upon closer inspection, yes put your glasses on; the polystyrene was broken. I took their advice. ..bought a new helmet and destroyed the damaged one....Always; even for those short rides, wear a helmets! !
  
  
• Added on August 8, 2014
  
  I am not a fast rider as my knees are completely knackered. That morning was absolute stunner so I shunned the bike gear but wore summer outfit to work. evening turned out to be drizzlier. travelling at normal speed on the bike path I approached a junction and saw a car turning in. thought I would brake and next thing I knew was I was thrown into the road hitting head first and bike cartwheeled and landed straight on the back of my head. the impact was so hard and my wrist bore some of it and broke badly. but apart from mild concussion and disorientation for 5 minutes there was no serious head injuries. I cant bike for at least six months but certainly on the lookout for my next crash helmet. they do work. ALWAYS WEAR HELMETS!
  
  
• Added on July 29, 2014
  
  I was out on my road bike last weekend training I had been riding for about forty km the weather was starting to turn for the worse and I decided to cut my ride short and just do one last hill. So I turned left instead of right . I came up to an intersection that I regularly turn at there was a car I could hear coming up about a hundred meters behind me , so I gunned it to clear the intersection before they got there. Normally this intersection is very grippy and a fast turn is possible my gps says I was doing forty one km h. Unfortunately this particular day someone had spilled diesel fuel on the road . The instant I began to make my turn the bike just went from under me it happened so quick I had already smashed my head into the road surface before it registered that I was crashing .I sustained many injuries mostly heavy bruising grazing and sprains Fortunately the lady who had been coming up behind had a car with ABS I could hear the ABS system clattering controlling the wheels locking up on the slippery surface as she stopped ,it was close ,the bike which was still clipped to my right foot had the front wheel under the engine of her car we both got a hell of a fright. While I was definitely stunned for a couple of minutes afterwards I sustained no head injuries beyond a concussion. The right hand side of the helmet was destroyed , the outer shell was deformed but intact, the foam padding inside was totally smashed and crumbling immediately under the shell but mostly intact next to my skull . The helmets impact with the road was so severe it left skid marks in the asphalt . At the very best I would have had serious cuts and grinding injuries to my head but I suspect that would be a minor issue with the brain injury I would have likely sustained. I liken bike helmets to seat belts, that one time you need it and you're not wearing it ...... you may not get the chance to regret it. And you never know when you're going to need one,
  
  
• Added on July 29, 2014
  
  We were camping and spent the day on the beach. I left at approximately 22:15 with a rope coil in left hand. I approached a small wooden bridge travelling approximately 15km/hr (estimated) over a shallow ditch where I had to turn 90degrees to the left. The bridge has no guardrail and is approximately 1meter (40") high at the deepest point of the ditch. As I turned the rope got fouled in my left foot. I tried to get it cleared and must have veered left and the front wheel went off the edge of the bridge at the very middle point. All I remember about the exact moment was thinking "oh no, not again". I think what happened next was in an attempt to regain the bike I tried to hop it back up, but the right pedal caught on the edge of the bridge and rotated me 180 degrees and sent me head first into the other side of the ditch. All I recall was the terrible noise associated with impact as I came to a dead stop. I don't know if I was knocked out or not. The pain to my neck was real bad. I think the helmet slipped off partially. I did a self assessment and got myself in a secure position and held firm on my head and helmet. Someone came along and called for help and I eventually took an ambulance ride to emerge and was released the same night several hours later. The helmet is cracked in about 7 places, but the little sun visor never even came off, which indicates an impact mostly to the top of the helmet. My head is all bruised where the ribs of the internal supports of the helmet line up with my head. I have a lot of pain around C7 and T1 and all through my shoulders, ribs and even lungs, but nothing broken. The only abrasion was a slight mark on my nose which bled a lot but was very minor. I didn't even get my hands off the bars. There was a chain oil mark all the way down my right arm in the pattern of the chain where I must have fended off the bike. The bike does not even have a mark on it!!! Thanks for reading and please wear your helmet for YOU,
  
  
• Added on July 4, 2014
  
  The commute crash. Back on May 13th of 2014. I chose to commute to work largely because of a torque converter failure on my car and because the weather had finally started to act like spring. That day I awoke to a foggy fine mist but certainly nothing bad enough to keep one from riding a bike a little over six miles to work. I had packed a backpack with a rolled up pair of blue jeans, dry shirt and street shoes to change into upon my arrival to work. I'm blessed to live in Wisconsin, a great cycling state. We have the Old Plank Trail in Sheboygan county and a portion of that trail was to be part of my commute route this day. I left home at about 7:15 and rode down a few neighboring streets before turning onto the Old Plank Trail heading west out of Plymouth, WI. The first section of trail I was on that day started with about a quarter mile decent down towards the Sheboygan River. There is a bridge at the bottom of this decent and I slowed as I went up and over the bridge and then took a right turn to follow the trail under highway 23. About 50 yards after crossing the bridge I was beginning to accelerate and was a bit out of the saddle. One of my tires hit something sending a jar to the handlebar that was enough for my right hand to slip of the bar. I remember sitting up just a bit as my right hand left the handlebar, quickly looking down and noting that with only my left hand on the bars I had begun to veer to the right. I got my right hand back on the bars just as I left the trail and began descending the rocks of the river bank towards the river. I don't remember exactly what I did but I must have hit the brakes hard just feet before going into the river, probably more front brake than rear. I went over the bars forward very hard and landed on these large rocks head down. Upon landing I was still clipped into my pedals and the one thing I remember is that I could wiggle my fingers and turn my legs to click out of my clipless pedals. I new immediately that I had not been paralyzed but I was in a huge amount of pain. I felt a tingling in my neck and a sharp pain on my upper left shoulder. After clicking out of my pedals I managed to remove the back pack and just sat there in pain for a few minutes trying to rationalize what had just taken place. I felt stupid, ashamed and disgusted from such a freak accident and wondered why me? I promise you that you never expect that something like this will ever happen to you but I assure you that it's a risk we take in daily life every day that we awake and head out our doors into the world. It was just that a freak accident. If it happened almost anywhere else on the trail or route to work that morning I may have gotten a bit of road rash or even landed more softly in a grass ditch. Because of the location and surroundings at that moment.....riding along a large stone lined river bank I suffered an injury that quite frankly was the worst in my 54 years on earth. After a few minutes of sitting on the stone lined river bank I rose and attempted to lift my leg and walk up the bank but could not. The pain I experienced in my neck from just trying to look up the river bank was nasty. I turned around and sat back down and pushed down on the rocks and lifted my body and used my legs to push myself up the stone lined river bank one rock at a time. It took a few minutes but I was soon seated on the asphalt trail that I had left 5-10 minutes earlier...only to be disgusted with myself as I looked down near the river where my back pack laid with my most important possession that morning, a cell phone. I was forced to work my way back down the stones and then flung my back pack back up onto the trail and again lifted my body and pushed with my legs as I backed up the river bank one stone at a time to again reach the trail, At that point I reached into the back pack and called a co-worker, who was a quick six minute drive away and then I also called my wife. When my co-worker Dale arrived he did a quick assessment. He stated to me. "that because of the pain you are in and the unknown extent of your injuries I think it's best to call an ambulance." It didn't take but three-four minutes for the ambulance to arrive. The paramedics attempted to fit a rigid collar on my neck but the pain was just excruciating as they tried to force the collar under my chin. They loaded me onto a backboard and headed for Sheboygan Memorial. This comment is addressed to the "City Fathers" in Sheboygan. I can assure you that you need to waste no dollars on a street superintendent because with the pains I felt as the ambulance struck every nasty frost line and pot hole I can tell you exactly where to focus your street repair manpower and dollars. The people and staff at Sheboygan Memorial were excellent in their treatment of my injuries which were later diagnosed as a C2 vertebrae fracture and separated left shoulder. I need to stop at this point and tell you that I went into surgery about 6pm that night and was fitted with a halo with four titanium screws threaded into my skull to stabilize my neck in the correct healing position I was lucky and know without a doubt that I wouldn't be typing this if I hadn't been wearing a helmet given to me 19 years earlier as a gift from a bicycle industry vendor. There is no doubt, after looking at what remained of the helmet, that the helmet absorbed much of the energy of a 200lb male going over the bars with downward force as he decelerated from a 16mph ride speed. The helmet broke in a number of locations and had inward crush dents from the impact and forces involved in the accident. I want to personally thank:
  My wife who has carried the extra load and been by my side through this entire ordeal and healing process and been my strength:
  One of the best co-workers anyone could ask for the Plymouth Ambulance crew who even stopped in my room to check on me
  My doctor and his staff at Aurora Medical. A wonderfully skilled man and great communicator
  My church family and friends for all your prayers and messages of positive support.
  In closing I would just like to state that bicycle helmets were created for accidents just like the one that occurred to me. If you feel even the slightest need to swing a leg over a bicycle...Please start by buckling on a helmet. A freak accident like mine can happen to anyone, especially a small child. I have no doubts after talking with my doctor that without a helmet on my head back on 5/13/2014 I would have been paralyzed maybe even died. If you are a parent I beg you please....do not let your children ride without a helmet. They should be hanging on their handlebar during the riding season so that they must be touched before getting on a bike. Set an example for your kids and those around you and always wear your helmet,
  
  
• Added on June 30, 2014
  
  I was riding my bike on a trail through a forest preserve. I used to only wear a helmet if I was riding fast or on busy roads. I usually ride on the sidewalk and avoid roads, actually. I remember being at a fork where you could go on one of two trails. That's the last thing I remember. I guess I called my wife 13 times in a row at home and left 13 messages that I was in a forest preserve and I didn't know why. I then called her cell phone five times and then she finally answered. I don't remember the couple that found me and called 911 for me, or the ambulance, the paramedics, or anything else. At the hospital I kept asking my wife which bike I was on. I kept referring to my "white" bike, which I gave away two years earlier. She said I asked her about 75 times to help me recreate what happened. Needless to say, I got a bad concussion. There was gravel embedded in the back of my helmet. The next week I went back to the trail (this time, not alone) and tried to retrace my ride. The first mile looked familiar, but nothing after that. The doctor said that I will never remember what happened that day, and if I wasn't wearing a helmet, I would have had brain surgery or be dead. I never ride that fast, but it doesn't take much. Even on a soft trail. I always wear my helmet now, and I am glad I was wearing that day in June three years ago,
  
  
• Added on August 29, 2013 - (For those with Facebook accounts)
  
  Please could you have a look at my Facebook page cause my story is there as well as pictures of my helmet and injures and to this day I believe that if I wasn't wearing my helmet I would most certainly of been killed Regards Ryan
  
  
• Added on August 14, 2013
  
  We posted a link to Jim Kruper's crash story. He uses physics to calculate the g's to his head with and without a helmet and concludes that without his helmet he would have died. Unfortunately we can't find it now.
  
  
• Added on May 8, 2013
  
  On Monday May 6 I was riding with my son and had completed 12 miles averaging 15.5 MPH when a pit bull darted out from between parked cars and I squarely T-boned the dog. I flew over the handlebars and first hit my head and then proceeded to land on my bottom. I fractured my pelvis and appear to have a concussion and some soreness in my jaw but I am alive. My helmet is cracked through the foam in multiple places. The EMT at the crash site stated that if I had not had a helmet on they would have probably been life lining me to the local trauma center instead I went to the hospital on my own. Wear a helmet!!
  
  
• Added on April 12, 2013
  
  4 weeks ago had a pretty nasty crash at 40km per hr. during a criterium race when I had a slight wheel overlap and no where to go. Broken Collarbone, Broken shoulderblade, 3 cracked ribs, small lung puncture, very heavy bruising on right hip. Also hit my head and face on the bitumen pavement. 4 days in Hospital, 2 days on morphine. Specialized S-Works helmet crack at bottom of helmet either side of ear. Face injuries minor and cleared in three days. protected by helmet. Stayed alert and told those in attendance including ambulance, symptoms, family contact details etc. Helmet was a very good investment. My brother died falling off a bike at 10km per hr when helmets weren't necessary or compulsory. Pretty conclusive I'd say,
  
  
• Added on March 18, 2013
  
  Its was a simple mountain bike ride on a trail in Houston. The weather was perfect for a ride. About a quarter of the way through there was a ten foot hill with several roots on the downslope. I had a choice between hitting a tree or a large root in the ground. My braking action threw my body forward so i couldn't lift the front tire and so i hit the root, flipped forward off of the bike and my head landed onto a concrete block sticking up from the ground. The impact was so several the helmet was cracked in several places. That the lord and giro helmets for my life because not only was i able to finish the ride, but other then a small amount of neck soreness and scratches i have absolutely no injuries! Thanks giro and people please always wear your helmets! You never know when it will save your life!
  
  
• Added on February 12, 2013
  
  My daughter's helmet may have saved her life. This blog posting is about the performance of a child's helmet with cheap taped-on-shell construction that did its job,
  
  
• Added on August 31, 2012
  
  On August 26, cycling with friends downhill on Mulholland Drive, in Los Angeles, I flipped over my front handlebars. My cyclometer shows I was traveling at about 23 mph when I did my flip. I landed on my back, and the back of my head hit the pavement, too. The foam on top and on the back side of the helmet is crushed. Obviously I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have my helmet on my head. I'm glad, though, that I was wearing it, because my head suffered no injury,
  
  
• Added on August 5 and 7, 2012
  
  I had a minor accident today but am convinced my helmet kept me out of the hospital. I was riding along Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans at only about 10 mph when I saw a man fishing, who hooked something just as I was approaching. This was along a restricted road with no cars or traffic whatsoever, so my attention shifted from the road to watching this man to see what he was about to reel to shore. In an instant I flipped over the handlebars after running into a 6" high buckle in the concrete, something not uncommon here. I rolled over the bike and consciously twisted to land on my left side, hit the ground and rolled onto my back in a somewhat controlled maneuver, and was about to roll back up onto my feet when SMACK I hit the back of my head on the concrete. When I got to my feet I removed my helmet to see it was flattened on the rear left corner and had a 3 inch split from the base toward the crest. Obviously I hit very hard and am certain without the helmet I would have had an ambulance ride to the hospital, and if lucky would be too punchy to write this tonight and possibly much worse. Instead its 800mg of ibuprofen with some banged up joints but not even a headache. Thank you Specialized.
  
  I have been replaying the incident the last couple days, and I was very lucky since I do not always wear a helmet. It was quite a surprise to hit my head. I was more or less "finished" with the wreck and rolling onto my feet, knowing I was not seriously hurt when the back of my head smacked into the pavement. In that instant I thought about 10 things - how could I have hit my head from this position and in this very minor wreck/that was very loud - why does it not hurt at all/wow I am wearing my helmet/holy crap I would be bleeding and unconscious if I were not. It was an enlightening experience. You expect the helmet to come into play in some nasty accident involving high speed or a car, but this was about as simple and low speed an accident as you could have. You all have a nicely designed and informative site and glad to find it after this incident,
  
  
• Added on April 15, 2012
  
  (This one has been shortened, see the full story here.)
  
  Riding my favorite ascent, Mount Evans. On the descent, ... I realized I wouldn't successfully negotiate the turn, I attempted to fall on the incline. Unfortunately, I was now riding through cross winds, which took me in the opposite direction, straight over a cliff. I plunged 30 feet to the granite boulders below. When I was next aware, I found myself flat on my back on the boulders. I was airlifted to the nearest trauma center.
  
  I had 9 spinal fractures, all in my neck and thoracic spine, including the top two vertebrae in my cervical spine. My rib cage and right scapula were shattered. Both lungs were punctured, and I had severe lacerations to my left kidney and spleen. My internal bleeding was massive. My head, however, had a single gash, and in a location that wasn't protected by my Giro Atmos helmet. The helmet itself had more than a dozen cracks and multiple crush zones. While a fall like that far exceeds CPSC standards of testing, there is little doubt that the helmet saved my life. I spent 10 days in ICU, and nearly a month in hospital. My injuries were consistent with a fall from that height. However; the mild traumatic brain injury I suffered was minimal.
  
  I've since had to have spinal surgery to remove bone fragments and damaged disks from my neck, fusing 4 levels. I'm on the mend, though. I can walk, my faculties are intact, and I even seem to be regaining coordination in my left hand. I remain in severe pain, but I'm alive. I'll likely even ride again! Life is good,
  
  
• Added on December 31, 2011
  
  I had a crash on my bicycle a couple of days ago. I am in my early 40's and cycle to work and home three days a week; a round trip of 28 km. I was a semi-professional rugby league player until I was 35 years old and still train regularly. I therefore have a body that has taken much physical abuse over the years, and am quick fit and strong. I was cycling on a cycle path, going downhill and banking to the right at about 50 km/h. I drifted a little wide of the riding line, came into contact with some leaf litter and other debris on the cycle path, and the bike went from underneath me very quickly. My most vivid memory of the crash was the force with which my head hit the path and the cushioning effect the helmet provided; it was like falling on a pillow. I suffered the usual associated scapes to my lower leg, upper leg, hip, arm and shoulder as well as some significant trauma to my right shoulder due to the force of it coming into contact with the ground. However, if it were not for my helmet I have no doubt I would have been in the back of an ambulance with a significant head injury. From a person who, on occasion has not worn a helmet, I am happy to sing their virtues from the roof top. I have to buy a new helmet as that one has been destroyed by the crash, but I wont be riding until I have bought another,
  
  
• Added on December 30, 2011
  
  I was on a typical ride around a lake near my home, when next thing I knew I was in the ER, watching as my wife walked up to me and said "Ewww." Witnesses said my front tire blew out and I was instantly propelled over the handlebars and landed on my face / head, and left arm. I obviously had a concussion, as the next few hours are a blank (but witnesses say I was conscious for most of the time), and I ended up with an orbital fracture on the left eye as well as a fracture of some cheek bones. I am now the proud owner of several titanium plates keeping everything together, and had 23 stitches to the head and mouth. These wounds are minor, though, in comparison to what probably would have happened had I not been wearing my helmet. It truly did save my life, and bloody as it is I'm mounting it like a trophy to remind me how lucky I was,
  
  
• Added on December 27, 2011
  
  I live on Maui and the roads in the upcountry are full of switchbacks and fast downhills. The day of my crash I remember clearly putting on my helmet, a 2007 Giro Atmos. I don't remember what happened after that. I was found in the road by a first responder paramedic with a flat front `tire and my helmet in place, crushed in at the Left temple. I was semi conscious and responded to questions, but do not remember clearly the half hour before the crash or the first 4 hours after the crash. From the physical evidence I was headed down hill at a high rate of speed and did not make a hairpin curve. It is apparent that my front wheel tire had flatted and I was riding on the rim. I went over the bars, impacted my left temple, brake handles, left hand, left shoulder, left hip and both knees. Evidenced by the abrasions I apparently slid for sometime on my face, hands, elbows and knees. My helmets foam is permanently compressed at the left temple to approximately half the original thickness with some cracks where the helmet fractured. It is important to note that my helmet also has punctures from the chain ring that apparently I impacted at some point after the pavement. My CT scan of my head was negative. I have yet to regain a memory of the ride up to the accident or immediately after the accident. I am shopping for a new helmet. Thankful to be alive and conscious,
  
  
• Added on December 27, 2011
  
  Today I was traversing a small grass field to avoid some ducks and when I get to the edge/transition to pavement there's a fairly big hole I avoid...but because I'm on grass, can't really get any traction/torque and I endo over the bar and as I'm flying heels over head I'm thinking "this is bad I think it's a header"...and BOOM it was. SMACKED my head on the hard pavement with a good deal of force. Lucky for a helmet. I've been a lifelong cyclist from riding to school as a kid to doing my first century in high school and serious road racing in college. Back in the day, even in college, never wore a helmet as they were crude and heavy and not very cool. Never really wore a helmet until 3 years ago as I got back into riding. Any way, a helmet is a very good thing. Best $50 bucks I've spent. I'd be in the hospital right now if I wasn't wearing a helmet. I don't think I'd be dead but you can never tell,
  
  
• Added on October 31, 2011
  
  I decided to do a long bike ride, about 30 miles, instead of a run one day. After turning around and headed back, I heard a car coming up behind me. I was on a slight downhill going maybe 25 mph when I had a strong feeling to turn and look at the car behind me. The car was partway in the bike lane and not moving over. I then tried to move over as far as I could the the edge of the pavement. Unfortunately, there was a pretty steep drop-off from the pavement onto the gravel. My front tire slipped off the pavement and twisted sideways causing my whole bike to slide out from under me. I flew over the left side of my bike and put my arms out to protect my face. My helmet hit my left arm and then the pavement and then broke off. My left arm twisted and my left quad hit the edge of the pavement (which left me with a huge, deep bruise). The car did not stop, but another car did and asked if I was ok. I got back up and rode the rest of the way home. Thankfully, I only came out with two scratched, a very soar arm and shoulder and a big bruise. I am so glad I had my helmet on, or it would have been much worse. I am a college athlete with a big race coming up, and if I hadnt of had my helmet on, I would probably not be racing.
  
  
• Added on September 3, 2011
  
  I used your site to help select the helmet that saved my life. After a serious crash, I ended up with a grade 4 AC joint dislocation, bruises, and lots of road rash. But no head or neck trauma. The helmet I wore was crushed at the impact point and had large cracks in the styrofoam. The polycarbonate cover showed extensive scuffing along the side and back from the slide I took on the asphalt after the initial impact. Though I had almost no head pain (it felt like I'd received a moderate open hand slap to the side of my head) the ER doctor took one look at my helmet and ordered a CT. No head or brain trauma. So thanks for the help. I was traveling at 23 miles per hour on a level bike trail at the time of the accident. Another cyclist moved in my path without warning,
  
  
• Added on July 16, 2011
  
  I am an avid bike rider and ride four or five days a week, usually 10-15 miles. Last evening I went out for my usual after dark ride. My bike has a head lamp and tail lamp for safety. I always wear a helmet. I was traveling on a paved street, down a slight hill, at about 15-20 MPH. I saw something in the street to my left. As I looked over at it I suddenly struck a large post that was purposely placed across the traffic lane. I flew into and over the handlebars and the first thing that struck the pavement was my head! My helmet was destroyed. There is a large chuck missing out of the right front and is is split in half almost it's complete length down the middle. The helmet is a Schwinn SW100T made in March of 2006 which, according to the sticker inside, meets the CPSC standard. I was taken by ambulance to a Level One trauma center in Minnesota where I live. Due to the catastrophic damage to the helmet they feared a serious head injury. I received a mild concussion and numerous abrasions and bruising. One of the abrasions/bruises is across the right side of my forehead which is right underneath where the helmet hit the pavement. I can only imagine what that would have looked like had it not been for the helmet... I am very thankful is was not worse and I could have very well received a serious brain injury or even died had it not been for the helmet. As for my bike, I had bought it new in late May of this year and it already had 362 miles on it. From what the police say I think it is totaled. Scratch one Trek 7100!
  
  
• Added on July 10, 2011
  
  Last week I had my first ride on a new triathlon bike. I was going around 18 mph in the aero position with a cross wind present. There was a drop of 4 to 6 inches on the side of the road and the wind was pushing me in that direction. I steered to the left away from the side of the road too quickly and started losing my balance and over-compensated to the right and crashed in the middle of the road on my right side. I hit the side of my head on the pavement and broke my helmet in 3 places. Without the helmet I would have been severely injured. As it was I just have a massive bruise on my right thigh and soreness all over,
  
  
• Added on April 23, 2011
  
  I was cycling along a country lane, about 25mph, when my attention was distracted by the scenery for a moment. My front wheel dropped off the edge of the bitumen into a 3" rut and then bit back up onto the bitumen. I went straight over the bars, came down hard on the buttocks and then my head slammed into the bitumen. It took a few minutes to get off the road as I was badly winded, but when I got home I took the helmet off and the imprint of the bitumen was deep into the casing and the helmet was cracked badly in 3 places. Without the helmet, that would have been my head,
  
  
• Added on November 8, 2010
  
  I was riding home from work on an asphalt trail through the woods about 4:30 PM. I had ridden this trial dozens of times. It was sprinkling and the trail had a lot of fallen leaves on it. I wasn't going fast (10-15 MPH?) but I had my head down a little to shelter from the rain. I hit something (a stick?) which kicked my front tire about two feet to the left. First I tried to steer into the new direction but I was headed for an earth cliff so I tried to turn back to the right. The next thing I remember is another bicyclist saying something to me. I think I must have been unconscious for a minute(?) because I don't know where he came from. I don't know what he said to me or what I said. I got up, picked up my bike and rode the rest of the way home. I was so stunned I didn't realize how badly I had been hurt until I looked in the mirror. I went to the hospital. I had a concussion, broken cheek bone, two stitches in my eyebrow, and road rash down my left side. One doctor told me the crash helmet had saved my life. I bought a new helmet yesterday and fitted it very carefully. It's stupid but I never worried about crashing only about being hit by cars. I thought I was safe on the trail. Wear your helmet & ride carefully,
  
  
• Added on September 23, 2010
  
  My two 'helmet saved my skull' stories...and I'm NOT accident-prone, honest! (NB. A reminder that in the UK, we drive on the left..)
  No.1
  In 2005, on a dry day, I was cycling downhill on a main road, with my 12-year old daughter riding behind me. In preparation for making a left turn into a side road, I glanced over my shoulder to a) check for traffic, and b) that my daughter was still close and aware of my intentions (as we had discussed earlier). From what I remember, just as I turned to look, I must have gone over a pot-hole, or a small dip in the road. In an instant, my front wheel twisted to the right, and I sailed away over the handle-bars, and the bike tried to follow. The next thing I vaguely remember is being spoken to, tasting the blood running down my left cheek, where my spectacle lens had pierced my skin, just millimeters under my eye, and being asked if I was ok. Why I mumbled 'Yeah, fine' when I plainly wasn't ,I don't know, as I was bruised, bleeding - and very confused. It seems I'd lain motionless on the floor, probably unconscious, for a couple of minutes. My daughter coped admirably with the situation - at first she'd screamed (naturally...) at seeing her father doing a graceless somersault and land heavily - on his head. As I didn't move immediately, she thought I was dead. She got off her bike, and waved at the cars coming down the hill to go around me, while dragging my bike off the road, and then calling my wife on her mobile to ask for help - fortunately her mum was only a minutes drive away. She showed great calm for a 12-year old. Just at this point, a lady who had been walking by stopped to help, and got me off the floor, then sat on the kerb with me, proffering tissues to wipe the dirt and blood off. I noticed my bike gloves were shredded - but my palms had only superficial scratches. Someone took the helmet off and I noted in passing the many scratches on it - at that point, the fact that the left side was squashed flat for half it's length hadn't registered. Now my head felt like it had been sledge-hammered, and my face cheese-grated. How nothing had broken, I can't explain (not that I'm complaining). I didn't get the kind persons name, so I thanked her later through or local newspaper. My wife arrived at some point, loaded the bike in the car, and took me home. It was days later that I saw the helmet again, after an enforced 3-day stay in hospital to check for any after effects of concussion (I had some memory loss). I even had a lumbar puncture to check for blood in the spinal fluid, as my amnesia had concerned the doctors. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone... I was aghast when I saw the helmet and the violence inflicted upon it. The front left half was flattened, and the friction had left it's mark too. I knew I had come down hard (I had witnesses, and of course I had the spectacular bruising and whiplash to show for it), but if I had impacted the tarmac without the helmet, well, it made me feel nauseas just thinking about it. I could be dead, or worse... But there we are, it did it's job, a 20 pound sacrificial item, and I had no qualms about spending money on another one.
  
  No.2
  In 2010, out with a friend for a rapid, lung-stretching ride up and down our country lanes, in the late September afternoon sunshine. We were on the return leg, only a few miles from home, free-wheeling at 25mph down a wide lane, which curved very gently to the left. My friend was in front by about 100m, and remembered, a little late in the day, that a T-junction came up rather quickly just around the bend - I saw it too, just as he shouted 'BRAKE!' and he came to a slewed halt. So I slammed on the anchors, probably a little too hard, and the wheels stopped turning very quickly, but the bike and I didn't...funny thing, momentum... The tyres skidded for what seemed like hours, then the bike wobbled violently, the back slid decisively down to the left, and the handlebars were whipped away from me. I knew at this point it was going to be a painful meeting of man, machine and mother earth. I came down on my back, feet forward, with the bike on my legs (those SPD's really DO release when you need them too!). The back of my helmet and right elbow impacted first, swiftly followed by my lower back - SLAM! By God, that was hard. I probably bounced a little too. MY first thoughts on impact were: Will I walk again? Is my favourite shirt ok? Is the bike bent? (yes, yes - except for small friction burn, and no) I amazed myself by doing an inventory before daring to get up:
  - Can arms and legs gently move? Check.
  - Head and teeth intact? Check.
  - Can I move my neck? Check
  - I've still got my glasses on?? - A bonus!
  Ok, now try getting on to your feet - and pick up that piece of foam...the 4-inch chunk that had broken off the lower right rear edge of the helmet. As these things seem to happen in slow-motion, I distinctly remember the feeling of my head compressing the helmet and then it pushing back, as it took the brunt of the impact. At the same time, I used my elbow as a brake and shock absorber (not a good one either...), just before all the air was knocked out of me, as my lower half slammed down on its left flank. I was grateful there wasn't too much grit and gravel at that point on the road - otherwise I could have lost a fair bit of skin too. Result - really only a swollen right elbow with a nasty scrape, a sore lower back, and stiff neck muscles. Nothing broken, other than the helmet. I walked/hobbled back up the lane to check out how much rubber I had laid, and the skid mark was about 10m long. If I'd had the presence of mind (or more falling-off experiences) I might have pumped the brakes, and rescued the situation, but it happens so quickly, and then it's over. The bike escaped serious damage too - a scuffed bar end, and the front brake caliper out of alignment. Phew!Half an hour in a cold bath as soon as I got home cooled all those damaged areas, and helped minimise stiffness over the following days. Oh - and lots of ibuprofen. Once again, wearing a helmet has saved me from stoving my skull in - and having two layers on my upper half helped minimise gravel rash. Can you imagine what the outcome might have been if that much force had been applied to an unprotected head? Yep, this humble 15 pound Lidl helmet was FANTASTIC! (I've never had a duff product from them yet) Neither of my helmets were at all expensive - They could have been a few grams lighter, certainly not enough vents (I do run hot) and no snazzy graphics, but hey, I can't see it when it's on my head. The point is, they are all made to a certain standard, and that's enough for me. However, there is a rather nice Giro on eBay...but I hope this next one doesn't have to prove it's worth for a long time...if ever!
  
