Monday, July 26, 2010

Word on Tragedy

I did not post this before but feel that I should mention that we had a serious accident during my recent ride in France with Thomson. One member of the group, a Canadian, went over his handlebars at high speed on the Joux Plane and was seriously injured. He apparently was trying to avoid a shallow pothole in the road surface and went off his line. I was 3rd on the scene and this is not something you ever want to see as a cyclist. Luckily there were a lot of doctors in the group, who were forced to do an emergency traecheotomy and administer CPR. The individual suffered major head injuries and an ambulance arrived with paramedices and additional paramedics arrived via helicopter. He was taken to a hospital in Annecy and the last we heard he was on life support. This traumatic event put a real damper on the rest of the ride. We all wish him the best but the doctors in the group who examined him did not believe he would pull through. A reminder about the need for constant attention to safety.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Paul, I can imagine how awful that accident must have been. In frequent conversations with other riders none have ever described themselves as reckless or daredevil riders. Despite our differing speeds and styles of descent, we all feel that we are riding within our limits or even conservatively, yet the physics of impact at 50 kph are remorseless. Best wishes to your companion and his family.