I got a chance to test out my motorcycle helmet yesterday. Score – Doug 1 Pigeons 0. Well, mostly.
I was zipping along Hwy 520 on my way to work, travelling (please pay careful attention to the wording here) along with the flow of traffic which happened to be about 70 mph, when all of the sudden I see a pigeon coming right at me! There wasn’t even a chance to avoid the collision. All I could do was duck. (No pun intended or attempted)
Fortunately the pigeon hit the windshield first before slamming in to my helmet. The windshield broke down towards the base and has a white powder-like residue and scratches on it where the pigeon hit. The top of the helmet is covered in the same white powder-like material with the outline of a wing tip in it! An air vent sliding-cover was askew, easily snapped back in place, and there are scratches from a beak or claws, but otherwise the helmet is OK.
Immediately after the impact, which was at the left temple – I felt pain in my right temple. I slowed down, surveyed the windshield damage, and decided to go on. By time I got to work I just “felt funny”. Not disoriented or sick, just funny. Then I found as I was working on spreadsheets or completing forms it took more effort to decide where to click or what to do next when these were routine things I was working on. A little dizziness now and again, but nothing major. I just felt “off”. As the morning progressed the right side of my neck began to ache and get stiff.
I called this 800-number nurse hotline (No honey, I didn’t say that I called a hot nurse…) and after a series of questions she recommended I at least go get checked out. So I finished a few tasks, had one more meeting that was on my calendar and headed out. Yes, of course I was on the motorcycle! The windshield snapped just above a clamp that holds on a side piece. I was able to snap the top piece back in to the clamp and it seems to be holding. Although, without a doubt it won’t withstand another pigeon collision! Time for a new one.
The doctor examined me and took three x-rays of my neck. He concluded I have a mild concussion and cervical strain (caused by whiplash). In fact I looked up cervical strain online when I got home and the picture they show of the straightening of the lordotic curve was exactly like the x-ray! The neck has a natural curve, but mine was straight as a result of the muscles spasms caused by the whiplash. The doc says this is what caused the pain in the right temple – the whiplash in the neck radiated up to my right temple. And the concussion, well it’s just making me expend more energy on staying focused and concentrating…
The effects of the concussion will slowly wear off over the next two weeks. In the meantime, no jigsaw puzzles or crossword puzzles. He says studies have proven that concussions heal faster if you “rest the brain”. Guess I’ll get back to my Alzheimer fighting tactics in a few weeks. The whiplash will potentially get worse before getting better, but within a month I should be fine.
AND payment for these medical services? Covered as a MVA (motor vehicle accident)! As I was filling out the form I had to answer questions about the “other car”. Year, make and model? It was a pigeon. How fast was the other vehicle traveling? I don’t know – maybe 5 mph – it was a pigeon. Was anyone in the other vehicle injured? It was a pigeon folks!
But what fun with people… I told a couple of people I was taking off to go to the doctor because I hit a pigeon on the way to work and their reply was, “Yeah, and my dog ate my homework.” I get to the doctor’s office, the nurse calls my name and as I am walking up to her, she gets this crooked grin on her face and says, “A pigeon, huh?” The “MVA lady” says, “Good for you! We have way too many pigeons.” And my insurance agent, who is also my nephew, has a new story to add to his store of stories, saying, “Nope, haven’t heard this one before. And probably never will again,” as he busts out laughing.
So that was my Thursday. How was your Thursday?
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