My F800GS is ok, but my foot is f****d

My english isn't perfect but you'll understand .



25th of may I was returning home from work. I crashed my bike while crossing some train tracks that run across the road. The road is normal asphalt and between the train tracks the road is heavely damaged. The difference in height between the damage road and the tracks is 2-3 inches. My front wheel slipped away and baaaam I hit the ground. It happened so fast. My bike fell on my left foot with a big impact. Luckely I always wear my protection (bmw rallye 3 suit).

It happened in the harbor of Antwerp (Belgium).
Location of the incident:

white = road
red = train tracks
green = route of the bike
blue = place of crash



Immediatly after the crash people ran to me to help because I couldn't get up, I knew there was something wrong with my foot. They called the ambulance, and I was carried to the hospital where they made some x-rays and some scans.

Ow sh*t that doesn't look good:



4 bones that goes towards my toes are broken, 1 of those bones is shifted as you can see on the picture above. There's also a crack in my fibula.

They put a titanium plate on my fibula the 31ste of may:







and 1 metal pin through the bones that were shifted in my foot.


The day after surgery I was in so much pain and sweating like a horse. Never had so much pain in my life.


My foot, 1 week after surgery:






At first I didn't know the metal pin was visible, but the fracking thing stuck out of my foot. My first reaction was like: "Ow my god, what the f*ck is that thing!!!" The doctor: "Ow yeah, that's a metal pin holding your bones together. We pull that out of your foot in a few weeks WITHOUT local anesthetic." Me again:"What, you're out of your fracking mind!"


After going crazy he explained to me that there are no nerves in your bones and that it wouldn't hurt a lot.






That's a nice zipper :






Except for my foot I didn't have 1 scratch or a bruise, my foot was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The only thing I'm angry about is that my summer is over before it even started. My riding season is finished for the next 3 months, and then winter starts again, yipieee .


Some pictures of my bike after the crash, nothing serious, just some scratches, but it is an adventure bike right?












I can't wait to get back on my bike !!

i know your pain. i'm in the 5th month post ankle fracture. just starting to walk with crutches.

were you wearing boots?

That's about the worst possible alignment for RR tracks. You ain't the first by any means.

Get better! I'm willing to bet that a microphone real close to that foot pin will give some cool sounds when they pull it out. One near your mouth will yield the expected noises as well:eek1, not even a local? Seriously?

Yes, I always wear my motorcycle boots. It are Daytona Travellers, but they are a bit soft. But the bike hitted my foot with the footpeg, that's 210kg on a square inch with an impact at 40km/h.

Ow well, gonna buy stiffer boots after this. Going for the sidi adventure boots. I'll never ride with soft boots again.

Yes, not even local . I'll make a video and post it here . That metal pin goes inside my bones in my foot !! It even hurts when I think about it. They will pull it out the 4th of july, happy independence day!

Sorry to hear of your accident. You’re well on your way to recovery! <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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Not to change the subject, but that looks like some great surgical work. Nice 3-D x-ray too. Can you please remind the US folks how much your surgery was? Do you need insurance to pay for it? Are you going to be responsible for an insurance deductible? <o></o>

In the US a procedure like that would cost about $30,000 or so US Dollars. <o></o>

70+% of the injuries from accidents like that are foot and hand

helmet, gloves and GOOD BOOTS are essential gear

glad to hear you weren't more hurt. I hope your recovery goes well.

Only $30,000? Maybe a little more ... Universal healthcare vs. US healthcare debate here we go
I once got in a bad accident in Italy. I required 15 stitches on my head. I was taken to the red cross and my total bill was $8.00 for the stitches. To take them out it was free. Here in the US I paid $386 to have stitches taken out in 1984.

Back on Topic, the bike does not look bad and I am sorry your summer is over even before it started. I was just in the market for boots and your post has me leaning towards stiff boots as well.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.


