11 stitches kinda hurts.

[TheGhost]

Last race day of the season.  My last race of the day.  12 karts on the track.  Track was pretty dry and slick (bad enough that I went of the track in turn 1 of the first lap.  I turned the wheels, but the kart just kept going straight.)

Anyway, about halfway or so through the race, there was a wreck at turns 3 and 4.  Due to my going off the track at lap 1, I was in 10th place.  I saw the wreck, and decided to go around up high, to avoid hitting the karts.  Well, something happened just ahead of me, I think maybe one of the other karts ran into one of the "wrecked" karts hard enough to push it into the air, just as I was going by.  It landed on me.  More specifically, it's sprocket landed on my left leg, just below my knee, then bounced off.

I wasn't exactly sure what happened at the time (I thought my leg may just have caught on the bumper of the kart as I passed by), but my leg hurt, so I immediately pulled over, tore off my helmet and neck brace, and grabbed my leg.  The flag people, some of the spectators, and pretty much everyone running the races ran past me, to the big pile at turns 3 and 4.  Apparently, one guy actually got knocked out of his kart, and knocked out cold.

I climbed out of my kart, and limped a couple of steps before I got told to sit back down by a woman.  She and someone else pulled up my pant leg, and it was only then that I realized how bad it was.  It looked like a chunk of my leg was tore out.  My leg bone was clearly visible.  By that time, the guy who got knocked out was awake, and apparently fine, so everyone just circled around me.  They cleaned my leg off with a water bottle while someone went to grab the first aid kit.  The entire time, people kept telling me that I'd be alright.  Not sure why, it hurt like hell, but I wasn't really worried about dying or losing my leg or anything.

They put me in a truck, and took me to the closest hospital, about 20 minutes away or so.  I didn't think they'd be able to stitch it together, the wound was so wide, but apparently it was just a cut, and the skin got pulled apart.  I got 11 stitches, 2 xrays to make sure my leg wasn't fractured, and a tetanus shot.

Found out afterwords that someone actually managed to get the whole wreck recorded, so I'll try to get that, as well as the video from the last race where I won.  Also found out that I hit the sprocket so hard (or it hit me so hard) that it got bent pretty badly.

Of course, the one race that my girlfriend was able to come to is the one where I get sent to the hospital, not the one where I get the checkered flag.  And, I spent the past couple of days trying to convince her to take my kart out after the race, but she was hesitant.  After this, I think it's pretty much a lost cause ever getting her to drive my kart.

At least my kart wasn't damaged.  My leg seems to have taken the brunt of the crash.

Fun times.

[The70RT]

Sorry to hear that. Glad your ok and your knee wasn't jacked up. Take care.

[chargergirl]

Glad it turned out ok in the long run! Man that had to hurt!

[PocketThunder]

This thread is worthless without pics!!!!   

[TheGhost]

If you really want them, a friend got a few cell phone pics before I got stitched up.

[69charger2002]

This thread is worthless without pics!!!!   

LOL so true, so true!
JUst glad you weren't hurt worse!

[LeadfootBob]

There's a fine line between permanent injury and a cool scar... Looks like you ended up on the right side 
Did you ask the other guy for the sprocket? Would make for a nice souvenir 

[Old Moparz]

That all happened playing a video game??  WOW!   












Kidding, good to hear it wasn't worse. 

[bakerhillpins]

Happy to hear you got stitched up and escaped relatively unscathed. 

Interested in seeing the Winning run and the accident but could do without the morbid side of beef shots. 

Wife is edgy about taking a ride on the back of the motorcycle and I keep thinking if I ever get her on it we had better have a really smooth ride or she will never open up to it. Good luck with easing your SO's worries about it.

[71ChallengeHer]

Glad your ok. It should heal up quick. 

[tan top]

ouch !! man that must of hurt   

[Brock Samson]

 Glad it wasn't any worse, welp, your a hero now! 

[bull]

Sounds like it might not be a bad idea for the organizers to maybe see about getting an ambulance on site. Just sayin'

[Todd Wilson]

This thread is worthless without pics!!!!   

