Sunday, February 23, 2003

Dave and I were excited about the prospect of showing August the new technical trails we had found on Vedder Ridge, and when Saturday night finally came we packed up our gear, loaded our quads onto Dave's new 14-foot trailer, and headed out to meet August at Chilliwack Lake, where we'd be spending the night in his cabin. There is no telephone service at the cabin; we tried calling August via VHF radio on the Sumas ham repeater, but it required a sub-audible tone for access and Dave couldn't remember how to set the tones in his radio (lol!). I finally called August on the repeater output, and had him switch to a simplex frequency.

We stopped for fuel at the usual Petro-Can in Sardis (69.9/litre), and grabbed a quick dinner at McDonald's after calling August on the VHF to see if he wanted anything. We stayed up chatting about ATV's, accessories, and trails until the wee hours, then finally went to sleep while my Coleman Black Cat indoor/outdoor propane heater kept the cabin temperature above freezing.

We woke a little late; Dave whipped up a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs on English muffins, and we eventually hit the trails on Vedder Ridge. We took August through the trench trail; August had been on this trail with us the first time we ran it in the other direction, so it was a good warm-up for the new trails we were planning on running. The trench is always good for a few photos, as it requires slow going, one quad at a time. One tight, off-camber spot wanted to direct each of us into a tree, so we took turns helping each other out by pushing and pulling sideways on the front rack of the quads to squeak past. A light dusting of snow lay on the ground in the shaded areas of the north slope; even though the sun was bright, it was still a bit cold out.

We eventually popped out onto the ring road, and soon came to the yellow gate on the cell-site road. Some MORON had bashed the gate down with a truck, and it was lying at the side of the trail, bent and scraped, with a piece of plastic grille close by. Like I've said in a previous trip report, this gate is NEVER LOCKED, so there was absolutely no reason to destroy it. Do you wonder why all the trails close to cities get closed to motorized recreation? This is a prime example. We took some photos and continued on.

At the access to the next area, we found a little Ford Ranger 4x4 with its hood up, and it's two occupants kind of standing around. We stopped to see if they required any assistance, but the replied that they were fine and were just adding oil or something to that effect. We took the turn and headed up the trail; from here on in, it was all new terrain for August.

We started off with Loop #1; a right turn off the main trail quickly led us to an off-camber hill climb. Dave, knowing it was a somewhat difficult climb, told August to watch him to see the correct line. Dave made it up without any problems; then it was my turn. I almost made it to the top, then got too far to the left and rolled my quad onto it's left side. I was able to jump out of the way in time, and held onto the handlebars to prevent it from going all the way over. Gasoline was starting to run out the vent tube as the three of us hoisted the quad sideways for a better position, then tipped it back onto its tires. I did a quick check; no damage, due in part to the flexible plastic fender flares. Of course, August had no problems here, having now seen both how to do it, and how not to do it.

The next obstacle was an off-camber turn to the right, starting into a small climb at a T intersection. The last time Dave was here, he started leaning to the left and used his left hand to push against a tree to keep him on all fours. This time, he had no trouble. I was doing fine, until I stalled my engine, and then I couldn't get it restarted. Actually, the starter wouldn't even turn over, and the gear-indicator lights were not lit on the instrument cluster. Hmm. Sometimes this happens if I'm not properly in gear, so I tried shifting into gear, neutral, reverse, etc., and still no lights and no start. My quad was more or less stable, so I unloaded the carry bag from the front rack, and popped the fuse panel. Ah ha! Blown 10A engine fuse. According to the cover, there was a location for a spare fuse... which was empty. Doh! However, I did have a 10A fuse in the "accessory" location, which was not being used. I swapped the fuse over, and the quad started up.

We decided to have lunch here, so we moved our quads to the side of the trail in case other trail users happened on by. A lone dirt-bike rider came up from the T, and asked us where the trail went. We told him that he was 30 feet from the main trail in the direction we were heading, but he could take the cool little loop we had just done if he went in the other direction. He took the loop. We finished our lunch, then travelled the remaining 30 feet, and dropped down the 2-foot ledge back to the main trail.

