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.

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!

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 web site. 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 not ride with anyone who doesn't wear a helmet. On January 1, 2005 I went mountain biking with a group of friends. We had just finished our twelve mile trail ride 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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"

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.