[BoneCollector]

Originally Posted by sunilch

After about 30 mins from leaving the hotel, the unexpected happened.

I started reading your travelogue but then skipped to this post as I was curious to know what happened. I'm glad that you are recovering.

I had to shout as people were trying to lift me. I know that doing so could have further damaged my spine or neck and hence I asked them no not to touch me until an ambulance arrives.

I am actually not sure if my damage could have be reduced or lesser if no one would have lifted me initially or tried to remove my helmet. But I know they all were trying to help me and trying to wake me up to see if I was still alive.

That was sheer presence of mind that has saved you from permanent damage ( Quadriplegia ) or an imminent death. I've seen people with cervical spine injury dying just because they were made to sit or stand or lifted in a wrong way.

I used to run for 70 mins and cover 10Kms before the accident. Post the accident, I was not able to get up from my bed without help, not able to move my neck in any direction and not able to balance properly while standing. But now, I have started walking and can walk for 40 mins slowly. I have a long way to get back to my normal as I am still in recovery mode and it will be slow. But with my family's support, I am sure I will be back to my 70 mins runs one day.

You will definitely come out of this with flying colours. Although it may take some time, but your determination will get you through. Having a supportive family has its own medicinal effect. Wishing you a quick recovery.

Edit - Nice snaps.

[luvDriving]

Firstly Wish you a speedy recovery and hope you get back to normal very soon.

Also thanks for taking out the time and effort to post your experiences in the midst of all this happening. It is nice to see that you have loving and supportive family and friends and that your workplace has been supportive to help you rest and recover.

The FIR and resultant matter will take its due course. It is indeed sad and makes one mad to see people trying to make a buck out of every bad situation nowadays. I hope the guilty driver is punished and his cohorts are also penalized in some way.

[Turbo_anup]

Hoping for your fast recovery and getting back on your vehicle soon. Your incident has reminded me of a tyre ad that I used to see - "the streets are full of idiots!". Extremely sad to hear what happened to you, but great that you had a helping friend and supportive family - who ultimately were able to get you out of that situation. Hope law prevails and that driver along with nexa showroom guys get to pay for what they have done. I shudder to think what might have been in a remote location with no help.

[fundagenie]

Praying for your quick recovery bro. I can feel the pain you would have gone through when those idiots treated you and your family badly. Thinking of the situation itself makes my blood boil to give all those b@#$% a whack. But alas at the situation we will all be forced to control ourselves and am sure your family also did the same for your benefit.

Anyway past is past. Look at the future. Saw the mention about your son and I think that he alone should be good enough to make you return to the old self.

Even if the Nexa guy or guys escape the law, there is always karma. Some day they will get a bigger jolt in their life. So leave it at that. You take care and recover fully.

FundaG

[drkuldeep1998]

Wishing you a speedy recovery brother. As a doctor i can certainly understand what you have gone through. You will back to your normal life very soon. Take care brother

[Thermodynamics]

Firstly a fantastic travelogue. Especially after reading what happened, Kudos to your courage, perseverance and your spirit to write this travelogue.

Unsafe lane cutting is a menace in India, extremely dangerous to motorcyclists. There was another thread (link) (My son's accident - Who is really at fault?) where a Bhpian's son survived a deadly crash when a tractor trailer made an unsafe lane cut or u-turn.

I fully understand your feeling being an accident survivor myself. At these times, we come to know Angels and Demons are all among us. It also makes us reflect and appreciate the blessings we have in life.

The moment you met your son must have been exhilarating. I wish you a speedy recovery and back to normalcy.

[hothatchaway]

Sorry to see your trip turning out this way, but happy that no permanent damage is done. The road to recovery is long and frustrating but this too shall pass. Once you resume your normal routine, this will just be a bad dream.

Its possible that the person driving the Baleno did not have a valid licence/DUI given that you say that they are desperate to have the complaint withdrawn. I see no reason why they should be so desperate otherwise. The least they should have done is to help settle your bills at the local hospital.

Wish you a speedy recovery.

[motorotor]

So sorry to hear about your accident. I guess "ATGATT - All the gear all the time" really does make a difference. I hope you get well and back to riding soon.

[sunny29584]

Wishing you a speedy recovery!!

