My worst injury ever. warning: semi graphic images

**wooden** · 07-01-2009 11:27 PM

On Sunday, I was competing in the 5th race in the Portland DH series of races on Larch Mountain just east of Portland, Oregon. The course is pretty simple at around 35-40 mph until it flattens out for a bit and then drops off into some very technical corners.

During the first round of heats I managed to lock my leathers, helmet, and gloves in my car along with my keys (doh!) and had to borrow these items from some friends. My heat was the last one in the first round, and as I was rounding the left hand corner on the flat section (at about 15-20 mph), disaster struck.

I cannot recall if the spotters were flagging me down, or if they were flagging the car down, or whatever, I just remember diving into the left and seeing a large truck right in my face. I remember yelling "OH ####!", and then immediately blacking out.

According to those who saw, I hit the truck at about 15mph while it was coming towards me at 15mph. I bounced off, bounced on the ground once or twice and slid underneath a parked car. Somehow in the ordeal, the helmet I was wearing (a borrowed SpeedAir, not something I would ever wear under normal circumstances) fell off and I miraculously did not hit my head on anything.

I was unconscious for about 2-3 minutes and stopped breathing for a frighteningly long period of time. As I began to breath again I regain a semblance of consciousness and could feel and hear the blood in my lungs. The closer I came to full consciousness, the more excruciating the pain became. When I came to I spat out a bunch of blood and realized I was not in good condition.

Yadda yadda, the paramedics came, straightened out my jacked up left leg, checked my neck and took vitals. I was taken to a hospital in Portland and received a catheter, multiple xrays and a CT scan until they finally determined the extent of the damage.

Broken left femur, fractured left rib that punctured my left lung, fractured left wrist (quite minor), bruises on my forehead and all over my chest, and random scabs/burns all over the place.

On Monday I was taken into the operating room and received a titanium rod in my left femur, straight from one end to the other. I've had a hard time eating anything since the wreck and threw up hardcore twice today and once yesterday, but I'm on the mend and my stomach is feeling better despite the mass amounts of pain killers they had me on.

I knew I loved the longboarding scene, but I never expected to see so many people visit me in the hospital. More than half of the Portland DH crew has shown up at least once and a few friends from Seattle have even made the trip down.

I'll be off the board for about 2-3 months at the minimum, but I can't wait to get back on and shred the gnar once more.

Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

just had my face wiped off with a wet wash cloth:

shortly before the catheter and the traction splint (hanging weight off my femur to pull it back into place) were inserted:

broken femur, a good break though, much easier to line up when it's broken diagonally like this:

broken femur after being in the traction splint for about 4 hours. the traction splint is the small rod running through the end of my femur and then attached to the horseshoe looking thing:

after surgery, the titanium rod in my femur looks like a sword when viewed near my pelvis:

the titanium rod running through the break in my femur, lined up pretty darn well:

the titanium rod in my femur viewed near my knee:

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

**roadrashed** · 07-01-2009 11:43 PM

man that's harsh, i hope you recover quick.

At least you can take comfort in the fact that you have a sword leg, that's two jumps up from a peg leg =D

**Belak4life** · 07-01-2009 11:51 PM

Chip...I shivered reading this! I was completely surprised and scared to hear the news. Just earlier that week we were shredding alpi and sweeping it for 5 hours and for this to happen is a total bummer. I'm really glad your okay and took your first #### since Saturday haha...we'll skate once your healed!

**spikedfro10** · 07-02-2009 12:16 AM

**** man, heal up quick, I was unfortunate to see something that sounds similar to your situation earlier this month....

....good luck with rehabbing your leg and i'm happy you aren't worse off!!

**tinypete** · 07-02-2009 12:23 AM

Damn man, that's intense. Heal up quick and keep being awesome and stuff.

**smashtime105** · 07-02-2009 12:52 AM

I seriously got chills reading this, I hope you heal up quickly man. This really gave me a reality check of how things can go wrong.

**Zap** · 07-02-2009 01:40 AM

Get out of the ####### road, ya JANK!!

Just messing Chip. When do you get back in town? Heal up quickly!

**Daniel M.** · 07-02-2009 02:04 AM

Dude when I was reading this I was just like no man... no... Really big bummer to hear man. I'll be wishin you a speedy recovery, hopefully you'll be up to full condition not too long after you get your cast or whatever off.

What were the conditions of the driver being on the hill? Who was responsible for that and it was during a race heat?

**Bruce22** · 07-02-2009 02:49 AM

scares the eff out of me... I've come pretty close to impacts at 30mph like yours

**Bookworm** · 07-02-2009 03:00 AM

you, good sir, are made of epic gnarly win.

best wishes for a speedy recovery!

**Blix** · 07-02-2009 03:15 AM

Ouch! Good you are in relatively good shape, thinking of what could have happened!

Horrible that this could happen in a race though.....

**Mall Grab** · 07-02-2009 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by Blix

Horrible that this could happen in a race though.....

Exactly. I don't know what caused this, but if it was spotters not doing their jobs, I'd be f***ing furious.

When you're a spotter, PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN YOUR HANDS. That's it. You see a bad situation developing, you do every single thing in your power to prevent it. A truck somehow drives up a race course in the middle of a heat? You don't wave at it, you go stand in front of it and simply force it to stop before a blind corner.

Sorry for the outburst, but I've seen too much horrible spotting over the last few years.

**Archy** · 07-02-2009 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by Bookworm

you, good sir, are made of epic gnarly win.

QFT

10toughmfs

**Eddy Martinez** · 07-02-2009 04:44 AM

Originally posted by mail bag: When you're a spotter, PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN YOUR HANDS

True that. But it is the ER and ICU Nurses that get you going again. Heal quickly bro. Your Amigo Eddy Texas Outlaws

**FatboyLovesHills** · 07-02-2009 04:59 AM

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate that is savage! heal quick....and don't walk past any big magnets

**dkeller33** · 07-02-2009 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by Mall Grab

Exactly. I don't know what caused this, but if it was spotters not doing their jobs, I'd be f***ing furious.

When you're a spotter, PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE IN YOUR HANDS. That's it. You see a bad situation developing, you do every single thing in your power to prevent it. A truck somehow drives up a race course in the middle of a heat? You don't wave at it, you go stand in front of it and simply force it to stop before a blind corner.

Sorry for the outburst, but I've seen too much horrible spotting over the last few years.

This is exactly what I thought. Who was watching the hill? What the hell man? A truck on course with racers? UGH..........

I hope anyone reading this now knows how important it is that they stop anything/anyone trying to get on the road during a heat....... I feel bad for you bro.....heal quick and get you some more!!!

**David H** · 07-02-2009 05:57 AM

damn. i'll bet most of us have been far too close to doing just that at one time or another. heal up, man.

**nokeboarder** · 07-02-2009 07:40 AM

heal up quick!!! and yeah truck on a race course? wtf?

**El Tadashi** · 07-02-2009 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by nokeboarder

heal up quick!!! and yeah truck on a race course? wtf?

It was the one person in the area who was not happy with what was going on.

All I know is I had the worst feeling when I found out what happened after waiting at the finishline for so long without hearing anything or knowing what was going on.

**nokeboarder** · 07-02-2009 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by El Tadashi

It was the one person in the area who was not happy with what was going on.

All I know is I had the worst feeling when I found out what happened after waiting at the finishline for so long without hearing anything or knowing what was going on.

if they intentionally drove up the road because they were angry with the event they should be charged with malicious wounding, assault with a deadly weapon or even attempted murder. that is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard, i hate people with no regard towards skater's lives simple because they are "skaters"