I can't feel sorry for "Roadrash Girl"

[Snowbird]

For the record, I feel sorry for all riders injured, regardless of how they may have contributed to their plight.  

[latech70]

BlackLabel,

Glad to see you're getting up and around.  I have been absent from ST.N for quite some time so this was a shock to me when I saw it.  Oh, and I recently passed through your area two or three times going to Memphis when my brother was in the hospital.  I thought about ya when I passed through there and saw the sign for Jacksonville--was thinking, "yeah, I know a guy up there who is a fellow IBA member."

Anywho, take care of yourself and continue to let us know how you're doing.





(edited to correct a typo)

[Johnny Monsoon]

Nice lookin' leg. Congrats.

You know, I have to agree.  That's a slick looking piece of hardware!!!  I hope you don't take that as any insensitivity, but I'm very interested in developing prosthetic limbs (and other devices to help folks out) and that is a nice design.  

[Chet Ubetcha]

No, no insensitivity at all.  I don't get offended or upset about any of this very easily.

I've got the C-Leg by Otto Bock.  It's made in Austria.  Damn thing costs more than my truck!  That contraption runs about $50k, total!

Check out www.ottobockus.com

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and have a happy and safe New Year.  I'll be heading for New Orleans on Tuesday for the Sugar Bowl!!!

Then, on 8 Jan I go back in-patient for three weeks.  We collectively decided that doing three weeks of aggressive therapy day in and day out would be better than dragging this all out for another two, three, or even four months by out-patient.  I'm not really looking forward to leaving my family again, but I thikn that it's for the best.

[jsanford]

Wow. I've heard of the C-Leg from Doonesbury.

I missed the thread the first time around...but read the archive this time. It's good for us, I think, to have a little peek into the reality of when it goes wrong.  Somehow I get that more from these photos than I do from roadrashgirl's, but that's me and hers had an impact as well.

Best wishes for a textbook recovery, and a healthy new baby.

[Galo]

Chet.....I dont know you either but all I can say is I wish I did.

Congrats for this huge step forward (pun absolutely intended) and Godspeed on your recovery

[robrm250]

I have read a story on Roadrash girl and a 20yr old young woman made a bad decision to ride with a punk,but that doesn't mean it was her fault or that anyone deseved 1/100th of what she got.If you cannot feel sorry for Roadrash girl it is because you are an asshole,and you were probably just as big an asshole as before your accident.I do not know of any human being and especially another rider or father with kids that cannot feel sorry for her,that being said I also feel sorry for your accident and your sick heart.

[homebrew]

I have read a story on Roadrash girl and a 20yr old young woman made a bad decision to ride with a punk,but that doesn't mean it was her fault or that anyone deseved 1/100th of what she got.If you cannot feel sorry for Roadrash girl it is because you are an asshole,and you were probably just as big an asshole as before your accident.I do not know of any human being and especially another rider or father with kids that cannot feel sorry for her,that being said I also feel sorry for your accident and your sick heart.

Agreed !

It's difficult to feel sory for someone else's misfortune when you're so busy feeling sorry for your self.
This thread wins the pitty award.

[MDHCO]

A young man with a family to support has a terrible life changing accident.   It isn't very hard to imagine and understand the anger he had to deal with.  

Then again perhaps that's a bit of a stretch for homebrew and robrm250.

Best wishes for you and your family Chet.    

[peterwelch]

Guys,
Really sobering stuff. Wish you well and hope you are soon back to your life and family.

[Chet Ubetcha]

Agreed !

It's difficult to feel sory for someone else's misfortune when you're so busy feeling sorry for your self.
This thread wins the pitty award.

Interesting.  Perhaps you didn't read the actual post, just the subject heading.  The reason I don't particularly feel too bad for Road Rash Girl, is the fact that she seemingly hasn't learned from her accident.  Instead, she uses it to gain attention for herself.  Sure, she wears an oversized leather jacket, but that's about the only semi-relevant piece of gear she's got on aside from her helmet.  Through her own words, she still hasn't slowed down any.  Her pictures depict her as still more interested in vanity than safety.  THAT is why I don't really have too much sympathy for her.  Sure, I hate that it had to happen in the first place, and you are absolutely right that as a father I can't imagine what I'd be going through if it happened to my daughter (perhaps I can ask my mom who was down here with me for a month after my accident.  I'm sure she's got some insight).  However, if you don't learn from your mistakes then you are the only person to blame for it when they happen again.  

I have a question for both of you:  Have you ever experienced something this life changing?  I'd suspect not since you react the way you do.  I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I smile all day every day, all physical pain aside.  I don't.  I have my days and my moments.  You would, too.  How do you tell a 28 year old physically active guy that he'll be lucky to even walk normally again, nevermind run, lift weights, or continue his military career?  You are God Damned right it's pretty hard to deal with sometimes.  