  
• Added on September 14, 2010
  
  I wanted to share my crash experience and the fact that my helmet likely saved my life. On Sunday, September 12 , 2010 my wife and I were on our routine 20 mile weekend training ride, a continuous three mile loop through our neighborhood. We always get a drink from our water bottles at the same point on the loop. On the third lap (I am told) I took a drink and was putting my water bottle back when I ran over a recessed manhole cover (about 1" lower than grade) and then a center line road reflector about a foot away. This upset me enough to wobble for a split second and go down hard on my left side. I was going about 15 MPH when this occurred. I have road rash on my elbow, hip and knee, chipped a bone in my shoulder and sprained the CV ligament. My wife saw me fall and unclipped to see if I was OK. She asked me if I was OK and I said "yes" and then if I hit my head and I responded "no" and I proceeded to take my shoes off and walk home, leaving my bike in the street. At that point she noticed my helmet (a Giro Indicator) was damaged on the left side (photos attached) with some compression on the outside shell, a complete vertical crack and partial horizontal crack in the foam. Several minutes later I started to act incoherently, my pupils constricted, and my wife drove me to the hospital. I was diagnosed with a level II concussion with post trauma amnesia and have no memory of the accident or the next six hours afterward. I apparently bounced my head on the asphalt pretty hard. I am I Safety Engineer by trade, and preach and conduct training focused on wearing proper personal protective equipment. In this case I am convinced that my injury would have been much worse if I was not wearing a helmet, and it likely saved my life,
  
  
• Added on September 5, 2010
  
  While riding to work in early October, 2007, I was headed downhill at about 20 mph. As I approached an intersection with a two-way stop (not in my direction), a car approached from the right. Whether the car saw me or not, I don't know, but it pulled out into the intersection just in time for me to hit my brakes and go hurtling over the handlebars. I smacked my head again the side of the car, and the edge of my helmet came to rest just in front of the car's rear tire. Rather than stop, the car drove off--with the edge of my helmet still underneath it. I was about ten inches from death. As it was, my helmet was neatly broken along its side, and I lay dazed in the middle of the road. I shouted for help, and a man from one of the nearby houses called 911. It didn't feel like I had any head, neck, or spine injuries, so I dragged myself out of the middle of the road while the Good Samaritan wheeled my bicycle to his house. Five minutes later the police and paramedics showed up. They took down my information, got my vague impressions of the car that hit me (it drove over my helmet, for Goodness' sakes), then took me to the hospital. Broken arm, some minor road rash--all in all, it could have been SO much worse. The police never found the driver, but at least the police report was accurate. To add to my troubles, it turns out that my health insurance, supposed to have kicked in, didn't start for another month.... $5 grand in the hole, especially for a newly-graduated AmeriCorps VISTA, is no joke. Surprisingly, however, my bicycle was fine--no dents in the frame, no cracks, wheels still true! I can never thank enough the police, paramedics, and doctors who helped me. As for the Good Samaritan, to hold onto a guy's bicycle for a week while he recuperates from a broken arm is one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me,
  
  
• Added on August 22, 2010
  
  My nine year old dropped his bike on Friday. Despite wearing a helmet, which my wife and I have been adamant about, he still smacked his head on the ground and ended up with about five sutures. He is OK, and he suffered no concussion or serious injuries. Some road rash on his forearm was the source of most of his pain. I was truly stunned that he suffered a head injury despite wearing a helmet. A face first nose plant would be one thing, but the impact was up high on his head at the temple. I do periodically re-adjust both of my kids' helmet straps, but today in surfing the Internet I found your information about "strap creep",
  
  
• Added on August 20, 2010
  My wife and I had just completed the "go fast" part of our bike ride and were meandering slowly through the neighborhood. As we approached a crosswalk the gentleman standing there motioned me to go through. He distracted me from paying attention to where I was going until my front tire collided with my wife's rear tire. I went down like a ton of bricks, landing first on my knee, then my elbow and then my head which slammed into and bouced off of the pavement. Fortunately I was wearing my helmet. Otherwise I would have hit on my right temple, possibly causing a very serious head injury or death, particularly give that I am taking blood thinner for clots in the same leg that I landed on. My knee was badly injured, bleeding profusely and requiring 11 stitches to close. The ER at VA Hospital Center was great, including doing an MRI on my head to ensure that I wasn't bleeding internally. I was fixed up in time to go to a wedding that same evening. The helmet, I believe saved my life. If I can help to further get the word out about the importance of helmets please let me know,
  
  
• Added on June 9, 2010
  
  Had a minor crash in Brooklyn NY - after riding 30 miles all over Brooklyn, on my way to an appointment, a block from home; no idea what happened but I have 2 broken spokes on the front wheel so think something got caught and threw me. Anyway, hit the pavement and lost some skin, 7 stitches to my eyebrow but the helmet - a literally out of the box 4 hours earlier Giro - has a crack above where I got stitched so I'm sure it saved me from further injury. I always, always wear a helmet just for this reason, and encourage everyone else to do the same. I was able to get up, fetch the bike, walk home and clean up and take a cab to the ER. Beats lying in the street with a major head wound waiting for the EMT's...,
  
  
• Added on April 25, 2010
  
  On the afternoon of the Saturday before Easter, 2010, my wife went out to run some errands in her car and I went out for a ride on the local bike path. When she returned home she found me standing at the corner where the street we live on intersects with the busier street that runs past our neighborhood "looking for skid marks" as I reported to her at the time. I was also able to tell her that I had crashed my bike and that a motorist had stopped to help me up and to get my bike home which is located no more than 100 meters from the crash site. She asked me what happened and all I could tell her was that "maybe I had taken the turn onto our street too fast". As I type this I have no memory of any of that, all I can remember is waking up in the hospital ER and being told that I was there because I had crashed my bike. I remember the things I did the morning of the crash and every thing that happened since waking up and asking that question but I have total amnesia from lunch on Saturday until I woke in the hospital. My amnesia is the result of a concussion and my other injuries include four broken ribs and a small puncture to one lung that fortunately did not cause a collapsed lung. When I was transferred out of intensive care (for observation because of the concussion) to a normal hospital room my new roomate was also a bicyclist who had crashed, breaking six ribs and his clavicle! Both of us were wearing helmets, his saved him from a concussion and memory loss; he knows he crashed when he hit a pothole. Who knows what mine saved me from? Almost certainly a fractured skull and quite possibly life as a vegetable or death. My Uvex Touring model helmet has no scuff marks, just a fist sized piece of foam broken away from the bottom lip on the left side right near the back and some cracking of the foam that is visible from the inside of the helmet. My new Fuji bicycle had only 150 miles on it at the time of the crash and it is nearly intact. There is only a bend in one spot of the rear rim which also has a scuff mark on the side at the same location. The clothes I was wearing at the time have grass stains on them on the left side so I must have gone over the curb and fallen in the grassy area between it and the sidewalk. The damage to the rim undoubtedly occurred when I hit the curb and it seems likely that my head hit the curb too. I may indeed have tried to take that turn too fast, it would not be entirely out of character for me. Or maybe an automobile was involved somehow, possibly the one driven by the person who stopped to help me. I will never know so I can only adopt more cautious behavior on all fronts when I resume cycling to try to prevent a repeat of this accident. I can say one thing with certainty though. Wearing a helmet does not encourage me to take risks I would not otherwise take. Whatever happened that day I am certain I would have behaved no differently had I not been wearing a helmet, only the outcome would have been different. What a great website you have here! Thanks so much for your efforts to promote helmet use and improve helmet performance. I can only hope that my story will help convince some doubter that a helmet is a necessary cycling accessory,
  
  
• Added on March 22, 2010
  
  Last Wednesday while riding with a lifelong friend, our lives changed possibly forever. We were on our usual ride and something went terribly wrong. When I realized Jim was not with me I turned around to find him down. No car, we were on a bike trail, no reason but he was down. He was been in sicu with severe brain trauma, he has and will continue to be in a coma for a couple of weeks then hopefully when they bring him out we will see if there is any permanent brain injuries, of course we are hoping for the best he is in great physical condition and if anyone will have a complete recovery Jim will. Yes he had his helmet on, yes he was an experienced rider, it was an expensive helmet, however it did not do its job it did not protect the lower left rear of his head. When looking at the aerodynamics today they are cool , however cool is not good enough. Thank you for your efforts and do you have any recommendations?
  
  
• Added on March 5, 2010
  
  On August 23, 2009 riding my bike, front tire blew a flat giving me a bad fall with a broken collar bone. Looking for a replacement of a Bell (Image) helmet that broke and saved a second fall
  
  
• Added on February 9, 2010
  
  Just thought I would give you a little feedback from the rainy Seattle area. Last night riding down a steep paved trail on my commute home, I ran off the side of the trail on a wide sweeping turn (apparently going faster than I thought); I went axx over teakettle, leaving a yard sale of bike bags, rocks, and bicycle as I came to rest in the path on my back. The trail was darker than the inside of a cow on a moonless night. I lay in the trail collecting my thoughts wondering what I had broken this time. I was hoping nobody else would come barreling down the trail as I rested there; no one did until after I got up and started putting everything back together so I escaped getting run over by another cyclist. I felt no pain despite wondering what I had broken this time. However, there was some blood from my face since I had done sort of a face plant before rolling. It appears the visor folded down over my glasses and face and took the brunt of what otherwise would probably have been facial road rash. The visor on my Bell helmet was pretty beat up but can be saved, again, with some good epoxy. I am beginning to think about a full face helmet. BTW: visors are very helpful with all the rain we get here, at least for folks wearing glasses. My background: a bicycle commuter since the early 70's with very few dramatic crashes. This was a relative new route that I had never ridden in such darkness before - hence the surprise. All my downhill skiing of late, combined with the lack of visual clues in such darkness may have changed my perception of speed,
  
  
• Added on October 30, 2009
  
  I came around a curve in the road going fast down a moderate decline. I was down on the drops. The last thing I remember was my back tire sliding out from under the bike. My riding partners said that I flipped in the air and landed on my head and face. My bike was thrown about fifty feet away up a hill. I was unconscious for about three minutes. My girls called 911. As they were waiting for help to arrive, two local doctors happened to be riding by and they took over. I was rushed via ambulance to the University of Utah Hospital where I was greeted by a trauma team. My injuries include fractures of most of the bones in the left side of my face, four broken ribs, fractured left shoulder, and fractures in three thoracic vertebrae. The same day of the accident, I underwent shoulder surgery to set the fracture and reattach the deltoid muscle that was completely torn from the bone. The following day I endured a six-hour facial reconstruction surgery. I spent a total of four days in the ICU at the University of Utah hospital and two days in a regular room. I have a plate holding my nose together that will be removed during another surgery in about two months. I have to wear a neck/body brace that holds my head completely still for the next four weeks. I now have a spine doctor, a face doctor and a shoulder doctor. They all expect me to make a complete recovery. My Giro helmet is cracked down to the plastic near the front left side of the helmet, but even with all of these injuries, I did not sustain a head injury. A big thank you to Giro from me, my husband, my son, my mom and dad and my friends. I am living proof that helmets work!
  
  
• Added on July 24, 2009
  
  My favorite helmet, a several year old Giro Atmos, gave up it's life for me 2 weeks ago. I was descending a nice empty winding road on a sunny Sunday around noon, having worked the day before I forgot about the heavy downpours. I was heading down the hill into the last turn I saw, in the shade a gravel wash across the final right turn that I partially hidden in the shade of a tree. Before entering the nex- to- the last turn, my computer read 40 mph. Yep - stupid - but it was sunny, warm and I was feeing great. An unthinking touch to the brakes before the gravel on the sharp right turn sealed my fate. Laid it down, slid through the, thankfully, empty on-coming lane, flipped near the side of the road from my right side to my left - slamming the back of my head into the road. Like others have written, I actually remember thinking I was glad I had a helmet, followed with a question - why am I still sliding. As luck would have it, the ditch along the road was filled with last year's leaves and smaller sticks which stopped me - lost a lot of skin -- but didn't break anything! In my helmet, all the support straps in the helmet broke loose and the back and top (?) of the helmet has plum-sized gravel almost pushed all the way through the shell of the helmet - the helmet didn't even crack. Two weeks later - most of the bandages are off and I'm in the market for another helmet and new clothing. The fact that I didn't break anything was luck, the fact that I'm alive I credit to my helmet,
  
  
• Added on July 16, 2009
  
  I've just been released from a three-day hospital stay after a bicycle crash this past Saturday on the Sammamish River Trail in Kirkland, Washington. While most of the rest of my body was dinged and bruised, my 68 year old head was fine! Looking at the crack on the inside of by year-old Bell helmet, I'm thrilled it was the liner and not my head. Therefore, I just wanted to write to say that this is one future purchase that I will be pleased to make - a replacement for my old Bell helmet. I will be an advocate for the product, and am grateful that it's kept me safe,
  
  
• Added on June 22, 2009
  
  Specialized S-Works helmet saved my life this weeked. Hit a curb straight on I didn't even see doing over 20 on my road bike, went head first onto the concrete. Helmet shattered into several pieces, the Head Trauma Doc said that probably saved my life...concussion, cervical strain (thank goodness, EMT's thought I broke my neck), and a tore up face...otherwise okay...need any pictures of the helmet let me know..,
  
  
• Added on June 14, 2009
  
  This is just a quick e-mail following an article I read while in hospital in the June edition of Cycling Plus magazine. I've been cycling and mountain biking for several years and would not dream of getting on my bike without a helmet as far as I'm concerned it's part of my bike. I truly believe the only reason I'm here and able to write this e-mail is because I was wearing a cycling helmet. On 23 May I was knocked off my bike by a car turning right in front of me although he claims he didn't see me, I don't remember a thing about the accident ( which I'm sure is a good thing) I've been told that I bounced over the bonnet of the car smashed the windscreen then landed on the road, thankfully I have no broken bones although very bruised and battered knees and a trapped nerve, all of which can hopefully be sorted out in time. I was taken to A&E and suffered a stroke due to the impact to my head which I know would have been much worse had I not been wearing a helmet. Reading the article in hospital and then seeing the number of cyclists since they let me escape on 3 June not wearing a helmet is driving me nuts and I really struggle to understand the reason why. I will be getting back on a new bike in due course but I can assure everyone my first purchase will be a new helmet,
  
  
• Added on June 8, 2009
  
  Today was my first crash. It happened so fast I had no time to react! I was leaning left at 15mph to take a left hand turn while crossing over the center of a 2 lane road. The road was crowned in the center due to ice heaving during winter and my front tire fell into the rut that seperated the 2 halves. This was about 3 inches wide by 2 inches deep by 5 or 6 feet in length.
  
  My front tire basically turned right and stopped and propelled me off to the left. I hit my left shoulder hard, road rash and then a popping noise as my collarbone snapped into 3 pieces. At almost the exact instant the back of my helmeted head slammed into the pavement violently...twice... before I came to a stop at the curb.
  
  I actually had enough time to think to myself ' I sure am glad I am wearing my helmet'! I did'nt black out or anything and my riding buddies called 911 and waited with me.
  
  My Limar is cracked all the way through just above and behind my left ear. I honestly feel that if I didnt have a helmet, I would be dead. I mean I hit hard! I'm sure I would have cracked my skull and shaved off my left ear! Since I broke my left clavicle, I am typing this one handed. Tomorrow I see the Orthopedic surgeon to see if I need surgery. ER doc thinks 4-6 weeks of immobilization is all I need. And of course a new helmet!
  
  looks like my health insurance and disability insurance is finally going to pay off. Glad I won't be using that life insurance just yet.
  
  I have always worn a helmet... I always thought I would never need it..... i've been wrong efore,
  
  
• Added on April 16, 2009
  
  While on a training ride on my road bike for an upcoming century ride I had the bad luck to hit a rock, on edge, about the size of my fist. The next thing I knew I was going down on my right side with my arm outstretched in a reflexive action. I don't recall hitting the ground/pavement but the next thing I recall was laying on the ground moaning.
  
  After a few minutes(?) I managed to get myself up and begin to access the damage. I was skinned up and very sore. As this was a training ride I stood there and actually considered continuing. I guess my instincts kicked in and I decided to abandon. I turned my bike around and began the ride back to my car. The next thing I recall is standing and talking to a Sheriff's deputy. He had stopped me, I guess, and checked to see if I was OK. I managed to convince him I was. I then rode off toward my car. I only went a few yards before my vision went dark like an old 1950s TV set turning off.
  
  The next thing I recall is being at my car and putting my shoes on. I then drove to my friends house where I was expected. I don't recall driving to their house!
  
  When I finally went to the doctor I was told I had a concussion. I already knew that but its always good to have it confirmed. I had headaches for three months afterword. Through research I learned I was lucky. Some people have headaches for years. I still have pain in my right hand where I went down.
  
  After looking at the helmet I know it saved my life without a doubt. The injury ended my riding season for that year. I have told as many people as I could about this event in hopes it would encourage them to wear a helmet when cycling, skating or whatever. It really can save your life!
  
  
• Added on February 26, 2009
  
  This story is told in a YouTube video made by a woman who survived her crash, but has led a hard life struggling to overcome her injuries.
  
  
• Added on January 10, 2009
  
  I read the testimonial stories on the web page, "Visor Problems Shattered Bicycle Helmet Visor? Cut by a Visor Edge" and thought I would share my experience. several years ago I was getting back into cycling and bought a new bike and helmet, a Giro Mojave. I was practicing for my very first bike race and did a header over the handlebar after braking too much. While I was traveling over the asphalt i had tucked my chin to my chest and the visor on the helmet scraped across the rough surface. When I finally stopped my forward movement my friend came running and checked me out. I had bloody elbows and knees but my face was unmarked because the visor took the brunt of the trauma. No marks on the face, no broken teeth, no road rash. I still have the helmet but no longer wear it, it is a reminder of what could have happened. I have since purchased a newer Giro Xen, with a visor, and have been fortunate to not have been injured on the several accidents I have had since then,
  
  
• Added on September 17, 2008
  
  My 8-year-old son crashed on his bike last week. Unable to break while going down a hill, he went through an intersection (thankfully, no cars were coming) and hit the curb on the other side. His bike flew to the right; he went to the left, sliding across the sidewalk into a hedge. Although he was fairly scraped up on his face and arms, we are fortunate that he was not seriously hurt. We didn't realize how fortunate, however, until we examined his helmet. The helmet, which is now cracked in five places, was compressed 3/8" where his head hit the sidewalk. While the picture (left) does not appear very dramatic, and, as bike crashes go, this was a mild one, the helmet clearly saved him from what could have been a fairly bad head injury,
  
  
• Added on September 15, 2008
  
  On 6.6.2007 1600 I lost control of my bike due to a sudden loss of pressure in the front tire on a downhill slope and jumped over the steering bar crashing into the pavement edge face-first. The speed was not too fast (approx 15km/h) and I landed in the style of a wet sack of beans. Some classical road rash on the palms, a nice haematome impression of the venting holes from the face bar on my lower chin. That's it. Expect a completely smashed Bell Bellistic. The foam in the front has been compressed forming ring like cracks. The outer hull has a deep jack from the egde of the pavement sidestone. The visor ripped of as it should. Just imagine, if I had got the hard 90 degree granite egde into my head instead of having the surface of the helmet to absorb it for me,
  
  
• Added on August 17, 2008
  
  Thanks once more for getting me to wear a helmet. I wiped out last Friday making a left off of Kirkwood on to rt 29 in front the pawn shop. Thanks to helmet I will survive with neck fractures, broken rib and a plated and screwed together rt elbow. I have not gotten my bike out of county lot yet. nor revisited the crash site so the cause is still a mystery.. went down fast and was knocked out. I will have plenty of recovery time to do the detective work. If you need another testimonial from a converted test dummy feel free to clean this up and use it.. It was a brand new bell helmet and it has saved me once again. You have a very thankful convert here and I will help spread the word. blessed by your efforts,
  
  
• Added on July 15, 2008
  
  He was going about 40 miles per hour on his road bike when he rounded a curve; something happened ( perhaps he hit a little patch of gravel ); he and his bike tumbled over several times, broke his helmet, scraped himself pretty bad on his right arm and leg; was taken to the hospital where they determined he had not broken anything. Wearing his helmet probably saved him from serious injury to his head. Bicycle suffered major damage. This accident happened Sunday during a training ride in preparation for a 100 mile mountain bike race that he still intends to participate in this coming weekend. Let's hope he does better in the race than he did in the training ride!
  
  
• Added on May 21, 2008
  
  Last May 2007, I was doing my final long training ride before I spent the week tapering down for the Memphis in May Triathlon. I was in aero position riding down a park road just before it becomes a bike trail. It's a great straight-a-way where I do speed work. I had accelerated to just over 20 mph when to my left I glimpsed the grey flash of large squirrel making a dash across the road. Before I could react, the squirrel ran right into the spokes of my front wheel. When the spokes flung the squirrel into the front fork of my bike, the wheel locked up immediately. The bike flipped over fast and smashed me into the pavement hard. The right temple of my head and my right shoulder were the first to contact the pavement. I was knocked out for a few minutes. Other cyclists helped move me off the road. One guy assessed me and fearing I was going into shock or had a severe head injury used my cell phone to call 911 and then call my wife. The hospital ER diagnosed me with a slight concussion and a severe grade 4 shoulder separation. While I was lying on the stretcher in the ER I noticed, upon closer inspection of my Bell Sweep, a significant crack through the right temple portion of the helmet. Actually, that piece of my helmet fell out. I work in a field where I see a lot of head injury deaths. Given the severity of my shoulder injury from this wreck, I have no doubt that the Bell Sweep in all probability saved my life and at the least saved me from suffering a skull fracture and serious brain injury. I will add that the squirrel did not fare as well. When my wife went to the scene of the accident to retrieve my bike, one of our sons found the squirrel lying on the shoulder of the road. He had his picture taken with it. Maybe it too should have been wearing and Bell Sweep. When I got back to work, 2 days later, my colleagues had placed a toy squirrel with bandages around its tail and head in my chair,
  
  
• Added on April 30, 2008
  
  I've been an avid commuting cyclist since I first learned to ride on a farm, outside Ottawa ON, back in the spring of 1954. There have been a couple of gaps - the longest being from Sept. 1972 to Sept. 1979, when we lived in a remote community on Vancouver Island, too spread out, and with roads too narrow to support cycling. A few years ago, I was out running a number of errands by bike one afternoon, and was on my way home. The street I was travelling south along was an arterial street that widened to four lanes, with left turn pull-outs at the intersection where I crashed. At this point, the street ran down hill, North to South, and the cross-street, from East to West. Thus, a left turn from south-bound to east-bound took me around a corner with reverse camber - lots of it. As I approached the corner, I had signalled my way out to the centre-line, and the left-turn bay. The lights were giving us a left-turn advantage, and I was hurrying to take advantage of it, and not delay traffic behind me unduly. I swept into the turn, and the back-end of my bike slid out from under me, putting me down on the road. I must have been "out" for a couple of seconds, for as I struggled to rise, traffic was streaming past me, after the turn-advantage arrow had gone out. I also noted that my legs did not want to answer to instructions for a couple of seconds - a most disconcerting feeling. However, I did rise, and picked up the bike, when I found that the rear wheel was now a massive potato chip. The driver of the van that was in the turn lane behind me stopped clear of the intersection, and came back to make sure I was OK, which I seemed to be by this time. She offered me, and my now u/s bike, a ride home - a matter of ten blocks or so, which I accepted, still feeling shaken. It was at this point I removed my helmet, and noted an interesting crack in the foam at the front. I then looked at the back, and found the plastic smashed heavily. I concluded I must have hit my head harder than I'd thought. It was at this point that I became a believer in helmets, though I'd worn one for almost twenty years at that point, and felt quite naked without. All it takes is one good crash!
  
  
• Added on April 22, 2008
  
  We (13,000 of us) had just started day two of the MS-150 ride from Houston to Austin. I was riding in a large peloton of about 60 riders who were going down the road about 6 to 8 wide. I was on the second row to the left when the person in front of me swerved to his right and touched my front wheel at about 18mph. As I lost control I made a very quick decision to bail to my left on the opposite traffic lane. This turned out to be the second best choice, the first being to wear my helmet. The front wheel jacknifed and I was pitched ENDO style over my right side of the handlebar. On my way to meeting with the road, (in mid-air) my body did a half twist to my right side causing my right foot to get ripped out of the pedal, breaking my cleat in the process. This served as the final twist to my body and I ended up impacting the asphalt with the rear right side of my head just behind my ear. This was followed by my right shoulder and right hip, knocking the wind out of me. I heard screaming and running and people surrounding me telling me to stay down. I had a splitting headache but no bones were broken. What was broken was my helmet, in THREE places on the right side. That is the best $100.00 I ever spent! I bought another helmet at the next rest stop, replaced my broken cleat, and went on to finish the ride and 80 miles later crossed the finish line in Austin. Had it not been for my helmet I would not be writing to you right now. I would certainly be laying on a hospital bed with a tube in my mouth and in a coma. The helmet did its job! They may not look "cool" or "hip" but I would never get on a bike without one. Even to go check the mail! You've got a $10.00 head, buy a $10.00 helmet! The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse always get the cheese!!
  
  
• Added on April 5, 2008
  
  While riding down a paved trail at night, and using a very dim headlight- I misjudged an S-curve for a straight, went off the path, and headed straight for a huge tree. I immediately attempted to get back on the pavement, only to be met by a three-inch high step. The front wheel jacknifed the bike at 25mph, as the concrete step put all motion to an abrupt stop. I was pitched off the bike, and landed NFL-style; left shoulder and head first- with the body-slamming impact knocking all the wind out of me in the process. After catching my breath, my collarbone was on fire.....and I immediately knew it was broken. My left arm and knee had severe road rash, too. Thanks to the pain-reducing effects of endorphins- I managed hop back on the bike and continue my downhill ride. Then, as I was attempting to enter a small frontage road traveling at 32mph- I AGAIN misjudged the road entrance 20 feet too early, and collided sideways with the curb, at full speed. This time, my right side extremities got the road rash treatment! Upon inspecting the Giro Pneumo helmet- all the foam padding on the left impact side, had extensive cracking, throughout. Now realizing that could have been my head......I will not bike ANYWHERE without a helmet, now. Make sure you always replace helmets involved in crashes.....and always carry a BRIGHT headlight/taillight, when riding at night....no matter how slow you go!!!
  
  
• Added on March 26, 2008
  
  Here is our story: My 10 year old son, an aspiring competitive cyclist, crashed yesterday on a criterium course in training. He has severe upper and lower lip lacerations, and list 3 front teeth. He will have to endure root canals, crowns, and much dental work. We have the Bell helmet, it is dented and scarred up badly, but he had no concussion or anything. We are lucky.
  
  
• Added on March 17, 2008
  
  Survived a horrible bike accident last Sept. no head injuries due to helmet. Broke my neck and back. Back on my feet and hope to be riding this year.
  
  
• Added on March 13, 2008
  
  The bike wreck I had in 1994 stripped the flesh from the right knee top and inside, but the helmet, rounded, saved my life. The shape kept my face from contacting the pavement and it slipped quite a distance without hanging up on anything or scratching it. None of the newer models (venting aside) have that rounded side edge over the ears and many have sharp edges that would have ripped my head off. Please get those things off the market, they are dangerous in the right circumstances.
  
  
• Added on December 11, 2007
  
  May 20 I had a young boy turn his bicycle right in front of me blocking the bike path. I was doing about 18mph on my road bike. I crashed into the pavement missing the boy. I impacted the pavement on the right side of my head and shoulder. Secondary impact was my hip. I had a concussion, sprung clavical, compressed shoulder and hip. My right eyelid was torn off. I was in the ER for 7 hours. I was not coherent for over 3 hours. I still suffer from some minor memory loss. I must note I'm a Clydesdale and weigh in at 260. So the helmet did its job. Even though it shattered. One factor I don't think is taken into consideration, is the weight of the rider. As you can imagine am a strong advocate of helmets. This was my second crash involving a head injury. My first was in 2003, when I did an endo on my MTB. That time I just got knocked out for a few moments and one hell of a head ache. I always wear a helmet. I cant stress it enough they prevent or reduce serious injury. Here is a picture of my Limar helmet. I was wearing Rec Spec Biker prescription glass by Liberty Optical which saved my right eye from being ground into the pavement. It did its job too. You should think about doing something on eye protection. You cant see all the sutures. But there are 10 micro sutures besides the two big ones in the lower eyelid. The top eyelid has 2 micro sutures in the cut directly about the picture left black suture. 20 days later, while I still had some difficulty walking. I rode 200 miles on TOMRV. When you ride as many miles as I do. You will go down some time. With the right safety gear you will be able to get back up.
  
  
• Added on December 10, 2007
  
  I wear a helmet, always have and always will. A month ago I did the 40 mile loop riding Portland Oregon's Spring water Corridor Trail. I returned home and showered and grabbed my wallet to go three blocks away to the store to get some groceries. I was two blocks away when my tire got caught in a crack on two pieces of uneven pavement. I wasn't going fast at all, went over the front handlebars. My head hit the pavement first, I remember thinking at that exact moment, "I'm really glad that I bought this Bell Sweep helmet yesterday!" Then my ribcage landed on the handlebars and I scrapped my knee up pretty bad. I unclipped my shoes from the peddles and sheepishly turned around to go home and check myself and my bike out. I ended up breaking a rib right above my spleen. Folks it's painful, breathing, laughing, coughing, sneezing, and moving hurt. I sat around the house and healed for a month before exercising or riding again. I started noticing that when I awoke in the middle of the evening to go to the bathroom the room was spinning. This eventually started to occur in my daily activities, it's called Vertigo, and it is not pleasant. I am now recovering from the vertigo issue. My point is, that had I not been wearing a helmet, I most likely would have ended up in the ER with massive head trauma. I live in Portland Oregon where a lot of cyclists opt not to wear helmets as it would interfere with there "Cool" factor. Well, what's not cool is severe injury or death. You don't have to be going fast to be injured. Standing still and falling off of your bicycle can injure you if your head makes contact with pavement. Be safe, Be Smart, Be Cool, where your helmet,
  
  
• Added on December 2, 2007
  
  While bicycling in Hawaii County in March, 2007 I was critically injured but I am alive today because the GREAT Quality of the Trek helmet. It did what it was designed to do. Helmet was crushed in the air vent exit, cracked in 5 or 6 places, part of the EPS is missing as well as the outer coating. Helmet was shoved forward on my head and the chin strap cut off my air-way. My skull required 20 staples to stop the blood loss and I was in a coma for 6 days, I.C.U. for two weeks. Six broken ribs, clavicle, scapula, punctured lung and kidney bruising are healing but brain stem injury causes me to sleep 10 to 11 hours a day, poor memory and paralysis in left leg. A US Park Service worker and four college students were traveling past my accident a stopped to assist. They saw that I was not breathing and had the wisdom to support my head and removed the helmet. Bicycle was still attached to me thru the clip less pedal system so they removed the bike and put blankets over me. A local doctor stopped and took off his shirt and used it as a compression bandage to stop blood loss. Paramedics arrived and I went into respitory arrest. Helicopter transported me to a Shock Trauma Center. Driver of the vehicle who hit me said I just fell. Police officer's report says I had "road rash" and would be fine. Police refuse to give me any information and site "Hawaii Privacy Law" protects identity of "witnesses". I own a bicycle shop, 31 years, and have cycled may miles. I now insist customers wear a helmet all the time,
  
  
• Added on November 22, 2007
  
  Love your site and I just want to let you know Bike Helmets work. Yesterday I was riding my bike -- not too fast -- and I made a turn onto another street and promptly fell on my right side and the first thing I heard was the CRACK of my helmet hitting the pavement! I had slipped on some leaves and my tires lost grip. If I wasn't wearing a helmet I'm sure I would have had one big headache or something worse. I wear a Bell Metro and took a look at it afterwards and there were only some small scrapes on it but my visor went flying! I always wear a helmet and I had just exited from my apartment and was less than a block away! I go on the bikeforums and I can't believe the anti-helmet nutcases on the site. I agree a helmet won't work 100% of the time but for the 10% it works -- it can be a life saver,
  
  
• Added on October 21, 2007
  
  My husband was very fit, and besides mountain biking, he windsurfed, sailed, did yacht racing, and skied. People marveled at his strength, skill, fitness and endurance. He broke his neck two years ago biking near Luray, Va. It was a C2 fracture, but vertical and stable. He was to get a cat scan in November to see if it had completely healed. On October 4th, he was biking with a friend in Schaefer Park near Germantown, Md. He went over the handle bars, and hit with great force on his helmeted head. He said a couple of words after, urinated, and lost consciousness. He never regained consciousness, and we found that he had profound brain damage. It is called a "closed head injury" He was on a respirator, and with brain and also brain stem damage, he couldn't control his temperature or other necessary functions. His temperature went from 104.9 which brought out the ice blanket......down to 94 degrees. He died on October 9th, but in reality, he really died when his head hit the ground with such force. His helmet hardly has a scratch on it. His neck was fine. I feel so cheated. He died doing something he loved, but was it worth it? Not to me,
  
  
• Added on September 30, 2007
  
  I was riding my bike to school last week and I was coming into an intersection when someone ran the light from the other direction and almost hit me. I swerved to avoid being hit, but instead I hit the curb, and the next thing I know...wheeeeeeeeee...I'm flying :). I was wearing boots and I felt like Wonderwoman as I flew over the sidewalk and I landed in my butt in a shrub. My head swung back and hit a stone wall between the two houses, and fortunately my helmet protected me - all in all I was pretty lucky. Except for a couple of scratches on my boots, you'd never know anything happened.
  
  
• Added on August 28, 2007
  
  Long and short: I bought a Trek helmet in May when I went home to Chicago. Late one evening (I trade the America hours in Germany, so I work evening hours) a month ago I took a dive and landed on my head bad. Noone knows what happened, noone found me for what we think was about three-quarters of an hour ( I live in a semi-rural district outside of Frankfurt). I still have a headache in the magnitude of a light hangover and I get tired quickly. Could be worse. Feel free to contact me if anyone needs a real-life testimony about the importance of cranal-covering. I would be only glad to help. Keep up the good and very important work.
  
