My worst injury ever. warning: semi graphic images

[dkeller33]

I had a friend break his femur in the 80's riding vert. I'm thinking it was worse than yours as both sides of his break also split up the bone. It was real ugly. Anyhow getting to my point, they didn't put a rod inside his bone anything the size of what you got. That's gnarly!! How long was your surgery? It must have taken some time to hollow out your bone to get that bad boy in there.

Good luck on your recovery. Keep workin hard and you'll be rolling again.

[JamieReis]

Haha. Gnarly. Don't have to worry about breaking that sucker every again. Titanium bones ftw.

[SlyTX]

thought i'd update you all on my condition and the MIRACLE OF INSURANCE.

as you all know, 4 days in a hospital + surgery = a lot of money. A LOT OF MONEY. i think my bills have totaled about $45k USD so far, and they keep trickling in. One anesthesiologist billed us for $1400 alone. $1400 for staring at me for four hours? Cmon, I know your malpractice insurance is through the roof, but $350 an hour is RIDICULOUS.

anyway.. because it was an accident involving a car and my parents are smart and have Personal Injury Protection (PIP), my car insurance as well as the person driving the car that I hit/hit me ends up covering my medical bills. In the end, not all of it is covered by health and car insurance because Oregon applies the insurance backwards (car insurance first, then health). If you know anything about insurance companies, PIP covers a set amount of money while most health insurance companies cover a percentage of the total. Ideally, you would take the percentage of the total and then apply PIP to whatever is left, but Oregon decided that it would be better to apply PIP first and then do the percentage of whatever is left, leaving me with some bills still. Regardless, it covers enough that it's not a huge amount of money for my family.

What REALLY makes me happy about insurance, though, is the loss of wages reimbursement I was just informed I am getting. For not being able to work from 7/12 to 8/29 (don't ask me where they came up with those dates, considering the accident occurred on 6/28 ), I have received a check for $1400. I was expecting something like $200 because I haven't had a job since December, but $1400 put a lot bigger smile on my face.

Enough about the insurance.. It's been almost 10 weeks now and I'm dying to ride a skateboard again. My leg is healing slowly. I use a cane to walk around (crutches sucked balls) and I have difficulty going up and down stairs, but that's why they invented elevators. I've been in PT for 4 weeks and it has drastically improved my leg function. The bone isn't quite connected again yet, but it's getting there and all that's really left to do is rebuild the muscles. I'd show you a picture of the difference in the size of my thighs, but I don't have a good camera. All you need to know is my left thigh was significantly larger than my right prior to the accident and is now significantly smaller with absolutely no muscle definition whatsoever.

If there's anything I learned from these last 10 weeks, it's that I cannot take anything for granted. I used to see people in wheelchairs and whatnot and just say "sucks for them." Now that my mobility has been severely compromised I realize how f*cking amazing it is to have two fully functioning legs. You don't know what you've got until you've lost it.

My message to you all: be careful. Seriously, you might want to cut to the inside lane of that corner coming up, but unless you are 100% CERTAIN there is NO car or anything else in your way, DO NOT CROSS THE LINES. I'm all for going crazy and pushing the limits and really putting yourself out there, but this accident really taught me that no matter how in control you think you are, sh*t can go down and you will have absolutely no say in it. If you want to live to skate another day, don't cross into an oncoming lane unless there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that it is clear.

Enough ranting, here's some more recent xrays! I believe these were taken around 8/23 or so (about two weeks ago).

Man, I am so glad to hear that you had good coverage and are taken care of for the most part. Medical charges are out the ass rediculous. Im also glad to hear your taking a look at things a little differently and enjoying your life for what it is and what you have. Not everyone learns from things like this and thats pretty unfortunate for them if you ask me. Is your insurance through your parents jobs?

[fela]

Oh man. I really wish you a quick recovery.

I know how frustrating any injuries can be, I'm really impatient with them. And stuff like this is in a whole league of its own. So I hope you can keep your positive attitude all the way, seems like so far you're doing a hell of a job!

You'll be on your feet and board in no time, keep your chin up!

[SpeedFiend]

good job the pt and the recovery

[wooden]

I had a friend break his femur in the 80's riding vert. I'm thinking it was worse than yours as both sides of his break also split up the bone. It was real ugly. Anyhow getting to my point, they didn't put a rod inside his bone anything the size of what you got. That's gnarly!! How long was your surgery? It must have taken some time to hollow out your bone to get that bad boy in there.

Good luck on your recovery. Keep workin hard and you'll be rolling again.

The surgery was about 4-4.5 hours long, all I remember is being wheeled into the operating room and being told to just wait around for a moment. They put one of those masks on me and I assumed it was just oxygen, but I was out within seconds.