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by sunilch

After about 30 mins from leaving the hotel, the unexpected happened.

Good to read that you are safe now. Wish you a speedy recovery.

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by sunilch

... I was not able to move, lift up my body or head. My arms were paralyzed and so was one of my leg (partially). I immediately realized something major has happened and started shouting. I had to shout as people were trying to life me. I know that doing so could have further damaged my spine or neck and hence I asked them no not to touch me until an ambulance arrives....

Originally Posted by BoneCollector

That was sheer presence of mind that has saved you from permanent damage ( Quadriplegia ) or an imminent death. I've seen people with cervical spine injury dying just because they were made to sit or stand or lifted in a wrong way.

Sunil,

When I spoke with you the other day about a possible ride to GJ, I got a sense that you had gone through a major incident. Reading this now, I feel pained that you had to see more dark days. It is horrific that you had to go through this episode, and that too far from the comfort of your home. I can't imagine what it must be like for your family.

But, know this. This too shall pass.

I want you take heart from a couple of things. When I recently asked you if you would join me for a ride, I didn't know that you were recuperating from your injuries. And yet, the first words from you were that you would have loved to join me, circumstances permitting. That tells me one thing - you are intact brother; both in mind and spirit. The body is a bit battered. But, it will heal given some time and care. This incident has not broken you. No sir, it has not. And I am not the least bit surprised. The Sunil I know is robust, hardy, and resilient. You will get through this and come out spanking new. No doubt about that.

I will also second what BoneCollector has said. Your clear thinking is what saved you. If you can take one thing away from this incident, let it be the fact that you are far more intelligent and capable than the majority out there, and that you have a long innings ahead of you.

I know that you have seen some big chapters of misfortune in your life, and no one will blame you if feel like a victim. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well. I went through hellish patches for decades. Some parts of that story you are familiar with because we talked during that Lavasa ride. So, as someone who knows you personally, I want to take the liberty to say a couple of things.

For starters, I urge you to think about a quote from Wayne Dyer, “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

It is natural to want to scratch the itch of thinking about how others behaved terribly towards you without facing consequences. And you are absolutely right about those guys. They are bottom-feeders; abysmal people without conscience or consideration. But, the fact is that while you are cooking in your head, the other guys are living their lives. So, the negativity only affects you. It delays your recovery, while having absolutely zero effect on the offending party. So, lose the dead-weight that is dragging you down and move forward.

For what it's worth, I am glad that you took to Team BHP to air your thoughts. Nothing is as therapeutic as writing. But, now it is time to write your next chapters. Your job now is to get strong for your son and your wife and your parents. Do what it takes to get there. Thinking about the Nexa scumbags in HP is not going to get you there. So instead, throw yourself into other things - work, family matters, prayers, Netflix, etc. All in all, stay calm and centered and you will come through this trying time too. Our best wishes and prayers are with you.

Incidentally, once you are back to fighting shape, see if you have the strength to take that FIR to its logical conclusion and make sure that those idiots are punished. But, know that whether you punish them or not, they will get what they deserve. That's just how it is.

Originally Posted by sunilch

... Now, because I had full gear including Helmet, Jacket, Gloves, Double pants and special shoes for riding I had zero external injury. Not even a single scratch.

But the impact was sudden and I had banged my head on the road in the fall.....

Originally Posted by sunilch

...Helmet design is actually limited or flawed in my opinion..

During our last ride, I distinctly remember you telling me that you hated helmets, and by extension all protective gear. Forgive me for saying this; but, for our ride itself, you were wearing a flimsy jacket and a helmet, which frankly, has seen much better days. I did not want to say anything to you at the time since we had just met. But today, I am quite relieved that you got over your dislike for gear during your HP trip. Because, flawed design or not brother, that helmet saved your life in Himachal; and the rest of the gear protected you from other possible injuries. God knows that it could have been much much worse.

If you had hit your head sans helmet, you would not be here to tell the tale. FYI, probably at the same time you were in HP, a 26 year old guy skidded on his bike and made direct contact with the ground on his head near the Virar toll here in Mumbai. You can imagine the rest. I don't know all the facts. But, the gist is that he was wearing very little gear and what was probably an inadequate helmet. I will forward the messages to you on Whatsapp.