  
• Added on June 6, 2007
  
  I purchased my 13 and 14 year old sons Bell BMX/Downhill style bicycle helmets in the spring of 2006. I was impressed with their quality and the thickness of their shells, compared to regular biking helmets, so I purchased two more for my wife and me. Just several weeks later, while biking with these two sons on a paved trail, my 14-year-old zoomed down a hill with me close behind. As he got to where the trail leveled off, for some reason, he drifted off the edge of the pavement. As he tried to get back onto the pavement, he cut too sharply, the bike turned 90 degrees and flipped on its side--throwing my son onto his back, on the pavement. To my horror was the sound of the back of the helmet hitting the pavement very hard. I checked him over carefully and he seemed OK. He wanted to continue on, but I decided we better turn back to get him home, so I could observe him for head injury. He was fine, with no sign of head injury. His only injuries were scrapes on his back, hands and arms. The helmet's Styrofoam liner cracked in a circular pattern around the area where his head impacted the pavement. The shell only has slight scratching and pock marks. The helmet was immediately retired and replaced with another Bell BMX/Downhill helmet,
  
  
• Added on April 20, 2007
  
  I was riding in our group ride around the lake at the rear of our pack behind a new rider. I was on the left and behind the new rider when all of sudden I saw her profile in front of me (she decided to move to her left and forgot I was there, or didn't see me--don't know what she was thinking). Anyhow, all I could remember was saying "Whoa, Whoa", and that was it. Next thing I saw was asphalt. One of the riders went back and got his vehicle to take me to the ER (5 hour ordeal). Broken left clavicle, road rash left leg, real sore ribs (could have hairline cracks), but no head or face damage (the cat scan confirmed I had a brain and it was still intact). I am still a little angry at the woman for doing what she did, but I guess I'll get over that over time. Its been five weeks now and collar bone seems to be healing on schedule, but I probably won't be given the OK by doctor for another for another 2-3 weeks before I can ride again. I am almost 60 years old and I hope I heal as fast as some of you younger guys. Thank God for the Louis Garneau helmet!--the helmet's left side was cracked in 2 places and the rear was cracked in one spot--I don't think I would have survived this without permanent damage if I had not been wearing my helmet. Ordered another Louie Garneau Europa a couple of weeks ago.
  
  
• Added on January 8, 2007
  
  I'm 57 years old and have been road biking since 1991. I don't ride a lot - only averaging about 750 miles a year - but I ride safely and have crashed only once. That time, about four years ago, I was riding along a city street with fairly light traffic, with a group of about a half-dozen other experienced cyclists. We stopped for a stop light and had just crossed the street, moving at about 10 mph. My front tire caught a ridge of pavement at the curb about one inch higher than the street surface and the next moment I was spread-eagled on the street in front of my bike. My helmet, which I was wearing properly just above my eyebrows, met the pavement squarely, and I escaped with only a slight scrape on my chin, a little soreness on the heel of one hand, and a faint headache. The helmet seemed to have survived with only a little scratch in front, so I continued the ride. When I got home and took the helmet off I saw that it was destroyed. The impact had shifted the foam backwards on each side, transferring the force to the back of the helmet. Each side had sheared completely off, leaving a segment about two inches wide in the middle of the back of the helmet. All that held the foam together at that point was the plastic shell. If I had been wearing the helmet the way many people do, two or three inches above my eyebrows, my face would have taken that impact. I'm sure I would have ended up with my nose and teeth smashed, my glasses broken (with concomitant eye damage), and possibly a serious concussion. There is just no reasonable alternative to wearing a well-made helmet in the right position,
  
  
• Added on December 29, 2006
  
  I was hit by a pick up truck while riding my bike to UW-Milwaukee. I was wearing a bicycle helmet, and it saved my life. And how do I know it saved my life? Well, I know because the large crack it sustained could've been my skull,
  
  
• Added on December 29, 2006
  
  Two nights ago I was making a left turn on my road bike at approximately 20mph. A witness said I flew over the handle bars and landed hard, possibly coming up against a curb. I only remember being in an ambulance, then being at the ER. Much of that first hour after the crash is gone from my memory. My neurologist, also a cyclist, said that considering the blood and swelling on my brain it's almost a guarantee I would have suffered severe head trauma and possibly death if I hadn't been wearing my helmet. I was released from the hospital today with road rash, a swollen jaw, and orders to follow up with the Doctor in a few weeks to make sure I'm doing OK. I made a decision years ago to never ride without a helmet. Man, I am so glad I am here to say that that is one of the best decisions I have ever made. And soon, a new helmet.
  
  
• Added on December 2, 2006
  
  I am not sure if you would care to know about an incident that happened to my 13 year old son just last week where his helmet most likely saved his life? He was mountain biking in Organ Pipe National Monument and didn't make a turn at the bottom of a long hill so he flew off into an 8 ft. ravine and lost consciousness. I wanted to contact Schwinn since that is the name on the side of the helmet but found no contact info on their website. I have attached a picture of my son the night of the accident, in the hospital. You can see that the left side of his face took most of the impact, he broke his maxillary sinus and has three fractures in his nose (he did sprain his wrist and bruise his ribs also). At first glance the helmet looks unscathed but when you look closer you can see there is a dent in the upper left side and a few chunks taken out of the exposed foam part. We are very grateful for the helmet. We had just purchased it one week before the trip at Target for $20.
  
  
• Added on October 31, 2006
  
  A mate from way back sent me a note to thanks me for nagging him about helmet use.... he took a tumble whilst mountain biking alone in Australia, where he now lives...... all manner of injuries from his glasses cutting his face, to an ear half off, but his helmet was in two bits! He was compos mentis enough to call for help on his cell phone - another consideration for biking alone! He's fine now,
  
  
• Added on August 27, 2006
  
  I crashed on a recent training ride suffered a concusion with bleeding of the brain, road rash, broken left clavicle and deep bruises in my left hip which is more painful then the broken clavicle. It has been 23 days and I just started spinning on my indoor cycle and some on my road bike which I have om my hydraulic wind trainer 30 minutes each. I was wearing a 2005 sr-1 bell helmet csc colors which cracked, but did what it was suppose to do, save me from major head injuries. Lessons learned; I will continue to wear a new Bell helmet but will make an addition by installing a rear view mirror for all my training rides.I will not use it on my races. I think I would of seen the van a lot sooner if I would of had that little extra safety item. I always thought a mirror looked dorky but after the fall at 27 miles an hour I have changed my view on all safety items that I will use. A concerned cyclist whom I do not know but call my guardian angel used my cell phone to dial 911 and realized the cell phone is really not that heavy after all. I hope my story makes others rethink how important taking safety items on every ride can be. Frank Cat 3 racer
  
  
• Added on July 24, 2006
  
  i decided to replace my new helmet after i wiped out on a ride last week. the helmet kept me from head injuries but didn't do a damn thing for my collar bone, which i broke, nor my ribs, one of which i also broke. i thought helmets are supposed to protect you. it didn't keep me from going too fast nor from hitting that pot hole either. clearly more research is needed. get on it. typing with one hand is a bummer so that is all for now,
  
  
• Added on July 5, 2006
  
  Here is a page with two crash stories, including some photos of the damaged helmets. And the stories: I was riding with a group approximately in the middle of nowhere, and made a bad downhill turn ... I thought I must have hit gravel, but my fellow riders didn't see any, so it was probably just poor bike handling skills in my second year of recreational riding. In any case the front wheel slid out and I went down, receiving a broken collar bone, bruised ribs, and no damage at all to head. Road rash was confined to my legs. The helmet surface lost some skin, but my scalp didn't. The helmet cracked, but my skull didn't. That's the way it's supposed to work. So I bought a new helmet, which lasted until ... June 2006. Commuting to work, my front tire suddenly lost pressure just as I entered a downhill curve at about 30. I remember the whoosh of air escaping, and then trying to slow ... and then laying on the ground, thinking that moving out of the street would probably be a good idea, and how did that work again? I don't think I was out cold, but the back, left part of my head slammed the pavement pretty hard. I was disoriented for at least a few moments, and seem not to have formed a long-term memory of the last seconds before the crash. The back of the helmet is completely smashed. I noticed a small bruise on my head today, but most of the pain is from extensive road rash, another broken collar bone, and a bruised rib. If I were not wearing a helmet (cinched up properly so that the back of my head was protected) this might well have been a life-threatening accident. At the very least I would be hospitalized for some time, because there is no way my skull would be intact.
  
  
• Added on June 13, 2006
  
  On June 9, 06 I started my ride from home planning to be out for two or three hours riding the Rio Hondo riverbed then up to the Puente Hills for some fun in the dirt. All was going great about 2 hours into my ride and a half hour from home. It was about 7:30pm when I left the high point on the hill and most of the remaining miles would be down hill. While starting my descent on an infrequently used fire road, with a few rabbits running for cover, as I rode 15-20 MPH down to a residential area. The fire road was a little overgrown forcing me to the middle when all of a sudden there was a rut from erosion down the middle of the road. I did my best to avoid the rut but without success. My front wheel dropped in about 4-6" and over the bars I went landing on the top of my head and rolling over onto my back while sliding into the brush. When I came to a rest, I knew I was in bad shape. As I lay there trying to determine the extent of my injuries, I found no blood but thought I had broken my neck. After about 10 minutes I called my wife but got her VM. I called 911 and gave the operator my location but due to bad reception and a low battery I had to call back three more time, then the phone battery was dead. I was aware that finding me in the hills would be difficult without a helicopter and I was too impatient to wait as it was already starting to get dark. I mustered the energy to get myself on my feet but could barely walk due to the pain. I worked myself slowly down the hill while leaning on my bike for balance to the residential homes .2 miles away. I started calling for help when I got to the first house, but no answer. At the second house a woman heard me and said she would call the paramedics. I was relieved and laid down on her driveway to wait for the EMT's. The woman told me that 911 had received my calls and were on their way. When the EMT's arrived, they asked many questions about my condition, then I was collared and strapped to a board and loaded for transport to the hospital. After many X-rays and a CAT scan at the hospital, I was told that nothing was broken. The Doctor gave me pain meds and sent me home at 2:45am. Two day later my wife and I went to retrieve my bike and helmet from the woman who helped me. The bike faired well, with only bent handlebars but my Bell helmet was cracked in three places with rock impressions in the top/center. When I saw my helmet damage I knew I had dodged a bullet. As bad as I feel right now I know how lucky I am to have walked away,
  
  
• Added on May 26, 2006
  
  I just want to share my story and how my Limar Helmet might have saved my life. I was doing a training ride with a group of USCF road racers. We were doing around 30+ mph in a sprint when my chain slipped while I was out of my saddle. I lost control of my bike and crashed into the asphalt head first. I cracked my helmet in two spots and almost blacked out. I could remember getting tunnel vision for a split second. I had a bruise that ran completely across the left side of my head. Half my eye turned red from all the broken blood vessels. I saw lightning flashes the next couple of hours. I developed the worst headache of my life that evening that was continuous for 5 days straight. I had a hard time articulating my speech for a few days. This was the extent of my head injuries with a helmet on! I would not want to know what would have happened without it. In addition, I sprained my wrist and index finger. I got road rash and cuts across half my body and fingers. It would have been worse if I had not been wearing cycling gloves also which were badly damaged. I chipped two teeth, one so bad it was in pain when I ate food and had to have it fixed at the dentist. I pulled muscles in my shoulder and neck and could hardly move for a week. It has been 10 days now since the crash and I am still recovering from my injuries. Helmets are important and do work. I will always wear my helmet no exceptions. I encourage others to do the same,
  
  
• Added on May 20, 2006
  
  I was riding with some friends on the Illinois I&M trail, which is fairly narrow - about 10 feet across - but totally flat and straight. As a result, we were riding very fast. I was riding about 10 feet behind my friend Marc, when he noticed a small lake to our left and, without thinking, suddenly slowed down to look, turning at the same time. I tried to go around him, but didn't make it all the way and crashed into him. I'm not sure exactly how I landed, it happened so fast, but the upshot was my front rim was bent so badly it couldn't be fixed (had to replace it) - and a big dent in my helmet. The helmet didn't have a hard shell, it was foam covered by a stretchy nylon cap. The stretchy nylon came off in the crash, and I vividly remember staring at the dent in the styrofoam and thinking, "That dent would have been in my HEAD!" Phew,
  
  
• Added on March 6, 2006
  
  MY OWN STORY: On October 31, 1982, I was competing in a criterium race in a nearby town as an amateur. I was wearing a helmet by, I believe, a company by the name of "Skid Lid". Not much emphasis was put on just how safe each brand of helmet was or was not, so, we wore one just to get by. My mistake, because somewhere in the race, during a right hand turn, my right pedal hit the pavement and threw me face first (as I'm told, since I have no memory of the accident, just the aftermath) into the curb. As I'm told, the bone mass around my left eye was fractured in several places. I was rushed to a nearby hospital where they found blood clots in both the right and left side of my brain, among other problems. The doctors told me they had to get the bigger clot immediately, so they did, but they wanted to wait to see if the smaller one grew because hardly anyone survived two surgeries, back-to-back, to remove blood clots. The smaller one grew and so they had to go in immediately to get it. I lived. The neurosurgeon told me that, "You had a 5% chance of living and being anything other than a vegetable." He told me never to ride a bicycle again because any further impact on my head would kill me, and he told me never to get in a fight because a blow to the head would kill me. According to a neuropsychologist in Houston, who tested me later to see just how well my mental functioning was, "Either you never had the accident you claim to have had or your recovery was miraculous!" Believe me, I had the accident I claim to have had, and the permanent dent in the upper right hand portion of my skull, and my requirement of Dilantin for the rest of my life in order to avoid seizures, are but two of the indices. I may still have the newspaper pictures and news artilces about it too, and all the get-well cards. I had several seizures over the next few years after the accident because I just couldn't believe that I was permanently injured since I was so healthy otherwise. The fact that I am alive today to tell my story is truly a miracle from God. The doctors said it was because of my great physical strength as a bicyclist, but an old bike riding buddy of mine came to me while I was feelin' good about myself after the doctor's comments and said, "Now you know that's not why you're still alive." And I knew he gave credit to God. Believe me, the "Skid-Lid" company went out of business very soon after my accident. They couldn't even get a "hostile takeover". They just went out of business. Me. I'm taking Dilantin for the rest of my life because some company built a less than protective "helmet" for ignorant amateurs such as myself, who nearly died using it. I wish my story could fit on Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" program, but it's not a cancer survivor story. It's just a "bash-your-head-into-concrete-with-a-low-quality-or-no-quality-helmet" story. You wouldn't try to ride a bicycle with a broken leg, so why would you ride one without a helmet, unless you're just a naive, ignorant amateur as I was. I pity Fabio Casartelli (sp?), but then, I pity his family more. He may be in Heaven with God, but they're here on earth, without their daddy and husband. Thanks for your time.
  
  (BHSI Note: This is a very old story that illustrates some early bike helmet problems. The Skidlid he was wearing did not meet any helmet standard and could not be legally sold in the US now.)
  
  
• Added on December 30, 2005
  
  I am a commuter in Seattle Washington. I was on my usual ride to work this morning on a wonderful bike path that runs along lake Washington. Two women were riding side by side towards me but we all saw each other and the trail is wide enough for three across so I was trucking along at my usual speed. What I wasn't expecting was for the two of them to bump and fall right in my path. I had not enough reaction time to do anything! Next thing I knew I was down. Apparently I slammed on the brakes, hit the bike of the rider that crossed into me and "endoed". Fortunately my catlike instincts led me to land on my face and head rather than some less important part of my anatomy. Seems funny now... If I hadn't been wearing my helmet low and snug I would likely be in the hospital or worse. I am so thrilled with the performance of my now crushed Bell commuter helmet that I am off to buy another one even though I am too sore to ride for a while. I am convinced that it prevented serious injury!,
  
  
• Added on August 27, 2005
  
  I recently crashed while wearing my trusty old Giro "bowling ball" design with cloth cover. I inadvertently lost control of my skinny tire bike at about 20 [mph], locked up the front steering, then was catapulted forward doing a half somersault eventually landing on the pavement contacting the lower head and neck area as well as the upper/mid shoulder. The helmet did fracture with two semi-fist sized pieces coming off. I was semi conscious though have no recall whatsoever of the incident (relying on witnesses to explain the events). Other than a fractured right scapula I was not seriously injured,
  
  
• Added on August 21, 2005
  
  I am an avid road cyclist, 55 years old. I have been cycling for over 25 years, and I ride almost everyday when the weather is good here in Salt Lake City. On August 18th, after 1 1/2 hour ride, I was going down a large hill at about 30 mph on a street with a nice bike lane only two blocks from home. The street has elongated concrete speed barriers to slow traffic. At the bottom of the hill, my front tire went flat about 2 seconds before I hit one of the speed barriers. They are about one foot high and 5 feet wide and span the width of the road. Normally, I cruise over them with no problem. I tried to brake, but as the front tire ran up on the barrier, it turned sharply right, and I went down on my left hip, shoulder, and head. I was wearing a Giro Monza helmet that split on the left side. I was in severe pain and got a ride to the emergency room. The doctor ordered X-rays and a Cat scan. The Cat scan was normal, but I had a broken rib. Without the helmet, I would have probably been dead or eating baby food for the remainder of my life! That was the best $65 I ever spent. I have already ordered a replacement Giro,
  
  
• Added on August 8, 2005
  
  I've been a runner for almost twenty years and two years ago I decided to try triathlons and absolutely love it. I enjoy both the biking and swimming a lot for a change. Anyway, I was on my bike in a race going about 20 mph., had skinny race wheels on my bike and hit a crack in the street just big enough to catch my wheel. But, I did not even see it coming. The last thing I remember I was looking at the guy in front of me and the next thing I new I was looking at my back wheel and suddenly realized I had fallen and my shoulder hurt bad. I remember my head hit the ground, which was cement, after my shoulder and as others have said, I immediately thought to myself how thankful I was that I was wearing my helmet. In races, you're immediately disqualified without a helmet. I would see that it is a really good rule. Anyway, in the end I broke my collarbone and got some serious road rash on my shoulder, elbow and shin. Otherwise I'm fine,
  
  
• Added on August 7, 2005
  
  On a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Southern Coast of Maine, I decided to take the same ride that I have taken hundreds of times before. This was a short ride, about 1/2 a mile from a residence to the beach. Parking is at a premium at the beach, so biking was a great alternative to getting there. The last thing I did before I got on the bike was to put on my helmet and make sure it was strapped securely and tightly. That saved my life. I'll never know what happened. All I remember is that at one point in the ride, I was on the ground. It happened that fast. A rock, something with my tires, gravel, a pot-hole. I'll never know. I went down so fast that I did not have the time to stretch out my arm to break the fall. I wish I had done that, at worst I would have had a broken wrist or a broken arm. That would have been much better. As I fell to my right side, I obviously landed on my head. The right side of my face was completely scraped and was purple with road burn. I got a cut on my right eyelid. But, I needed stitches under my right eye, 20 or so. If I was not wearing the helmet, that same damage could have been done to my head. And by the way, there was an indentation in my helmet about 2" deep from a rock that my head landed on. If I did not wear the helmet, that would have been 2" into my head, undoubtedly killing me. After I fell, I could not move. The next thing I knew was that an ambulance came, they collared and boarded me and took me to the local hospital. There, I was bombarded with x-rays, blood tests and all other kinds of tests. When I tried to stand up, my whole body went into convulsions. The pain was that intense. They gave me morphine for the pain and kept me in the hospital for two days for observation. I now am walking around again, in pain and on all kinds of pain killers. The stitches were taken out from under my eye and the scar did not heal well. The scar will have to be re-cut and re-sewn. And I forgot to mention that I have 2 broken ribs. My point is that a fall can be very nasty. Once you fall, you are out of control. You freeze up in anticipation of the fall and cannot do anything to help yourself other than to fall. When you fall, you cannot control what part of your body hits the ground. You have nothing to say about that. I hit with my head, I could not prevent that from happening. I thank God everyday that I was smart enough to wear the helmet, or else I would not be here to warn others that they should be wearing helmets,
  
  
• Added on July 29, 2005
  
  Many thanks for getting my husband to wear the helmet. He wiped out last night near the church and has a broken collarbone, 2 broken ribs and a sprained wrist but thanks to the helmet he has only a broken helmet,
  
  
• Added on January 25, 2005
  
  My niece when she was 15 years old was riding her bike with her twin sister and my sister, her mother, in Colorado on a bike trail. Her tire rode over a rock that was on the trail. She was thrown off her bike. Her helmet was crushed. She was fine, The helmet saved her life.
  
  
• Added on January 7, 2005
  
  I have learned a lot from your website and felt I needed to share my crash story which happened on the dirt at a very slow speed. I am an avid mountain biker who not only always wears my helmet but I will notide and were heading back to the car. Near the parking lot, there is a little area with some obstacles that I enjoy riding. One of the obstacles is a log about a foot high and six feet long where one can test their balance skills at slow speeds. I have ridden this log in the past and decided to give it a go once again. However, this time I wasn't as successful, my front wheel fell off the log on one side of the log, my back wheel off the other side and I went head first onto the ground. I hit the ground extremely hard. I can remember everything about my crash. During the crash I actually heard the styrofoam of my helmet break and remember thinking as I was sitting up after my run in with the ground that I was very thankful I had that helmet on. As I was sitting there, my friends removed my helmet and examined it. There are three cracks that run completely through the foam. I was OK, a little lightheaded and nauseated but fine. I called the on-call nurse to see if I should be seen at the ER and thank goodness that was not necessary. I had a scratch and was swollen for a while over my left eyebrow but other than that I was fine. I just wanted to share this to make a point about how helmets should be worn for ALL bicycling related activities no matter how minor or easy. I would probably not be typing this crash story right now has it not been for that helmet or if I had been wearing that helmet tilted back as I see a lot of people incorrectly doing. I have recently bought a new helmet to replace my broken one but I am keeping the old one. I frequently teach beginner mountain bike classes and I plan to use it as an example of why you should always wear a helmet that fits properly,
  
  
• Added on October 24, 2004
  
  I came across your site helping my daughter research a speech she had to give on a positive lifestyle choice. One of the reasons she chose wearing a bicycle helmet as her topic is a helmet possibly saved my life or at least saved me from serious injury. In January of 2004 I was riding to work as usual. I always wear a helmet because even though I'd never had a head injury I've been struck by automobiles 4 times while riding during rush hour and it's hard to convince your children they must wear a helmet if you don't wear one yourself. That day I came up a slight hill and turned a corner onto a major street. Like any other commuter, my primary goal is to get to work as quickly as possible, so I tend to ride as fast as I can. I was up out of the saddle ascending the hill and stayed that way as I turned, driving hard with all my weight forward, my hands on the brake hoods, snapping my STI shifters as accelerated . It was my usual routine, there was a mile long straightaway ahead and I liked to gain speed before settling down into the saddle. I remember cars passing me on the right and I caught one of them out of the corner of my eye clipping some object in the roadway with it's tire. The object shot spinning out of the traffic lanes toward the bike lane directly in front of me. My brain had just enough time to register that it was an old oil filter before my front wheel struck it. My front wheel jumped to the right when it hit, suddenly it wasn't there to support all the weight and down force I was putting on the handlebars. I didn't even have time to pull my hands off the handlebars as my momentum drove my head into the ground at about 20 MPH.
  
  The next thing I remember was standing over my bike looking through one eye at blood dripping from my head onto the ground as I tried to locate my glasses. I don't remember the fire rescue showing up but I remember talking to them. They asked me what day it was and I remember that for the life of me I couldn't pull that little piece of information out of my memory. I ended up at the local trauma unit and spent the night there, but besides a scar alongside my left eye from a laceration, there was no serious or lasting injury. It wasn't until I retrieved my bike and helmet from the local firehouse that I realized how serious my injuries could have been if I hadn't been wearing that helmet. The styrofoam liner was cracked in several places and in the area that would have been over my hairline above my left eye it was compressed to about half it's original thickness. I'm convinced the impact could have very well ended my life.
  
  Although I was wearing a certified helmet less than a year old, I wouldn't be able to write this if I wasn't wearing it properly. That's the main reason I felt compelled to share my story. About 1/3 of the kids I see wearing helmets aren't wearing them properly. The most common error I see is the helmet being worn tilted back on the head with the chinstrap loose. Wearing a helmet like this leaves the forehead and front of the top of the head exposed. If I had been wearing my helmet that way it wouldn't have protected the area of my head that would have impacted, it would have been as bad as not wearing a helmet at all. For all who read this remember, wearing your helmet properly, forward on your head, snug and adjusted is as important as wearing it all. I urge all parents to make sure your child's and your own helmet is adjusted so it fits correctly and sits properly on your head. If you don't the helmet is not really protecting you or your child and there is still the potential of serious injury,
  
  
• Added on May 26, 2004
  
  My helmeted head hit the car on the edge of the roof. There is a significant radius to the roof in this area, making it hard to deflect. I left quite a dent in the car. According to eye witnesses the helmet fell off after I passed through the high point of my trajectory. The damage to the rear of the helmet was extensive and some of the attachment points were released by the crushing. The helmet was recovered from the roadway, several cars did pass over it, so some of the damage may be caused by being run over. I think the damage is primarily from the accident because of the location,
  
  
• Added on May 23, 2004
  
  I was biking on the bike path on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts several years ago at about 15mph. There is a well-known curve in the road with a large bump in the pavement caused by a tree root. As I was approaching the bump, an inline skater was approaching in the opposite direction. She decided to jump over the bump. Unfortunately, she was not looking ahead of herself and did not jump straight forward. Instead, she looked down at her feet and jumped diagonally, hitting me head-on. She went flying off in in one direction, and I went flying in the other, over my handlebars. Luckily, I largely landed on a grassy area between the bike path and the roadway, and only sustained minor cuts and bruises on my legs and torso. My head, however, landed in the road (luckily there were no cars driving by at the moment!) and I felt the helmet hit the road. I felt no pain and suffered absolutely no injuries to my head or neck -- the helmet worked perfectly. The inline skater also went away relatively unscathed, although I don't recall whether she was wearing a helmet. I have continued to wear the same helmet since then, and only recently learned that one should immediately replace any helmet that is worn in a crash. I purchased a new helmet yesterday and wore it for the first time today. I am retiring the old helmet, but not before thanking it again for saving me from what might have been serious injury,
  
  
• Added on May 12, 2004
  
  I am 15 years old and I have had some good falls my most recent one i am still sufering from. About 2 weeks ago i was out at the trails with my freinds and i had ben riding the jumps all day I was about to go when i jumped it for a last time i came down front end first and nose cased the landing i was knocked out for about 5 minutes it turns out that i have broken my back in two places andbusted alot of blood vesels in my head. i was wearing a helmet but it broke. it cracked down the middle. but i do think it did help me,
  
  
• Added on March 1, 2004
  
  This is not a story about me, but of my 7(almost 8) year old. On Saturday, February 28, 2004, my daughter wanted to ride her new bike, that she got for Christmas, in the alley behind our house. It was a nice day with a hint of spring in the air, around 60 degrees. I decided to stay out there to see how well she could ride the new bike. She was riding and kept weaving after I told her she needed to stop until she got familiar with her new bike. Three times I told her to stop it before she fell and got hurt. Three times, she said o.k. Well she didn't stop and the fourth time she weaved, she fell. Imagine my horror when I saw her go down and hit her head. She scraped her right forearm,bruised her right hip, the side of her right knee and lightly bruised the right side of her head which had wacked the asphalt pavement. Her helmet saved her from a serious head injury. I am so grateful that I NEVER let her ride without a helmet and I NEVER will after that accident. I also wear a helmet everytime I ride so that she won't use the excuse "you don't wear one" and I'm glad that I do.
  
  
• Added on February 25, 2004
  
  I was still on my heavy, long-wheelbase touring bike, but my race bike frame was on order and I was training for my first season of racing. My friend and I had just completed some downhill intervals, and were doing a five-lap mock criterium around a parking lot island at a state park. I'd never really been around a corner at speed before, and I didn't know any better. I stuck a pedal at about 21 mph. That's the last thing I remember. This is how my friend tells it: I was lifted six feet into the air, jackknifed front to back, inverted while still in the air, and came down on my head with still enough momentum that the strap rivet on my helmet left sparks as I skidded across the ground. As it was, I was knocked unconscious for 25 minutes. (My friend had a lot of emergency-type training and experience, and he's really good at keeping his cool when things get crazy, so I trust his assessment of the time. It must've seemed like hours to him.) This was in the days before cell phones, and we were the only people in the park. Once I regained semi-consciousness he had to make a decision, so he checked that I had feeling and movement in all my extremities, and left me there to walk back for his truck to take me to the ER. Permanent damage: roadrash scars and about two hours of partial amnesia. That's it. Granted it's plain luck I didn't have a neck injury, but I have no doubt I would be dead, or worse, if I hadn't had my helmet on. I bought a new one the next day. The helmet I was wearing, with the 2"x1"x1" indentation in the foam over my right temple, I left with my bicycle dealer. Years later, he was still using it to show customers why they ought to wear helmets
  
  
• Link added in 2004, but the injury was a decade earlier
  
  G. W. suffered a severe head injury in a BMX freestyle competition in Northampton, England, even though he was wearing a helmet. (unknown brand or construction) Here is his web page,
  
  
• Added on January 25, 2004
  
  Here's a quick story that happened many years ago; it's the main reason why I won't ride without a helmet. I was following my best friend down one of the off-road trails near our houses, both of us going faster than we should've been, but each unwilling to let the other get to the bottom first. We were only a few metres from arriving uninjured when my friend's front wheel fell into what must have been a record-breaking gopher hole, launching him violently into the air. He landed with his hip first, then his shoulder, and finally his head hit the ground with a horrendous whipping motion. The "ground" on which his head hit wasn't the loose dirt on which we'd been riding, but the square edge of a strip of asphalt pathway across the trail. Polystyrene and plastic literally rained down over the area and covered a large portion of the pathway. I was almost sick as I rushed over, assuming my friend to be dead or nearly so. I was stunned to find that not only was he alive, he was conscious! Disoriented and not very pleased with the recent events, but almost uninjured. We gathered up most of the pieces of the helmet as a trophy and rode home - albeit rather slowly,
  
  
• Added on December 3, 2003
  
  I always wear a helmet. It really saved me Oct. 31st in Chicago when I was right hooked by a hit and run driver and fell on my tailbone and left side of my head. I couldn't believe how hard the side of my head hit the pavement. It bounced back it hit so hard. I immediately realized my head was ok and laying there in the street thought to myself "I'm glad I was wearing a helmet." My tailbone still hurts, but not near as bad as it did for the first couple weeks after the accident.
  
  In May 2002 my front wheel got caught in a crack in the pavement on State St. in Chicago and I went flying over my handlebars, landing on the top of my head and hands. As I was sliding on my head watching the pavement go by under my nose, I was again thinking to myself "It's a good thing I'm wearing this helmet. It's keeping my face off the pavement"
  
  
• Added on November 7, 2003
  
  My son was recently involved in a hit and run accident while riding his bicycle. After several surgeries he is going to be fine and is now back to school. His helmet arguably saved his life and a local television station did a 3 minute story about it including video of his smashed helmet. As a cyclist and commuter myself, and because of the accident, I'm looking to help the cause of bicycle helmet safety as much as I can,
  
  
• Added on October 8, 2003
  
  I am alive & lucky to be here, because I was wearing a Helmet. On Friday October 03, 2003 I went to a trail on Long Island. At the end of the trail there is big hill that ends on the train tacks but the hill is very very steep. Let's put it this way if you put your weight a little bit on the front wheel you will flip. I was with my brother by the way. (Who warned me not to do my stupid move?) Any way my plan was to go down from this hill and do a jump from the wall that was about 10-11 feet high to the side of the train tracks. I placed two big pieces of wood that were bigger than 2x4 next to each other! (These woods were used to replace the wood tracks between the train tracks.) I climb up the hill and got on my bike and off I went. Once you go down there is no turning back! So everything happened so fast I do not remember exactly what happened! All I know is that I was on the ground on the gravel and my brother was telling me to get up and he was going to call 911. Finally I got up with my brothers help. I had the following injuries: Bleeding from nose, inside and outside. Bruised forehead, one eye shut. My left shoulder bleeding Etc, that is beside the back and neck injuries! The helmet was broken and cracked, my sunglasses shattered (thank god it was plastic other wise the injuries could have been much worst). My gloves torn, my contacts popped out, and my watch busted... Before this incident I did not believe in Helmets. Now I would not get on a bike with out a helmet and I recommend the same thing to everyone who is reading this. Helmets save lives!
  