We headed further up the trail to Loop #2, the main technical loop that we showed Jeremy and Maliya last time. We had no trouble at all throughout the entire loop, and August really enjoyed it. I checked out an alternative exit, but a rather large ice-covered puddle stood between me and the main trail, and when I tried to check the depth by throwing a rock into it, the rock only cracked the ice and remained stuck halfway through. Not knowing the depth of the puddle and the mud below, I elected to turn around. Yeah, I'm a chicken sometimes!

We then went further down the main trail to check out an area we had turned around at before. When Dave and I were out a couple of weeks ago, it was just after sunset and we had found a really steep, long climb, with a deep "V" worn into the center of the trail by dirtbikes. Because it was dark, and was difficult to see the terrain, we had decided to turn around. Now looking at it in the light, it didn't look much better! Dave had gone up first, and over the radio said "Give'er all the way up, and don't let off the throttle!". August went up next, leaning as far forward as he could. As I entered started into it, I had a brief thought flash through my mind: "I'm not comfortable with this trail."

The climb got really steep really quickly, and I leaned as far forward over the handlebars as I could. As I reached the 3/4 mark, I found myself too far to the left; the right tires slid into the V, I felt the front end lift up, and suddenly found myself thrown off the back of the quad. I hit the ground on my back, saw the dark mass of the quad falling down towards me for a split second, threw up my arms and tucked in my knees in an attempt to stop the quad from hitting my body, and in that split second before contact, I remember thinking that I might be dead in about one second, as we've all read about people getting killed when their quads fall on them, then WHAM, all 550+ pounds of quad and gear struck my chest (that's a lot of stuff for one sentence, but that's what was running through my mind at the time). I heard a crack as something broke, then I was tumbling down the hill, the quad cartwheeling right beside me. I remember thinking "I'm still alive!", and also "I hope it doesn't hit me a second time". I ended up lying face down, with the most INTENSE pain I had ever felt in the right side of my chest. I gasped for air, but was unable to take a deep breath. I was yelling in pain, and managed to roll onto my back. Still unable to take a deep breath, so I was trying to take lots of little breaths in-between the yelling. A bit of panic was setting in; the pain was incredible, and I kept trying to take deep breaths which only made it hurt more. I could feel broken ribs clunking and scraping against each other during every breath and movement. After what seemed like several minutes but was really only a few seconds, Dave and August ran up to assist.

Afterwards, Dave told me that the quad actually struck me twice. It first hit me on the helmet, which I don't remember, and he said I didn't look too bad. When he saw the quad hit me hard the second time, his first thought was "I hope he's going to be okay!". Then when he saw the quad bouncing and cartwheeling down the hill, he thought "I hope his quad's going to be okay!". Then as I lay on the ground yelling in pain, he thought "Crap, how are we going to get him out?" He said it looked pretty freaky, seeing the quad hit the ground, bounce, turn several times in the air, hit the ground and bounce again, turn several times in the air again, all the way to the bottom. And after seeing my X-rays at the hospital, he said he didn't sleep at all that night.

I was still yelling because the pain was so bad, but in between I managed to tell them that I think I broke a rib or two. They propped me up, and once I was in an upright position I was able to calm down a bit and regulate my breathing, taking little breaths while gritting my teeth. I had my left hand pressed against my chest beneath my right arm; I could feel the movement as the ribs shifted with every breath, feeling the clunking of the bones as the broken edges grated each other, and thought "This can't be good!". Dave, who has his OFA certification, grabbed his first-aid kit and removed my jacket. He wrapped my chest with a tensor bandage and a triangular bandage to help prevent movement, and checked me out for other injuries. At the time, I couldn't feel anything but the pain from the ribs.

They got me over to a nearby log, where I could sit down in a more comfortable position. I spotted my quad at the bottom of the hill, off in the bushes straddling another log, and commented that it was nice that it had landed on its tires. I could see little bits of smashed plastic littering the trail, and realized that it was the remains of my instrument cluster. My carry bag and its contents were also strewn along the trail.