However, it's far from self pity.  I know several people here personally off the board.  We have ridden together and we still stay in contact in our "real lives".  A few of them I still see on a regular basis.  Go ahead and ask any one of them exactly how much self pity I have.  Yeah, it sucks that this happened.  However, I thank God EVERY FUCKING DAY that I'm still here for my wife and my daughter.  I thank God EVERY FUCKING DAY that I'm not some vegetable that my wife is stuck spoon feeding right alongside our soon-to-be newborn.  From moment one after the accident I felt guilt, admittedly.  Guilt that I placed my family in this situation because of my voluntary participation in an inherantly dangerous hobby.  

As I said, I have my moments.  When I see someone streaking by on one wheel wearing shorts and a wifebeater with their helmet strapped to the back, I briefly wonder why.  So would you.  Anyone that says any different has never been in this situation.  However, as a currently certified MSF Instructor, I still use my situation to try and educate others.  I don't tell people what did happen to me, I tell people about what WOULD have happened to me had I not been wearing the gear I was.  I don't try and dissuade others from riding.  I instead try and educate them on how they can try and minimize their risk as much as possible when they do ride.  I know of at least two people who have stopped riding due to my accident and what it did to THEIR head.  I had no active part in that.    However, read back through this thread and see how many people say that they subconsciously think about what happened to me every time they ride, and it makes them put on the jacket or slow down just a little bit.  THAT is the reaction I want others to have from all of that.

Yeah, it sucks.  I wish the pain would go away.  However, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and because of some of the things that have happened since the accident, I would do it all over again if I had to.  There's no self-pity here.  Try again.

[forester]

Yeah, well forget all that crap.  When you getting the ninja 250?  

[roadrailer]

Chet  

[sagerat]

Chet,
You could always start with a Vespa and work your way up the two-wheel foodchain.

In any event, enjoy the Sugar Bowl.  Didn't Tom Dempsey, he of the half-foot, kick the longest field goal in NFL history in the Sugar Bowl when he played for the Saints?  

[SprintSTboy]

Chet  

I second that!  Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings.

[Tony T]

Chet,
You could always start with a Vespa and work your way up the two-wheel foodchain.

I was hoping that Chet would get an Ural. But he stated that his riding days are over & wouldn’t want to put his family though the worry anymore.

To me, that’s pretty dam impressive & very unselfish of Mr. Ubetcha  

[sagerat]

Urals are fun rigs as are sidecars in general.  There's a guy here in Bend who has a sidecar on a Goldwing.  But what makes you go "Ahhhhh! That bike has no rider" is that he pilots the outfit from the hack.  

He has it the hack modified so he rides his wheelchair up some sort of ramp and then all the handcontrols are moved over to the hack.  I've seen several times but never in a place where I could get turned around and double back in time to say "hi."

[Desmo Demon]

This "walking" thing is harder than it looks!!!    I'm only a few days into this...haven't even gotten to the hard part yet...and I feel like I've gone five rounds in a UFC title fight.  I'm beat to hell!

Try not to let the pain, the zapping of your energy, and any frustrations get you down.....you'll be walking before you know it. I know it's not always fun-and-games and fun-and-smiles, so keep up the good work...  

I would never trivialize your experience with my right leg that was broken in three places, as my wife has taught me that it wasn't "anything" by comparison to injuries such as yours. My wife, like you, had a life changing motorcycle accident 3-1/2 years ago (she just had ANOTHER surgury before Thanksgiving). Sometimes, we wonder if she would have been better off to loose her foot/leg, as all the rehab and pain that she goes through on a daily basis sometimes doesn't seem to make having a "dead-weight" on the end of her leg (her left foot is paralyzed - no movement nor control, just pain). I won't get into her experience, but you can read some about it here...

http://members.aol.com/TBoling125/gsxr_page.html


On the other side of things, where motorcycling is concerned, getting back into riding will not be too difficult for you, if you really decide to get back on a bike. If you do opt to start riding, again, there are many good products out there that can help your transition back into it. There are flow-proportional front brake master cylinders, thumb brakes, and many bikes with ABS that can make getting back on a bike easier for you, to name a few. Since my wife can't change gears, we've been fortunate to find an electric shifter manufactured by Pingel.



I wish you luck in your rehab and your adjustments to this new way of life.



PS - Were you stationed at Shaw AFB in Sumter, SC?

[nick01]

Chet  

+2

[CBRXXBLACKBIRD]

I feel sorry for anybody that crashes whether it was their fault or fault of another.