I agree!  We want some pictures!


Todd

[MoparManJim]

Man, I can relate some what to your issue of getting slice and dice. Yes your right it does hurt at times pressley when your mind realizes what happen. Long as your mind isn't on it you kinda don't realize it to much or the pain either.. it's only when you start to think about it when the pain kicks in really. People see me post about model builds on here all the times and how good they look.. well there is stuff that goes on behind the scenes that people doesn't know about. Just like with you and karting, it's when stuff like what you just said is what really makes people think about how our hobby's can be if we're not careful at times . You was just trying to go past the other person's kart that was in the wreck and it reached out and tagged you good in a bad way. I hope you don't get out of karting over this mishap, I'm sorry to hear about what happen to your leg though, that would really have to hurt and I could just image how you felt. Now about your girlfriend, don't give up trying to get her to ride in your kart man.   

[Brock Lee]

I remember having an accident and having an impact fracture of my right leg. I tried to get out of the car, felt something I can only describe as a cross between a pop and grinding. I thought I pissed my pants, but it was blood. The broken end of the bone came out my thigh. I was like "Oh darn, looks like I broke it." Like no big deal.

They had to slice the leg open on the side to align the bones and screw them together with a plate. They used staples to close it up and man, those things were terrible coming back out.

[rustafarian]

I did this in a demo derby 3 weeks ago.  Got third place.  That's good for fifty bucks and a back ache.  Trunk shot is after the first demo,  took out a 1970 MonteCarlo with it (amongst others).  The straps holding the decklid to the quarters ripped out,  but the trunk lock and cylinder held it "shut"!

Brought her out again a week later, and got destroyed,  the car seperated from the frame.  Not a scratch on me!!!




I raced this car just about every Friday night this summer,  just couldn't get a win.  When she was too beat up from the spectator and Figure 8 racing (cracked frame,  lower control arm jutting into tires) I put her in the demo derbies.  This is at Sycamore Speedway outside Chicago.  Support your local track!!!

[MoparManJim]

rustafarian, is that a 3rd gen charger I spot in your avatar as a demo car?

[TheGhost]

Alright, here's a picture I took today.  If anyone really wants the picture of it before the doctors did anythin, PM me.

[noff57]

Ouch looks like that may have hurt a little bit. 

But a few years back I fell on a piece of rebar that was sticking out of the ground and ran it thru my calf... I didn't know the rebar went thru my leg so i tried to get up and couldn't move my leg so i thought it was broken. So i looked down and seen the bar sticking out of my leg then i got a little  .

[69rtse4spd]

Kinda looks like a bite mark from someone who left in one of their dentures.  . but really glad your OK. Well I can not beat 11 stitches, I only got 6 Sunday, when I got my left thumb caught in the band saw at work. First time in 31 years of being a tool & die maker that I got bit by the band saw. Cut it about 3/8 of an inch deep, but at least it was still attached. What hurt the most was when they had to numb it with that 1.5 inch needle. Well I just chalk it up to occupational hazered. What ever it is that you like to do, you just have to climb right back up in the saddle partner & enjoy life BECAUSE IT IS TO SHORT NOT TO.

[rustafarian]

Exactly as far as getting right back on that horse and doing it again!
More than once I've been pulling onto the track and thought "What the hell am I doing?"  As soon as it starts,  you realize exactly why you're there again.
Bruised left elbows,  sore wrists from holding the wheel apon impact and sore back/neck are what I feel a couple days later.
That was a '73 Charger,  there wasn't much left of it when I painted it red,  the rear 1/4's are tin,  no floors or trunk pan to speak of.  It never got into the demo derby,  got smashed pretty good in a spectator race after a few nights.  My favorite was running it 4th of July in a Figure 8 Race.  Got black flagged due to an engine fire,  laid down a nice thick trail of smoke for an entire lap. 
Didn't last very long,  crowd loved it though.

[Skinypete]

I'm glad you and no one else were seriously hurt! and lucky break not damaging your cart.

DJMIII