It was one year ago today. I was riding home on a cold day, trying to get back in time for a work meeting. I was about four miles from home. I’d just come over a small rise and was on the downside, picking up speed. That’s when it happened.
A German Shepherd (what else?) saw me and took off like a missile. But I didn’t see the dog at first. It was hidden behind the little rise. So I came over the hill, feeling strong and unaware that my whole world was about to change.
The dog bolted into the road to my right. He wasn’t barking—just running. He ran right into me. I had no time at all to react. I tried to swerve left to avoid him, but it was far too late. I hit him and went down.
Hard.
I landed on my right side, hand-first, and slid/spun a few feet on the pavement. I lay on the road for a minute, and tried to figure out how badly I was hurt. My clothing was torn up and I ached a lot, especially my right hand. I couldn’t tell if anything was broken. I was especially worried about my collarbone, which is commonly broken in these types of accidents.
My collarbone seemed OK. I think the pain would let me know if that was shattered. The rest of me seemed relatively injury-free, except for my right hand, which still didn’t feel right.
It wasn’t until a few days later, when my hand started swelling up like Aunt Marge and my wife ordered me to the ER, that I learned that I’d fractured the scaphoid bone in my wrist. That led to surgery, hardware in my hand, nearly six months off the bike, rehab and a challenging year. I’m a writer and editor, and not being able to use my hand, as you might imagine, is difficult. Not riding was just as bad.
One year later, and I’m back on the bike, as well as working. My hand and wrist will never be the same, but I can function. And I realize it could have been worse. There could have been cars behind me or coming the other way. I don’t like to imagine a possible outcome of that scenario.
The main lesson from all this? Dog owners, KEEP YOUR DOGS ON YOUR PROPERTY. Don’t be the cause of a similar accident to another cyclist. I still go by the house where the crash occurred (it’s on one of my main roads), and the dog is still there. Only now, the owner has installed Invisible Fence, and as far as I know, the animal doesn’t leave.
I only wish he’d done it before Dec. 1, 2021.