I fought the dog and the dog won.

burkbuilds · 04-20-2012, 11:31 PM

Sunday evening I was riding home and decided to take a short detour near my home just to see what the recent excavation work had accomplished. 3 houses from the corner going about 15 -20 mph when two mid size dogs came running at full speed from a blind drive on my right.
No time to react as they ran in front of my vulcan 500. 1st dog cleared but second dog hit my front tire full force turning my wheel as it rose and rolled over his body. when the tire landed it was fully tuned and the bike flipped. My right knee was crushed between the tank and the gravel covered asphalt,then I slid across a driveway and dropped 3-4' into a ditch lined with large limestone rocks.
My right tibia was a clean break but right at the knee joint, my ACL & MCL were torn loose The landing on the rocks broke 5 ribs shattered my right shoulder and did a lot of damage to the joint.
5 hours of surgery put the knee and leg back together with a plate & 5 screws and 2 more screws to re-attach the ligaments. Everything else was in pieces but in place so no need for surgery.
I am in rehab now and will be for a while. The leg damage will require 3 months befre i can put my full weight on it and the r shouder can't take a crutch so i will be in a wheelchair for a while.

THE GOOD NEWS
The dog seems to be okay!

mrlmd1 · 04-21-2012, 12:13 AM

Well that totally sucks, but real glad to hear you're alive and kicking, even if only with one leg right now.
Our thoughts etc. etc. are with you. You sound a lot better than you probably look, and I'm sure you feel worse.
Get well quick and stay in touch.
You out of the hospital now, in a rehab facility or home?

Skunkhome · 04-21-2012, 12:16 AM

Dang, the owner aught to be shot.

dentheman · 04-21-2012, 12:23 AM

WOW, something else to watch for besides cage drivers. Were the police called? I would go after the dog owner's home owners insurance. Do get well soon, and back to riding.

Water Warrior 2 · 04-21-2012, 03:04 AM

Ouch !!! I can't imagine how you feel. I'm just thankful you weren't injured more with that landing. I would imagine there could have been an even worse outcome with more speed. Or maybe not on second thought. You may have just plowed through the dogs and survived quite nicely.
But it does point out that even a low speed get off can be a life threatening mishap. Just for curiosity, were you wearing ATGATT ?? I'm pretty sure you subscribe to safety gear but it may be a lesson for those of us who think they won't get hurt much and dress very lightly with no armor.
Do you know if the bike is repairable or a write off ?
I'm sure the dog owners are upset quite a bit but they should have more control over their animals. There lack of foresight could very well have killed you. Hopefully they are properly insured and take responsibility for your injuries.
Keep us updated and take care of the broken body parts.

PimpS · 04-21-2012, 04:07 AM

Geeez! Burk, get well soon, with speedy recovery!

blaine · 04-21-2012, 06:57 AM

Sorry to hear,Burks.Hope you feel better soon.Keep us updated.

:cool:

alantf · 04-21-2012, 11:51 AM

So sorry to hear about the accident. Just goes to show that ALL riders go down sometime in their riding carreer.

I noticed that your knee got crushed between the tank & the ashphalt. You know that I've got a bee in my bonnet about never riding without engine guards/crash bars. Did you have a set fitted? or was the guard buckled, because if you did have them fitted & they didn't do their job, I'd be interested to know what brand they were. Hope everything heals up o.k. :2tup:

5th_bike · 04-21-2012, 01:06 PM

Man, what a story!

Glad you survived to tell us about it, and I sure hope you're back to "before" condition real soon !

mole2 · 04-21-2012, 04:01 PM

Wow Burk I'm glad you survived it. I went down at 18mph and was bruised, some rash on my right arm and damage to my right shoulder but that was it. I wish you a speedy recovery and keep us posted.