  
• Added on August 24, 2003
  
  The following is why I not only recommend a helmet, but even suggest a lightweight full face bike helmet if you ride a lot. Throw on some protective glasses as well if you have them you'll be happy you did in the long run. Anyway, my story is I don't even remember what happen to me since I was alone and knocked unconscious. I do know that I was out for 7 mins. thanks to my bike computer and heart monitoring strap. The foam on my helmet was crushed on the left side along with my Oakley glasses, the left lens was pushed into my eye causing a lot of bruising but no damage to my eye thanks to the lenses not shattering when I hit the rocks. (why I recommend glasses). I lost a tooth and another one was knocked loose which could have been avoided with a full face helmet. (Why I'd recommend a full face helmet) So from what I can tell I was riding somewhere along a dirt road at about 20mph and must have jumped at some point from looking at damage to my bike. I then flipped over the bars and landed on my head / face and right knee. I knee landed on a rock creating a 3 inch in diameter hole (Knee pads would be nice too). Anyway next thing I know I'm at home with blood everywhere, somehow I managed to wake up and walk my bike and I back home, then eventually to the hospital. My point being of course, not only is in extremely important to wear a helmet but the rest of the protective gear is just as important, even on the basic rides, I'd really hate to seeing out of one eye right now,
  
  
• Added on August 15, 2003
  
  Two weeks ago I was riding on the cart path of a golf course on my mountain bike. Coming through an S turn I slid on a slimy, wet patch of asphalt and dropped off the edge of the asphalt and immediately fell to my right. I hit the asphalt hard, skinning my knee, elbow, forearm and shoulder. I raised a cereal bowl sized hematoma on my left hip, separated my left shoulder, and bruised both knees, as well as my elbow and forearm. I also hit my head so hard that my brain seemed to explode in a shower of stars. I picked myself up, wiped off some of the slime that coated my shirt, checked my bike's alignment, got on the bike and a bit wobbly, rode home. My shoulder and hip hurt so much that it wasn't until I got home that I noticed that the outer plastic covering of my helmet was badly marred and the inner polystyrene was cracked. It was then that I realized how fortunate I was. If my head had sustained the damage that my helmet was subjected to, I would not have ridden away from the scene of the accident and probably wouldn't be writing this to you. My hip is slowly returning to normal and the pain in my shoulder is under control. The bruises are still very ugly but the abraded skin is healing. In short I am on the mend, and have even been out for several bike rides this week. I thank God for watching over me and for my helmet that protected me to a far greater degree than I ever imagined it might. I have been riding bikes for more than 50 years and have had my share of falls both on the road and on off road trails. My wife and kids have often complained about my insistence on helmet wearing, and have often said that I don't need a helmet riding on the bike paths here in our community. But even on the short ride to the pool I put on my helmet. It's one of the best habits I have ever acquired and I hope that my experience will encourage at least one other person to get into a similar habit. If anyone had asked me where I thought the helmet would prove most valuable, the last place I would have mentioned would have been the wide, smooth cart path of our golf course. And I would have been very, very wrong,
  
  
• Added on July 10, 2003
  
  My helmet saved my life 3 weeks back. I stacked off of a drop, losing the front end of the bike, I thought I was going to stick the front wheel, it wasn't even close. My head rotated to the sloop prior to even the front wheel hitting (the face was very steep), all of my momentum was thrown into a slow motions front roll. I landed hard onto my head, mostly front left side of the skull. I came to a complete stall prior to my body being thrown over my stuck head. God that moment in time seem really long, I was SO LUCKY everything around me worked in my favor. The drop onto my head was close to 10 feet tall! You should see how much the foam compressed along with the foam fracturing from the front of the helmet all the way to the back and side. I really thought I broke my neck, I never lost consciousness, the next few minutes we're unnerving. Long story short, I made it out and even got cleared after 15 or so x-rays. I suffered a lot the following days but the x-rays showed no fractures and just a area slightly straighter then it should be in the middle of my spine. I'm doing well, much less pain then the first couple of weeks, the rib that is dislodged seems to be staying put.
  
  
• Added on July 2, 2003
  
  Here's is why I never ride without a helmet. In May 2003, I was riding through my subdivision and entering a 100ft long walking path. I was going maybe 20km/hr. Some kids dug out a trench spanning the length of the trail that was in jus the right location to be not visible form the path. The trensh was about 3 feet deep, 3 feet across, and 5 feet wide. My front tire landed right in the ditch and I dropped like a sack of potatoes. The bike flipped me over and I landed straight on my head like a sledge hammer. It felt like I dived into a swimming pool without water. I landed completely vertical like an olypic diver and landed with such force I'm surprised my helmet didn't break. I walked away and rode home. 15 minutes later I was so sore I could hardly sit down. I wen to the hospital for x-rays and all they said was I strained the muscels in my back. I was very lucky I was wearing my helmet or I'd have a concunsion for sure. I was lucky I landed perfectly vertical or I could of landed a bit at an angle and broken my neck or paralyzed myself. A month and a half later I have some minor back pain in the morning when I wake up but it quickly goes away when I stand. But my neck makes a squishing noise when I move it left and right and it occasionaly pops or cracks. I'm going to make an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to check out my neck. I'm scared I'm grinding some discs or something causing permanent damage. And I want to join the gym again. God only knows what might have happened if I wasn't wearing my helmet. I'm mad at the kids that dug the trap and almost cause me my life, but I'm greatful I was wearing my helmet,
  
  
• Added on June 21, 2003
  
  On Sunday, April 13, 2003 I was riding with 2 friends on Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida when I crashed. It was split second lapse by me. I clipped the tire of the rider in front in front of me and down I went. At the time I went down I was going about 21 mph. I was fortunate that my shoulder hit the ground first. My head followed and bounced off the pavement more than once. My helmet saved me from a severe head injury or worse. I went to the hospital and x-rays showed that I had fractured 2 ribs. I feel very lucky to walk away with just a couple of broken ribs. I was also lucky not to crash my friends. While this is my first crash in 7 years of club riding I realize that there is a risk of injury every time I get on the bike which is why I never ride without a helmet.
  
  
• Added on April 20, 2003
  
  In my accident I suffered 3 broken ribs, a fractured hip and an A/C separation of my shoulder. My helmet suffered a rather large crack so I'd hate to think what my head would have been like without the helmet. I had one of the Specialized $50 helmets and it worked just as it should have. Needless to say I now have a different helmet.
  
  
• Added on April 9, 2003
  
  I recently received a quick reminder why I always wear my helmet when riding a bicycle. On Thursday, April 3, 2003 at about 5:30 P.M. in Eagle Creek Park, my front wheel touched the back wheel of another bicycle. I crashed heavily to ground. I hit helmet first; then rest of the right side of my body hit the ground. I rode my bicycle home which was about 1 1/2 miles from the crash site with bicyclist that I touched wheels with accompanying me. I inspected the helmet that I was wearing and found the following: cracked inside and outside, the plastic cover partially separated from the inside shell, and the roc-lock in the back of the helmet had given way. I incurred the following injuries: sore right shoulder, sore right collar bone, bruised right forearm, major bloody abrasion on right my right shoulder, other abrasions on my right forearm and knee, and minor abrasion to my left buttock. I did not suffer any head damage and/or broken bones. The wearing of bicycle helmet is not only a necessity, but an inexpensive health and safety investment!
  
  
• Added on January 25, 2003
  
  My brother was in a bad accident 5 yrs ago & a bicycle helmet saved his life along with some help from above!!! Having epilepsy and scoliosis most of his life and then receiving open brain surgery to help cure his epilepsy, 2 years later a young group of boys were driving home from a dinner as they went over the railroad tracks for "some Air" their SUV tumbled over several times & on into my brother coming from opposite direction on bicycle into a head on collision with destiny. But that helmet saved him, and never mind that he came out a bit messed up,
  
  
• Added on September 17, 2002
  
  I am alive! I can write this because I wore my Helmet! Last Friday night I had the scare of my life. I was biking home, trying to catch up to Shane. The gears on my bike slipped and I fell down onto the crossbar of my bike and lost control. I went into a speed wobble going into the middle of the road on Main Street . Right in front of me was a car coming right at me. Bang the car hit me. I went flying through the air. I landed on my knee and head. Before I knew it there were lots of people, police cars, flashing lights. I was so scared. I couldn't stop crying. I could have died. The accident kept on playing like a movie over and over in my head. I could have died. I could have died. If I didn't have my helmet on, I don't think I would be alive. I am ok, I have some cuts and scrapes. I banged up my knee, that should be ok in about a week and I have a bruise over my eye. My mom and dad wouldn't let me get on my bike or skateboard unless I had my helmet on ever since I started biking and skateboarding. Why did I have to wear a helmet when other kids didn't? I used to get mad because it wasn't fair. I know how to ride a bike. I am not stupid you know. I always wear my helmet and now I know why my mom and dad were so mean. I am alive! Moms and dads, please no matter how much your kids get mad at you make it a rule that your kids wear their helmets all the time! It could save their life. It saved mine! Signature (age 12)
  
  
• Added on September 9, 2002
  
  I took a spill on the W&OD trail last Saturday. My friend, riding just behind me, hit my head with his bike and went down. My helmet is now in five pieces, but fortunately my head is in one piece and my injuries were quite minor (no concussion, lots of road rash). My friend suggested that you might be interested in having the pieces of the helmet, which I thank God I was wearing, as I religiously do. If so, just let me know. Feel free to post the story. Another detail I failed to add was that the reason I went down was that I carelessly allowed the 20" front wheel of my recumbent Gold Rush to get off the trail onto the grass, and when I attempted to turn back onto the asphalt, the wheel caught on the edge of the asphalt and the bike very quickly went down. The front wheel of my friend's upright bike struck my helmet a glancing blow, which caused him to crash and smashed my helmet. Looking at it, you won't believe how minor my injuries were.
  
  
• Added on August 28, 2002
  
  I still remember hitting the road head first and helmetless after a bad interaction with a VW Beetle. Fast asleep in the road and blood everywhere--the motorist thought he had killed me (then I got up and was pissed at him for wrecking my front fork and wheel). Lost nine months of grad school and drove my first wife bats with my mood swings. Since that day (1978) I used up two other helmets trying to figure out the physical properties of asphalt with respect to shock waves caused by the sudden application of a high-speed helmet to its surface. The second crash was worse, but luckily, I damaged my Bell Biker instead of more brain cells. I am a strong believer in helmets.
• Added in August of 2002
  
  I was riding north on California Highway 35, Skyline Blvd., about 1.5 miles south of the Highway 92 intersection. There's a half mile or so grade just before some nasty switchbacks. This stretch is often slick from fog off the nearby Pacific coast. Not being familiar with the road while on a bike I slowed down a bit. About 200 yards into the grade I hit a patch of pavement that had been broken up into cobbles. I was trying to keep to the right as much as possible because of the way some motorists drive this road. The sudden instability of the loose cobbles sucked my front wheel into the dirt. The road has no shoulder. I would guess I lit at about 20 mph. I landed on my left shoulder blade andribs.My shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle on that side took some road rash. Luckily I was wearing a jacket and leggings. The interesting bit was when my head hit the pavement. I heard a snapping sound. At the time I thought it was the plastic of the helmet slapping the pavement. Immediately after I slid to a stop I was up and off to the side of the road. The bike needed some tweaking before I could ride on. After about another ten miles I was too stiff to continue. While waiting for my wife to arrive I inspected the helmet. What looked like only some scratches turned out to be a crack going from the left side to the center of the top. The helmet did its job and I'm still riding instead of dribbling my breakfast down the front of my hospital gown,
  
  
• Added in July of 2002
  
  Our almost 8 year old was learning to ride his two-wheeler about 3 weeks ago. He was not going very fast, as is cautious, especially while still learning, and fell off the bike, landing on the sidewalk. The back of his helmet hit the pavement, and cracked almost through the plastic and Styrofoam. This was the first and only "crash" he had (gratefully) with this helmet, and we were surprised it took so little impact to split the helmet. We used this as a strong example to him just why helmets are essential. The helmet is about 7 years old, with a BSI approval sticker; and number is XXXXXXXXX. We are grateful he was not injured more than some bumps and bruises, but wanted to send this information on in the event you are compiling statistics and can make a recommendation,
  
  

Everything below here was added before we began dating the stories. We began this page in 1997.

• My daughter was hit by a car on her bike. She wound up with bumps, bruises, aches and pains! ONLY. Thank God she was wearing her helmet. Could have been a LOT worse - the helmet is a goner as well as the bike!
  
  
• I have always worn a helmet. I have never been involved in a accident while cycling and considered myself a safe rider. On February 2 while returning home (I live in the foothills of Ca) after descending a hill I made a left turn onto the road we lived on. Unknown to myself I had punctured my front tire. As I was turning my front tire rolled off of the rim and I went down. I was not going that fast, probably 15 to 20MPH. I sustained 5 fractured ribs and a concussion. The ER Doctor wanted to see my helmet and my wife brought it in. He examined it in my presence. It had damage on both side, the rear and the top. If I had not been wearing my helmet I would be a vegetable or perhaps dead. I still am experiencing side effects from the concussion, which my doctor said, will diminish with time. I guess my point is, that no matter how good a rider a person consider himself to be accidents can happen. As you know, your best insurance is wearing a helmet. When I can ride again I am going to replace my helmet with the best that money can buy. I figure that my life is worth it
  
  
• I checked your site to get an idea for what i should look for in a new helmet. I wasn't impressed with wearing helmets while riding until my daughter had a dog run under her front wheel while riding. She broke her arm and destroyed her helmet. Judging from the damage to the helmet, she would surely have suffered serious head injuries if I had not purchased a helmet for her.
  
  
• Last week I was peddling home from work at approx. 30mph when I hit a 2x4 that was in the rode (not a good thing to hit on a road bike at any speed). I suddenly found myself about 2 ft in the air and then performed a landing similar to the Concord. My helmet hit first in the area of the temple followed by me sliding around 20 feet. I was able to get up and found that my helmet had busted into three pieces but stayed together due to the outer shell. I was bloody, bruised with a good case of road rash on the back, shoulders, elbows and buttocks. I did about $300 damage when you include rim, computer, helmet, the shredded jersey and shorts. I think I good off cheap since without the helmet the best I could have hoped for was a trip to the ER if not the morgue.
  
  
• My 5 year old son was recently involved in a bicycle accident--broke his arm in 2 places and praise God, was wearing his helmet. The helmet was destroyed--cracked on the side and some styrofoam torn off the front. Anyway, as a tribute to him, us and all parents who insist on helmets, I'd like to post his picture somewhere as a "positive statistic". We could even link a known site to our own or if there isn't such a thing, we could make a page ourselves. (June, 2000)
  
  
• I am a triathlete that while during the bicycle portion of the race was struck by a car. I had over 20 facial fractures, and various broken extremity bones, but due to the fact that I was wearing a helmet (saved my life) I am able to write you this thank you. It has been about 3 months agao sense the accident, and came across your web page. I just wanted to share my story to help promote helmet wearing.
  
  
• I want to be the poster girl for helmet wearing. I've had three accidents in 6 years and was glad that I was wearing a helmet each time.
  
  At the end of the first accident, my head was wedged, face down, under a parked auto. The top of my head only stopped skidding when I hit the tire of said parked auto. Quite literally the top of my helmet was flush with the tire and the back of my helmet was held by the bottom of the car's metal fender. The second time, as I slid across the pavement, I thought, "What a neat sound. Is it an airplane? I'd never hear an airplane like that in center city Philadelphia. What is it?" And I realized it was the sound of my helmet scraping the asphalt instead of my scalp and face being peeled off. The third accident was Thursday evening. I was riding south on a one-way street. As I crossed a one-way street that ran west, another cyclist mounted his bike, rode east off the sidewalk and directly into my path. My attempt to avoid hitting him, lined me up to plow into pedestrians, so I let him take me out. I flew over the handle bars, I believe 10 to 15 feet, and landed on the right side of my head and my right shoulder and continued skidding. Apparently I had two seizures before I made it to the ER, and yet, my helmet protected me so well that the doctors sent me home that night after ascertaining that my CT scan and EKG were normal. I was diagnosed only with shoulder trauma and minor (nearly nonexistent) head trauma. My treatment? Rest, decreased activity, tylenol.
  
  Every doctor and medical staff member, some of them cyclists, picked up my helmet and looked at it, commenting on the fact that I'd hit hard enough to break a piece out of my helmet. Everyone of them, unable to hide their concern over what might have happened to my head told me that it was good that I'd been wearing it. And I agreed.
  
  As an adult cyclist, I've always worn a helmet but after my three accidents, especially the most recent, I have to encourage other people to wear helmets.
  
  
• My son is living, breathing, walking and talking PROOF that properly fitted, and worn, helmets, save lives, brains, and families as well. My son had a concussion in 1997 and again in 1999, while riding his bike slowly, on the sidewalk/curb. (He's 12 now.) The last time his helmet cracked APART on the side that took the impact, as well as cracked upward and outward. While he did have visual and motor disturbances afterwards, with altered consciousness for several hours, and vomiting for 9 hours straight, while being observed in the hospital, it was a small price to pay for having his brain intact! The doctors felt he would have crushed his skull in if it weren't for that Bell helmet.
  
  
• I was broadsided on my bicycle by a Yamaha scooter going 30 mph. 2 days ago in Milan,Italy. I landed on my head and broke my Euro-Bell helmet almost in 2! It had cushioned me SO effectively that I hadn't even realized I had hit my head!!
  
  
• She and I were taking a short ride this morning (Thursday). About two-thirds the way through, she was in the lead on a downhill. Suddenly, two or three dogs ran onto the road directly in front of her. She hit the breaks and went flying over the handle bars. She came down on her face. I landed on her legs. She had her eyes open, but did not respond.I ran to the nearby house and pounded on their door. They called for an ambulance. There were two paramedics either living or visiting at the house. They provided immediate (minimal) treatment (they did not want any clothing removed due to the cold). She started to respond before the ambulance arrived. The ambulance, a fire truck, the fire chief, and a county police officer arrived. Her injuries were trauma to the mouth and two shattered wrists. They expect nearly full recovery for her left wrist. The shattered bones were still aligned. That was not the case for her right wrist. One of the best othorpedic surgeons in the eastern US was on duty. He told us that the joints in the right wrist were also damaged. He put the parts back together the best he could and added some small metal plates. She will be wearing metal exterior rods until the bones have a chance to mend. The immediate period for recovery will be at least six weeks. There may be additional surgery, at least for removal of the metal rods. She will also need oral surgery. The condition of her helmet is a good indication of how she fell and why helmets are a must! The plastic cover that was lamenated onto the helmet came completely loose. There is damage to this plastic on the front right side.The main body of the helmet is cracked and dented on the right front side. Her face has abrasions on the right side. The right side of her goggles were cracked. The frame holding the correction lense of the goggles was also cracked on the right side, but not the left.
  
  
• A few months ago, while out on my regular Saturday morning ride. I came upon a set of railroad tracks. The next thing that I remember I was being wheeled int a hospital. According to the people that I was riding with, my bike went completely out from under me, and I landed full force on the rail with my helmet. I did sufffer a mild concussion and the helmet (now retired) has a piece the size of a grapefruit broken out of it, but I am alive. I really think that without a helmet I would have died. I have ridden for nearly 25 years and thousands upon thousands of miles and this was my first serious crash.
  
  
• I write this to publicly give thanks to God for His protection, and also to encourage area cyclists to wear their helmets when riding. During my daily ride this afternoon, I misjudged a turn, hit a curb and went flying over the handlebars at about 15 miles per hour. After what seemed to be a 2 hour flight, I hit the street and my head bounced off the pavement with frightful force. I am grateful to tell you that I am bruised, sore, shaken - and also able to write these words to you. Had I not been wearing a helmet, this would not have been the case. Cyclists, trust God to protect you, wear your helmets and be far more careful than I was this afternoon.
  
  
• I was involved in a serious roller blade accident on Sunday, May 31, 1998 at approximately 9:30A.M. on a downhill bike / skate path just outside Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis IN. While traveling downhill at a fairly high rate of speed, I lost control and crashed into the pathway landing head and left shoulder first. I had put on full protective equipment {GIRO Air Blast Helmet, Rollerblade Urban 3-Pack - Wrist Guards, Elbow Pads, and Knee Pads} prior to the crash. The GIRO Air Blast helmet sustained at least a 3 inch by 3 inch deep set of scratches and an approximately 1 inch dent that appears to have penetrated it and Rollerblade Wrist Guards, Elbow Pads, and Knee Pads that were severely scratched. I incurred the following injuries: Dislocated left shoulder, Broken bone in the left shoulder, Abrasion on the left shoulder, Severe abrasions {two} just below the left elbow, Abrasions to the left buttock, Few scratches on the left leg, and Bruises up and down the left side of the body. However, I did not receive any head injuries and / or scratches my head that I am aware at this time. Helmets and safety equipment definitely work, everyone should use them. However, I give all honor and praise to God for ultimately allowing me to survive the crash.
  
  
• On October 23rd, 2000, I was riding alone down a hill on a recently resurfaced road near Skippack, Pa, Northwest of Philadelphia. The resurfacing also was meant to even the road out a little as some edges of the asphalt had an eight or nine inch drop off the edge of the road. Rounding an outside curve I looked back for a second and slipped down that edge of the road and found myself at a high speed between the edge I just slipped down on my left and various large rocks on my right. I was riding on a two or three inch wide remnant of the original road surface with a sign just to the right just ahead. I ducked the sign and the next thing I remembered was waking up in a helicopter. Apparently, someone saw the bike in the road and stopped, called the state police and ambulance, who in turn called the Med-Evac Helicopter which took me to the Temple Hospital Trauma Center in Philadelphia. It seems I hit a hole just beyond the sign I ducked and flipped over hitting my right front of my head and face on the highway. My lower lip was torn down to below my chin on the right to a point that the doctors said they could touch it to my left ear. My jawbone was exposed and they thought it was broken. After two spinal MRI's, several X-rays, an Ultrasound of my neck, a CAT Scan, and all the other evaluations, it turned out that the torn lip and a slightly chipped tooth were the extent of my injuries. I walked out of the hospital the next day (with a lot of stitches). My Bell EVO Helmet however, didn't make it. It was badly twisted in front and split nearly in half longways. The Trauma Docs said I was extremely lucky to have no indications of any head injury at all, never even got a headache the day of the accident! I think without the helmet it would have been a very sad story for my wife and kids...
  
  
• About 2 years ago I came upon a crash that apparently had happened minutes before. According to the two women who happened upon the scene -- a man (in his 30s-40s) was lying unconscious across the bike path, his bike on its side at his feet. He was a regular 'biker' on the path -- we knew him by sight. He was still unconscious when I arrived but slowly came to. His whole left side was scraped, from ankle to face -- his bike helmet was split. He had no recollection at the time about what happened and was disoriented.(The ambulance came soon after so we never found out). No doubt the biker's helmet saved him from more serious injuries.
  
  
• A few days ago I was riding my mountain bike, when I fell head first into a stream. I sustained a mild concussion and a fractured back. If I wasn't wearing my helmet at the time, I know I would either not be here to write this email, or I would be typing it with a pencil in my mouth. A helmet saved not only saved my life, but my quality of life.
  
  
• I just want to say thank you for your attempts to make people aware of the benafits of bike helmets. I already know what they have done for me. Please let me explain. you see I recived a concussion two years ago due to an bicycle accedent. I was rideing around the neiborhood with my childern for fun. luckly I threw on my helmet, A '99 Giro Hammerhead, Mosty because I requior my children to where them at all times. While crusing the area we live in at about 5 MPH I tried to pass through the fence opening at the park. Though I have done this dozens of times before I caught the fence post with my handel bar. the bar spun and I twisted with the Handle bars. I ended up landing almost square on the back of my helmet. When I woke up I found my daughter above me very worried; Apperantly I passed out for a couple of minutes. Oviusly this bought me a trip to the hospitial and an CAT scan. There were no fractures. The severaty of what happened did not sink in untill the doctor explained what happened. He said All my forward momentum was transfered to throughing me of my bike. Furthermore; the way I landed all that momentum and my weight was focused directly at the back of my head which would have been most likely fatal. His exact words were 80% fatal 19% vegetable 1% able to function again. just as importantly my neck was fine, not even wiplash, due to how well that helmet asorbed the shock. Oviously the helmet was destroyed; But my life is worth the $120 I spent on it's replacement. I where my helmet EVERY SINGLE TIME I RIDE now, no exceptions. The best benifet was my childern. you see they also will not ride without there helmet. I evev saw my son come home to get his helmet so he can try a freinds new bike the other day.
  
  
• I have had at least 3 crashes on my mountain bike where a helmet saved me from a bad head injury. The most recent was just last night. I was riding along down a technical decent. I "endoed". Usually I'm able to "abandon" my bike in time, but this time I must have slipped. I hit the ground, the right side of my head hitting a rock. And then the back end of my bike came over and hit the left side of my head, smashing me back down to the ground again - basically "sandwiching" my head for a moment. It hurt, and I have a small bruise and red mark, not to mention some bruises in other areas, but I'm basically okay. I'm sending the helmet back to Bell (it is an Image 2000) for my $35 accident replacement.
  
  
• I experienced my first cycling crash five weeks ago sustaining fifteen stitches to my forehead, 30% loss of my right lung and several road scars. I was wearing my Giro helmet which saved my life. I can't thank the Giro establishment enough for the protection it offered. I have been given the okay to ride again but not until I replace my helmet.
  
  
• Hi! I'm awake at 2 AM, not able to sleep after yesterday's events, looking at a subject I've never surfed in the past...bicycle helmets. Thank heaven my seven year old son was wearing a helmet yesterday! He had a pretty bad bike wreck that sent him to the hospital yesterday morning. He received a concussion, a broken finger, and some nasty cuts and scratches to his face, chest, elbow, and knee...but he is alive! He was riding too fast and went head first over the handle bars, landing on his head on a paved road. I will be forever convinced that his helmet probably saved his life, and certainly his brain health. He has NEVER ridden without a helmet and now he certainly never will! He told me when he first started riding that he felt "stupid" wearing a helmet, but I somehow don't think that will ever be a problem again. The helmet was damaged with dents and scratches, but think what the damage would have been to his tender young head! Before he rides again, he will have a new helmet, and also knee and elbow pads. Thank-you for your site..I'm about to go surfing to see what you have that I can show my son.
  
  
• I have just found your site, to my great joy, and will thoroughly examine it, as will my sainted husband. I was in a freak crash on my bike about a month ago - brain injuries, airlift to emergency hospital, and then a couple weeks in a rehab center. I'm still unable to ride my bike (great hopes for the future), and require therapy, but I'm improving. What happened: I was wearing my Trek helmet, and was riding down a hill, my husband says going about 12 mph. I have NO memory of the crash, but he says (and has shown me the place) what happened is that my front tire went down into a chuckhole that was pretty un-noticeable. The front tire locked up (stopped), and I was thrown over the handlebars. Alas, but I landed too much on my head.....hence the brain injuries. I was unconscious, mostly, for several days (too long, according to the articles I've read), but have since made a good recovery (although that seems more apparent to those looking at me from the outside than it often feels to me, living on the inside!). I am able to walk with NO assistance, and reason fairly well, but still have some miscellaneous (sp?)symptoms from the whole experience. The hospital released me last week ( a week earlier than they first predicted ), but 58 is a bit old for superquick recoveries. I have found a therapist who tests people to see when they are ready to resume bike riding, BUT I have a whole new respect for helmets! Had I not been wearing one, who knows what might have happened?
  
  
• My husband and I were riding our bikes to dinner last night. In a freak accident with uneven pavement, I tipped over on my left side. My head hit first and took the majority of the impact. Yes, I have a concussion, and yes my helmet is toast. I knew and the paramedics confirmed, without the helmet, the injury would have been more severe and maybe life threatening. I just thought you'd like to know that real cyclists wear helmets.
  
  
• Just wanted to say thanks for the very informative and useful site. I came across it while searching for a replacement helmet after walking away from a low-speed but potentially brain-scrambling crash involving an open car door. I'm 49 years old and use my bike to commute to work in downtown Chicago, in addition to hour-long exercise jaunts along the lakefront several times a week. After this latest incident I will never go even two blocks on a bike without a helmet. I'm now off to look for something round and smooth.
  
  
• Here's my helmet story: I was in the first part of my Saturday ride, going up a nice, wide exercise sidewalk next to a 4-lane road. I sped up a bit to cross a street before the light went yellow on me (I made the green light, thank you) so was going about 30 Kph to get onto the sidewalk on the other side. I'm not sure why (mostly because I don't remember what happened) but I hit the curb instead of the ramp in the curb. I kind of woke up in the ambulance, but I wasn't fully awake until I got into the ER. My injuries: broken left collarbone (4 pieces), bruised ribs on both sides, concussion, and a fair amount of road rash. My helmet is somewhat flattened on the left side, and the foam is cracked on both sides. Based on the scrapes and gouges in the helmet, I'm convinced that they would have been sewing my ear back onto my head if I hadn't been wearing it. That is, after they put the plate in my skull & wired my jaw back together. People keep telling me "It was lucky you were wearing your helmet." I respond with "No, it was smart -- I always wear one."My kids do too (one daughter stopped riding her bike, unfortunately, instead of being seen with that unfashionable accessory). Although Bell will give me a discount on my next helmet, I'm thinking I'll keep it to show to folks. I don't know how anyone could look at this mess & not think they should wear one. At least one person at work went out and bought a helmet based on my experience; after he sees my helmet I think he'll be convinced to always wear his.
  
  
• One week ago tonight I had a bicycle accident while riding home from work. My front tire became lodged in a streetcar track after I ventured too close to the rails. This is not an unusual occurence when cycling in downtown Toronto, but this time it was at a rail junction and my front tire lodged and immediately stopped turning. I was not travelling very fast. I went over the bars and the bike turned, landing me on my back. Immediately after this impact with the ground my head, which I had tucked down so my chin was on my chest, whiplashed backwards and the rear of my helmet struck the pavement with force owing only to the weight of my head and gravity. The "speed" of bicycle travel was in no way related to the force with which my head hit the deck. I walked away (via an emergency room) with a very minor concussion and a severely fractured helmet. I can't say if the helmet saved my life but it certainly saved me from certian brain damage and a major head injury.
  
  
• I have been riding cycles since I was a little boy, about 22 years now. It was only about 5 years ago I started using a helmet- simply because it looked cool on my new mountain bike. All the reasons changed for me in the summer of 2000. I was riding my favorite park in a Chicago suburb on a Thursday morning. A young kid came to a T in the road for him; I was coming down a steep hill, having full right-of-way. He and I even made eye contact as he quickly looked in both directions. Just as I entered the intersection, there he went. He pulled out in front of me as I came through at full speed. My bike slammed into the front fender of his car and I became airborn, bike and all. The first to hit the ground on the other side was my forearms, my head slamming into the pavement like a watermelon. I want you to know that my helmet shattered, sending small plastic shards into my nose and chin. My forearms were worn raw. My nose and lips were bleeding. The bike twisted my right knee. My ribs on the left side were bruised. But my head was intact. I didn't even have a concusion. That accident could have killed me. But it didn't. Anyone who thinks they are fine without a helmet is a fool who is waiting for a severe injury.
  
  
• In 1993, I bought a new mountain bike and with it came a free helmet. I went mountain biking that weekend and for the first time in my life, I actually wore a helmet. That day, I hit a tree head first going about 15-20 miles an hour. Had I not had my helmet on, I would not be writing you this letter. As you could imagine, since that day I have been a huge advocate of helmet safety.
  
