Your Stories

Massive and extensive brain damage

MARK RAYMOND

Now where do I start, I guess the date is as good as anything?

April 27th 1985, I was 21 I had recently bought a CX500 (no don't stop reading) to use as a ride to work bike. I lived about 45 miles from work and used the infamous Winchester bypass (now laid to rest), so it seemed an ideal commuter bike, leaving my Eddie Lawson replica at home to rest up for the following Sunday's Bimble.

O.K. Back to the main event, I had left a friend's bike shop with a mate to look at a 1920-something Scott, he was interested in buying. We were going along a regular route, which has a pub (and of course a pub car park), now this is where my memory of events is no more. I have now to relay what I've been told, apparently a car (mark - 1 Capri for those still reading) came out of the pub car park in front of yours truly. Now I obviously braked (********hard), lost the front end of the bike which went the sensible way and headed for the grass, but silly me had to go the other way into the path of an M.G. Oddly, the guy driving the M.G. was surprised when faced with a bloke dressed in leathers flying towards him, doing an impression of an Olympic diver and heading for his bumper (apparently I put a small dent in it and I still feel guilty about that).

At this point Mr. Crapi (oops) pulled over and said "I just stopped to see if I could help" Luckily another friends wife had seen most of what happened, being a couple of cars behind the poor sod driving the M.G. She called for the light brigade they arrived breathalysed Mr. Crapi (oops done it again), twice over the limit!
Me, well I was no help at all just lay there gurgling to myself red stuff coming from just about every hole. About three weeks later after some crazy dreams and partial awareness, I sort of came to. I couldn't move or speak but I was aware of things.

Now began the very long road back. Injuries? Well, a punctured left lung burst both eardrums with major damage to the right ear, fractured ribs, fractured skull and best of all massive and extensive brain damage. I am left with all the disabilities of a left sided stroke victim, little use of my left arm, poor walking and very poor balance.

Spent ten years suing Mr. Alcoholforbrains' insurance company.

What happened to Mr. Crapi (their I go again)? Does a £150 fine and an 18-month ban sound fair, well that's what he got? And me well I'm doing Life with my remodelled brain.

After all this 'normal' people would never want to look at another bike, but if you are reading this then you too like me are not 'normal'. Instead we all share the same passion and I don't know what makes us like it, but I'm damn glad to have it.

Anyway when I could start to get around again (about a year), I started to get this desire to be back on two wheels so over the last 15 years I've tried fast cars, I tried Jet-ski's, I even tried a Honda 400 auto, but with poor balance every time I stopped or slowed to walking pace it was the old story of bike meets tarmac, tarmac meets bike and they have a passionate affair leaving me rolling round the floor expressing myself, er ... rudely.

Then I saw a Trike. I had always thought of these contraptions as something a Hells Angel might ride, and I didn't quite think of myself in those terms. I then joined the N.A.B.D. read Open House, bought a copy of B.S.H. I realised that I was being dumb (nothing new there) so I set out looking for a cheapish Trike to try.

An add in Open House came to the rescue, Honda 400 auto trike for sale. It belonged to the Dorset Rep: Terry Poole. I hitched up my wife's horse trailer booked my ferry (I now live on the Isle of Wight) and headed for deepest darkest Dorset. Terry and I came to an agreement on price and it was mine! I rode it all through last summer, loved every bone-jarring minute (hard-tail). I then started, as you do, to hanker (no hanker) after just a tad more power, only a smidge you realise. I now have a V-max trike, pictured here, but that's another story.