So, one day, when my wife's kidney's aren't failing, when she's not getting bit by poisonous spiders, and when I'm not doing frontflips over cars after having them pull out in front my motorcycle, I'll give something back to this community.
But for the time being, I just need your advice again...
First of all, Just because I keep having all these insane stories, I want to provide a little bit of evidence. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Here's the spider bite, from last week which has by now effectively disappeared into nothingness. Yeah!
And here is a couple pictures I took two hours ago. It illustrates the extent to which damage to my body was minimal. I did a flip over the guys car and landed on my feet with just about one roll afterward.
So, now that we've established that, lets move forward.
I've never been in a wreck. I've been passenger when my wife was rear ended once, but that was different than watching a guy pull out in front of me and T boning him on a motorcycle.
For any Utahns out there, this was Sardine Canyon at Mantua. Guy was leaving Mantua and turning south onto the highway to go toward brigham city. I was headed north, and hit my breaks when I saw he was rolling out, cutting me off.
I was traveling 60, the speed limit (there is always a cop right here so I drive the speed limit every time), and don't know how fast I was going at the collision. But I slid and steered right and hit him right at his gas cap and tire, then front flipped above the back of the car.
Having never been in a wreck, I want to do insurance stuff right.
We were both insured, and the cop took everything down and printed us out a nice form with each others info on it. I called Progressive and reported the accident at about 2:00 AM, an hour and a bit after it happened, when my wife was taking me home. On July Fourth at 2 AM they didn't have a claims rep in, but they will soon, so they are supposed to call me back before noon today.
[for those concerned, there were like 6 ambulances [ambuli?] and plenty of Emergency folks who gave me a nice little physical to make sure nothing was wrong with my spine, etc. My injuries are minor: my thumbs are both sprained (presumably from catching my handlebars); my left wrist is minorly sprained and my left knee is minorly scraped, both potentially from my landing; my inner thighs are both bruised and skin burned, perhaps from catching my handlebars as well, and my inner thigh muscles feel like they were hit with a bat. Then my hands are scratched. Nothing else developing so far.
I declined the Ambulance for fear that it somehow would end up not getting paid for and I'd get the bill, or my rates would go up or something. I haven't gone to any doctor or whatever because I don't have a doctor, and I don't know who I'd go to (just realized, I could go to the university health and wellness center Monday).
The first thing I was thinking about in regard to my own health was that I don't have medical insurance, and with all the bills for my wife's kidneys I can't afford to risk a car insurance not paying for an emergency room visit. That was my biggest concern, and the ENT's seemed to think, like everyone does, that's a weak concern. I think it's a good concern. It was one of my first thoughts after landing my flip and running immediately off the side of the highway (speed limit 60), for fear of cars behind me. My bike lay in lane turned 180 degrees, and since it's really, really dark, one guy almost hit it. Then everyone started stopping and freaking out because a motorcycle lay in the road clearly cream-crackered. But I was waving from the side of the road, big fat helmet on. That seemed to make people happy.
[cream-crackered: An Irish guy with an Irish accent comes into the restaurant I work in and always says fantastic things. once we asked how he was, and he said he was exhausted, just absolutely cream-crackered. You can use the word if you like.]
So, here's the thing: I probably owe 3500 dollars on my motorcylce, and I think the Actual Cash Value is more like 2000. It's a 2008 Hyosung Aquila GV250, just a little guy. It was in fantastic condition, and I'm pretty bumbed at the idea of maybe only getting paid 2000 dollars, leaving me 1500 in debt and without a motorcycle. Is there a way I can avoid this?
Also, I may not be able to work next friday and saturday (I was on my way home from work tonight - I work 75 miles away at two restaurants). First, I may not have vehicle. I have a car, but the check engine light is on and i'm trying to sell it and the engine feels like it's about to explode sometimes.
But mostly, at the restaurants I work at, I need a lot, a lot of finger, thumb, and hand strength. I can type just fine. This doesnt hurt at all. but stretching my hand to hold a tray of food, or gripping a plate, sounds impossible. I need to go to work, because in the two days I make about 450 (made 450 between tonight and last night - or that is all day today and all day yesterday).
I've heard I might be able to get my missed workdays paid for. Is that true?
Last, if I go to a doctor or something, will they really pay for it? How sure are you?
I'm ethically uncomfortable with attempting to squeeze the system for money or anything. I do want to make sure I am compensated to the degree that I deserve, exactly, and not less.
That's all, thanks.
Oh, and, I have a running joke with my atheist friends about these sort of things. My friend got in a massive car accident three weeks ago in which no one was injured badly. His mormon mom said "Someone was looking out for you!" And he told her "If God's way of looking out for me is clipping my tire and ramming me headon into a meadian at 75 miles per hour, he can go f*** himself." I just think it's funny that when really bad things happen, but the results are not as bad as they could have been, we all thank god. WTF? So when this happened I texted my buddy and said "Motorcycle totaled, other guys fault, me just minor bruises. Someone is definitely looking out for me."
So, I may laugh when you comment that "You're lucky!" since I think there is better luck in this world than being thrown off a motorcycle. BUT, I understand the spirit of such comments and will thus happily accept them, if they are a little ironic.
Thanks, support group.
BTW, BAC = 0.00, both parties. Cop asked if we'd had any to drink, and I said, chirpily, "Yeah, had 1 drink after work at 11:00." Then when he tested me with a breathalizer and I was 0.00 he says, "First person to ever tell the truth about 1 drink." I wanted to say "I'm a democrat, and an atheist, so keep that in mind." But I didn't. I just don't like lying.
[edit] it's almost 6 AM, I need to go to bed, but I'd really appreciate any advice and will read it all tomorrow.
Update [2009-7-4 15:4:9 by danceattakjg]:
Thanks all, I really appreciate the comments. They are quite helpful. A bit of bad news in that my policy's motorcycle claim people won't be in till monday. Woke up feeling about like I'd think, pain in legs, one extra cut I hadn't seen on my thumb, slightly tight back (like I just spent a day snowboarding but didn't have any major falls), and a tiny bit emotionally shaken.
I think I will head to an instacare and get my wrists checked out and everything.
For the record, I was wearing those rinky dink basketball shorts and a short sleeve polo when I wrecked. That's one way I could limit risk if I ever get on a bike again.
My instinct is that I will ride my bike again, because it's a really important part of my life. But I'm terrified about taking my wife on it now. That's practically our favorite activity. :(
Lastly, I think that I may have been helped out by the fact that I've done a lot of extremely aggressive snowboarding. I used to throw flips over 75 foot table tops. And I can do a running front flip on flat ground. That's exactly what this felt like. Even though I was in adrenaline mode, I noticed that feeling of being inverted, and I felt myself tuck to make it to my feet on landing and roll on the landing. Mostly I think I was lucky that I somehow popped up really HIGH in the air instead of flying forward very much. That's why I only rolled forward a little when I landed.
All in all, I feel about like I used to after a lacrosse game.
Update [2009-7-4 15:4:9 by danceattakjg]:
Doc took x rays of my wrists and hands, no breaks. I'm in a brace now which is making typing hard. Doc thinks I'm in good shape.
Thank you all for your support. This Community never lets me down.