After making sure that I was stabilized, Dave and August gathered up my belongings, and loaded them onto their quads. They checked out my quad; it started! Good old Arctic Cat. They decided that they'd evac me, then come back for my quad. How to get me out? Thinking that riding on a quad would be too difficult, we tried walking. I took about four stumbling steps on the uneven terrain, ribs clunking and grinding, and had to sit down. Just standing was painful, and walking was definitely not an option. We were 10 km's from the trucks and the trailhead, darkness was fast approaching, and the temperature was falling quickly as the sun disappeared. We decided to see how I fared on the back of Dave's quad; somehow they put me on and Dave slowly piloted his quad back along the trail, trying to avoid any bumps and sudden movement. I could feel my ribs shifting on every tiny rock on the trail, every dip, every bump, and every corner. I gripped Dave's shoulders as he hunched forward, using his back to press against my chest to provide some support. We finally reached the main trail, and Dave stopped to give me his balaclava to help reduce the wind chill on my face and neck. My right hand was so cold I was no longer able to grip Dave's shoulder, so I wrapped my forearm around his chest to hold myself in place. Once we arrived at the ring road, Dave opened up the throttle and we flew down the road towards the trucks as fast as safely possible.

During times of extreme stress, it can be difficult to think clearly. Yasu said that Dave and August shouldn't have left me alone for any length of time, as something might have happened to me. While he's probably correct, I'm happy that they decided to retrieve my quad from the bush when they did, so that it wouldn't get stolen. I'd be quite upset if I not only broke my ribs, but also lost my quad.

They put me in the passenger seat of August's 4Runner, started the engine and cranked the heat. They loaded Dave's quad onto his trailer, and took August's quad back up to retrieve my quad. Dave said that it was creepy going back, as they returned to the scene and barely made out my lone quad sitting in the darkness. Dave said that all the puddles we had ridden through on the way down had already frozen over. They returned 45 minutes later, and loaded August's quad on his trailer, and my quad onto Dave's trailer. We were finally under way, and August used his cell phone to call Chilliwack General Hospital for directions. I had found a somewhat comfortable position, and was doing my best to not move while August took the corners.

We arrived at the emergency ward, and August went to get somebody to help get me out of the 4Runner. He returned with a wheelchair, and said that they had told him that if we required help they'd have to call an ambulance. After several minutes of great effort, I was able to exit the 4Runner, and finally sit down in the wheelchair. Quite painful. August wheeled me inside, where the receptionist took my info. Dave had been outside securing the quads, and rejoined us shortly after the nurses had placed me in a bed.

They gave me an injection to take the edge off of the pain and took some X-rays. I had to lie down for one of the X-rays; that was EXTREMELY painful. As I sat in the X-ray room, I heard somebody in the next room say "Naaasty!!" as he looked at my X-rays. Great. After they wheeled me back into the emergency ward, the doctor came by and said something like "I have some bad news." (just the thing I wanted to hear). "You have six fractured ribs, and two of them have flail sections. You also have a contused lung." A flail section means that the bone has been broken twice, leaving a section to float freely. I remember him saying something about some fluid in my lungs, but don't remember exactly what it was about. They ended up putting an epidural in my back; this was a needle into my spine that continuously fed me a narcotic to dull the pain and numb only the affected area of my chest (pretty neat). I remember that the doctor found the "exact" spot on the fourth try, but once the painkiller kicked in, I knew it was worth all the jabbing. :) They also attached an IV to the back of my left hand to supply fluids, and attached a clear tube to my nostrils to supply oxygen. I was then taken upstairs to a room, where I'd spend the next six days.