  
• My quick story. I've been a swimmer and a long distance runner for a number of years, and decided to give triathlons a try last year. I had not been on a bike in years, and had to borrow a friends. I did however buy a new helmet. I joined a triathlon team that went out on regular Saturday rides. I could beat anybody in the pool, but they left me in the dust on the rides.One Saturday morning one of the women on the team asked me if I had adjusted my helmet since I had purchased it. I answered "No" because I did not really know how it was supposed to fit. She took it off my head, tightened, and put it back on saying that now it would not slide back if I crashed. I kind of laughed at the thought, but thanked her. The following Friday, while out on a pace ride (less then 20 miles, but holding over 20 MPH) a dog ran in front of my bike. In an effort to not plow into the dog, I held my brakes and did not let go, as the bike went end over end, I crash head first onto th! e pavement with enough force to crack the shell on my helmet. That was the good part. The bad part was that after my head hit, my left shoulder hit the ground with enough force to shatter my clavicle into 5 pieces. Luckily, the dog belonged to my former Jr. High School Phys Ed Teacher, who was kind enough to help get me to the hospital, where a few days later I had 7 screws and a steel plate put into my body in an effort torebuildmyclavicle.That accident happened May 11, 2001. I ran the NYC Marathon on November 4, 2001 in just over 4 hours, and just this week purchased a new bike in an effort to restart my triathlon dreams as well as a two day 200 mile ride to raise money to fight Cancer.. As I said at the beginning, I'm sure you get 1,000 stories like this a day, but I had to share mine with you. I had a helmet, but had my teammate not tightened if for me just 6 days earlier, it would have slid back and exposed my temple to a 22 mile per hour impact with the pave! ment.
  
  
• Two days ago I experienced by first - and hopefully last bike crash. I had just returned from a 12 mile bike ride with my 7 year old son on a trailer bike. During that ride a bike mechanic at a stop, reinforced to my son - and unwittingly to me - the importance of helmets. After that ride returning to a park near our home without the trailer bike attached and thankfully without my son I proceeded through a small tunnel followed by a 90 degree turn, I panicked, locked my brakes, and flipped my bike into a field of rocks lining a creek bed. Witnesses to my crash, who were kind enough to help me, confirmed my suspicion that I flipped my bike over into a field of one foot diameter rocks placed to prevent washing - the very worst landing site possible.I hit my head and left shoulder. My beloved bike will need a new front wheel. But thanks to my helmet I was able to ride away - slowly - with the warped front wheel. As per safety recommendations I will replace the helmet, but I spent the night at home with my family instead of in the hospital or worse. PLEASE ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET. I'm glad I was wearing mine which has the indentation of the rock which could have instead been my head.
  
  
• I have had two serious wrecks, 1) over the aero bars and to the hospital, 2) dog hit front wheel and broke my left elbow and messed up back. Surprise, head was ok. The first or last thing that hits the pavement, because of the weight, whiplash effect and trajectory is the big old head. Well, I got a new helmet each time but that is ok. Good luck. By the way I am 56 and still doing duathlons and triathlons. Completed Powerman Alabama over the weekend. New Giro is nice.
  
  
• In June of 1999 I was mountain biking to my summer job and decided to take a short cut over an aqueduct pedestrian bridge in order to save time. So I was zipping right along and since my helmet was broken, I wasn't wearing any and figured it was less than 2 miles and I would be fine. I was thinking it was an easy ride down a dirt path and over a concrete bridge. Turns out, I had not been down that route in 5 years, and I was unfamiliar with the terrain and I approached the bridge around a corner and did not have enough time to react. I went flying over three concrete stairs and hit my back tire on the last stair, flipping me over my handlebars. I hit my forehead against the concrete and snapped my neck back violently. After passing out for about 10 minutes, I discovered my predicament and while my body was in shock, biked home about 1 mile, where I went to the hospital with my mom. After a CATscan, 2 hours of surgery, and 100 stitches, I found out I had a nondisplaced fracture of the occipital condial bone in my neck, which sits on top of the vertebrae and controls nodding. I was in a neck brace for 8 weeks that summer, 2 weeks of which I could not move my neck. I am very fortunate to be alive. Needless to say, I am a bike helmets advocate and I am writing a persuasive speech on the importance of wearing a bike helmet coming across this excellent website while doing research
  
  
• I have hit my head twice in bike accidents.The first time, riding back and forth in the driveway (sans helmet!) after toe-ing my cantilever brakes. Note to self: testing bike repairs still requires helmet, even for 20 foot rides!!! Even though I can run faster than I was riding, I cut my head and sustained a very serious concussion. After that I NEVER ride without, so number 2 destroyed my $18.99 Bell Barracuda Multi-sport (hard-shell). I was trail riding off-road and downhill when I met a squirrel. Don't remember much, a tail under my front tire, and then I was standing still and was attacked by a tree that was clearly speeding, and the next second (though he says minutes later) this very nice man helped sort out tree/bike/woman. The whole front of the hard plastic spider-webbed, and the foam split into 4 pieces and my wrap-around glasses were cracked, but no damage to my head or eyes and only 3 stitches to hand, scrapes and bruises and of course had to buy new helmet and gloves. Judging by the helmet, I hit the tree forehead first, don't really know for sure as their were no witnesses other than the squirrel, who fled the scene before he could be questioned. I opted to keep the helmet, which is on display over my shed door(where the bikes are stored), under a sign that says "#1 reason to follow the 2 finger rule!!" which means pull the helmet down over your forehead. It not only saves me having to explain to my kids why they need to wear a helmet, but how important wearing it right is. It also reminds friends, family, neighbors, and passers-by.
  
  
• At the age of 44, I had been riding bicycles for 38 years without incident. Last August that all changed as I was given the unexpected (and unwelcomed) opportunity of seeing my helment perform the duty it was intended. Being a triathlete and duathlete for the past ten years I've put considerable mileage on my bike in both training and racing. This day, I was on a training ride just north of where I live when I encountered a driver in an SUV that "didn't see me". I was in 14th gear on a straight stretch of back country road that was wide open and easy to see any approaching traffic in all directions. I was hunched over in a aero position with my forearms resting on my aero bars and travelling at approx. 50kph (30mph) as I approached an intersection. I saw a black SUV approaching from my left. He had the stop sign and I clearly had the right of way, but there was something about the way he was approaching that gave me the impression he either wasn't going to stop, or he was going to make a quick stop and then immediately proceed through the intersection. I got up out of the aero position, placing my hands on the drop handlebars with my fingers resting on the brake hoods. I reached up for the whistle hanging around my neck and started to place it in my mouth, intending to give a couple of quick, short blasts to get the drivers attention, when I noticed he was starting to proceed through the intersection (after brief stop), just as I anticipated he'd do. I had just enough time to hammer on the brakes as I tried to get out a quick blast of the whistle, as I felt myself going up and over the handlebars, headed for the ashphalt. The impact and events that occured after that happened very fast, and I'm still not sure I've pieced them all together. But the net of it was; two chunks of flesh taken out of my left elbow (requiring 8 stitches to close), a split chin (3 more stiches), torn ligaments in the left shoulder (still weakend and not fully recovered after 9 months) severe road rash on my right shoulder, forearm, both knees and back and - a cracked helmet down the right side where my head impacted the road (the chin taking part of the impact). Fortunately no broken bones and the driver did stop and turned out to be a good samaritan, taking me and the bike to the hospital and staying there until 02:00 in the morning when all the stitching, cleaning up and x-rays were done. He was genuinely apologetic and helpful (returning the next day with a case of cold beer, a get well card and a couple of lottey tickets) and therefore, I decided no charges would be laid (we've actually maintained contact thereafter). Fortunately good guy, a happy ending and - a new helmet!
  
  
• On April 25, 2002 I was on a ride over Altamont Pass in Northern California. Clear blue sky, no wind, riding 20 mph on a slight downgrade. No traffic, smooth road. Not sure what happened, but the 3 riders with me said I yelled "OH SH*T!!" and they turned to see me swerve wildly and go over. I woke up in the hospital with a concussion, broken collarbone and 5 broken ribs and no memory of the event. I can recall the entire ride up to a point about 5 minutes prior to the crash. Minor damage to the bike as well, some torn handlebar tape and bent rear wheel. There was no mechanical failure on the part of the bike as far as we can tell, and I was in excellent health at the time, well fed and hydrated so a blackout is unlikely. My helmet was fresh from the box that morning but in 3 pieces that afternoon, impact mainly on the left with abrasion across the back and to the right side. We're all stumped as to the cause, as with the previous story, makes it hard to learn from whatever mistake was made.
  
  
• Last year I fell on a set of railroad tracks that are at a steep angle to the road. I can't remember the accident itself - I had a concussion, along with a crack in a bone in my arm and some ugly bruises on my hip. The foam inside the helmet was cracked, and the shell was dented and scraped. I have no doubt the helmet saved me from serious head injuries.
  
  
• One peaceful summer afternoon in 1993, a friend and I were heading home from a fun day BMX'n at the local track. I was wearing my new helmet with a full face guard. My friend did not have a helmet and liked mine and wanted to try it on. So I gave it to him. A few more feet down the rocky trail, the neck of his bike snapped at the base sending him face first into the rocks. After I realized he was Ok, we discovered a gash in the plastic shell of the helmet. Imagining what could have happened without the helmet, we were thankful he happened to be waring mine. That summer we both learned the importance of ALWAYS wearing a helmet. Of course, I was also thankful I didn't have to push his broken bike home for him =).
  
  
• Recently I was struck by an automobile while bicycling. The impact ejected me from the bicycle, and I landed face first on the roadway. My face, below the line protected by my Bell Psycho Pro helmet, was badly scraped and very swollen. Above the level of my eyes, the only injury was a very superficial cut, which disappeared in a few day, under the point of impact on the helmet. At the point of impact on the helmet, on the Styrofoam below the smooth plastic shell, there was a dent of a few mm and a crack all the way through the helmet. Also, the helmet deformed, dissipating the energy of the impact. (Of course, I won't use this helmet again, but it was well worth the $60 or $80 I spent on it.: Understatement.) I have seen a plastic surgeon for removal of a few bits of asphalt lodged in my face from the impact. He examined the crash helmet and told me, judging by the location of the impact over a certain bone in my skull, and the complete cracking of the helmet, that the helmet had not just prevented a concussion, it had probably saved my life. This is a very good surgeon talking.
  
  
• I was using a cycle-path crossing on a busy road a couple of years ago, when an idiot over-took a waiting car and jumped the red-light. He went straight into me, writing off my bike, permenantly scarring my leg, giving me severe whiplash and multiple cuts and bruises. My helmet saved my life, as the impact of my head on the road distorted it so much out of shape it was 5 mms thick at the point of impact. Thank God that was not my head. As it was, I still received bruising to my head, despite the helmet; Without the helmet I would be dead from a crushed skull.
  
  
• I have a friend who while riding on a trail hit a bump, lost control and had a spectacular crash, Over a 50 ft cliff that had trees. His bike and he looked like a giant jigsaw puzzle someone had just spilled on the floor. He had a minor cuncusion with a head ache. His helmet was split on a rock that had a sharp edge and if he hadn't been wearing a helmet his head would have been split. I would personally have a minor concusion....How about you?
  
  
• A rider was seriously injured on a ride I led in June 1996. She crashed by hitting a pothole going down hill at high speed and suffered a broken collarbone and a broken shoulder blade. Her helmet was cracked open, but she did not have any head or neck injuries nor any cosmetic facial injuries. Without the helmet she may well have had life threatening or life altering injuries. You can never tell when or where an accident will happen, so the only reasonable course of action is to wear your helmet - ALWAYS! If you don't have a helmet, get one before your next ride and wear it.
  
  
• From a pratical, pragmatic first-hand perspective, I can honestly say that a helmet has saved me from a serious head injury... twice. Once while on an off road ride I went over the bars... No big deal... Until I checked my helmet and found a rusty nail embedded point first 3/4 of an inch into my helmet right above my ear. The other time, while in a criterium, a rider went down in front of me in a pack moving at 34 mph. I went down too, as did several riders behind me. My helmet was crushed and broken by a brake lever (still attached to the bike and rider). How do I know that it was crushed by a brake lever? When we unpiled, my helmet was stuck to his brake lever like a shish kabob. That could have been my head. Could either of these situations have been fatal? Fortunately, I'll never know. Wear a helmet. It won't make you completely safe, just safer.
  
  
• I'm a retired engineer. Wear helmet all the time!!(while cycling). Have crashed 4 times in 5 years (wet roads, wet rail road tracks at crossings, blow out in middle of hard corner (front tire), and stupidity. Damaged three helmets, but no head damage (I think??)
  
  
• I have gone down and hit my head hard four times in my 40+ years of cycling. The first two times was in the days when there were no helmets except the leather hairnets, and I didn't wear one The results were many head and facial stiches, mild concussion, unconsciousness, and an ambulance ride to the hospital. The second two times I had helmets. The results were skin abrasions on knees and hands, but no head injuries whatsoever. I have never raced. Two of these accidents happened at relatively low speeds. The worst was caused by a kid running out between two parked cars during a commute. I'm convinced. I don't even ride around the block without a helmet.
  
  
• Just my $0.02 - if it were not for my helmet (in my case a cheap Nashbar) I'd be dead.... I've ridden with and without, and am just glad that I was wearing mine the day that I ummm... shall we say... "kissed the guardrail"? Side of helmet - smashed. My head, fine, thanks.
  
  
• The worst crash I've suffered this year was thanks to my (RIP) OnZas...decided to release in mid-air... foot somehow lodges in front wheel...I become the "Human Hinge"... OUCH! If I'd not been wearing a helmet, I'd be picking grey matter out of my teeth.
  
  
• Three weeks ago today I crashed face/head first into the pavement at over 30 mph (during a race). I was wearing one of the hole-iest helmets on the market -- the Giro Helios. Believe me, it worked. Cracked down the middle, crushed on both sides. Over sixty stitches to my face. But I barely had a headache.
  
  
• I started crossing during a gap of right-turning traffic and was not even concerned about my safety or even making cars slow down. Then I have a 5 second memory gap. From reconstructing the crime, a Pathfinder zipped up in the the second right turn lane, made a fast turn, and slammed me with the passenger side of the car. I must have tried to body block the car with my head, shoulder, and hip. I ejected from the bike and don't appear to have hit the pavement. Then my memory returns. I'm standing woozily at the curb, looking at my bike in the middle of the road, with 4 lanes of traffic waiting for the light to change and the chance to run over it. As cyclists, you would have been proud of my instinctive rescue of the bike. I saunter over to a nearby emergency room, where I get the diagnosis of fractured distal clavicle, unfortunately on my strong arm. The hip is just badly bruised. The helmet worked, sacrificing itself for my noggin. Surprisingly, I spilt no blood.
  
  
• I personally knew 4 people who have been killed on bicycles. These statistics about the safety of cycling are total horse****. I don't know who comes up with them but every year in Cork, this city of 135000 people, where a minority of people cycle, at least 3 or 4 people are killed on bikes.
  
  
• The motorist who hit me acted responsibly after the accident. His insurance company was quick to pay my medical expenses and the cost of my bike and ruined clothes. I was not interested in punishing the driver. 20 years later, however I am seeing some possible long term effects of that accident. I have periodic episode of vertigo, loss of hearing in my left ear, cataracts in both eyes at age 47, and frequent nose bleeds. While none of these symptoms can be directly attributed to the accident 20 years ago, the first question every doctor has asked is "Have you every had any serious head trauma?"
  
  
• About a year and a half ago I took a fall going down hill on a clear day on clear road and with no cars or other obstructions present that I can remember. I broke a clavicle, two ribs and suffered a concussion - it would have been far worse without the helmet! I have no memory of the actual accident which is common for a concussion. There was no damage to the bicycle beyond a bent pedal and no indication of any impact or mechanical problem. I've healed up fine and ride regularly. What is driving me nuts is that I don't know what actually happened so that I can avoid it in the future.
  
  
• I took a whoop-do-doo a little fast and landed on my head at about 15 mph from a height of greater than six feet. Result: one severely damaged Bell Psyclone Pro helment, scabs on both lips, and two months of sore neck and shoulder. I was able to ride out of the woods. I don't think I would be able to have done so had I not been wearing a helmet.
  
  
• Recently I had a mountain biking accident in which I believe that a full-face type helmet may have helped. After clearing a technical section of trail, we were headed home on an easy stretch. However, the sidewall of my front tire blew out locking the front tire and throwing me immediately over the handle bars. I was unconcious for a couple minutes, my face was quite lacerated, and my nose smashed.
  
  
• Tuesday night on a training ride I crashed badly, resulting in a concussion, broken helmet and fractured left clavicle. I've been told that I may ride my bike on a trainer in a couple of weeks or so but will be off the road for 5-6 weeks.
  
  
• I reached for my water bottle as we started downhill. Just then I hit a rock, which I never saw. With only my left hand on the handlebar, I went out of control and sailed down the wooded embankment. I have a distinct vision of that tree coming toward me. I bounced off and came to rest against another tree. The advantages of cycling with a friend became apparant. After I got myself up the hill, he rode with me home. Despite some pain in my left shoulder, the ride was uneventful. Unfortunately, a trip to the ER confirmed my suspicions--a broken collar bone.
  
  
• I recently collided with a dog at >30MPH and endoed onto my Giro Ventoux (pre-RocLoc model). Thank you, Giro, for saving my brain bucket!!! Under this severe test (nine broken bones), the Ventoux shell cracked and the foam fractured. IMHO, the foam could not have fractured without the shell cracking.
  
  
• I have sitting here a Giro Hammerhead that recently took a ~25 mph fall on the head. The wearer was unconscious for 12+ hours after the fall, has a tripod (three-way) fracture of the skull, and has been hospitalized for the past two weeks. While the denting and warping of the helmet are quite clear if you look carefully, neither would be difficult to overlook on casual inspection.
  
  
• Well...a friend of mine did an endo this past week and bounced the back of the head and helmet on pavement... he's fine, but the helmet and foam cracked too... The helmets are designed to do this, actually.
  
  
• I always wear a helmet when I bicycle, and last Sunday I was especially grateful that I had. I was attempting to jump over a small dirt ramp on my mountain bike...I went up one side of the ramp, became airborn, and landed hard, with my front wheel turning inward, causing my bike to stop cold. Unfortunately, I did not stop when the bike did, and was thrown over the handlebars, landing head first on the dirt and gravel trail. My head was snapped back, and my left wrist was broken on impact...I also lost alot of skin on my right arm and my back. I was taken to the hospital immobilized, as the paramedics suspected I may have broken my neck. Fortunately, my neck was not broken, but I would had probably had been killed or more severly injured had I not been wearing a helmet...my Bell helmet now has gashes and deep grooves where my head hit the ground after I was thrown. I understand that Bell will replace my helmet for free, since it was damaged in an accident, but I think I'll hang on to it, to show some guys I know who say that wearing a helmet on trails is not necessary, because you are not riding in traffic. All I know is that this helmet saved my butt that day!
  
  
• I have recently been in a accident. My (old) helmet is now in about 10 pieces. The bike frame is bent up quite badly (I hit the car head on). But if it weren't for my helmet, I would probably be a vegetable for the rest of my life. The driver didn't see me until the last second, and I didn't see the car. It happened so fast. What I am saying is that there is no time to take your helmet off your handle bar and quickly put it on your head. And to prove that it doesn't take a flashy, expensive and trendy helmet to do the job, the helmet was a Bell Triumph. So for all of you that don't wear helmets: please get a helmet and make sure it fits properly, and WEAR IT PROPERLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Keep up the good work. I'm just dropping you this line to let you know that all your hard work is worth the effort. Several weeks ago, my 13 year old daughter (I have 3) had an accident on her bicycle. She went off trail into a creek, with her head striking rock or rocks. Her helmet split in two (as it was designed), and also had a dent from the original impact.She suffered only minor abrasions, and a headache. She basically walked away from an accident that could have killed her, had she not been wearing her helmet. It was not a name brand, but was Snell-certified. I am an avid cyclist (over 2,500 miles last year), and never leave home without a helmeton.My three daughters never questioned my rules about no helmet/no bike ride (though they had occasion to grumble about them), and now I know they will pass these on to children of their own someday. If only all parents were this strict...
  
  
• Hello. Accidentally found you. Was looking for company named ProAction out of San Diego, Ca. Recently purchased helmet from Sears bearing their name---wanted to find them to say THANKS !!! My six year old son only got to wear it once, but it did exactly what we think it was supposed to do. Little guy suffered broken jaw plus a whole list of minor injuries but we believe his head was saved thanks to this helmet. Did learn something interesting. While listening to all the kids as my son what happened to him, most of them seem shocked by all the scrapes, scratches, stiches and with the broken jaw. I believe now that there might be a big misconception (with the parents too) that when a child puts on a bicycle safety helmet, that it protects them against injury. I don't know if people understand that they are designed, hopefully, to save your life by protecting you head not save you from getting badly scraped up.
  
  
• Two days ago my bicycle went into a pot hole and I did a 'face plant' at moderate speed. I had a slight mark on my nose and chin and the general sensation that not much else had happened. - ie: my head (covered with a Spalding helmet) touched down, but so gently, I thought, that I assumed it was a very gentle fall. Today I looked at my Spalding Helmet properly! The tough styrofoam shell is split right through! That would have been my head! I'm taking this helmet to my son's school to show them - it makes an incredible 'show and tell'. Thanks Spalding!
  
  
• I have been in an accident with my bike (not a serious one) but I was wearing a helmet and the other person wasn't. She went to the hospital for a gash on her head and a possible concussion... I had to retrue my wheel... It is important to me to wear a helmet and for my friends to wear one.
  
  
• My seven year old son crashed on his single bike yesterday. He has a bad case of roadrash on both knees and on one elbow. He also has a minor bump on his forehead. After getting him cleaned up, my wife examined his cycling helmet. She discovered that the helmet had a big split in the forehead area. Obviously the helmet did what is designed to do, protect the head. His injuries would have been more than just road rash and a bump to the head if he had not been wearing his helmet.
  
  
• I was in an accident last year and am absolutely convinced that the helmet saved me from a serious head injury or worse. Its important that others hear about these stories to counter the "it can't happen to me" attitude that we all have about accidents and injuries. In my case, a motorist stopped and used his cell phone to call my wife and an ambulance. There are some good folks out there.
  
  
• I, too, learned all this the hard way -- about a year ago a car helped me go airborne and land on my head and shoulder. The shoulder still needs another round of surgery, and the helmet needs to be replaced, but the head and contents came out of the experience ok.
  
  
• I just recently learned the hard way why it's not a good idea to sprint away from a large dog. In fact, I'm sure I'd rather get bit! You were very lucky....poor dog!..hehehehehe.... anyways just recently I had a big black lab chase me. I was coming up a large hill with the whimsical name of "Oppossum run". I was trying to keep up with my training partner We had just crested and had just regained speed to about 20 mph when this lab runs out at me. Before I could react he sprinted in front of my wheel. I t-boned him big time. When I did, bike and rider were flipped at 20 mph. I was slamed to the road on my back and the bike came over on top of me. Thought I'd killed the dog, thats how hard I hit him. Well, he lived and so did I. But that was 6 weeks ago and I'm still seeing my chiropractor. I injured my low back and hip and it's definately put a damper on my biking fun, not to mention getting body slamed at 20 mph hurt like hell. Thank god I was wearing a helmet or I would of had a concusion too. The next ride I was able to go on I was chased by a 125 lb rottweiler. I slowed to a crawl, grabbed my water bottle and squirted him in the face. He didn't want to play no more after that and went back home. My training partner thought I was nuts, but like I said. I'd rather get bit then body slamed like that again!
  
  
• I was hit in November of 1995. I thought I was OK but I went to the E-Room for xrays and a general checkout. I was OK except for some deep bruises and scrapes and a headache, but at least I knew. The driver's insurance company was happy to pay my E-Room bills. My helmet was cracked and dented, and my front wheel taco'd. At first, that seemed like the extent of the damage to my bike, but after buying a new front wheel I found that there were other problems. The two wheels met the ground at different angles, and they didn't follow each other (try riding straight through a puddle--how many tracks come out the other end?). Ultimately, the driver's insurance company compensated me for the loss of my bike and helmet, and paid my doctor bills.
  
  
• Being a pathologist and having seen the severe side of head injury I've worn a helmet for the last 10 years without fail. Having cycled 70000 + miles in that period I've fallen off many times. Never banged my head to any real extent. Today on a sponsored cycle I hit a stupidly placed emergency road sign that I just did not see until it was too late. Cut and bruised. Fork damaged. Cut on temple, temple area of helmet dented, no significant head injury. Worth it for that one bang. Have multiple cuts and bruises.
  
  
• Tom Churchill, aka Tommy Hustler, was killed Friday September 6 when he was struck from behind by a "reportedly" drunk driver while riding his bike home from work. He was wearing a helmet and moving with traffic at the time of the accident.
  
  
• About 10 miles down the road heading out of the town of Huntsville, we had a white Dodge Caravan pass us and something hit me in the back of the head. The passenger threw a handfull of hardware: nuts, bolts, washers at me and hit me in the helmet. We were lucky he wasn't going faster. I guess there are other uses for helmets than just protection in the event of a fall. Pretty sad commentary on motorists in the Houston area.
  
  
• p.s. if anybody doubts that helmets work, they should have seen the big flat spot on the back of mine, and my brains aren't any more like scrambled eggs than usual (excuse me while I bang my head against this piece of software)
  
  
• My brother was hit head-on by a car going 70 mph (est.) He sailed over a hundred feet and landing on his head he was in a coma for 8 days. He was a 3rd yr Med student at the time and his wife had just given birth to their first kid 2 months before. He came out of it. The guy that hit him had NO DRIVER'S LICENSE, and was legally drunk. He left the scene but was caught shortly thereafter. It was his 3rd or 4th DWI. If my brother hadn't been wearing his helmet he'd be dead. As it is now he's in Kentucky. I'm not sure which is worse,
  
  
• I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle in Sept. 95. Fortunately I was wearing a helmet and it saved my life. I was in intensive care for a week and acute rehab for about three months. I got out of the hospital Dec. 23 '95. I'm supposed to have full recovery. I live in Napa Valley and I often see tourists riding with no helmets. I also see parents riding with their kids. The kids are wearing helmets but the parents aren't. The kids will end up taking care of the parents. If they only knew. My helmet was a Giro and sent me a replacement free of charge. They've been really great! My helmet is on display at a local bike shop and the owner has said it has persuaded cusomers to buy helmets and for tourists renting bikes to rent helmets also. I can't stress enough the importance of wearing a helmet. My life is proof.
  
  
• I never ride my bike without my helmet. I was particularly pleased to be wearing my helmet on March 2 1996... I was riding with my usual weekly group, during a quick (40 - 50Km/h) twisty descent I hit some fine gravel which had been swept out into the road by automobile traffic. My front wheel lost traction completely and down I went. Thankfully, the bike and I parted company because it hit a concrete telephone poll and did a fine impression of a pretzle! Apart from a great deal of lost skin, and some decent bruises I walked away from the accident. I removed my helmet and was shocked to see that the microshell had been quite nicely ripped apart down one side. I hate to think what the side of my face would have looked like had I not been wearing a helmet. I am fairly certain that had I NOT been wearing a helmet, I would have survived. But judging by the scars on my shoulder and hip, I think the helmet was worth $30 and the minor inconvenience of wearing it. I have to say though that I do not approve of the mandatory helmet law... Cycling is relatively safe and attempts to SCARE people is a poor way to justify this rather pointless law.
  
  
• My better half has worked for some time as a doctor in the Emergency Room of a big hospital. She has seen many, many head injuries resulting from cycle or motorcycle crashes. Now: you probably know, that when a head injury is suspected, the helmet is generally left on until the patient reaches the hospital. She has NEVER seen anyone come in after a cycle accident with a helmet, i.e. she has never seen a head injury to someone who was wearing a helmet -- except a rare case when the person is hit directly by a car or truck at high speed. She has however seen many people -- the majority of them kids or teenagers -- come in with cycling-related serious brain injuries; and NONE of them were wearing helmets.
  
  
• I though you might like to know about our helmets since we had an accident. We were wearing Bell Avalanche Pro helmets at the time. I had the most injuries as I was thrown from the tandem as the car clipped our front wheel. I hit the ground/pavemenmt at a point just above my left eye and there are skid marks across the top of the helmet. My injuries include: cut at left eyebrow, small crack in facila bones near left eye, small crack in facial bones between left eye and nose, crack along the sinus upper jaw bone on the left, separated shoulder, broken distal end of left clavicle (~0.25 inch), dislocation of the proximal end of the left clavicle, nasty road rash on top of left shoulder, cracked lower left anterior ribs, numerous pulled, bruised and sprained muscles. Here is the amazing thing, I did not suffer a concussion! The doctors were surprised when my pupils dilated equally regardless of the fact that I was unconsious at the scene. Needless to say we have become gonzo about wearing helmets when riding.
  
  
• I landed on my head today and tested my new (3 weeks old) Bell Image Pro helmet. It performed very well and staid in place when it hit. It was the first time I'd actually hit my helmet directly in a crash. I'd have to recommend the helmet.
  
  
• I concur on the Giro. I have had 2 wipeouts in the past 7 years, both on Giro helmets. In both cases the helmets were demolished but my head was intact. I was able to return the wreckage for a low cost replacement.
  
  
• I crashed in a Bell Razor last summer. Spun around and did a whiplash, neck snap, back of the head into the pavement kind of thing. It crushed one of the rear protusions but I was no worse for the wear. Bell honored the replacement promise promptly.
  
  
• The other helmet I crashed earlier this year. During a mountain bike race, 'pilot error' caused me to go over the bars at 34.5 mph and land squarely on the left side of my head. I lay unconscious for 20 minutes and was helicoptered out of the woods to the nearest trauma center. Did that helmet save my life? Certainly...without question it did.
  
  
• Just last week, my Bell Image Pro (with the "slippiest" straps of any helmet I've worn) saved my melon from a serious (perhaps fatal, according to the emergency room docs) brain bang after my back tire slid out in a corner. Knocked a two-tooth gap in my winning smile, but I walked away without a headache. Hey, slippy straps or not, it did the job... I can still form complete sentences most of the time. A post script... just got my inspected helmet back from Bell, and they put new "strap adhesive" on the point where the strap passes through the shell in the front and included extra adhesive "in case" I needed it "in the future" (their words), thus ending all slippage both on and off my melon. Don't know why they did this... didn't mention it in my letter. Perhaps there *is* some kind of safety issue involved...
  
  
• I am replacing my helmet after being hit by a car. The helmet seems to have done its job because the CAT scan showed no damage to my head even though it managed to break the windshield of the auto.
  
  
• 15 years ago I nearly got killed bicycling on Wisconsin Av. Only my helmet saved my live as I hit the pavement to avoid smashing into a car turning in front of me. I learned two lessons from that experience: 1) Don't bike without a helmet. 2) Don't bike on Wisconsin Av. However, I am not, as some have accused me, advocating forbidding anyone from riding there.
  
  
• Perhaps I can add something from personal experience. Three years ago, while riding my bicycle to work, I was involved in an accident. As I was crossing the road I was hit side on by a car which was doing about 70 km/h. The accident was the driver's fault. I was thrown over the bonnet of the car and landed on the right side of my head. The helmet I was wearing was caved in on the right hand side. The only injury I suffered was a cut to my right ear. Up until that time I did not believe in wearing helmets but did so because the law required me to. However, if I had not been wearing a helmet, then I would almost certainly have been killed, my skull being caved in rather than my helmet. So you will understand why I now support laws which make the wearing of helmets compulsory.
  
  
• Yesterday I was hit side-on by a motorist who failed to stop at the stop sign. The result was a very lucky one for me as I'm still around to tell the tale and apart from a very broken mountain bike, and a fractured wrist I have no other apparent injuries. After writing the bike off as totally destroyed, I looked at my Netti Stealth helmet and both sides of the thing have very large dings and scrapes along it, indicating that there was obviously some head impact when I hit the road. Whilst I'm still not convinced that the wearing of helmets should be forced upon all people, one thing is absolutely clear in my mind, that is: I will be one person who will always wear a helmet from now on, if I had not had my helmet on, I am sure the injuries I sustained would definetly have been more extensive and I would not be so fortunate to tell the tale today.
  
  
• I haven't had one accident (knock on wood) since I bought my first recumbent - save for one concussion on the only time I took out the mountain bike. As someone on this list mentioned, I felt like I was riding a stepladder. I'm sure that this very feeling predisposed me towards the crash (which crushed and broke in half my helmet against a redwood tree) by destroying my confidence during what should have been a recoverable gravel-slip...
  
