Motorcycle Crash - Deer Hit - Next Steps. | GTAMotorcycle.com

Motorcycle Crash - Deer Hit - Next Steps.

Jet On Rails

Jet On Rails

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So past weekend I got into a motorcycle crash. Deer hit me while going 80K.

It was dark country road, riding by myself. Saw the deer jump onto the road, and starting to sprint across. Barely had time to brake, hit the deer, headlight went out, bike fell over, and I started sliding in the dark, no idea where I was headed. After sliding for what felt like an eternity, hit the gravel on the side of the road, started tumbling and ended up in a ditch. Scariest experience of my life by far.

A driver on stopped, he called 911, ambulance came took me to ER. They looked me over, did some x-rays, gave me anti inflammatory and tetanus shot, cleaned up the road rash, and prescribed pain meds. Had road rash on my wrists, and knees where the kevlar jeans ground away.
Cops came to the ER to see me, they had the bike towed to a local tow yard. They gave me a report number, and took my audio statement.
Buddy picked me up from hospital, and now at home and I am in lots of pain, especially the knees, shoulder, ankles, neck and back. Took the pain meds prescribed, but pain is not going away, walking hurts. Seems like the shot they gave me in the ER is starting to wear off.

Wanted to ask about the experience of other people. What to do from here on out, regarding insurance, work, more doctor visits etc.
 

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Damn. Glad you are mostly ok. Not all pain meds work for all people. If the ones you have dont work for you, talk to your doctor and try something different. Iirc, hitting a moving animal is a less painful insurance claim (not at fault or comp claim, thankfully I havent needed to do it so I cant remember exact details).
 
crazy, glad your alive, did you break anything?(apart from the bike)
 
What a horrible experience to have. Thank God your alive and your gear looks like it did its job...Hope you have a speedy recovery.
 
thumbs up for being alive. The insurance should pay for the tow and storage? Claim all your gear. The increase pain might be sign of some "more" serious.
Yes you need to manage pain to rest and sleep but read up on the addiction to pain meds. If you want, ask the insurance company how much to buy back the damage (write off) bike.
 
Wow glad to hear you're alive through that experience. Take time to feel yourself out and make sure no new phantom pains start...and if they do, go deal with them instead of hoping they pass.

Good luck with the insurance and the recovery, but glad to see you're alive well enough to type still.
 
Wow that gear really held up good! Glad you're not in worse shape.

"regarding insurance, work, more doctor visits etc."

Get the claim going with insurance
Depending on your work, try to see about short term disability if thats an option
And yes doctor can get you look over more and maybe start physio when it applies
 
Glad you walked away mostly okay (y)
....I liked to ride at night and deer was always a worry and had some near misses in PA and BC.
Damn things are so quick and unpredictable......good size deer you hit. :eek:
 
I've hit a porcupine, 2 raccoons, a turkey, a few squirrels & chipmunks, but never a deer. I didn't get tossed by any of them, only the porcupine damaged my bike.

I know a couple of people that have hit deer on motorcycles, you came out much better than both of them. I'm not sure if this is the case everywhere, but both my riding friends are known by the nickname Deerslayer now.
 
You may not agree at the moment but you're a very lucky guy to be both alive and minimally injured.

When you have a chance please post pictures of your kevlar jeans along with the brand name.

Think about any expense incurred, and to be incurred, as a result of this accident. The bike, all the gear, the towing and storage, hospital fees you had to pay, ambulance, taxis, time off work etc........should be documented and claimed. I expect your bike will be totalled by the insurance company.

Ensure that any accessories that you added to the bike are included in the payout or, if not, see if you can remove them at the storage yard. Might not be possible.
 
Very sorry to hear about this dude. I've hit deer before and came away unhurt, but I was hit head on by a van and wasn't so lucky - I was off work for a year as a result, so I can offer share my experiences with you if it helps.

In a nutshell, immediately start up a binder to track all the information coming your way (medical, financial, etc.). As the months go by you will start to forget details and the binder will save you when dealing with insurance down the road. Do as much correspondence by email and not by phone, so things are documented.

Try to find the purchase receipts for everything item that got damaged, including that helmet communicator. For items that may have gone up in value due to todays market (like your bike) find comparable prices on the used market. My experience has been that insurance payouts for goods damaged has been exceptionally fair, if you provide the financial documents to support your pricing.

Start up with regular in-person visits with your family doctor to get properly assessed, so you have a medical professional who is not paid by the insurance company to assess you. Your doctor may refer you to other specialists for further assessments related to issues that are not noticeable now, but might come up in the future. This helped me a great deal when my insurance company tried to stop my physio after 6 months and close out my claim, but my doctor articulated otherwise and I was able to extend my physio and remain off work for another 3 months which is all I needed to have as much healing as I was going to achieve.

If you need to start physio, then don't wait on insurance to start it if possible - get your family doctor to approve it and start sooner. Delaying the start of my physio by a few weeks while waiting on insurance added months onto my healing.

If you are going to be off work for any length of time, then definitely see what your employer can cover. Standard (minimum) income loss benefits provided by insurance are only $400/week.

There's lot's more I'm sure I have forgotten, so don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Also - do not let any cuts get infected. Stay on top of keeping them clean and changing the dressings otherwise that just brings unnecessary issues that can turn into other problems.

Heal up:)
 
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So sorry to hear this but glad you’re mostly okay atm

There is a lot of good advice already posted and get well soon


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
Yikkies! GWS!

This could be a great learning thread if you don't mind sharing more details as your situation progress's.
Inflamation, just rest do basic tasks like feeding yourself and going to the john, nothing heavy.
 
Wow. OP, I am glad you are OK.

I just went out for a ride near my cottage today, left at about 8:15 PM and drove about an hour east. I started heading back and for the first time really, started thinking about hitting deer. I’ve seen lots of deer and moose signage, and seen the results of deer strikes, but never thought much about it… until tonight. Drove much slower than I normally would, got home safely, and see this post.

Take care.
 
NuggyBuggy said:
I just went out for a ride near my cottage today, left at about 8:15 PM and drove about an hour east. I started heading back and for the first time really, started thinking about hitting deer. I’ve seen lots of deer and moose signage, and seen the results of deer strikes, but never thought much about it… until tonight. Drove much slower than I normally would, got home safely, and see this post.
Click to expand...

In my experience up and around the cottage, aside from nighttime where it is Wild Kingdom with the roads crawling with deer, raccoons, skunks, etc......, dawn and dusk are bad times for deer and we try and stay off the road in all vehicles, particular bikes. Be where you want to be about 30 minutes before sunset and start your trip at least 30 minutes after sunrise.
 
What matters most, in my opinion, is that you seem to retain your zest for riding motorcycles.

Given that, you will very likely recover totally and enjoy your rides in the near and distant future.
I am a survivor of a very startling and injurious experience, as you now are, and I have ridden over
200,000 kilometers since that event. I wish you the very best of luck in all your future rides.

Salos Dafee
 
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