The risks we take

Back on Tuesday after work I stopped by my LBS (Local Bike Shop) to finally figure out which list I need to be on to ensure I'd get all the emails about the cycling club I joined back in February (Col Vento Cycling). Since I started riding with them I've been on again/off again in reciept of the clubs weekly emails about the upcoming events and rides...during the times when I wasn't recieving the emails I'd just show up by 8:05am on Saturday morning at the usual place, and over the next 10 minutes or so a varying amount of people would show up to ride, and off we'd go on the stroke of 8:20 to 8:25'ish (one thing that constantly annoys me is people showing up LATE to group rides, and everybody waiting for one or two people...it's a pet peeve of mine).  I'd tried every link from the Main Street Cycles website, but nothing short of showing up in person and having my email address placed into the "Constant Contact" site has worked. This seemed to be the ticket, as on Wednesday I got a club update about Shannon and her reccovery. RECOVERY? You see, she had been hit by a vehicle back on July 18th while on a bike ride, and I JUST found out about it (I've been working so many hours that I've missed all of the club rides for the last month). Here's the note in the club email:

For those the didn't know. 

Shannon was hit while on her bicycle when a Ford Ranger turned right at an intersection into her.  The result was a shattered C6 vertebrae in her neck and severe spinal column damage.  There was lots of road rash but not a single other bone was broken.  

Please keep Shannon and the Sweeney family in your thoughts and prayers. 

Here is a web page to keep you updated:  

SHANNON

I've ridden with Shannon many times since my humble club-ride beginnings back in February, and she is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet (and she's a beast on the bike too btw).

Her husband Eric (whom I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting) started the blog. If you are interested, the link is above, just below the large print notice and is simply called "SHANNON". Eric has been posting updates about her progress and occasional pictures. The latest update says she is FINALLY well enough to travel up to San Jose where she will continue her recovery at an "Acute Care Clinic". Her insurance won't cover a helicopter ride, so they had considered flying, but now it seems they are down to 'ground transportation' (ambulance I assume, being as she's still on a respirator, breathing thru a tracheostomy). She's also still getting her food thru an IV (Eric said her calories were upped to 72 an hour just yesterday, as it's been quite a struggle to get her systems functioning again)....she's been thru Pnumonia among other things, including MRSA (had to look that up on the internet...it's a bad form of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics). It meant everybody coming into contact with her needed to wear a smock and gloves.

Here's Eric's blog paragraph from the 19th (the day after the accident):

"Shannon underwent over 6 hours of surgery to remove the shattered bone and rebuild her neck with titanium. Shannon can control her biceps and shoulders but cannot feel or move anything else from just under her collar bone.  She can feel most of her fingers, but not move them."

Here's the one picture I'll post, Eric put it on the blog 2 days ago:

I have a hard time reconciling this picture with the chatty super-nice girl I've been riding with on Saturdays.

In the blink of an eye her life has changed dramaticly, thru no fault of her own. I can't imagine how her family is dealing with this (along with her husband Eric they have 2 boys).  Life can (and usually does) change in an instant. I can't even begin to imagine when she will be back on the bike again...I'd say that it's not sure she will be, but knowing her (she is quite a fighter) I'm sure she will. And while I'm sending her my thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery, I can't help but ponder how helpless we are out there on our bikes. How fragile we really are. And how so very much of what happens to us is out of our control...she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't know the specifics of the accident but think about it a LOT in these last 2 days (was the driver on his cell phone? Just didn't see her? HOW did this happen?) I know that I've always been scared to death about drivers using their cell phones in a non-hands free mode. I see it  EVERY DAY, even though it's illegal here in California. And talking on the phone while holding it up to your ear with one hand is bad enough (you can almost always tell, as they are OBVIOUSLY not paying attention very well), but that's not NEARLY as scary as the ones I see continually looking up and down as they are texting with their phone in their lap.

I just don't see  how this  will ever be fixed until the law is changed to make cell phone use (non hands free) an offense comprable to DUI...where the first offense nets you a minimum 6 months loss of liscense, along with HUGE fines (and your needing to hire a lawyer) and even possibly a week or 2 of jail time...THAT would fix this problem in a jiffy I bet. Surely the drinking and driving is FAR less of a problem than it was 20 years ago, when the courts handed a wink and a hand-slap small fine even when someone died. Cell phones are surely the scariest thing to happen to cyclists since the invention of the automobile and booze. But as I said, I have no idea if the driver of the car that hit her was on his phone...I'm just going off on a rant becasue I know how dangerous they are to those of us not surrounded by a ton or so of steel (and even then, when 2 auto's collide it's never going to be a good thing). Surely all the drivers who use their phones non  hands-free, I'm sure they all feel like it's no big deal (right up until they ruin somebody's life that is, and possibly their own). It's much like the drunk drivers...sure they are sorry afterwards, but up until that moment it was something that happens to 'other people'. And I'd by lying if I said that I've NEVER picked up my cell phone while driving and made a call (however I CAN say that I've never texted...but that's not really saying much as I think I've only made one or two texts EVER, and that was year ago)...but now I have food for thought and the will to NOT EVER do that again. I know I need to do better, and I vow that I shall. The posiblity of being hurt while enjoying a ride just got a whole lot more personal.

I urge everybody to think for a moment when behind the wheel. It only takes a moment for things to go horribly wrong...but we'll never know how many tragic accidents have been avoided by people simply paying more attention on the road. Sometimes we all need a little 'wake-up call' to get us to think differently. Shannon and her family sure got theirs.

Be safe out there and remember to share the road. We all need to look out for each other!

Stay Frosty!