  
• accident 1: Stopped at traffic lights waiting to turn right. Car screams through orange light, clips my pedal I yank my foot out of the way. I was thrown sideways and hit my head on the median strip. I blacked out. I received a cut on my foot and a head ache but that was about it. My head took most of the impact. Fortunately :-) The aforementioned motorist didn't even bother to stop. The largest piece of helmet was about 2 inches by 1/2 inch. It was a fairly hard impact. Without the helmet I am pretty sure my skull would have been severely cracked. I would have had head injuries for sure. accident 2: Travelling along Duncraig Rd about 9 in the morning, about 5 metres behind a friend. I am wearing an orange and yellow spray jacket, a reflective bum thingy and reflective ankle straps. I also had light on the bike as I had been out since 5.30 and was returning home. Young female motorist facing towards me wishes to turn right. She indicates and then waits for my friend to pass. So clearly she had seen us. Then when Iam halfway through the interesection she moves off hitting the bike dead centre and throwing me up into the air. I came down and landed on my bike smacking my head on the handlebars. The helmet has a lovely indentation that fits the bars perfectly, just above my right ear. The foam has been crushed completely. I also took the tips off of my finger tips, smashed my glasses and cut my eyelid and sustained a lot of soft tissue damage to my shoulder. This time the motorist had to stick around I had landed in front of the car. {grin} The motorists excuse, "Im sorry. I just didn't see you." So I believe that helmets do help save lives. Theres also a fair bit of when your numbers up its up involved. I am just irked that a bunch of incompetant swine that we call government see fit to take away the rights of a group of individuals to compensate for inadequacies in driver education.
  
  
• My daughter (when aged 12) was hit by a car when cycling. The five of us all wear helmets when cycling. Her bicycle was completely destroyed. Very little on it could be salvaged as parts. Her clothing was destroyed. The impact was enough to cause her boots to fly off. Her helmet ended up in three pieces. It "died" reducing the impact energy of the car and the gutter. (It has gone on to a better life being carried around schools in safety education classes by the local police). So although she suffered very serious injuries (many fractures including a fractured skull), and although she suffered some brain damage and was not conscious for a couple of weeks, today she is alive and well. She is back at school. She is back dancing (her consuming interest) again. She is here, and alive, happy, and cycling.
  
  
• monday night, about 1/2 mile from home we crossed an invisible line from safe pavement to black ice, and i didn't dab. i didn't put my foot down, or a hand or anything. the x-rays and rips in my clothing and cracks in my helmet, and john's eyewitness account seem to indicate that i hung on and went right down with the bike. (i actually have no memory for about an hour surrounding the fall. i don't remember most of the commute home.) anyway john took it on his elbow and hip. i got shoulder and side of head. and we did drag the pannier. so now i've joined the elite cycling society of those who have broken a collar bone. of course it's my right side and i'm right handed, so my typing is very very slow these days!
  
  
• But it *does* matter if you're wearing a helmet when a car hits you. The wife of a member of our USCF club took a head on hit from a car that crossed the center line at highway speed. This is every rider's worst nightmare and she suffered injuries of the magnitude that you would expect from such an accident. The medical opinion was that the head injuries she received would have been fatal had she not been wearing a helmet.
  
  
• If not for my helmet recently, I too, would have suffered head injuries due to my accident. I was recently run over by a motorist failing to stop at an intersection and the Helmet stopped my head from making contact with the road.
  
  
• I got ran over by a truck, crushing my helmet and nearly my head. I woke up in the hospital emergency room with an x-ray machine in my face checking for cranial and c-spine fractures. Fortunately, nothing was found, even in the head. It took six months of reconstruction and rehab to ride a bike on the side walk. That was 2 1/2 years ago now and I've taken the settlment money and bought a really nice bike and a new jeep. Been logging lots of miles since. Just go out and do it, it will all come back.
  
  
• On my first off-road ride a biffed pretty big and broke my helmet. If I had not been wearing it, I am pretty confident that I would not be able to sit here and type this. I was not, however, wearing gloves. It took a little while for the skin to grow back; luckily for me it didn't get infected. (Or the gash in my shin, or the nearly torn-off nipple, etc etc)
  
  
• I only mention all of this because a helmet saves lives. All the reports in the world don't mention the falls and crashes that never get reported. Why don't they get reported? Because people like me were able to walk away, suck up our ego, and fix what got broken without outside help. If I was not wearing a helmet in either of those crashes, I'm sure the death wagon would have taken me away in the first crash and ambulance in the second. Then a report would have been written and I would have been a statistic that says: He should have been wearing a helmet. But, the report was not required.
  
  
• My father was cycling along when a car pulled directly in front of him (trying to zip into a hospital, of all places). Dad piled into the side of the car, sailed over the roof and landed square on the top of his head. He tells me he felt the helmet simply engulf his head as it responded to the impact (by design) by deforming and crushing. He is fine.
  
  
• The pace picked up again as the peloton began the steep climb to Chiflas and a local boy, Olmedo Capacho, winner of a stage in the Itagui Classic, broke free and opened up a significant lead. As the sharp descent began down to San Gil and through the valley of the Chicamocha, Capacho lost control of his bike and slammed head first into the side of a narrow bridge, and was out of the race. [NOTE: Yes, he was wearing a helmet, and yes it appears that he will survive with no more than a severe concussion.]
  
  
• Yup, been there, done that on the river drives in Philly early on a Sunday AM a bunch of years ago (it seems that squirrels have gotten no smarter from evolution), I was motoring along, saw a brown blur, and before I knew it, I was pickin' fur outta my teeth. In case you were wondering, they grow squirrels pretty big here in Philadelphia. New fork, new front wheel (I was using a light rim and the grommets pulled out of the rim), new helmet :-)
  
  
• I am a fairly hardcore recreational rider (200-250 miles per week) who commutes on a bicycle. Last may, I found an improperly-retrenched bike lane at around 35 mph and experienced what the emergency room personnel referred to as an "involuntary dismount." I hit the pavement so hard I fractured my shoulder blade (rolling through the fall, I guess), dislocated my shoulder, and covered myself in road rash. My old Bell helmet was completely flat-spotted from the inside. But my head was intact. The attending physician is certain the helmet saved my life. I don't know whether helmets should be mandated by law, but I do know that none of my kids leaves the garage without one.
  
  
• As I sit here and read this- I am replying with one arm. The other being quite useless right now, as I took quite a nasty spill last week, and broke my collar bone is two places. I assume all of you are writing of road riding, but I was mt. biking when I crashed. It was mainly the fault of my suspension fork not working quite right, and me not cancelling my ride when I realized it... But I can tell you that when I fell-landing on my helmet first and sliding on it until bouncing it off several rocks-then my upside down shoulder off those same rocks-thus resulting in the loud internal SNAP-SNAP that I heard... I cracked my helmet all the way through in two areas- one where the impact was actually made and the other on the opposite side. The myriad of Doctors that I have seen over the past few days have agreed that if it were not for that helmet, I would not only have gotten a SEVERE concussion, but would have received multiple deep lacerations in my face and head, requiring many stiches and even plastic surgery! The stones that still remain in my helmet would have pierced my scalp... Lucky for the shatter proof glasses as well! A few DEEP scratches in them reveal that I would be looking a lot like a pirate right now if it weren't for them...
  
  
• Two years ago I watched my 10 year son miss a turn (going too fast) slide about 20 feet on his side and ram the top of his head into a curb -probably still going 10mph. It distroyed his bike, his helmet, his clothes,some skin,his pride but he got up and carried his bike home over his shoulder. Without a helmet I feel he would have died as a result of this crash. TO HELL WITH THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE- NEITHER ME NOR ANYONE THAT I LOVE WILL EVER RIDE WITHOUT A HELMET!!!
  
  
• Reported in Edinburgh Evening News. Middle aged chap was cycling home at night over the Dean Bridge after an evening at the drama club. No other traffic in sight. Suddenly he "catches his foot in a pedal". This causes his bike to leave the road, mount the pavement, and hit the bridge parapet with such force that he is hurled off it, right over the very nasty spikes designed to deter suicides, out into space over a forty foot drop. Fortunately he falls into a steep gully headfirst which arrests his progress by means of boulders, tree trunks etc., and fortunately he is wearing his helmet when starting this headfirst gully descent, and fortunately by the time the shattered remains of the helmet are torn from his head, he has stopped. A broken rib or two, nothing serious. His helmet saved his life, of course.
  
  
• I crashed on a training ride at full sprint. We still do not know why. I am an experienced rider who also races -- I doubt that it was any mistake of my own. There are still three or four days of my life which I do not remember -- including the crash. I landed on my forehead at about 45 mph (The guy I was sprinting against has some info to offer). It was serious enough that it necessitated drilling a hole in my skull to relieve blood pressure to prevent brain damage. Had I not had the helmet, I would have fractured my skull and probably suffered significant brain damage.
  
  
• Oh, I'm an alright rider. I just try on every ride to do a bit better, and sometimes it ends badly. When I fall off, I don't get to choose where my head ends up. Last time I checked, I had nothing more than a cut on my head; no brain damage. Yes they do work. If I hadn't been wearing it, and my old Giro Riccochet hadn't snapped and absorbed the impact on one crash I had, then I would have been killed. My helmet saved me, end of story.
  
  
• You should wear a bicycle helmet. I would strongly encourage everyone to wear a helmet. I can't think of one good reason not to. If you think it's uncool, well it's a lot more uncool to have your Mom bathe you, and to have a nurse wipe you after you've done your business. It's not cool being six feet under either, I don't think. If you think well "Gee those European pros. in the Tour de France don't wear helmets, and they are fine." Well some racer died in the Tour from a bike crash. Plus, they are professionals, and they've got the roads all blocked and cleared. I bet for every pro you see racing in Europe there's 10 messed people who didn't wear a helmet at their time of need. My helmet saved my life, I'm not just saying that. Those helmets look pretty flimsy, but they're supposed to smash on impact. I won't get into the physics of why that is so. One look at my helmet would show you what is supposed to happen. It's all cracked, smashed, and broken. That would have been my skull. So WEAR A HELMET!!!!!!!
  
  
• I don't remember my head hiting the truck. I remember the starting of the contact with my left side. I knew I was at least badly dazed until it came to me that the ambulance never arrives instantly but there they were, instantly. I remember laying on the ground complaining to someone about the pain in both legs from the knee's down. A policeman was holding large pieces that must have come from the truck grill. He was looking at the pieces then at me with his mouth open. Another guy had my helmet, left side missing a good size chunk, looking at me, looking at the helmet with his mouth open.
  
  
• Last Saturday I was at the end of my third major ride in 2 days and a little too fatigued to be bombing down the mountain at the speed I was going. Reaction time was a little to slow, got loose, went off the trail, slammed a huge bolder, me and the bike were airborn upside down for a while, I hit my head (w/helmet) on a rock, my back on a stump, and the bike kept hitting shit for another twenty feet. I was hurting pretty bad and could only imagine what condition the bike was in. The only thing that happened to the bike was a picnhed tube when I hit the bolder. I have a lot more respect for that Y frame now (and Bell helmets). As for me, well I'm still riding but I just found out today that my rib is in 2 pieces. Oh well.
  
  
• It's good to wear a helmet, and they DO help. I broke my fall with my head at the state championship at Whitetail Ski resort in PA last year. The bike went down on a wooden bridge far too fast for me to react. The rock I landed on mangled the whole front of the helmet, and put a crack in it. In addition, I believe that extra space that the helmet put between my face and the ground kept my split lip and broken glasses from being much worse. Without the helmet, I believe I would not have been a pretty sight. With the helmet, I managed to come out with only a split lip and a broken index finger. I got back on the bike and finished the race for an 8th place finish.
  
  
• I am so tired of people that wear no helmet for bicycle, roller bladers and motorcyclists. I was accepted by the U.S. Olympic Training Team for long distance cycling. I was wear a helmet on and accident occurred. I had 4 different accidents, all with a helmet on, save my life. Please, wear your helmet!
  
  
• I only have one thing to ask people that oppose helmets.. HAVE YOU EVER LANDED ON YOUR HEAD? I have twice. Once in a motor cross accident and last week in a bicycle incident and I had my helmet on and that's probably the only way that I walked away. I had to wear a neck brace in both cases, but that's better than my head split open on a tree.
  
  
• My experience is with being hit head on at high speed by a car. You would not expect me to live, but the evidence shows that the helmet made the difference between life and death for me. I think it did so by lessening the impact. It lessened the impact by slowing down the deceleration, which is basically what a helmet's job is. The proof of the lessening is that I got a concussion so great that I don't remember either the impact or the ambulance ride and that a doctor testified to this effect.
  
  
• A local journalist was mountain biking on a flat, soft, fire road. According to his companion, he was traveling at a very low speed (around 10 mph), hit a small stone in the road, flipped over his bars, and landed on his head. The resulting head injury was severe. He had to learn to walk again, talk again, and slowly relearn higher skills like reading. I'm not sure he ever fully recovered. They wrote a moving series of stories about his recovery in out local paper (The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Inky"). He was wearing a helmet.
  
  
• I got knocked off my bike 5 weeks ago by a bus. I left home without my lid and had gone 500 meters down the road and realised, I went back and got it. Most unusual for me, on the way home I was hit by at a bus at about 30 m.p.h. I broke a couple of bones and got concussion but my helmet was a mess. There was a massive hole in it where my head impacted with the road. I will still, when I get back on the bike, ride on short local trips without my lid. I want to have the choice!!! But at the same time when I see a cyclists on the road without a helmet I feel like shouting "Get A Helmet" its weird
  
  
• Here is a link to John Allen's long and well-written crash story.
  
  
• I used my own statistics from personal experience to choose to continue wearing a helmet. Lack of cycling skills did put my Significant Other on her head while descending a hill, turning and having the wrong pedal down. It was a dumb mistake, her helmet took the impact and she suffered no concussion. She did get serious road rash. Made her a believer in wearing helmets and becoming more skilled. Skill and road conditions don't always prevent accidents. I've only crashed a couple times in the past few years, first one from an unleashed dog on a bike trail, and the second from lose gravel on a curved section of road I frequent. With the later one, my bike slid out from under me, and my head with helmet hit a rock on the pavement. Left a big dent in the helmet, I got a minor concussion from it, and a lot of road rash. Looking at that dent on the side of the helmet convinced me they're worth it.
  
  
• i cracked a helmet on the windshield of a 70-ish woman who couldn't bother to look before she made her right-on-red. i'm glad i was required by state law to wear that helmet.
  
  
• BTW was he wearing a helmet? Yes, he was, and it perished in the crash. A nearly new Bell ImagePro with no prior damage. The right rear quarter broke off, with a nasty chunk of hair on it. Quite gnarly. He still got a nice bump on the head, but no (new) brain damage that I could tell. He got a concussion a few years ago in a crash without a helmet, and he has worn one ever since.
  
  
• I just had my first big crash with my Cannondale F700. My only regret is that I didn't land on MV ( you don't know how many good posts I miss as I speed-delete all the back & forth BS!) I now feel initiated, but unfortunately will miss some rides I wanted to do next month. Notes: - ALWAYS wear a helmet! I probably saved myself from a COMA. Landed on my head and shoulder. Broke a collarbone and some ribs.
  
  
• I don't want to start any flame wars here because that isn't right, but can anyone give me good reasons NOT to wear a helmet? I already wear helmet every time I cycle (having had a helmet save my neck once before in a head-on collision where I left a massive dent in a windscreen) and it is comfortable for me to do so. I don't feel stupid, and it isn't an irritant, nor does it disturb my concentration from the road. Are there any reasons why I shouldn't wear one?
  
  
• I can add to the helmet comment, I've been knocked off my bike by a car, with the helmet probably saving me at least from concussion (not fun when riding), and also ridden down a manhole without a cover when cycling home late one night, the helmet in that case definitely saving myself from pretty much a frontal lobotomy.
  
  
• I crashed yesterday. I went down hard. I've been riding bikes since I was a little kid and never...never have I ever gone down so unexpectedly or so fast. I had just glanced down at my computer before leaning into a sweeping left turn I've ridden countless times. I was going just under 20 mph. I hit some oil in the middle of the turn and my front tire simply flew out from under me. You talk about a surprise; when I hit the road I still had my hands on the handlebars. My left hip, upper arm, shoulder and head took the impact. I know this is going to rile you up, but I thank God I was wearing my helmet. I don't know if it saved me from a serious head injury or not, but it did save me from a road-rashed head if nothing else. That alone is reason enough for me to continue wearing one. You can quote all the statistics you want, I saw everything I needed to see today. Did my helmet save my life? Probably not. Was I riding faster than I would have if I wasn't wearing one? No, this was in completely familiar territory. No amount of education, training or experience could have prepared me for this. Did I feel like superman because I had a helmet on? Absolutely not. I'm 43 years old, I don't need to prove anything to anyone, including myself.....I'm slow and I know it :-) I will never tell anyone that they are wrong for not wearing a helmet. I rode without one for years but at this point in my life I'm convinced that a helmet can afford at least some protection from the surprises life can throw at me. I'll never agree with a mandatory helmet law either. I disagree with it because I don't believe we need the government to protect us from ourselves. I am capable of handling that myself. As an adult I should have the right to make that choice. Myself?....I'll wear a helmet because that's what I want to do, law or not. My hip, my shoulder and my helmet all look like Hell. My hip and my shoulder hurt now but they'll heal. Fortunately, my head doesn't have to.
  
  
• A year ago on a flat, straight, seemingly safe road with no traffic, a bent bolt grabbed my bike's front wheel. I was instantly smashed onto the pavement. My helmet saved me from having a scarred face, and maybe, a dent in my forehead.
  
  
• Having suffered a worse fate on the Mt. Vernon Trail 5 years ago, I have much sympathy. (In my case it was a broken left elbow, concussion -- the helmet saved my life, 9 stitches under the right eye and lacerations up and down my right side.) But, the good news, believe it or not, is that your ENTIRE summer is far from shot. I was back on the bike in 6 weeks. I would have been on it sooner than that, but my girlfriend INSISTED that I follow the doctor's orders.
  
  
• Sorry, but I beg to differ. Until a week ago I cycled 15 miles a day to and from work. I _always_ wore a helmet. After comming off the bike twice in 3 years, each time ending up in hospital, the helmet saved my life _both_ times. Without it, my family would of been without a husband/father. Both of these were problems with the bike and not other road users.
  
  
• A friend was hit by a car today while we were riding. Not hurt seriously but he destroyed a Bell Image.
  
  
• From the most recent stage of the giro, where Leblanc apparently fell: "I would have been killed if I hadn't been wearing a helmet. It's bad enough as it is as I was only 10 seconds down at the time to Tonkov," Leblanc said.
  
  
• after maybe 12 years of riding i finally got the direct benefits of using a helmet. i got hit by a car at an intersection and ended up landing on my head. i cracked it two places. i have a sore neck, but at least i do not have worse injuries in the face and head areas. i was lucky all i had was a badly sprained ankle and a jammed thumb. both still cause me some discomfort after nearlt 3 months, but i think it could have been worse.
  
  
• Until today, I probably would be here stating that helmets are not necessary, or at worse an optional accessory. After 4 years of riding without incident, last Weds I wiped out chasing a friend down a hill at 40mph. I didn't realize it until later but I cracked the back of my helmet wide open. I sit here after three days oozing weird stuff out of most parts of my road-rash inflicted body but I will ride again.
  
  
• Had a close encounter with a cat and had my summer cycling season snap to a halt. I talked to a surgeon who recommended putting in a couple of pins to set it since I broke the bone close to my shoulder. My giro helmet cracked like an egg and I was able to walk away from this accident. Wear those helmets!! Anybody have any expereince with this injury. What can I expect in regards to healing time, any loss of range of motion. What about pinning the break as opposed to letting it heal by itself. How long till I can ride again???
  
  
• The bloke who hit me from behind at 60-odd miles an hour had a good excuse: he was drunk. I was riding on a flat, dead straight country road in France 8 months ago. My lights were on (it was at dusk), but I was heading South-East so the setting sun was behind me. Anyway, here came Monsieur le Francais: he missed my rear wheel by an inch, plowed straight into my left hand side, and sent me diving head first into the asphalt. I wouldn't be here to type this if I had not worn my helmet. The outer shell had a big crack, and the styrofoam casing was paper-thin where it hit the road. I ended up with broken ribs, a broken left hand (it got caugth in the side mirror of the car - fortunately the mirror snapped from its hinges before my hand did), a dislocated left shoulder, and a very bruised left hip (I'm still amazed it did not break with the impact). Five months later, I was back on the pedals.
  
  
• The only serious one I've had in 20+ years of moderate riding was about 3-4 years ago. It was caused by a metal strip that was constructed into the road surface, stuck up above the pavement, but was covered with leaves at the time. As I cornered *straight and slowly* over the leaves, the metal strip caught my front wheel and jerked it to the right, tossing me sideways and backwards into a curb. I smacked the top tip of my right shoulder first, then my helmet covered head bounced on the edge of the curb. My thin shell helmet cracked in the process, but certainly did its job! My shoulder was toast and unusable for a number of weeks. I was light-headed that day, and did go to the doctor, but was okay the next day. I have no doubts that the helmet saved my noggin. I bought a replacement soon after.
  
  
• I know of several cyclists (some friends, some among the cycling circles that I am familiar with, some through professional contacts) who suffered either death or severe brain injury by hitting their unprotected heads during cycling accidents. Contrarily, I know of several cyclists who have severely damaged their helmets but have not suffered any noticeable ill effects. The last of these I heard about yesterday. My step-grandson, aged 5, fell because he turned around to look at his mother, and in falling he hit his head on the angle of the curb. He was wearing a hard=shell helmet, and the liner was significantly damaged, but he suffered no symptoms of brain injury at all. When a person's head hits something hard (and angular, in this case) with sufficient velocity to damage the helmet, it is quite reasonable to conclude that the probability of brain injury would be pretty high without the protection provided by the helmet. While the boy's mother was obviously shaken up by the accident, she is a good observer, had raced in the national championships for several years, and is still an active racing official. She has seen cycling accidents before this. I think that her description of the accident and of the helmet's damage is credible.
  
  
• Just have to add that my daughter had a serious bike accident a couple of years ago. She was wearing a helmet that saved her life as I know it and lots of tax dollars. She is not a statistic because no car was involved.
  
  
• If you've never so much as scraped your head, youv'e been lucky. I have had a few accidents, mostly due to gravel, dogs, or sewer grates that cars squeeze me into, and have only hit my head once - broke my collar bone at the same time. My helmet was a write-off, one side was all mushy. Could have been my head that was all mushy. As I have said before, if you don't feel that your brain is worth protecting, it's probably not.
  
  
• I recently had a good forward, over the handlebar crash where the front of my Giro "Hammerhead" helment struck the concrete. There is only a small scrape across the label in the front. It saved all of my face but my chin.
  
  
• Soapbox time here, for unbelievers: Wear the damn helmet! I don't remember my accident- concussion wiped out everything from about 15 minutes before the wreck until 4 hours later. But I was wearing my helmet, and now I'm following the newsgroup instead of relearning the alphabet!
  
  
• I donated major skin yesterday (as well as 2 new racewheels, shorts,jersey,glasses & helmet) I'm on the "cover with non stick bandages, polysporin every 24 hrs etc routine". It would be interesting if anyone has any better cures for this problem (stopping riding isn't an option !) Thanks for your input. p.s. Unmarked huge hole in a roadrace, rider in front didn't see till last minute, speed 60kph ish!
  
  
• On one occassion a colleague of mine was struck from behind by a Jaguar which had come over the crest of a hill too fast and failed to stop in time. The police were most impressed because they extracted fragments of her helmet from the cars radiator grill yet she had only suffered very minor injuries which were easily treated in the hospitals out patients section and she was able to return to work within one day.
  
  
• There's much to be said about wearing a helmet and I say it. I've seen many arguments about not wearing helmets and how wearing helmets increases the risk of neck injury. Some of those in the anti helmet camp point to an increase in the number of cyclists who suffer neck injuries. Because of a helmet I suffered two fractured vertebrae, C6, C7 in my neck, T1 in my back, and nerve root damage at C4/C5 and C6/C7. I also suffered a fractured rib and slight knee fracture. Oh and then there were the cuts and bruises. I also had two impacts to my head. One at the top of my head above the forehead and another at the side, above the ear. Without the helmet I would have been a head injury statistic instead.
  My Spine and Neck Specialist reminded me many times during my recovery that without the helmet I would not be able to complain to him about my slow recovery and pain, that I suffered months after the accident, because he did not treat dead people. If I didn't die, I more than likely would not be talking to him because brain dead people don't talk. My Neurologist said upon my first examination, "It's lucky you were wearing a helmet.". My GP, a fellow cyclist, said, "I'll bet you're glad you were wearing your helmet." By now I'm sure you're wondering how I ended up in such a condition to illicit these statements. One fine afternoon, a picture perfect day, in mid November, I decided to take a little spin. The roads were dry and the air crisp. The first snows had not yet arrived in southern New Hampshire, where I lived. Just the kind of day to get in a 30 mile bike ride About halfway through the ride I decided to head over to an area that I loved to ride; rural back roads with great down hill stretches. To reach that area I had to pass through a heavy traffic area of town.
  While doing so, a 1987 Ford Bronco, pulled out in front of me, from a side street. I avoided colliding with the vehicle by performing a panic turn, while applying my brakes. After I passed behind the vehicle I started pedaling again. The vehicle and I were now traveling in the same direction. I was in the breakdown lane. As I approached the right rear side of the vehicle, it suddenly made a sharp right turn in front of me, to go into a gas station driveway. I immediately hit my brakes, considered turning right with the vehicle and decided I'd go under it if I did. I decided to try to pass behind the vehicle, but there was a car next to me now. I had no where to go. I realized then that I was going to die. In the moment before I impacted I thought about the women I married only the year before. The accident was three days after our first anniversary. I thought how sad she would be and how unfair it was for her. Her first husband died shortly after their fifth anniversary.
  I figure I was going 18 to 20 mph just before impact. I collided with the right rear side of the vehicle, between the rear wheel well and the bumper. The top of my helmet impacted with the side of the vehicle. I passed out from the force of the impact. The next thing I knew there was a police officer kneeling over me. The remainder of the accident was reconstructed by John Allen, an expert witness and who has performed many accident reconstruction's.
  As the vehicle continued moving to the right, my front tire jammed between the fender and bumper. The bike, with me still on it, pivoted around to the rear of the vehicle. I impacted with the tailgate with my left knee. The impact left a 6 inch dent in the tailgate and a slight fracture to my knee. The material on the knee of my winter riding pants melted and fused with the paint. More than a week after the accident, John found a purple mark on the tailgate of the vehicle that matched the swatch of cloth on the knee of my pants. The dent had been banged out and the paint buffed, but the mark from my pants was still there.
  My left shoulder impacted with the window of the tailgate as indicated by the melted material on the shoulder of the riding jacket. My helmet above the ear slammed into the window next as evidenced by an indentation. This is when my doctors figure I suffered the neck fractures and nerve damage, as my head ricocheted away from the window with enough force to fracture vertebrae and tear nerve cords. Because I was wearing a helmet I am now a bicycling neck injury statistic and because of the helmet, I survived the accident without a head injury, aside from a minor concussion. Sometimes when I think about the accident, I also think about the anti drug commercial of a few years ago; "This is your brain on drugs, ..." and a picture of a fried egg. Instead imagine "This is your brain after hitting the side of a vehicle, without a helmet, ..." and a picture of scrambled eggs. At the time of the accident I was 40, rode 3,000 to 4,000 miles per year, completed the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Effective Cycling course and was then in the process of becoming an Effective Cycling Instructor.
  
  
• Tee hee. These are all good ideas (sprint between stoplights, pedal down hills). Unfortunately, it was pedalling down a hill in a mad sprint to make a stoplight that resulted in the untimely demise of my bicycle. Of course, it took a little assistance from the ******* in the Beamer who decided that the bike lane was a fine place to stop for a quick cell-phone call. Sorry about the helmet imprint on your trunk, dude.
  
  
• As many of you know, Warren was injured Tuesday evening when he was struck by a car while he was riding his bike. He spent Tuesday night in the hospital for observation. I talked to his wife around 3:30 PM today (Wednesday) for an update on his condition. Warren is resting at home. He has a mild concussion, internal bruises and external scrapes. The doctors want him to stay home Thursday, but left it up to him about working on Friday. We may see him then; if not, I expect he will be back to work on Monday. His wife stressed to me that Warren was wearing a helmet which protected him from more severe injuries. Safety at home is just as important as is safety at work!
  
  
• I wiped out once, and took most of the impact on my head. I had a head-ache from the impact through my helmet. Best head-ache I have ever had.
  
  
• Last month Betzi & I were in a large pack when the bike immediately in front of Betzi went down. She was catapulted over the front of her bike and landed on her forehead. Her helmet was totally trashed. Aside from some minor road rash and a bent frame she was just fine. This will never make it into anyone's statistics. We didn't call the police, go to the emergency room, or take any other action to bring this to the attention of the statiticians. In thirty years of cycling (and my share of crashes ranging from crit pileups to being run down by a big wheeled pickup truck while I was just riding along) this is the first crash in which I or my significant other actually needed the helmet. This one crash was statistically insignificant. However, I am glad she was wearing one. It only takes one landing on your head to screw up your whole life irrespective of the statistics!!
  
  
• My concern over this issue hit home on July 24, 1997 when my son feel off his bike when he was coming down a hill and landed on his side! Thank goodness he had his helmet on because if not my son would not probably be here today! We had a nice 3 hour stay at the hospital to make sure he had not fractured and facial bones but he is okay thank GOD!
  
  
• Helmets help in minor crashes, too. I've smacked my head four times in the past ten years, and escaped without injury each time. My trusty Giro absorbed a 20 mile-an-hour collision with a thick, low-hanging tree limb on a bike path; without it, I would probably have been unseated backwards into my riding companion. Another time, I fell backwards while hopping curbs on inline skates, breaking my tailbone and slamming the back of my bike helmet into the pavement. Either injury would have been exceedingly painful without a helmet, and might have hospitalized me. There's no point in splitting headaches and blurry vision if you can avoid them!
  
  
• The helmet "wars" are *almost* funny. I've been spared more serious injury twice because of one and have a friend that had a car suddenly pull out in front of him when he was doing 20 mph. He landed on his helmet, which split, and he was knocked out. He was at work (he was commuting in the first place) within 2 hours with a mild concussion. There is no question in my mind that in that case his helmet saved him from very serious injury or death. I might add he is an experienced rider and the whole thing happened too fast for him to react.
  
  
• We went down HARD sunday on the new Rock 'n Roll. It was raining, a portion of the surface of the groomed trail (limestone chip) washed away, exposing a clay layer which was as slick as wet ice. The front wheel felt like it was shot out from under me, and down we went at about 30 MPH. Thankfully, my wife has only minor scrapes and a slight case of "what the hell happened?" trauma. We were having such a great ride, so much fun, we really love tandemming! I'm sitting here with a broken helmet, a dandy headache, bruised/broken? ribs, slightly impaired on pain meds wondering; 1. Are tandems are more vulnerable to this (front wheel skid) than a half bike? 2. Has anybody else had to deal with the rib thing? How soon could you get back on the bike? I'm gonna get cranky if I can't get my 100+ miles per week minimum.
  
  
• I crashed on my bike last month with my 35TI in my little leather fanny pack. I hit pretty hard (hard enough to break my helmet, and bend my front rim). The camera is fine.
  
  
• I recently took a tumble, for lack of paying enough attention, and broke my Bell helmet. It functioned beautifully, as I took a hard hit, and came up uninjured.
  
  
• On a personal note, My husband was in a cycling accident in March. He was only riding a lei surely 14 miles an hour on a level road when he hit a bump that threw the bike over. It was just one of those areas of uneven pavement. He severly broke his femur. However, his helmet was cracked all the way through. He did not even suffer a concussion. The surgeon said if he had not had on his helmet, he would have had severe cranial injuries.
  
  
• I recently had a meeting with a van. I managed to split my crash hat in half but my brain is still Ok (I think)
  
  
• I came off my bike once about half way through a fifty-mile ride in the Trossachs, when I hit a rocky patch on the trail while coming fast downhill. It was fairly sore, but I didn't notice until after I finished the ride that I had a dent the size of a hen's egg in my helmet, right over my temple. If the dent had been in my skull, and not in my helmet, I don't need to tell you that I wouldn't be telling this story. Maybe a bike helmet doesn't cover half my cranium, but I *never* ride without one.
  
