They told me it was gonna get me, but it’s always a shock when it really does happen.  I was out on the quad today, looking over some abandoned mines to explore more later with friends.  One, out on The Old Bradshaw Trail is way up there and has been tantalizing me for a while, so today I went for it to take a better look, and see if I could get up there with the 4Runner……….Nope……………..

In the middle of the left side of the above picture, you can see a ragged looking area at the top of the curve - a major washout.  It’s very steep, the quad felt like it was going to come over backwards on me, so I eased off the gas and let it back up a bit.  It did - a bit - then hit something in back and started to go over.  Uh Oh ! ! !  There is NO place to jump - you’re on there for the ride.  As it went over, it went clearly thru my head - “that thing’s 600#, Lar………roll it, don’t let it crush you.”  I held the handlebars with a death grip and got my knees up against the seat and over we went.   In the following pic, you can see the orange SPOT locater in about mid-picture on the left side of the road.  That’s about where the quad landed on me.   Below that in the middle is my soft-sided cold drink bag, and below that is the soda that was in my fanny pack……………

 I’ll tell ya what, sports fans - 600# is a lot and it mashed me into the road pretty good, but I did roll it on over and came up onto my knees and watched it go………like in slow motion, spraying spare parts and supplies as it went.  I must be a true, dedicated photographer, ’cause the 1st thing I did was get the camera into operation.  Suzy (the Suzuki quad) was rolling sideways, and here you can see her in mid-air and still going.  Scattered down the road are water jugs, spare parts, tool box, camera bag, gas jug, etc………………

She ended up on her side in a small wash……..and the engine was still running and headlights were still on ! ! !………………

I worked my way on down and shut the engine off, and could smell gas pretty strong, so got beside it and gave a mighty heave on the rear luggage rack, and got it “pretty much” upright………and found out some more problems with myself.  Right shoulder and some ribs on the right side gave a tremendous protest at that, but the deed was done.

I spent about ½ hour going up and down the road picking up pieces - flattened eyeglasses, watch and band (separated and the pins gone), and so on and so on.  Both gas jugs are ruined, the GPS is still missing, the last SPOT message -

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=33.5016,-114.844&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

is where I picked the SPOT up at, out of the dirt.  Suzy Is upright, but teetering on a rock, and I was a little spooky by then and didn’t dare try to move her.  Only way to reach it is from below, and if it rolled on me there……….I’d still be there…………..so I left it and hiked out to the main road.  Then, I thought, “wonder what I look like, ’cause I’d drained a fair amount of blood out of my nose up on the hill.  Sooo, took a self portrait with the camera at arm’s length.  Guess I wasn’t too pretty at the best of times, but this is silly…………………..

Main road isn’t too main…………I walked (limped) about 2 miles or so toward the Toyota - 10 miles away - before a retired couple came along in a pickup and kindly gave me a ride to my car.  Too late to go for Suzy, so came on into town, and a couple of friends are going to help retrieve it in the morning.  It’s a dark green color and is about ¼ mile off the main road, so it “should” be OK for the night…..tho’ maybe a little lonesome.

For myself  ??  The blood is from superficial but messy gouges on my forehead and center of nose.  Quite a bit from in the nose, too, where the glasses were flattened against my face and crushed a sinus, but most of that drained on the ground.  Right shoulder is pretty sore, left jaw hinge ditto, neck is real stiff and my shins are scuffed up real good.  Guess I didn’t have ‘um against the seat after all, but they saved my bacon by holding the weight off me as it rolled.  Thought I just had a broken rib on the right side, too, but now, full of Ibuprofen, I think a rock gouged me good in the back and tore 2 ribs loose - made the chiropractor rich for a while - and the weight of the quad smashed the camera down on the front and cracked 2 ribs.  Straightened the glasses out and they seem fine - not even scratched.  Most of the blood is off my face now, and my nose is about double size.  Wonderful.  It appears that my left wrist was mashed against my forehead, and my watch was gouged in so hard it tore the pins out of the bracelet.  I found watch and bracelet about 10 feet from the crash site.

Next Day:     I won’t mention how I felt - all over - this morning, but with enuf Ibuprofen, it was live-able.  My face is a mess.  Dave and Lee came with me to retrieve the quad.  Dave took some pictures, and, being a retired scientist, started scientist-ing.  He figured out that from where Suzy landed on me, to where she finally stopped rolling was about 300 ft……………

It was actually in a not-too-bad place, and I could’ve ridden it out, but at the time was pretty shook up.  The Runner and ATV trailer were parked near by for the recovery, so fired up the quad, pulled the handlebars up some, rode it up to the trailer, loaded it and brought it home.  That is one tough little machine.  The left front corner was badly bent……………….

I thought I’d have to replace the front crash bar and front luggage rack - too badly bent to properly straighten and align, but managed to get them both work-able - tho’ not real pretty.  Both front wheels are bent beyond saving, and right rear wheel is almost crushed, but still - somehow - holding air.  It was badly warped, tho’, so altogether I replaced 3 wheels.  There’s gravel mashed down between bead and rim that I can’t move with a screwdriver.  Left rear wheel is OK.  Handlebars and brake levers were beyond repair as well.  That brand new, $200.00 locking storage box on the back was 2 weeks old and totally destroyed, but saved the back end from much worse damage.  Prob’ly a bargain, eh ??  (yah, right)  A little straightening and some black hammered paint and it’s fine.  Speedometer and housing took a little creative engineering, but are fine now.  What Fun ! ! !  The frame turned out to be twisted in 3 axes and is “fairly” straight now.                     Lar.

P.S.     Five weeks later, I’m just now starting to sleep comfortably with my 2 cracked ribs, jaw will still only open ½ way, (no hamburgers for a while) nose is still sore and the cartilage crackles when I wiggle it and left side swollen shut from smashed cartilage and right knee and foot are still tender from being crushed.  Other than that…………. ………..all is well, and Suzy is about ready to ride again.  Just waiting for the wheels………and I Will be somewhat more conservative in my riding.

–
Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
www.gogittum.com/blog

Posted: April 20th, 2009 under 08 Blythe 09, 09-1-11 Roll Suzy.
Comments: 1