Man, I am so glad to hear that you had good coverage and are taken care of for the most part. Medical charges are out the ass rediculous. Im also glad to hear your taking a look at things a little differently and enjoying your life for what it is and what you have. Not everyone learns from things like this and thats pretty unfortunate for them if you ask me. Is your insurance through your parents jobs?

My health insurance is through my moms job and I am on my dad's car insurance plan until I graduate from college. I'm for sure getting my own health insurance as soon as I can no longer be on my moms, there's no way in hell anyone could ever afford these medical bills sans insurance without a significant amount of money already saved up.

Thanks for all the kind words, I'm dying to get back on a skateboard (watching the last two days of Maryhill this weekend didn't help much) and I hope to be at most major North American events next year.

[FretsOnFire00]

Holy #### this scared me. I'm planning on doing some PDX races for the first time next summer but this is given me somethin to think about. Hope you heal up soon bro.

FUN FACT! It takes 1200 to 1600 pounds of pressure to break the femur. You hit that car DAM HARD!

[Chopko]

good luck with the rest of your recovery man

[wooden]

Holy #### this scared me. I'm planning on doing some PDX races for the first time next summer but this is given me somethin to think about. Hope you heal up soon bro.

FUN FACT! It takes 1200 to 1600 pounds of pressure to break the femur. You hit that car DAM HARD!

Actually, according to my doctor it only takes about 300-400 lbs of pressure per square inch depending on the length of the bone and the age of the person in question. For me, being 6'2" and 19 years old, it's probably closer to the 400lbs point. I was only going 25 mph at the most and the car was probably going about 5-10 mph, but I'm guessing the brunt of the collision was centered on my femur (I stood on my board next to my dad's Chevy, the bumper is pretty much perfectly lined up with the center of my thigh when I'm coming out of my tuck).

I wouldn't worry about PDX races, this was pretty much a fluke and all the rest of the PDX races have gone flawlessly and the cops have even half-sanctioned them from time to time. Because it's legal to skate on streets in Portland city limits, they can't kick us off the roads even if they get 100 calls about us, as long as we aren't obstructing traffic we are pretty much free to do whatever we want.

I can guarantee you that after my accident everyone in Portland will be more than sufficiently wary of cars at races, spotters will definitely be told to be extra extra careful and to throw up the stop signs at the first sign of danger. I was unlucky and wasn't warned with enough time to throw down a slide or footbrake, as soon as I could see around the corner there was a truck within 15-20 feet of me.

[FaceVsAsphalt]

How are you healing up Chip? The insurance thing is so true. I have no insurance and broke my ankle. The bills total something like $10000. Luckily since Im so poor the surgery center said I didnt have to pay them. It was a super sweet $9000 discount. I am definitely getting insurance as soon as possible.

[wooden]

How are you healing up Chip? The insurance thing is so true. I have no insurance and broke my ankle. The bills total something like $10000. Luckily since Im so poor the surgery center said I didnt have to pay them. It was a super sweet $9000 discount. I am definitely getting insurance as soon as possible.

It's slow, my leg feels a little better every day but it's still more or less useless. I hope to be walking without a cane in the next few weeks, we'll see how that goes.

I JUST WANT TO SKATE, DAMNIT!

[FaceVsAsphalt]

That sux, I just started walking without a cane about a week ago and its the best. Got to skate once and fell, but atleast i got to get on the board. Hopefully you will heal up soon. Ill be there all broken with you in portland in a couple of weeks wishing I could skate.

[schmete]

i just pooped for the first time since Saturday, hooray! I've never felt so accomplished in my life.

I would have to say I was happiest for you when I read this. Here's to a quick recovery and many more poops to come!

[k.mitch]

oh god. that sucks. if it makes you feel any better, ive been out the game since june 9th. i got hit by a drunk around 10:15 that night and i got the fractures in my left ankle. i got surgery a week or two later. but god. pain was so horrible. i had withdrawals when i had to ease up on the norco. goddamn i have about another month i can walk and jog sorta but my left leg is hella weak.
i cant really skate. i can get around but like downhill is outa the question or else i risk falling and getting a compound fracture which would suck ass. im gonna play it safe till im as close to 100% as possible.
that sucks bro i wish you a stupid fast recovery.

[negate]

Your writing skills are pretty amazing for how many painkillers you must be on, haha. Good luck man get better fast.

[tarzan]

great story for those that dont were helmet or don't see the value in them. Get well soon to shred and spread the stoke.

[k.mitch]

Your writing skills are pretty amazing for how many painkillers you must be on, haha. Good luck man get better fast.

thank you. i know. im a pro at writing.

[fatesepics]

nasty stuff, get better soon both of u. air gear pwns

[Cann0n]

Dude... Femurs are the worst bone to break other than your spin or skull.

That's devastating.