  
• The rule in our house has always been if you're on wheels you wear your helmet. This has been the rule since long before I had children when two friends walked away from bike accidents in Cambridge. Both times, the paramedics said that if they had not been wearing helmets, they would be in an ambulance on the way to the hospital instead.
  
  
• This morning I went for a short ride with my SO to check out some changes I made on the Tandem drive system. When we returned I made some adjustments and left to take the Tandem out by myself on our own street to make final adjustments. I was moving at about 18 mph on the right side of the street. A car was coming the other way, and there was a car behind me. Instead of waiting for the car in the opposite direction to pass, the car behind me, who in normal circumstances would have been able to pass me with no problem, sped up to try to get around me and beat the other car. The following car did not have enough clearance to make it, and pulled sharply to the right forcing me into the curb, and the front wheel into a sewer grating. The Tandem lurched forward and up, hitting a tree. The first contact with the tree was with my head, which thank goodness had a helmet on it. Besides a smashed Bell Evo Pro helmet, and a completely destroyed brand new Mythios saddle, both the Tandem and I will be OK, outside of some minor scrapes to both the Tandem and myself. I guess the point of this is about the importance of wearing a helmet. Although I almost always do, there are times that I do not. Many times I ride the "folder" to the supermarket, through our development, using the same route. Since I am not "racing along" and the route does not go on any major street, I will not put one on. If this had been one of those times, I would probably be dead, or severly injurred right now, instead of writing this message. I guess I was given a second chance, and will learn well from it. From now on, I will ALWAYS wear a helmet, even riding up and down my own street.
  
  
• During a pretty steep descend, my front air chamber decided to explode. In that particular moment I was not using the brakes. I cannot be sure, but I think there has been a small "thunk" right before the episode, something like a small stone or hole. The word "explosion" should be taken literally. A motorbike travelling full speed a hundred meters ahead of me heard the "bang", did a U turn and assisted me. The front wheel *stopped*. I did not. I proved the old theory that asphalt is harder then the human body. All my left side is in a pretty disgusting state. The head got protected by the helmet (it's in a thousands pieces: the helment, not the head which is still intact) but I could not avoid some rashes to the forehead. Nothing that 9 stiches and 7 days cannot cure (I hope). Please, I do not wish to start another helmet war. In my case it looks like it worked. The speed must have been pretty high (50/60 Km/hr) at the moment of the accident.
  
  
• I went down for the first time this year and as previously posted put a 2 1/2" crack in my new Giro Helios helmet.
  
  
• I believe in helmets. Three Bell helmets have been cracked on my head and only one resulted in getting knocked unconcious.
  
  
• I never really needed a helmet either, until a car pulled out in front of me. I had almost zero reaction time to evade, I failed, I landed on my head. The helmet was cracked completly through. I was pretty happy I wore a helmet that I've never needed... until that moment.
  
  
• More head trauma stories: In the 13 years that I've been riding, I personally know of three people who were saved because of their helmet. The first went endo over the bars directly onto his helmet at over 30 mph because his front forks snapped off. Helmet saved his head, but not his face (ouch!! but he did make a lot of money off of the bike manufacturer in litigation). The second fell off a cliff and landed on his helmet because a soft shoulder on the trail gave out. Helmet was in two pieces when we finally got to him. Had a concussion but at least he was still alive. The third went endo headfirst into a large boulder because the stupid fool didn't check his headset before the ride (yup, that's me!). Top of helmet was completely crushed. I didn't even end up with a headache! In all cases, the helmet didn't save the person involved from his own riding technique but from pure accidents (ok, I should have checked my headset).
  
  
• About eight weeks ago I was involved in an almost very serious bicycle accident on Skyline Drive. While I cannot state categorically that the helmet saved me from death, massive head trauma, or whatever, I can state unequivically that I'm very glad I was wearing it; the helmet was destroyed, and everything else I was wearing at the time (not to mention my bike) was damaged as well.
  
  
• I have crashed twice in 2 years where my helmet saved me from further injury. Did it save my life - NO, but it allowed me to ride home on the bike, not in a chopper or ambulance. My brother took a fall last summer that punched a hole 3/4" deep in his helmet. What would that have done to his head?
  
  
• Two of my sons and I were riding the other day and my 12 yr old son had a dog run out in front of him and he ran over the dog and flipped his bike. The dog ran off. My son skinned up his elbows and arms. While we did some first aid on him we took off his helmet and we noticed a big gouge on the left side of the helmet and several small scrapes on the left side too. I am convienced that if he did not have his helmet on he would of been in worse shape.
  
  
• I was hit by a car back in 81 during my college days (was a roadie then, before I realized it was suicidal) It cracked my helmet in two as well, and it was one of those fiberglass ones they made before everyone went to the foam. Wrecked my bike but I had no permanent injuries.
  
  
• The group I ride with have one rule only: Wear a helmet. We've had several serious helmet-crushing wrecks involving large rocks, and no rider has the right to expose the rest of us to the terrifying experience of scooping said rider's brains into a plastic bag.
  
  
• I recently had a spill, damaged my Bell Image Pro and spared my head.
  
  
• One month ago I had a huge dog come out of nowhere on a sneak attack and body slammed me and the bike. Ended up trashing a $100 helmet. Argued with the farmer and they had the guts to blame us bike riders on the dog attacks. Go figure.
  
  
• I was riding in a light rain yesterday. I was trying to avoid an intersection which has cobblestones and is crisscrossed by trolly tracks (between Mt.Airy & Chestnut Hill,in Philadelphia) but was unable to avoid the crossing because of numerous road repair projects in the area. I am an experienced rider,took every precaution (except walking the bike) and proceeded through the intersection to make my turn at a slow speed. As I mentioned.. I know how to cross tracks. Nevertheless, the bike flipped out from under me and although I was not moving forward very fast, my head was moving quite fast by the time it struck the cobblestones. I got up and out of the intersection with a bruise on my chest and a headache.I was wearing a Giro helmet and the rim absorbed most ofthe impact. I don't usually respond to these things but I felt my good fortune in wearing a helmet and living to tell about an extremely ordinary fall which could have sent me to the hosopital, or worse required me to attest to the good sense in wearing them. I survived childhood without them and I often feel like not bothering with the damn helmet. But the fact is that I am also a much better rider now which also makes me faster, likely to be in more dangerous situations, heavier than in my childhood, and smarter. Keep the rubber side down.
  
  
• My helmet (a Giro Supermoto RL) may have saved my life. It certainly saved me a concussion and other serious injuries. I was climbing a very steep, sandy hill near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when my front tire lifted up abruptly. Before I could get control of the bike, I flipped backward with my feet still attached to my clipless pedals. I landed on my upper back and the back of my head struck a large rock at the edge of the trail. This was a direct and powerful blow, but the helmet received the direct contact, not my head. The helmet, which was in perfect condition before the accident, cracked on impact, completely protecting my cranium from what might have been major trauma.
  
  
• I had rebuilt a bike and was ready to take it for a test ride. As I pedaled off, I saw someone I know walking so I slowly pedaled and talked for a while. Decided to show off by sprinting away. Bad idea, I had forgotten to screw in the right clipless pedal and it snapped off just as I jumped on it (you know, out of saddle and all). I went down hard on a concrete road, banged up my elbow and ankle and had some good road rash on my shoulder and butt. Fortunately, I had put on my helmet because I could feel it absorb the impact. Later inspection showed it to have cracked and I'm sure it saved me from being a vegetable.
  
  
• In the interest of promoting helmet use I want to tell you about my daughter's experience. She was riding down hill on a city street, between parked cars and traffic. She suddenly came upon a deep pot-hole and had no time to stop and nowhere to go except straight ahead. She hit the hole and the front wheel colapsed throwing her over the handlebars. She apparently landed on her head because her helmet cracked. She was knocked out and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. Very fortunately there was no permanent damage to her. The bike was ruined. At the hospital she was told that if she had not been wearing the helmet she would most likely have been killed.
  
  
• Well, I must admit that I've been impressed. I cracked up my RazorPro helmet (it saved me from a probable fractured skull). On Sept 5th I mailed it to Bell (along w/ $30.00 ck, Hhmmm...) and I received a replacment on Sept 11th (EvoPro). How did they do that? In six days!!! Hey, even though I had to pay something for it, the turn-around time was excellent. Besides a new EvoPro would have cost me a lot more. Hey BELL, give yourself a pat on the back!!! [I understand that your personal experience may differ from above]
  
  
• Well, I was coming down a steep pitch, front wheel caught a rock and I went over the bars, smacking a large boulder head on. Direct hit, dead on with the top of the head. Rather ... helmet. Made a believer out of me, happend so quick. Hate to think how bad it would have hurt to not have a helmet on. :-) Its a matter of personal choice, and I choose to ride with one. Who knows, maybe some day I'll stop on the trail and help patch you up :-)
  
  
• I used to never wear a helmet while riding. Then I started, but only off-road. Then one day I was cruising home from work and decided to do a shortcut across this empty lot that had kinda-tall grass... Then I ended up on the ground after hitting a foot-tall rock that I didn't see, and my head came within inches of another similarly-sized rock. If I had been going faster, I would have been really injured by the impact with my skull. Probably not dead, but probably irritated. This irritation was solved by blowing $50 on a helmet... It just so happened that I had another irritating wreck about a week later, and did smack my head on the ground (rather hard, indeed), and wasn't hurt due to the fact that I had the helmet on. Yet I haven't wrecked in six years while riding off-road. Strange. :)
  
  
• I'm with ya--eight years of off-road riding, doing some pretty nutty stuff at times, and zero significant crashes. Five years of road riding, and at least four major wipeouts, three of which involved some amount of head impact. Maybe I just suck as a roadie, but after about 11,000 miles, I think I'd have figured it out. And in each of those impacts, my helmet saved me. Not from death, but definitely from stitches and possibly from concussion. Statistics be damned--my head is not a statistic.
  
  
• Last Thursday, I was riding through a parking lot on campus when I was hit by a pick-up truck backing out suddenly. He knocked me over, and I was carted off to the emergency room. Luckily, my helmet took the brunt of my fall, and I came away fairly intact, with just a stiff neck and shoulders and a pretty scraped up face. I should heal just fine, though.
  
  
• I was hit by an automobile in June, a girl pulled out in front of me (I had the right-of-way) and I went flying over the hood. Miraculously I wasn't killed... This time my clipless peddles released without any work on my part. I flew over her hood, landed on my shoulder and head (cracked helmet, no broken bones!).
  
  
• Hey there, almost 2 years ago I was riding a relatively easy off road track I got silly so what happened was my fault - BUT because I was wearing a helmet I am alive to tell my tale Today. The doctors In ICU and the Emergency room agree that the damage that was done to the rest of My body and after looking at the remains of my helmet, they unanimously agree that had I not had a skid-lid on I would either, a: be Dead, or b: in a wheelchair with very little body control because my brain would have been so badly damaged.
  
  
• I hit a dog, flipped, and broke my pelvis and crushed the helmet liner and scratched up the helmet like you. No head injury. Without the helmet, my head would've taken the lick the liner took.
  
  
• Wait a minute...helmets are NOT useless. I probably wouldn't be writing this email if it weren't for a helmet. I was broadsided by a car, flipped head over heels and landed flat on my back with the back of my head slamming into the pavement. After coming to in the hospital, I got to see my helmet. Sure, the foam was crushed and it was scraped up pretty good, but I only had a slight bump on the back of my head. I assure you that I would have had substantial cranial injury if my unprotected head had hit the concrete with the same amount of force. I did have a broken leg, however. I NEVER ride without my helmet, and I don't think any non-suicidal cyclist should, either.
  
  
• I awoke laying on the ground, twisted up near my girlfriend's brand new hybrid bicycle. It was night time, somewhere around 3:00 am. I was at the foot of a steep hill, near the local high school, where a concrete staircase with steel handrails descends to a ballfield. Next to the stairs is a worn dirt path which presumably, I had just attempted to ride down. Instead, obviously I crashed badly, tumbled down the hill and landed unconcious in a heap at the bottom. I must have been laying there for several hours because I left the house at midnight and never ride around the neighborhood for three hours. I had just gone out for a quick spin to wind myself down for the night, and to get a little aerobic work in before the upcoming Seniors Windsurfing Regatta at Hilton Head Island, SC. I remember opening my eyes, looking around and wondering where in the hell I was. It was so quiet and eerie. Then I saw the goal posts and shotput circle, the bleachers and school parking lot and recognized the location. I wondered how I got there and what had happened? Why was I there? Why would I have attempted to ride down a hill I had never been down before? Especially at night and using my girlfriend's bike which I had only ridden once before? I would not have risked damaging her bicycle, would I? Or worse, damaging myself!? Hmmmmmm. I heard first, then saw a sanitation truck making his rounds between the dumpters behind the school. As he approached my location, I wondered if he would see me laying there. No, I just barely saw the top of the truck cruise by above me. He couldn't have seen me. Then it got very quiet once again and I felt very alone. I started to sense the realities of the situation. I slowly untwisted myself and struggled to my feet. My right calf felt like it took a cannonball hit, but I could stand. My precious knees seemed OK. I looked at the brand new Trek helmet I had been wearing, for only the second time. It was smashed on the top and left side. Thank God I had it on. Judging by the damage, I might have been dead without it. Part of the strap system cut me badly behind the right ear, probably on it's way to being wrenched off my head. I don't think it stayed on, but I don't really remember picking it up either. Then my shoulder caught my attention. Mainly because I could not move my left arm. I thought "clavicle", but it was in one piece. "Rotator cuff" maybe? No, this felt worse. I thought "Oh man, I'm hurt bad. I gotta get home. Can I ride?" Luckily, the bike's only damage was an out-of-true rear wheel. My calf probably caused that. So very gingerly, I got on the bike and slowly pedaled around the track toward another set of stairs leading up to the parking lot. I leaned on my left arm once, and swerved off the path from the resulting pain. "Do NOT do that again" I cursed. I got back on track and make it to the stairs.
  
  
• Two years ago I was traveling about 30 miles an hour down an overpass and my front tire fell into a concrete expansion joint and promptly flipped me onto the road. This cracked my helmet and broke my collar bone. I started riding again as soon as I felt I could safely ride again.I had to rebuild my wheels and replace my seat but my bike was not damaged too badly. I was surprised that I did not have the fear of riding that you experienced. Perhaps if I had been hit by a car things would be different.
  
  
• For all who have Manitou shocks, check the dropout/slider connection regularly! A good friend experienced a catastrophic failure with his yesterday when both dropouts sheared off of the slider. Since he was going down a rocky hill @ about 34 mph (can you say faceplant?), he was EXTREMELY lucky to get off with stitches in several places...no broken bones (and he's still picking rocks out of his gums). His helmet is in several pieces, no doubt after having saved his life. There was a recall on these shocks a year or two ago and his were replaced then, so don't take it for granted you are safe if you had yours replaced. Be careful.
  
  
• I was always kind of on the fence regarding wearing helmets. After all, I ride about 5,000 miles a year and (until June of '97) never fell. This past June I made the bad mistake of trying to press the laws of physics taking a turn while going down a hill. With all the road-rash I accumulated (I hit chip-seal doing 40 mph) it never dawned on me to look at my helmet until the next day, when I discovered it was cracked in the back. Wide open. If that were my head, I wouldn't be here adding to this silly debate. A helmet weighs almost nothing. And it probably did save my life.
  
  
• Last summer, I went riding on Mountain Ridge with some friends and met a girl that changed my mind about helmets. A friend of mine told me she used to be the most balls out rider, but was in an accident a year ago that has made her a little gun shy. After riding behind her I thought she must have developed some permenant hand cramps from how hard she clutch her brakes around the switchbacks. At the bottom of the ride, she told me about the race she had been in the previous summer and how she was barralling down and into a switchback so fast that she lost control, flew off the trail (bike and all) and landed face down on a jagged tree root or stump. Her helmet cracked and a piece of the tree aimed right at her eye smashed the pair of Oakley glasses she was wearing. She spent a lot of months healing the scars all over her face and is convinced she wouldn't have walked away from that accident if she wouldn't have been wearing that annoying helmet. Watch the switchbacks and protect your mellon!
  
  
• about 5-7 years ago i was riding along. it was one of those rare times i was wearing a helmut. at the time, all we had were those bell brain buckets. anyway mirage came out with a styrafome(sp?)helmut. light, comfortable, and cheap. back to the ride, i don't know what happen but i went over the handle bars, landed squarely on my helmutted melon, next on back - yeowch. i got up and checked my bike - it was o.k., i was o.k. so i went on home. if i crash/flat/have a mechanical problem i go home - bad mojo. later that day i was giving my stuff the once over and found huge flat spot on my helmut. the helmut worked. it absorbed the shock, and dissipated it. here's the point, that's why they call them accidents, because you don't know when they are going to happen.
  
  
• A always rode with a helmet when I was racing/training on my racing bike. I felt the added dangers (feet "trapped", other riders, etc) warrented this. However, on my commuter bike, where I ride on safe cycle paths I never did .. Summer 1996, It happened, my "biggy". I was in a chasing group, 12 strong. A flag marshall never made it to the junction in time, we were all a bit wary as we approached the intersection and the brakes went on. I put myself at the back of the group, hoping to keep my momentem going if the others stopped. The first 2 guys went straight accross so the rest of us assumed saftey. As we neared the white stop line we were suddenly aware of a truck coming from the left and we all hit our brakes as one. Bikes, bits of bikes, arms and legs flew in every direction. Amazingly the truck flew past and missed us all. I had tried to swerve to the right of the guy in front as I stopped, but he had also moved to his right. My front wheel went in his rear cogs and I flew over the handlebars. I think I held on to the brakes too long, but it was my reaction, stop = brake ... I was still holding the brakes when my helmet hit the ground. My second contact with the ground was my chin. I broke my jaw in 3 places, and suffered a fracture of the adams apple. I had trouble breathing and had to be trached (small hole for air tube through into me under the adams apple.) Our crash speed was around 10 m.p.h. If we had been going faster I would have probable released the brakes and gone sideways. So speed is not the issue here. I damaged 15 teeth, received cuts to eye, nose, general rode rash on upper forearms and legs followed by back and knee pain for some time. I was laid off work for 4 months. But all this was stuff they could fix. I did not even suffer a light concusion, the helmet was a write-off, split in several pieces. Think about this for one minute, the first and hardest contact with the road was the helmet, the second was the jaw bone, which broke in three places.
  
  
• The group of guys I ride with won't let anyone without a helmet even ride with us...Last year at one of our favorite riding spots there were 2 serious accidents on the same day...One guy slammed head-first into a tree on a downhill....he cracked his helmet in half, but walked out of the woods a little shaken, but no serious injury....
  
  
• I crashed recently on a fast ride in the hills with some cat 1 & 2 riders. My helmet probably saved my life, and at the least, a very serious head fracture.
  
  
• This past weekend I was riding by an entrance to a popular weekend "meandering" trail. For some reason I was noticing a woman (she was attractive) putting her child (I assume it was hers) into her bicycle seat on the back of her bike. The child was helmeted and strapped in. Mom, who also had a helmet on (although I think she already had a few too many blows to the head to help), promptly lets go of the bike and turns around to shut the deck lid on her Cherokee. Bike falls over, baby falls over, hits head, bounces a bit, starts screaming, and so does mom. Baby was fine, just scared. Helmet worked, bike seat worked, baby stayed strapped in.
  
  
• I have NEVER hit my head when I was riding hard doing the knarly single track thing or while going fast doing techincal downhill... (I always wipeout to the side or flip completly over the bars and hit my butt or back never hit my head... :) Or riding on the streets. NEVER.... On the other hand I have hit my head twice while just ridding along... Once I was with my wife on a very easy trail I ride all the time with a helmet really fast and hard. I'm just ridding along behind my wife doing may 5-10 mph with a slight downhill... next thing I know my front tire STOPS. and I flip right onto my head. (I was wearing a helmet) I saw stars and my neck was stiff for a week or so. I doubt that fall would have killed me but I am sure I would have been hurt alot worse if nothing else cuts from the little baseball sized jagged rocks my helmet hit. (The helmet was cracked) What happened? I caught a stick just perfectly (tiny little thing) and flipped it up into my wheel. Had I been going faster it probably would have just broken it... (I also probably would have been paying more attention and more prepared for a weight change, the front tire might have slid and I would have gone down to the side... who knows :) The other time was pretty much the same thing. Not paying attention since I was going so slow and easy...and flipped over right onto my head. (So maybe I should pay attention when I go slow :) so, the moral is... just ridding along is where you should worry the most. :)
  
  
• I fell off my bike about two weeks ago now. I was making a left turn, one I've made every day I've ridden to work, but not two weeks ago on Monday. I pulling out of the turn, and then all of a sudden I'm looking at the sky. My back slams against the ground, and as my head is moving backwards, like a whip, the thing I thought before my head hit the ground was, "Good thing I'm wearing a helmet." The blow to the back of the helmet rang through my head.I then looked around, remembered I was in the road, got up picked up my bike, and moved off to the side to assess the damage. A car stopped and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital. I guy stopped mowing his lawn and asked if I wanted an ambulance. I eyed myself off an then I waved them both off. I looked at my legs, hardly a scratch. I looked at my back, and where I stuck the ground was a huge abrasion, but no bones stuck out, and I was walking. My elbow was bleeding a little, but not serious. I popped off my helmet. The back was pushed in and the styrofoam had a crack running in a ring in the back. I imagine that would've been in my head. The main message here: Wear your helmets.
  
  
• Does anyone know the name and address of the UK agent/distributor for Bell Cycle Helmets? My 8 year old son fell off his bike descending a woodland trail on the weekend and the helmet prevented a serious head injury. I thought that Bell may like to see the result of a real crash for evaluation/research?
  
  
• In 1993, I was hit by a car that pulled out from a stop sign in front of me. My 200 pound body was launched over the hood of the car and landed about 15 feet away on hard asphalt. Even though I landed directly on the top of my head, I got off lightly with cuts, bruises, road rash, and a broken finger. My helmet was cracked; you could say that I was saved by the Bell! Actually, the only part of my body that didn't hurt afterward was my head.
  
  
• I didn't start wearing a helmet until I was 40 (last year). I had a bad tandem accident with my son. His helmet broke - I needed three stitches. Six months later, while wearing a helmet, I went down and broke my helmet. It would have been much worse without. I'm glad I changed my mind.
  
  
• I took a hard spill yesterday (first spill) at at least 20 MPH. The left side of my head hit pavement - and hard. The helmet I was wearing has a crack in the one-inch thick crushable foam that runs from the bottom left side to the first air-hole (about 1 3/4 in.). Had I not be wearing that helmet yesterday, I seriously believe that I would be at least seriously brain damaged as it would have been the temple portion of my skull that would have made contact. Instead I was able to walk away with some juicy road rash.
  
  
• I'm relatively new to the bicycling newsgroups and find this helmet "argument" rather silly. All I can think is that those who say they don't need a helmet have never fallen on their heads (good for them, so far) and have also never had a friend riding with them pitch onto their heads. As one who has done both, I'm particularly glad I had my helmet on as I crashed at 30 mph and the side of my head bounced up and down on the pavement. Two weeks ago while mountain biking my wife performed a classic endo while going downhill at considerable speed and was pitched forward and landed nearly vertically, head first. I hate to think of what would have happened or would still be happening if she hadn't been wearing a helmet. Helmets have their limits but much of the time they work just fine, thank you.
  
  
• Last week while on a ride a buddy had his front wheel kicked off a rock, into a downed tree along the trail. This dumped the bike sideways and him to the ground. I was about 40 ft ahead of him and I heard the smack of his helmet on the rock. He got up and was a bit dazed, but overall ok. It wasn't a tough trail, just "one of those things" that can happen while riding. We continued the ride. If he had no helmet - he would have gone to the hospital with head injuries, I'm sure.
  
  
• Would'nt be without my MET Rapper. Its Power Lock mechanism locks the helmet on...it can't twist or rotate. I have had 2 accidents where I could have been in serious trouble without it. One was on a downhill where I was doing about 30kph, and saw an overhanging branch at the last moment. I could'nt avoid it, so I put my head down so the top of the helmet connected the branch. It glanced heavily off the helmet, cracking it. MET replaced it for a nominal fee under their damage warranty. I am sure my head would have looked different without the helmet.
  
  
• My Bell Vertigo saved my life when a truck pulled out in front of me and I couldn't stop in time. its about a 45$ helmet.
  
  
• Two years ago, while riding my mountain bike on a light dusting of fresh snow on the bike path, the front wheel washed outfromunderme.Since it happened so quickly, I didn't even have time to extend out my arm. My right forehead hit the pavement hard enough to fracture the helmet like a road map! Since the ambient temp was 15 degrees, there wasn't much chance for someone to be strolling down the forest preserve. Thank goodness I stayed conscious.
  
  
• I've personally broken two helmets and no heads in bicycling falls. One helmet cracked when the back of head hit a tree trunk, and one buckled when a low-hanging tree branch hit the top of my helmet end-on (I hadn't seen it because it was dusk and the branch presented such small footprint in my field of vision).
  
  
• I was on the Annapolis-Baltimore bike trail and crossing a roadway when a speeding motorist forced me to make emergency manuevers. I missed the car, the patch of sand, but was out of momentum and couldn't avoid the post sitting in the middle of the bike path that was put there to keep cars off the path. I ended up catching a pedal (almost missed by thaaaat much) and spinning into the stop sign put up to bring cyclists to a full stop. Tacoed the front wheel, split a helmet and still have the crescent scar where my glasses cut into my cheek. I also have the memory of my wife - a nurse no less - panicking and setting off down the bike path for our car - in the wrong direction.
  
  
• To all you anti-helmet folks out there: I had a run in today and totally biffed my helmet. It could've have been my skull. If I weren't wearing a helmet, I wouldn't be here typing this post. So say what you want against helmets, but I'll give up riding before I give up riding with a helmet.
  
  
• In the last 18 months, I've had three accidents. I wear a helmet whenever I cycle on the road, but then, I think it's particulary silly not to in London. In one of the accidents, a Jeep Cherokee overtook me, without bothering to change course at all, hit me and shunted my bike into a parked car. I went over the parked car in a graceful swallow dive and crashed head first into one of Kensington and Chelsea's huge concrete bins. I cracked my skull (plus quite a few other injuries), and I was told by the doctor who treated me that without a helmet I would probably not have survived intact.
  
  
• I have a theory that there are just some people who get in a lot of accidents. I had a couple of years in which I seemed to be a walking/pedalling car magnet. Helmets have quite literally saved my life more than once (one time the ambulance driver said that when he saw what had happened to my helmet, he certainly didn't expect me to be alive and blinking when he got close enough to see), and for that reason and that reason alone I will wear one when I go out riding, whether Julian thinks I'm a wuss for doing so or not.
  
  
• I fell off the bike this morning. I knew there was ice on the road so I was careful but even so... The back end went out on me 2 miles from home- I just caught it. Almost in to work, coming round the last corner and I started pedalling, idiot - back end went and dumped me in the road. My _helmet_ saved a broken skull and is fatally cracked. Otherwise just bruises.
  
  
• Here's my war story: hit a wee bump while mountain biking, did the ol' over the handlebars thing. Broke my clavicle in two places, had a bunch of scrapes and bruises. At the ER, I swore my head had not hit the ground! A couple of days later, while pulling the bike out of the car, I noticed that my helmet (a Bell) was shattered. The right side was split in 3 or 4 places. There was an obvious rock impression on the side as well. I'm convinced it saved me massive injury!
  
  
• Our bicycle touring club counts approx. 1000 members. And from 1990: - Crashed on high speed downhill member is alive, but his helmet was broken to small chanks. He demonstrated it in a plastic bag at the club meeting. Spent 1 day in Stanford Univ. hospital. The rider is OK and riding. - During 10mi race a club rider (I've witnessed it) while riding on clipons and closing his eyes on the rod drifded to the right and crushed into a huge truck parked along the street. I run to call 911. When I was back I saw his face with blood running from his nose and ears and I saw a cracked helmet. He hit the truck with his head at 18-20 mi/hr. After 5 days in a hospital he was OK (left with a neck pain), but I did not see him partisipatin in club rides after this accident. - A club rider was hit by a car run on red ( young lady was late for her final college test) at the cross at 50mi/hr. He was all broken but alive. Without helmet ... . After more than year he is riding, but not the same. Our club policy applied to the club members only and require helmets on all clup rides. It is stated at the top of monthly Ride Schedule. Riders without helmets do not get ride/miles credit. I can not recall seening a club member on a club ride without helmet.
  
  
• Having ridden over 100,000 miles in the last ten years, I have been in three paceline crashes that I could not have avoided. In two of them, my helmets were demolished - broken in two parts. No head injury was sustained. I wear one for every ride I make.
  
  
• Ha, my favorite ex-local (I moved!) trail was 200m long. It was a steep gulley in Emily Murphey Park, Edmonton, with a small dropoff half way down. Almost invariably, the dropoff sends you flying over the handlebars. A friend, who said "that doesn't look that steep..." promptly did a Superman dive, arms and legs akimbo, landing straight on his head in the (luckily) sandy gulley! His helmet was toast, but he seemed OK after a few days. Found out later, in a Good Houskeeping (or something like that) magazine, which had a quick article on MTBing, that the trail was called Brain Basher. {grin}. The only way I've been able to go down it was full tilt, but then I usually wipe trying to avoid the trees at the bottom.
  
  
• Gentlemen (?), please: Say what you will about helmets. but after 25 years of riding (mostly commuting and light touring) I had a run-in with a car just before Thanksgiving. I walked away with some bruising and soreness but the helmet was totaled. I'm convinced that if it were not for my helmet, I would've spent the holiday in the ICU.
  
  
• 5 PM Sunday 2/1/98. Cooling down after a great 50 mile ride to Leesburg, I missed a speed bump on slight downhill. Said bump on grounds of the Rotonda Condo is at 45 degrees to traffic, for some reason! Did an endover to top and rear of left shoulder (ass over tea kettle). Am now righthanded. Left ER at FFX Hosp after 10 PM with sling, X rays showing clearly a broken collarbone, and prescription for Percoset. Did not take the Percoset or Motrin yet. Was able to finish ride on bike using one arm and drive to and from the ER. So much for February match with Mike Tyson. Toughest part was getting all 4 layers of clothing off. One kind man in the sprains and breaks waiting line helped me do this in front of the others. Saves cutting the stuff off. Shoulder pads are in order this spring. Fracture is not near any artery, major nerve or bursa. Not far from the AC ligament. There are some shattered pieces. Will see orthopedist tomorrow, but ER gave good prognosis. Need a new helmet. Cracks in shell on both sides above ears and noticeable black scuffs running fore and aft at TDC. Was aware of one head smack, but absolutely no pain. Helmet did not fly off. Bike stem twisted at least 90 degrees, saddle twisted a few degrees, and LH brake grip turned in on handlebar. It all happened in an instant with no warning. Was on Raleigh. Am famished after going without food all day. FFX Hosp gets high marks, but they were very crowded with crying babies and people like me. Lady before me also fell from bicycle and had cuts on forehead, dazed look and wheelchair. Pain is more irritating than excruciating (although I suspected injury before moving). It should worsen tomorrow. Moral: pay attention. Switch to indoor eyeglasses later in the day.
  
  
• I agree with the rests of the post here concerning downhils and such but I have a warning. In a near collision with another rider I mistakenly pulled on both at once, locked them up and in a fraction of a second was face first in rocks and dirt. Six stiches in the lip, thirty-six in the forehead and two under the eye. These brakes are not very forgiving. Yes, I wore a helmet. Crushed the front of it. Bike survived, thank God!
  
  
• Bub, I hate to get into an argument with you. You know my stance on this - that I think the stats are all pumped up by facial injuries which a helmet wouldn't prevent. However, a brand-new cyclist I know, on their new bike for two weeks, got into a spill last week. Had a pedestrian walk out in front of them, and lost control of the bike. Maybe you or I could have got out of that without notable difficulty. The chap in question, however, had a spill. Apparently wonked his noggin (and his brand-new Bell) on the pavement. Perhaps that's the point of the whole mess. Maybe that stupid law helped the newbie from being badly mangled?
  