04-20-2012, 11:31 PM	#1
burkbuilds Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shannon, Georgia Posts: 1,268	I fought the dog and the dog won. Sunday evening I was riding home and decided to take a short detour near my home just to see what the recent excavation work had accomplished. 3 houses from the corner going about 15 -20 mph when two mid size dogs came running at full speed from a blind drive on my right. No time to react as they ran in front of my vulcan 500. 1st dog cleared but second dog hit my front tire full force turning my wheel as it rose and rolled over his body. when the tire landed it was fully tuned and the bike flipped. My right knee was crushed between the tank and the gravel covered asphalt,then I slid across a driveway and dropped 3-4' into a ditch lined with large limestone rocks. My right tibia was a clean break but right at the knee joint, my ACL & MCL were torn loose The landing on the rocks broke 5 ribs shattered my right shoulder and did a lot of damage to the joint. 5 hours of surgery put the knee and leg back together with a plate & 5 screws and 2 more screws to re-attach the ligaments. Everything else was in pieces but in place so no need for surgery. I am in rehab now and will be for a while. The leg damage will require 3 months befre i can put my full weight on it and the r shouder can't take a crutch so i will be in a wheelchair for a while. THE GOOD NEWS The dog seems to be okay! Login or Register to Remove Ads
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04-21-2012, 12:13 AM	#2
mrlmd1 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Crawfordville, Florida Posts: 2,853	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Well that totally sucks, but real glad to hear you're alive and kicking, even if only with one leg right now. Our thoughts etc. etc. are with you. You sound a lot better than you probably look, and I'm sure you feel worse. Get well quick and stay in touch. You out of the hospital now, in a rehab facility or home?
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04-21-2012, 12:16 AM	#3
Skunkhome Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Louisiana Posts: 203	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Dang, the owner aught to be shot. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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04-21-2012, 12:23 AM	#4
dentheman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 629	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. WOW, something else to watch for besides cage drivers. Were the police called? I would go after the dog owner's home owners insurance. Do get well soon, and back to riding. __________________ 2007 Shadow Spirit 750
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04-21-2012, 03:04 AM	#5
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Ouch !!! I can't imagine how you feel. I'm just thankful you weren't injured more with that landing. I would imagine there could have been an even worse outcome with more speed. Or maybe not on second thought. You may have just plowed through the dogs and survived quite nicely. But it does point out that even a low speed get off can be a life threatening mishap. Just for curiosity, were you wearing ATGATT ?? I'm pretty sure you subscribe to safety gear but it may be a lesson for those of us who think they won't get hurt much and dress very lightly with no armor. Do you know if the bike is repairable or a write off ? I'm sure the dog owners are upset quite a bit but they should have more control over their animals. There lack of foresight could very well have killed you. Hopefully they are properly insured and take responsibility for your injuries. Keep us updated and take care of the broken body parts. Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

04-21-2012, 04:07 AM	#6
PimpS Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Slovenija Posts: 475	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Geeez! Burk, get well soon, with speedy recovery!
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04-21-2012, 06:57 AM	#7
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Sorry to hear,Burks.Hope you feel better soon.Keep us updated. :cool: __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.
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04-21-2012, 11:51 AM	#8
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,719	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. So sorry to hear about the accident. Just goes to show that ALL riders go down sometime in their riding carreer. I noticed that your knee got crushed between the tank & the ashphalt. You know that I've got a bee in my bonnet about never riding without engine guards/crash bars. Did you have a set fitted? or was the guard buckled, because if you did have them fitted & they didn't do their job, I'd be interested to know what brand they were. Hope everything heals up o.k. :2tup: __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
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04-21-2012, 01:06 PM	#9
5th_bike Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: HoCo, Maryland Posts: 1,349	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Man, what a story! Glad you survived to tell us about it, and I sure hope you're back to "before" condition real soon ! __________________ 2005 "Saturn Black", stock + tach
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04-21-2012, 04:01 PM	#10
mole2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Longs, SC Posts: 1,469	Re: I fought the dog and the dog won. Wow Burk I'm glad you survived it. I went down at 18mph and was bruised, some rash on my right arm and damage to my right shoulder but that was it. I wish you a speedy recovery and keep us posted. __________________ 2009 V-Star 650 Silverado Pearl White 2007 Suzuki GZ250 Black (sold)
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