Get better. Get gear. Get Riding.

Cheers

[ash22]

I wish you a speedy recovery Sunil. By any chance, if you had Go Pro / any action camera installed in your TB500, That would have been a piece of strong evidence and NEXA would have not acted this much.
May the Force be with you !!

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by fundagenie

Even if the Nexa guy or guys escape the law, there is always karma. Some day they will get a bigger jolt in their life. So leave it at that. You take care and recover fully.

Yes fundagenie. I too believe in Karma and also in Positive Thinking.

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

At these times, we come to know Angels and Demons are all among us. It also makes us reflect and appreciate the blessings we have in life.

The moment you met your son must have been exhilarating.

Yes Thermodynamics. We do realize all this during such times. In fact, to add further - when I reached Jaslok Hospital and had a releaf that I will soon see my family I had this thought in my mind:

May be she paid me a visit. Or may be I crossed her path. But when we saw each-other time briefly stopped. I looked into her eyes and we kissed. She whispered 'Not Today' into my ears and pushed me back. I fell down. Moments later I got back up, only to realize that, that was the Angle of Death.

And hence the title.

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Its possible that the person driving the Baleno did not have a valid licence/DUI given that you say that they are desperate to have the complaint withdrawn. I see no reason why they should be so desperate otherwise.

No I don't think he was DUI as the cops would have otherwise noted that down in the FIR and asked him to undergo a test. His license was taken by the cops. Not sure if he got it back but he can get it only from the court now. Nexa showroom is owned by a large NCR based company that is also listed. They are one of the biggest Maruti dealers across North India. Hence they want the FIR withdrawn or case disposed. You see because the driver was employed by someone and the accident happened while he was on duty, it is the employer that can be summoned by the authorities. In fact the cops themselves have the authority to issue an arrest warrant against the owners (in this case the promoters of the listed company) if they deem it fit. Hence there is reputation risk and also possible financial expense to avoid for the promoters.

I say expense because there is no financial liability at their end for now. The financial liabilities are taken care by the insurance companies, unless the company is in violation of some condition/clause in the insurance contract.

Originally Posted by mohansrides

But, know this. This too shall pass.

...

During our last ride, I distinctly remember you telling me that you hated helmets, and by extension all protective gear. Forgive me for saying this; but, for our ride itself, you were wearing a flimsy jacket and a helmet, which frankly, has seen much better days. I did not want to say anything to you at the time since we had just met. But today, I am quite relieved that you got over your dislike for gear during your HP trip. Because, flawed design or not brother, that helmet saved your life in Himachal; and the rest of the gear protected you from other possible injuries. God knows that it could have been much much worse.

Thanks for the wishes Brother.

Helmet design is flawed/limited in my opinion due to multiple reasons but there is no solution to it yet. I don't deny the utility of the same though and hence you will always see me riding with a helmet. But that discussion is for another day

And that jacket is a great one. It may look flimsy as it is not a 'Riding' jacket but it gives a very good level of protection due to the way it is made.

For this Himachal ride however, I had a different jacket and a fresh Helmet as my earlier one was old and I didn't want to carry one from Mumbai anyways.

Originally Posted by ash22

I wish you a speedy recovery Sunil. By any chance, if you had Go Pro / any action camera installed in your TB500, That would have been a piece of strong evidence and NEXA would have not acted this much.
May the Force be with you !!

Yes, may be a GoPro camera will be useful in such cases. I might install one in my car, once I get back to driving.

[sooshan]

Hey, this is a scary experience to read!
Hope you get better soon, and back to your regular routine.! Take care. Wish you well.!

[psispace]

This is indeed every bikers nightmare. Although I am sorry to hear about your injury, I am equally relieved at your pace of recovery.

From quadriparesis in November, to be able to walk for 40 minutes in January is a brilliant recovery. No doubt your doctors have done a good job and you have been putting good effort yourself. Rest assured, with this pace of recovery, you should be able to run soon. So take heart. Just keep it slow and give it some time.

I am sure your physiotherapists would have incorporated neck exercises into your routine. Do not skip this as this is very important to maintain your neck muscle tone.

Fortunately you are in a profession where you can work at home, so that is a major relief.

May God bless you a speedy recovery.