  
• On several occassions, I have been hit by a car. Three have resulted in slight injuries (one crushed my helmet - I am glad I was wearing it - don't leave home without it), and ICBC paid for repairs and replacements on my bicycle. It has always been the driver's fault - 100%.
  
  
• I was glad my helmet absorbed the impact, and not my skull, when I was run down.
  
  
• Anyone here suffered a concussion as a result of a bicycle accident? I did, today, and I'm still a bit worried. I was leading a short pace line on a small (1/3 mile) track today, and looking straight down, when I slammed into a roller-blader who was on the track illegally. (Joggers, skaters: both prohibited.) I destroyed _another_ helmet (I've been through 3 this year) but what I found really distressing was that for about 1/2 hour afterward, I was unable to remember important things: my address, the names and numbers of the classes that I'm taking, the problems that I was working on.
  
  
• Last I was riding my regular 15 mile evening route across the South downs when I came to a steep decent that takes me to a steep banking with some nasty drop-offs. I had been down this banking quite quickly a couple of times before, each time quicker than the last, and had felt pleased with myself after getting to the bottom, looking back and noticing how steep and rugged it was. So last week I approached the banking at speed - getting a little blase I suppose - I started down and realised I had no chance of making it at the speed I was going, so I started braking. I don't know whether it was because I was braking too hard on the front, or the result of hitting a drop off with my weight too far forward, but I went straight over the bars, dropped straight as a die and landed on my head. As I was about four foot from the bottom of the banking when I went over the bars, I traveled a considerable distance through the air, and when I landed I heard a loud cracking sound. I picked myself up, my ankles were buzzing after my feet had been wrenched from my SPD's, but apart from that I seemed OK. However my helmet felt loose. I took my helmet off and found it had broken clean in two from front to back. I hate to think what kind of a vegetable I would have been if I hadn't been wearing a lid. For the first month I had my bike I rode without a helmet, but you'll never find me off road again without one.
  
  
• I know that if I had not been wearing my helmet when I fell this week, my head would have been injured. BTW, I did get on and do a VERY easy 19 miles on my road bike this morning but am still very sore.
  
  
• About wear or not an helmet? This is my story: on june the first I was racing in Verona Italy, the Lessinia Legend bike, a 50 km race long, with bad weather conditions: rain rain rain. The last part of the circuit was a long steep descent, very very fast: my speed was about 60/70 kmh and approachin a doble s, I felt my front wheel loosing grip on the ground. I crashed and I remember the noise of my helmet hitting the road. I had no bad injuries but i can tell you my story.
  
  
• I fell going a little faster than 1 mph (maybe 5) and did the same - launched myself off a small rise after hitting a root. I landed so hard on my head that I broke a Bell V-1 Pro Helmet :( I found that I could not move (hard to breath when your face is crammed into the dirt) for a few seconds and then the pain hit - ouch. I missed out on 6 months of mountain biking due to the back injury from that fall but I'm thankfull that I didn't miss out biking forever.
  
  
• I once did a head plant at 23mph. It took about .05 seconds for me to go over the top of my bike and find myself in the middle of the road, and the reaction time of Muhammed Ali wouldn't have helped me (ironically, I am thinking of him while he boxed and not now).I split my helmet down the middle and walked away unscathed. So I don't even make your statistical analysis because I never reported an accident and I suffered no injury. Yet I am convinced I would have been very seriously damaged or killed without my helmet How many other "non-victims" do you think are out there. Perhaps enough to significantly skew your probability tables.
  
  
• I've been racing for over 12 years, and doing fast saturday and Sunday rides with big packs ( 50 to 75 riders ) made up of cat 2's, 3's , 4s, and more tri-geeks than desirable ( WPB Florida---pack rides on A1A) .I've personally seen at least 10 crashes in that time, which involved riders going over the handle bars and hitting head first so hard that they shattered the helmet. Let me say this a different way----I would have seen at least ten deaths, if these riders had not been wearing helmets. I think the message is clear---smart riders wear helmets, those with little to protect do not. :-)
  
  
• I'm 13 and have always worn my helmet when I rode my bike and also rollerbladed. My mom and dad said no helmet no GO. My friends would tease me and tell me I looked like a dork. I cracked my first helmet when I hit a low hanging tree branch racing my mountain bike on the trails. I crached my second helmet when I went down on the road last summer. Both times I remember the headache I had for a couple of days. It's funny how some of my friends have become dorks now and wear their helmets when we ride. We also go to the LBS and have the straps adjusted so the helmets fit tight. Now if I could get them to go on a 40-50 mile road ride they might understand those bike shorts;-(
  
  
• As I sit here licking my wounds, I can't help but think about all of the riders I see that don't wear a helmet. I just went over the top of my handlebars at about 27 mph. Sure, I am missing some skin and my back hurts a little (a lot), but if I didn't have a helmet, I would have no pain now at all. There is a big chunk missing from my helmet where my head would have come into contact with the pavement. Now the only thing I only have to worry about is will I be able to do USTS Phoenix, and Wildflower, and if so, how I am going to get in some swim and run training before them. By the way, how long does it take for the skin to start returning? It is not a pretty sight.
  
  
• You can never underestimate the value of a good helmet. Two of our club members had a major crash with a car during a race last month and fortunately both walked away with minor injuries. But its only because of their helmets that neither of them were killed. Both helmets bore the scars of some pretty serious impact with the road.
  
  
• Helmets do save lives. It saved mine. I suffered from a mild hemotoba (brain bleeding) after my accident. If not for the hemlet, my brains would have been elsewhere than in my head.
  
  
• Me too. And you don't have to go fast. I once snapped of a bike pedal just as I was starting and went over on my back. Bike speed was maybe 5 mph, but my head snapped back and I could hear and feel the helmet compressing. The plastic was cracked, and the absorption material permanently dented. I had a very minor concussion, but shudder to think if I would not have had my helmet on... the noise I heard would have been my skull cracking. I like my helmet.
  
  
• I'd just like to say that I was in a car/bike accident where I was hit by a car in excess of 35 mph. The woman who hit me was not drunk and generally was a careful driver, but at that time she wasn't looking and made a quick turn into me. This happened about 2 years ago and I'm still suffering the emotional and physical pains from it. I must say that the only thing that saved my life was my now severely cracked and bloodied helmet. The helmet took the brunt of the hit to my head. With everything that I've experienced since the accident, I don't wish this to happen even to my worst enemy. You never know what's going to happen when you're riding even in the safest streets. It's only common sense to protect your greatest asset i.e. your head (brain). Everytime I see a kid riding without a helmet, I cringe. Yes, there's a good chance the kid won't be hit or fall down, but on the off-chance that it may happen, isn't it prudent to be more safe than sorry? I'm glad that I was.
  
  
• On the ride home this evening I was out of the saddle and cranking pretty hard -- pulling up vigorously -- when my right foot came out of the pedal. I lost control completely, hit a curb and went over, barely missed cracking my head open on a three foot high boulder on the side of the road. Aside from a lot of dirt ground into my clothes, a wasted tire (from the curb), a cracked helmet, and a few bruises, the only thing hurt was my pride. These were no-name SPD-style pedals and name-brand SPD-cleated shoes. So here I am thinking that I shouldn't be able to pull my foot out of a clipless pedal when I'm pulling directly up. Am I wrong? I haven't raced in fifteen years, and I'm not a powerful rider.
  
  
• I shaved my head two weeks ago. And noticed that I started getting funny tan lines from my helmet. I thought to myself, I've worn this helmet for how long now? And never needed it (I never crash). Do I really need to wear it? And put up with these tan lines? I decided on wearing a thing called a "flydanna" under my helmet. It's kind of like a bandanna that's made to tie in the back. Good thing I did. Two days ago while road biking, I went down at about 35 mph on Chevy Chase Dr. in Glendale, CA. I shattered my collar bone (R. clavicle), and shattered my helmet too. My head had a slight bump on it. The doctors, upon looking at the remains of my helmet, said if I had not been wearing that helmet I would be in a different part of the hospital. The Morgue.
  
  
• As planned, my wife and I went to NYC for the 42-mile "Bike NY" ride on Sunday. We went up Saturday, got started in the cold and rain on Sunday morning, but by 11:00 AM or so the sun came out and things looked up. We got to about the 25-mile point just past the Brooklyn Navy Yard when for some reason unknown to me our bikes started to touch each other, I pulled right, lost control, and flew over the bike landing on my right side. My wife said she heard me hit HARD, and when she got to me I was unconscious, not moving at all, just snoring. Police and ride officials were right on me (I'm told) and called an ambulance. I slowly came to, although I don't remember the early talk; the ambulance showed up, and they took me and my wife to Bellevue's emergency room. I'll spare you of all the gory details, the CAT scan results, etc. The end result, however, is that although I am very, very sore, with a huge hip bruise/hematoma, and lots of cuts, I was checked out by my own doctor in DC this afternoon, and I'm OK. No broken bones; no detectable neurological damage. Although my face took a cut and some scrapes, my Specialized "Air Express" helmet was on securely, broke in several places, but according to the doctors most certainly saved my life. In retrospect, this could have been MUCH worse, as in a broken back or neck, long coma, or death. I've always believed strongly in bike safety, including helmets (the wearing/not-wearing of which I sort of viewed as a modern part of Darwinian evolution), but now it's no longer abstract to me. Any suggestions on where to buy a replacement helmet? Just thought I'd share this with you as a little reminder of the need for a good helmet worn properly.
  
  
• My 4 year old recently wiped out on his 2-wheeler (with training wheels), bouncing his head off the pavement at least twice before coming to a stop (he was out of control going down a small hill, and I was frozen like a deer in headlights). He never cries when he's hurt but this time I figured he'd at least gotten a concussion and expected the worst. I ran over, picked him up and held him tight, figuring we might be taking a trip to the hospital. He cried maybe 15 seconds, then jerked around, jumped down, grabbed his bike, and off he peddled. My friend and I stood there in utter amazement - he didn't even seem fazed by it. All I can say is - make your kids wear their helmets - they DO work!!!!
  
  
• I have a couple of friends from MIT that bought Bell V-1 pros when they first came out. Both of them got hit by a car in front of the MIT Museum. Both of them walked away (OK, one limped away because she did damage to her ankle) with a split helmet and paramedics remarking how smart MIT students were and how they wished the rest of the world would be so smart.
  
  
• I came down a short slope, with an easy right turn at the bottom, at a max of maybe 15 mph. At the bottom, my front wheel dropped into an unseen rut that basically yanked the bike right out from under me. As the bike and I parted company, I was launched superman style off the trail and into the weeds, where I hit a log head first. Ever set off a cherry bomb inametaltrashcan?That's what the impact of helmet on wood sounds like from inside. I don't think I ever totally lost consciousness, but everything went gray for a second, and my ears rang like tuning forks for several minutes...a probable T.K.O. I didn't get up right away. Laying in the weeds and the rocks seemed like an ok thing to be doing at the time, and it gave me a great view of the poison ivy. When I felt a little steadier, I sat up and discovered a hellacious headache, worthy of an all night tequila bender. But, I got back on my bike, finished the ride (maybe 4 more miles), loaded up my bike and went home. I can't say I got off scot-free. I got my chimes rung, and the headache lasted until I went to bed last night. Today, I have a really stiff neck, an assortment of bruises, cuts and scrapes on my left arm and leg, a scuffed-up helmet and a bent bar end. And if I haven't got poison ivy, I don't know why not. But I didn't end up spending the rest of my Sunday in the ER waiting to have my scalp stitched up and my skull x-rayed (or worse).
  
  
• A little over a year and a half ago, I had a chunk of highway collapse under me as I rolled over it. (It turned out to be a bit of utility retrenching that hadn't been sealed properly.) I was moving just over 30 miles per hour, and hit the pavement hard enough to snap my shoulder blade in half, dislocate my shoulder, shred my jersey, and cover my legs and side in road rash. I totalled an older Bell Image helmet. I didn't really think much of the head impact. I thought my shoulder had absorbed most of the force of the accident as I instinctively tried to "roll through" the impact. Then the attending physician started making a big deal out of it. He was convinced that I would be dead if I hadn't been wearing my helmet. Convinced may not be strong enough, he was adamant. He even had one of the nurses shoot pictures of the helmet to use with young cyclists who came in with (hopefully) more minor injuries.
  
  
• I knew it was coming... I wasn't sure when, but I knew it was coming. My first bike crash!! Its a momentous occasion. While flying along, wind behind my back, downhill, at about 35 miles per hour, my front and rear tires got caught in a big crack down the middle of the road. Needless to say I want down, HARD. I'm not sure how far I skidded but my jet stream water bottle ended up about 100 meters down the road from where I stopped. My left side is now road pizza. Surprisingly, my bike came out of it well. Just the left side of my handle bars and the my left pedal are very scraped up. Nothing some new grip tape won't fix on my handle bars and the pedal is in good working order. What really got to me was the fact that the left side of my helmet is totally trashed. I'm glad that that wasn't my head!! Lesson learned: watch out for big cracks in the road!!!
  
  
• I was feeling great, crossed under the highway...mile 102 and I've done 5 1/2 hrs, which is great for me. Down the trafficked road section I go, and there's a buncha cars heading for Madison's Sesquicentennial (15-years) celebration. I'm cruising down at around 20..not super fast or slow, and suddenly a car decides it's gonna turn into a strip mall...F*K. Screech, I brake like hell, but it's slow-mo as the headset hits the rear and flings me like Super Dave, headfirst into her rear tailight. My helmet hits and pieces of taillight are exploding as my body flips around and smashes a dent in the rear of her car. I'm laying there on the burning pavement amidst broken bike, car pieces, and exploded water bottles, and I look up...amazingly, the car continues to drive on in to the strip mall. People are running across the street to help, and the EMT's and rescue vehicles are there in under 3 mnutes...they were apparently only one block down. The pavement is scorching and I try to get up to crawl to the grass, but everyone keeps going "Don't move". I roll over there anyway, feeling the swiss cheese that's the left side of my body. Only after the cops arrive, does the little old lady driving the car come running up. Someone went and stood by her car until she came out of the drugstore and pointed to her damaged vehicle then at me at the mall entrance. She's about 67. "I couldn't imagine what that loud noise was. It was you on a bike! Are you OK?" she says, as I lay there. "Ma'am", I croak, " you didn't signal until you turned in front of me, and I had nowhere to go." The cop is standing there as the EMT's have me up and are treating the various abrasions and checking for the usual stuff...concussions. "I have a perfect driving record," says the lady. "Not anymore, ma'am," says the cop. She spends the remainder of the time ruminating on her ruined driving record. Turns out the cop and the EMT's all have folks in triathlon and know my bike type and stuff. THE GOOD NEWS: Nuttin' broken. Bone bruises all along my left leg, the usual garden claw assortment of nasty abrasions and gouges. It's Tuesday now, and already, I'm doing some brisk walking and swimming tonight. Should be back in shape to start back up by Monday. DA BAD NEWS: All but the frame and fork of the bike are trashed. About $400-600 worth o' damage. Hopefully they'll fix it as soon as possible..this guy is my competition bike.
  
  
• Although I happen to be a fairly skilled cyclist, I have had a couple of wipe-outs due to my poor judgement, which didn't involve my head/helmet. However, I have had two accidents in the last fifteen years, caused by events beyond MY control (which, possessing ALL of the anticipation and bike skill in the world, could not have been avoided) that destroyed TWO helmets: (1) a car door was 'flung' open in front of me, separating me from my bike and landing me on my head and a shoulder (denting the outside and crushing the inside of my old-style BELL helmet instead of my skull) (2) a car lurched through a STOP sign immediately in front of me (and a bunch of cars going my direction). Similar landing, but splitting my thin-shell/styrofoam helmet instead of my skull. In the first instances (like most self-induced accidents ;-) the helmet was not a factor. In the later instances (like most event-induced accidents) the helmet probably saved me from dying --OR WORSE-- serious NON-FATAL brain damage.
  
  
• I personally KNOW from personal experience the benefits of wearing a helmet, both on motorcycles and bicycles. I have an imprint of a piece of lumber in a Bell Image where a passing truck didn't realize that his lumber was sticking out sideways from the bed, and it impacted on my head. The helmet was crushed. My head was not. In my case, end of story. My accident could not have been prevented. I was doing absolutely nothing wrong, and was riding responsible and defensively. The truck driver wasn't a bad person, drunk, on drugs, or even speeding as far as I know.He never even new that he hit me. The extent of my injuries were a broken wrist and some missing skin. Without the helmet, I would have been dead.
  
  
• Just Riding Along (many of you may already be familiar with the term!), and not really going very fast as I got to the bottom of the hill and started to turn, giving a slight lean that has always felt so natural when flowing with the terrain... what the?- W H A M ! You know the sound you make when you hit the pavement really hard? I'm serious- think about it, you can HEAR yourself splat when you hit! I remember it clearly! Kind of a sshrACK! And what the hell just happened?!? Jeezus, it was as if someone with a tow-strap connected to my fork just stepped on the gas and jerked the thing right out from under me! Much different from the bails that you KNOW are gonna happen; the ones where you can put a bit of conscious effort into rolling or something to save your tender hide. Musta hit some moss or mud or SOMETIHNG damn slick, 'cuz I could barely even THINK before I hit the pavement! "Well, XXXXXXXXXXXXX ME!" was the first thing out of my mouth, but since there was not a single witness it went unheard. I know I hit my head, and pretty hard from the way I was feeling right afterwards. I was a bit dazed for a minute, and just crawled over and sat next to the bike for a few breaths before taking inventory. Well, a good quarter-sized patch of skin was missing from my wrist, but the rest of my glove was pretty much intact. The left knee and calf were scraped a bit, as well as the right calf. I landed prety hard on my right thigh, and it was already swelling- no surprise considering my shorts were torn open and the contents of my pocket were strewn about the grass! On up to my shoulder, where a bloody fist-sized hole was torn in my shirt, with the source of the blood throbbing with equal fervor underneath. Felt like I had some major razor burn- oh, CRAP! It got the face! Now I'm gonna have all kinds of questions to answer at work! Okay, how 'bout the head; let's see what the helmet damage is... Geez, there's a small chunk taken out of the side and the visor is almost worn through. There's also a nice crack in the side, which on closer inspection goes ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE HELMET! Damn thing was split nearly in two! What was also a bit unbelievable was that I violated one of the Sacred Crash Rules and checked MYSELF before my bike! Yep, I definitely hit my head! Luckily, aside from a bit of grass in the derailleur, there was nary a scratch. Then I got right back on the thing and made my way back to the house, where I got some cool reactions from the other folk. I thought sure I'd have a splitting headache, but it never came. The Bell Image Pro with special Limited Edition Eagle graphic that had served so well these past three years had sacrificed itself for me, and for that I am grateful. Please join me in a moment of silence for a heroic melon-lid...
  
  
• I got a bit more of a ride in before doing a "face plant" on Sunday. Two hour climb in the Cleveland National forest. Up 4000ft (or so the trail book says). On the way down I came into a turn a little fast. Tried to slow it down, realised I was heading into gravel. Oh crap! Only chance was to let the brakes go and try to ride the gravel which rapidly became fist size rocks. Just enough time to realize I wasnt superman but could fly for a second or two.Ended up with skinned elbow, wickedly bruised hip (amazing the colors that skin can go) and a cracked helmet. I hit head first and flipped over. The muscles down the side of my neck are sore from the impact. The bike was untouched. I think I will mount the helmet on the wall as a trophy. Got to go out tomorrow to get a new one so I can ride in the evening. Thank god I can still ride.
  
  
• P.S. I just had a major race bike crash ata spped of probably 25 mph, and most probably the helmet worn by me prevented bigger damage except for a few skin scratches. No bones broken! No skull damages!
  
  
• I am just getting back on a bike now after eight weeks enforced layoff. Laying in a hospital bed not being able to move with a splitting headache, double vision and memory loss was fun due to the concussion at the time but had I not been wearing my helmet then I would defiantly have split my skull open as well as the spinal damage I suffered (bruised chord causing paralysis in the right arm). Do not say I will not happen to you, if you ride on the road, or MTB off road it can. But whatever you choose to do keep cycling and enjoy it.
  
  
• Chris Boardman crashed at a peleton speed of 35mph and slid into a stone wall, head first. He was stunned and concussed, having no memory of it. THe top of his Giro helmet was badly damaged. Chris suffered a fractured wrist and cuts and bruises and is back in his home in the UK.
  
  
• Earlier today... riding the fixed gear out a remote country road which has little or no traffic: Cruising down a moderate descent at about 30 mph (which is close to where I start bouncin' in the saddle with the current 75 inch gear), when a sedan approached from ahead. I really wasn't payin' much attention to it, but did see the passenger arm extend and lift briskly. As the significance of that action began to register, I lowered my head reflexively just before a heavy *THUNK*! A bit stunned, I still didn't quite get what had just happened. As I slowed, I felt somethink dripping down my neck. Quick inventory - all body parts reporting in okay, cap'n... Hmmmm. Touching the helmet, I feel wetness, just about the same second that I begin to smell beer. ('course all this was in milliseconds, but that was about the thought process) Having slowed to a reasonable speed, I did a quick u-turn and near where I was hit, I found a (somewhat still cool) 16oz. can of cheap beer 1/4 full. The bottom of the can was heavily dented, so I pulled off my helmet to see what, if any evidence was there. A large egg-sized dent was crushed into the foam, and one of the ribs inside the microshell had cracked cleanly in two. Thinking about the probable 30 - 40 mph auto speed, I realized I'd just stopped a 60 mph can of beer with the top of my head. The helmet did it's job so well that I only felt a heavy thunk, and absolutely no physical damage to myself at all.
  
  
• Since I started riding again about 3 months ago I've been reading the anti-helmet threads w/ not a little amazement at the stupidity of people who refuse to wear helmets for whatever reason. That aside I'll tell you I am sitting here today because my helmet saved my head from a serious injury this past weekend. My lady friend and I went to Savannah, Ga. to ride in their century. Just after the first 50 miles two dogs chased us and as I sped up to try to get away I caught my friends back wheel and went down HARD! on my left side. Hard enough to bend my handlebars completely parralel w/ my top tube and scratch my STI shifters badly. My head smashed the pavement and the force of the blow actually cracked my helmet and left numerous dents in the plastic shell. My helmet took the force of the blow and I'm positive that if I had not been wearing it I would be in a hospital today if I lived at all! The usual painful strawberries and cuts will heal quickly and thanks to my helmet the mild bruise I have on the left side of my head will heal very nicely. I know this story will fall on deaf ears. I'm not trying to reach you. You are stupid anyway!. The person I'm talking to is like me. Just before the ride a friend told me about spending $60,000 on medical bills to have his face reconstructed after his spill when his helmet was not adjusted properly and it slid up and allowed the road to scrape his nose off. So I tightened my loose helmet straps and boy am I glad I did! Now I'm going out and buying some Halt! to go w/ new helmet!
  
  
• I attend a University that has poor parking and have found that by incorporating my commute and my cycling I kill two birds with one stone. About 4 weeks ago I was on my way to school. I was run off the rode by a car. I went into a ditch and flew over the handle bars of my rode bike. I hit a bank head first and rolled back into the ditch. If not for the Bell EvoII Pro helmet my skull would have been fractured or worse. I did crush 3 vertebras and broke 6 ribs and the only thing that had any impact was my head. I have ridden my bikes for a long time and know that this was a freak accident but it proves that helmets are a necessary piece of equipment.
  
  
• I actually had this happen to me in the mid-seventies on Haycock Road near where the Metro station is now in West Falls Church. Some cretin in a pick-up truck opened the passenger door and intentionally nailed me, causing me to fly into the weeds. Unbelievable. And I WAS wearing an early version of a bicycle helmet- otherwise I'd probably be drooling now (or dead) instead of writing this. On another note, I was also wearing a helmet when someone parked opened a car door on me on College Avenue in Berkeley, CA in the early 80's. Quite a sudden shock- to those of you who say that they can fall correctly in such a situation, you're dreaming. I wasn't hurt too bad (helmet helped this), but this same thing happened to a grad student buddy of mine the same year in the same place, and he was really beat up- lip torn off, nose broken, hard-shell helmet completely split, but alive (because of the helmet- common thread here?).
  
  
• For those who heard about my crash last Friday, I'm recovering fast (from scraping my shoulder into a disgusting gooey mess and bashing my thumb nastily and breaking my helmet) and wasbackonmybiketoday.YIPPEE!!! Driving to work sucks.
  
  
• A year ago the police department I work for was split into four districts. The district I was assigned to immediately initiated a full-time, year-round bike patrol team. I was fortunate enough to be assigned to that first team. On July 4th I was on patrol with three other officers and we were heading to work the fireworks crowd. I was third in line as we descended a hill I've been down numerous times in the last year without incident. That time would be different. I took a slightly different line and hit a piece of road that seemed to have been recently "repaired". The front end started to bounce around and I was unable to regain control. I went over the handle bars and landed on my head. My helmet did its job and broke on impact saving my head a similar fate. Road rash and bruises are not so bad when I consider the alternatives. I will now use that helmet as a training aid when I speak at bike rodeos and civic associations.
  
  
• True, a few bumps and bruises never hurt anyone. But, i did hit a mailbox head on at 35 mph (on a turn with sand that i did not see) in which the helmet cracked. The helmet did do something. One can say I should have been looking, but, i was. S*** happens and NO ONE is immune from that. This is ONE of those times in which an unexpected crash occurs. I was on my street, had taken the turn a gabillion times before, and, well, I slid over one foot too many and WHAM!!
  
  
• 4 years ago my husband went for a bike ride on a paved bike path by himself in Ottawa Ontario. When he rounded the bend-there was a stick in the way- so he swerved and corrected-but lost his balance. He hit the cement with his head-it bounced- and he hit his head again-then hit with his shoulder-elbow and finally his legs. When he came to a stop-there was no one around and he had to walk about a kilometre to get help. At the hospital he was found to have fractured his shoulder- an open fracture of his elbow-requiring 2 surgeries-and 10 days off work. His legs were badly cut and grazed- with some scars still visible.BUT- his head was fine- despite hitting twice-thanks to his helmet.No cuts-bruises-headaches - it was fine. The bike was a write off- the helmet split over his ear-breaking in two.That could have been his head. He was not speeding- he did not hit a car-truck post or even a tree-HE JUST FELL.
  
  
• Hi there everyone, I am just sending you a short note on the good of helmets. I have three children and they always have to where there helmets at all times. My 12 year old dauther was coming home from the neighhood pool when she hit a stationary 1/2 ton truck right in the back. A little shaking up and a small scatch on her cheek she was fine. My husband on inspection of the truck found a small dent and the owners said that she moved the truck she hit so hard. My husband then inspected her bike helmet and found a cut in the shell and a indent. Now just to let you all know that we are as sure as ever that that helmet saved her life or from serious injury. Thank you for all the hard work in educating the public on helmet use. However I wish Parents would make there children wear helmets or walk. In our community of 300 or so families I have only seen 2 other children wear there helmets and that really scares me. So I will try to let the story be known of the life that was in my opinion saved.
  
  
• My husband is an avid bicyclist and last year had a major bicycle accident resulting in a 10 days Neuro-ICU stay at Harborview then extensive therapy at Good Sam at Puyallup, an operation on his right shoulder. No matter how much we all went through with his recovery, we owe his life to the helmet he was wearing. He had just purchased a newer Bell helmit the day before. After the accident it looked like a lawn mower had plowed across the right side of it, but it did what it was supposed to do. It saved his life.
  
  
• I was involved in an incident a couple of years ago where I ran off a road and crashed. Keep in mind, I was 45 years old at the time and had ridden a bicycle on a regular basis for well over 30 years. There were no other cycles or vehicles involved in the crash but fortunately, I was not riding alone. If it had not been for my helmet, I know for a fact that I would not be here today writing this note. I took a very hard hit to the left side of my body (including my head) and broke my shoulder and put a crack in my helmet. The gash in the side of my helmet would have been in the side of my head (about 1/2 inch deep). I did get knocked out for awhile but I was fully recovered in about a year (thanks to the surgeon that pinned my shoulder back together).
  
  
• My 3-1/2 year-old daughter took a spill off the sidewalk and onto the street a month ago, and she was probably going 7-8 m.p.h. Her helmet made a pretty good thud on the pavement. She cried a bit, but on a scale of 1-5, the crying was about a 2-1/2. Without a helmet, we might well have visited the emergency room, and I'm sure she'd have at least had a goose egg.
  
  
• I drove to my favorite mountain bike trail only to find that it had rained there earlier. The ranger said the trails were open but muddy. Not wanting to waste the long drive, I went out anyway. My tires were not really designed for it; they got clogged up with mud, and 2 miles into the ride I found myself unable to slow the bike on a rocky descent. Struggling to slow down, I wasn't paying enough attention to body position and when I hit a root I went right over the handlebars, at speed, and landed on my hand, shoulder, and head. When I got up, my shoulder was scraped and bleeding; something was wrong with my fingers (a severe sprain that made the hand puff up to twice normal size by the next day); and my head was ringing. I took off my helmet and found a clear impression of the trail surface in the foam rim at the temple. It took two months for my hand to recover (and I still feel it from time to time); the scars on my shoulder will fade someday; but five minutes after the accident, my head stopped ringing and that was all. I'm sure the helmet - a Giro Incline - saved me from a concussion or worse, not to mention facial injuries. I rode out; if I had not been wearing the helmet, I don't know if I'd have been able to walk.
  
  
• Yesterday, my son fell off his bike. He hit his head on the paved road. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet. He suffered a concussion (his head was bumped just below the rim of the helmet). The helmet cracked. The doctor, police officers and ambulance workers all agreed that without the helmet, his head would have broken open like a watermelon.
  
  
• While biking to work last week, a friend of mine had an accident involving two runners on the bike path beside Arlington National Cemetery. He says that he was preparing to pass them, and thought they'd heard his bell, but when he got close one must have jumped in front of him. He hit the runner and fell head first. He thinks his helmet hit the pavement. The runners stopped and offered to help, but he cycled on to work. His helmet was destroyed because the outer shell came off the foam part and the foam is probably impacted. Also, he had aheadacheallday.Otherwise, he reports no lasting damage to himself or his bike.
  
  
• I race a bmx bike as my sport this year in late april i was at our local track riding my bike. some guy wanted a picture so me and my friend decided that we would do a jump side by side. we started from the start of the track and went as fast as we could and took this jump. my friend did a trick and his bike hit mine causeing me to lose control. i let go of my bike and fell head first toward the ground. i was wearing a motorcycle helmet made by bell and DOT approved. i crashed into the ground breaking the helmet into 3 peices and making me unconsious. i woke up 15 minutes later in the hospital i had a serious concusion, i didnt know what had happened and i had lost all my short term memory. after a few days i felt better and had gained my memory back. i decided that i would still like to race bmx bikes so i went to our local bike shop and purchased a new helmet, money was no object because my parents wanted me to have a good helmet after my accisent. so we spent 350 dollars on a snell approved helmet and a few days later i decided to try to race again. in my first race i placed second and in my second race disaster struck again the chain on my bike broke sending me over the handle bars and into the ground again, i cracked my helmet and broke four ribs. after 4 months of recuperation i am racing again with yet another new helmet. This letter was wrote to you to tell you that i tell all my friends this story and make them get helmets too. i never ride without a helmet and because of this my life has been spared.

BHSI Comments

A lot happens in an instant in a bicycle crash, and the brain does not register all the data. A blow to the head can blank out some memory as well. On occasion we have examined a helmet that is credited with preventing injury and found no evidence of external marks or crushed foam. But we have also had riders tell us they did not hit their heads at all and have shown them the gouges in their helmet, cracks and crushed foam to indicate that they did, but the helmet cushioned the blow and they were not aware of hitting. So the rider's memory is not necessarily an accurate indicator of what happened.

We are not suggesting that this collection is statistically significant, or even that it is a representative sample. People who died in their crash despite wearing a helmet obviously did not send us a message about it. Helmets don't prevent all head injuries, and of course many unhelmeted riders crash without brain injury. But we invite you to take a look at some of these and decide for yourself whether or not the shared experience they represent means anything to you.

And watch this space for more stories. Maybe yours...

Send us your own crash story to info@helmets.org.

Some are not so lucky . . .

• Here is a website to make you cringe. We don't know what helmet Greg Whorwood was wearing when he crashed, or what standards it might have met, but the web page describing the resultant injury is memorable,
  
  
• For stories about those who were not wearing helmets when they hit, see our other crash page,