Broken Collarbones and Other Fine Tales

So Sunday I was jolted awake from an afternoon nap with " I am here with your husband who was just in a bike accident and we are taking him to Mad River Hospital" So I quickly jump up catch the phone and talk to the kind woman who was good enough to stop and help Mark and the other cyclist.

OH ADRENALINE! as I hung up the phone with the woman, into panic mode! Ed giving me a kick to the ribs to let me know that she didn't approve of my shenanigans. I rush in to get Ciaran, who is happily forgoing nap to sit in his toy box and play with his little cars and trucks, we rush around getting both of us dressed, a fresh pair of underpants and pants for the kid and something that doesn't smell of spaghetti sauce and mint gum( I was gardening before my nap) and head out the door towards the hospital(luckily, it's only a block away) I am trying to walk fast but it is impossible to do so at eight months pregnant, holding a two year old, and having the worst butt cramp in my life. Luckily the hospital is just a block away from our apartment! We walk into the emergency entrance and there is my honey, all pale, with half of his bike gear cut away, sitting on a stretcher and in obvious pain. I was so very relieved to see him sitting up, conscious, and even was able to smile at me and Ciaran. It was only after seeing him that I was able to calm down. On our way over, all I could think of was the bad stuff that could have happened, which quickly disappeared when I saw him there.

It appears that another bike rider had made a abrupt left turn right in front of Mark, without looking to see if there were any other cars, people, or cyclists near him, and Mark didn't have time to stop. He hit the back tire of the kid's bike and flew over his own bike AND the other rider, landing on his right shoulder. Luckily it wasn't much worse. Just a broken collarbone and lots of bumps, bruises, and scrapes. His helmet is trashed, as is a lot of his bike but he is alive! and that is what matters.

So, I don't mean to lecture or anything, but if you are out there riding your bike, wear a helmet(they really do save lives, even if they look funny and give you helmet head) and pay attention to the rules of the road, it really matters to a lot of people that you and the people you share the road with come home safe at the end of their ride.