They wanted to do an ultrasound on me in the morning, so I wasn't permitted any food or drink, other than small sips of water. I wasn't able to lift my head or my right arm to reach the cup, so a nurse got a straw with an elbow-bend and held the cup close enough for me to get some water into my mouth. The epidural was doing its job, and I was able to lie down without feeling too much pain, although I really couldn't move. A nurse came in every hour to check my blood pressure, oxygen level, pulse, and pain level. Apparently I wasn't getting enough air into my right lung, so they encouraged me to breathe deeply as much as possible. When I was lying down, I could hear fluid in my lungs "crackling" while inhaling if I wasn't breathing deeply. I finally got my ultrasound around noon the next day, and was then allowed to have something to eat. Which was "clear fluids" only. *sigh* Eventually they allowed me to have "full fluids" and then finally solid food. I'd always heard that "hospital food" was horrid, but I have to say that the food here was pretty good.

Due to the epidural-fed narcotics, I was able to fall asleep very easily. X-rays in the morning, and more sleep during the day. On the second night, I noticed that my right wrist was quite sore, and that my fingers to my elbow felt continuously cold to the touch. They X-rayed my hand and arm during the next day's X-rays. Apparently, I sprained my right wrist, probably when I had my hands up to try to stop the ATV from hitting me. The doctor said I had probably pinched a nerve, which was causing the cold sensation to my fingers, hand, and forearm. The next day I noticed some deep gouging on the lower portion of my left leg; it looked like I had hit a few rocks on the way down. And the next day, I started noticing bruises that were showing up; I had numerous bruises on my legs, and one REALLY huge bruise that, over the course of a few days, eventually spread from my armpit to my waist, and started to wrap itself around the front of stomach. Looking at the initial bruise pattern and the fractures, I think the end of the handlebar and the brake lever struck my chest, punching out two sections of ribs and fracturing the others, with the entire weight of the quad behind it. Ow. I also noticed clicking in my shoulders. One interesting side-effect was that I'd fall asleep for a few seconds, then suddenly wake as my leg, arm, both arms, or sometimes entire body twitched in an effort to stop the quad from falling on me "again"; this was occuring several times a night. A few friends and family members stopped by, and since everyone knew about my sweet tooth, I had a pretty good stash of candy, cookies, and chocolate in short order. Unfortunately, I didn't have an appetite for it, so I got to look at it for a few days. :(

Since I was drinking lots of water and milk, they removed the IV from my hand. The entire back of my hand was quite tender by then, and pulling off the clear tape was quite painful, although pulling out the needle was not. By now, I was feeling pretty good, and doing some limited walking around the room and the ward, with my IV rack in tow. Then they decided to remove the epidural. Once the narcotic wore off, I was in a world of pain again. Not nearly as bad as when I first arrived, but very noticeable. They gave me a few different painkillers to see what worked the best; the MSIR (morphine) tablets didn't do much for me, and we eventally settled on Tylenol 3's; two pills every four hours. Have you seen the movie "The Fast and the Furious"? Vin Diesel's character said "I live my life a quarter mile at a time". Well, my life is "The Slow and the Painful", and I live my life 4 hours at a time. I just lay in bed, watching the clock, waiting for the next time I could have more painkillers.

Thanks to everyone who helped me through this adventure, especially to Ryan and Cindy for taking me in for a week after I left the hospital, and to all the wonderful staff at Chilliwack General Hospital who made my stay almost painless.

Saturday finally rolled around, and they figured I was in good enough shape to leave. I wasn't as confident, but in retrospect, getting out of the hospital environment was a good thing. I phoned Ryan to come pick me up; he brought me to his house, and he and his wife invited me to stay until I was well enough to look after myself. I actually stayed there until Sunday, March 9 (yesterday), and decided that I felt good enough to go home. It felt like a month had passed, but it was only two weeks. I still can't cough, laugh, sneeze, or breathe too deeply, but I'm in a lot less pain than before, and I can feel myself improving every day. Getting out of bed is still a little painful, and whenever I move, lean, or reach in the wrong direction I can feel a sharp pain in my ribs. My right arm is quite weak, and has almost no lifting power. My right hand, fingers, and forearm are still cold. I can't lift anything heavy. My back gets sore quickly from sitting or standing, and I have to rest frequently. Looking in the mirror, I can see a dent in my chest where a section of rib is supposed to be. Sometimes I can go for long periods without feeling any pain in my ribs, sometimes I experience general soreness in the area, and sometimes I can feel continuous movement of the rib sections as I breathe or move. Most of the bruising has disappeared. The clicking in my shoulders is still there. I still wake up once or twice a night when my leg, arm, or entire body twitches, as my mind sub-consciously plays back the moments when the quad was falling on me.