Andrew

My wife broke her wrist last fall and they set it with 5 pins like the one in your foot. She was expecting the pin removal to hurt, but it really didn't. The doctor just grabbed the pin with a pair of pliers, twisted a little bit and pulled it out. My wife didn't even wimper. You should have no problem.

Yeeowch!! I had some "zipper" work on my leg and ankle myself about 6 months ago. You might find this thread on ankle fractures useful. Even though you didn't fracture your ankle, some of the information may be good to know:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=742690

Hope you heal up quickly!

<o>T</o>he actual cost is likely closer to $95,000-$115,000 with rehab which is ridiculous. Everyone deserves healthcare regardless of income status and without unnecessarily bankrupting folks. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
In terms of boots, seriously consider Sidis. I have pair of the crossfires...they are awesome, provide good protection and can flex. Very, nice boot for adventure/dirt/super-moto riding. <o></o>
<o> </o>
Again, sorry for changing the subject.

Staples make incisions look so much worse!! Gnarrrlllyyy as Spicoli would say.. Glad you are doing well!!

i had 2 surgeries on my ankle. the first in nicaragua where the accident happened, cost around 4k, covered by my travel policy. the 2nd was in miami which cost 37k. fuck the US healthcare system.

I have Sidi crossfires already but only use them when I go out with my KTM 690 . Those boots are the best. I'm sure that when I had worn them, my foot was in a much better condition. Lesson learned ...

About the costs for surgery and rehab. The insurance company of my employer has to pay for all of it, because I was driving home from work. The insurance company sees it as a work accident, It's the law here in Belgium. I don't have to pay 1$. They even pay for my fuel for driving to a medical inspection. The first month I'm home my employer will pay my wage, the second month and furter the insurance company will pay my wage when I'm recovering home. Again, it's the law here in Belgium. The only thing they don't compensate is the damage at my bike, the bastards .

In this case if the insurance company of my employer refused to pay, I can still rely on my personal insurance. And if my personal insurance fails, I can rely on another insurance that everybody in Belgium has to pay for (a kind of health insurance).
A lot of bigger company in Belgium give a personal insurance for free to there employees, just like mine.

I can't complain about health insurance in Belgium, it's really good. But a lot of other things are just f****d up over here. If you want to understand Belgium, you can watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwHotpl9DA& .

That's a bit of a reassurance, thanks mate.

Good thing you have a sense of humor about the accident. It will help you heal. Anyhow parallel rail tracks in the street are one of the most challenging riding scenerios. I recently put new tires on my Buell and had to ride home in the rain. On my route home there was a detour that put me on a road that has light rail tracks that run down the center then off to the side. There is no way to cross them that makes you feel comfortable..
Heal up and make sure to drink up the goodness that is Belgium ales...

Lucifer is an old friend from school and i discovered he also drove a F800GS here on the forum....small world !! !
Not so long ago we went off-roading together.
We both crashed in the same month and now both have some nice zippers in our foot / arm :eek1
(http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787877)

THOSE BIKES ARE DOOMED !!!!!

Get well soom Kenny! looking good

I like your attitude! Heal quickly and you'll get some riding time in before winter! :)

Ouch... heal fast!

Regarding parallel tracks, interestingly enough, I read this bit a few months back talking just about how troublesome they are:

http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=270&Set=239-272

The interesting bottom line? If you're stuck *between* tracks, at anything above a few mph it's physically impossible to cross tracks at the requisite 45 degree angle. Obviously different than the OP's situation, but it's a good reminder just the same: cross as close to perpendicular as possible, or don't cross at all!

I was going to pass on big heavy expensive boots and go with my ankle-high Cats; I've changed my mind!

I learned about rail tracks early. I fell off my bicycle trying to cross a hosepipe at an angle. I was about 6 and the lesson stayed with me! It's almost criminal how those rails are laid out where you crashed. If you turned wide to ride across them perpendicular, you'd probably get run over by a car. Lose-Lose

Good luck mate!