Damage to the quad includes a smashed instrument cluster, bent front rack, bent rear rack, bent rifle mount bracket, broken brake lever, broken cable for rear brake light, and tweaked handlebars. The whole quad looks twisted, but it seems to ride okay. Damage to clothes includes a smashed helmet visor, scrape marks and chunks of paint removed from the back of my helmet, ripped Gore-Tex jacket and pants, and ripped left boot. All things considered, I was quite lucky and it could have been worse. When I'm ready to ride again, I'm going to buy a chest protector like the ones the dirt-bikers wear.

That's a question that a lot of people have asked me; am I going to ride again. Yes, I am. Maybe not that particular hill though. :)

An examination of my quad showed that my engine is located well to the rear of the frame, and there's actually a large empty section beneath the gas tank, between the engine and the oil cooler. Dave and August's Hondas have their engines located more centrally, which means their weight distribution is better. We think that the additional weight at the rear of my quad contributed to the mishap, and that in order for me to have made it up the hill I'd have to be basically standing on my rear rack and placing as much of my body forward over the handlebars as possible. I think I just need more seat time.

The reason I unlocked the door in advance was in case I had to call 9-1-1 and was unable to get to the door. Which was a good thing, because that's exactly what happened. The cellular phone allowed me to make the call without leaving the bed. The wallet had my ID and CareCard in it, and I was able to hand the key to a Paramedic so that he could lock my front door when we left.

Update: Mar 20 - I was just released from Lions Gate Hospital this morning. On Monday evening (Mar 17), I noticed a bit of soreness in the muscles below my right ribs, and I noted that a couple of the lower ribs were tender. Around midnight, I had a severe muscle spasm for about 20 seconds that was extremely painful (like an extended muscle cramp, but worse); I wasn't able to breathe except in small gasps. After the spasm was finished, my muscles remained tensed for several minutes before they finally relaxed. By 03:00h, every time I used those muscles, ie. leaning, bending, standing up, sitting down, or extending my right arm out to the right side, it would cause a severe spasm, and I couldn't move before the muscles relaxed or I'd get another spasm. I rested in a chair until 05:00h, trying to not move, then I decided to lay down to see if it would help, but thinking ahead, I unlocked my front door, and put my cellular phone, wallet, and keys in the pocket of my shorts, and wore my shorts to bed. It took me about 45 minutes to get from my sitting position to lying flat on the bed. When I was lying down, I noted that I was feeling a continuous pain in my right chest and stomach area, and that I could only take shallow breaths. I waited for a while until I determined that I wasn't getting any better, and that breathing was getting progressively more difficult. I also discovered that I couldn't get out of bed, as any movement requiring my stomach muscles would trigger an intense muscle spasm. I finally gave in around 08:00h, and called 9-1-1 with my cell phone, requesting an ambulance to take me to the hospital. I spent two days and nights in the hospital, mostly in a wheelchair because it was more comfortable than the bed, since I wasn't able to lie down. They gave me a CT scan and an X-ray, and other than the ribs still being fractured, said there was nothing noticeably wrong. The CT scan was quite painful; I had to be on my back for about 10 minutes, and of course my muscles were spasming the whole time, and I could hardly breathe. I was released in the morning of the third day (today). The spasms finally did subside around 05:00h this morning; most likely due to the anti-spasm medication they gave me (apo-cyclobenzaprine for the medics reading this!). I can still feel a spasm wanting to start if I move the wrong way, so I guess I'll be taking the medication for at least a few more days.

Photos by Greg, August, and Terry.

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