Your mom called, and wanted me to remind you to wear your helmet!

[~tb]

Alright BOL folks. Pull out all those tiny violins.

I managed to crash off the trail somehow on Saturday and end up in the woods. Grade 2 to grade 3 concussion depending on who's scale you use. Still no recolection of 20 hours before or 10 thereafter. Most of January is cloudy at best.

No I do not know what happened
Yes I was wearing my helmet
Yes I was riding alone
I witness reports don't make sense to me

Long story short, ride with a friend, and wear a helmet, no if's and's or buts.

If we spoke in the month of January and there was no written record, please assume it didn't take place.

Be safe out there!

[kieran]

tb and his TBI, bad stuff. side-on impact?

got any pics of your helmet, which we trust is being replaced?

[Titan]

Sorry to hear about you jostling your brain,TB. I knocked myself out-cold two years back in the terrain-park on a Prior 181 WCR(alcohol may have been involved)....I had a killer headache for a week straight,so I'm assuming I had some sort of concussion.Anyway,My doting mother buys me a helmet last Xmas that I won't wear due to poor fit.I really have to stop talking about it and just buy one I like.I make my two kids wear 'em while skiing......time to stop being a hypocrite and find one that fits my noodle.

[dingbat]

Just to catch you up:

Most of January sucked anyway.
The Pats are going to the Superbowl.

Glad you're still with us.

[ZetaTre]

I witness reports don't make sense to me

You were a witness to your own crash and can't make sense of the report?








Glad you're ok!!!!

[darko714]

I defiantly resisted helmets until three years ago. I was bombing full tilt off a steep section and encountered some unseen rollers that were washed out in blinding sunlight. Caught the front edge and whipsawed into the hardpack in a classic faceplant. I laid there seeing stars for a few seconds. I sat up and passed the head trauma orientation test administered by my girlfriend and continued riding. My skull had served as an adequate helmet, but on the way home I stopped and bought me a proper helmet.

[Tugboater]

I'm glad you're ok. I blasted myself in the bumps when I got back on the board and had the tail kick out just as I went over a mogul, the first thing to hit the ground was my cheek. I was out for about 20 min and I recall having some weird visions. Afterwards I had to drive myself home after a chat with ski patrol. It's my worst injury so far on a board but that's not from a lack of trying.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

TB, sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you are not more seriously injured. It is not over. Ask your family and friends to keep an eye on you for a while. Months from now, if you find you have issues (anger, lack of concentration, forgetfullnes) don't try to hide it or blow it off. Let your Dr. know. Either that or you are just a grumpy old dummy. (like me)

[~tb]

tb and his TBI, bad stuff. side-on impact?

got any pics of your helmet, which we trust is being replaced?

I have absolutely no recollection of what happened at all. Completely blank. Dont remember getting dressed, getting to the hill, the lift up, the run, the conditions. . .not a thing.

I have a primal need to know what happened.

The helmet shows almost no wear. I think I might take it apart tomorrow as my neurologist is encouraging me NOT to work.

Regardless, as I am a safety first kind of person, yes, the helmet will be replaced before I am allowed back on the hill.

[fishrising]

Todd, glad it wasn't any worse and hope you have a speedy recovery and get back on the hill soon.

Good advice above on having family and friends keep a close eye on mood swings, irritability, forgetfulness, etc (at least any change from the normal TB), and report it to your doc.

[big mario]

+1 on what Bryan said, especially the anger part. I was not myself for a long time after my head shot, then one day about 6 mos later, I let a really good sarcastic zinger fly at a coworker and knew I was back to normal. I still have no recollection of what happened 4 years later, other than what I was able to piece together from misc. bumps, bruises and broken equipment.
mario

[Gcarve]

I'm glad you're ok ~tb. I can't imagine how much worse it might have been if hadn't been wearing a helmet.
I am a little amazed at my own stupidity, and the fact that at the age of 54, I just started wearing a helmet at the end of last season.

[csquared]

and I mean that literally. I did the same thing a number of years ago (or at least I am told I did something very similar but I have lost about 3 - 4 minutes of memory permanently). Fortunately there were witnesses to tell me what happened. Unfortunately, one of them was my wife. So I do know that I tackled a large maple tree but, curiously, there was very minor damage to my helmet. I sustained a broken collar bone but did not determine this for 2 weeks after. My Coiler was also a casualty, oddly losing all its camber (I mean absolutely flat) and becoming unridable in the process.

I continue to be an advocate for helmets. This could happen to anyone and the head trauma could be much much worse than just a concussion and some memory loss. If don't already ride with one, stop making excuses and get one.

[powdahbonz]

The great news is you're alive and will get better, the good news is that you can always ride next year and to everyone's points here, don't ignore odd behavior and rush to do anything that you're not ready for. Been here-knocked out cold, in a helmet, didn't acknowledge signs and have some definite blank spots that are gone forever. Thankful for the helmet and won't ride or ski without one. Hope you take it easy and get back on snow soon.

[icebiker]

Tb, glad you're ok, and sorry for your (memory) loss.

One other thing for us to keep in mind is that if your helmet's been hit hard, even if damage isn't visible to the shell or inside, it should be replaced. I just bought my son a new one after a spill he took in which his helmet saved his noggin. Ditto with my bike helmet, just replaced it the other day after one too many whacks.

[orser506]

At least once helmet saved my life , slid into a tree last year and caved in 3 day old helmet . Never leave home without it

[davekempmeister]

watching someone scorpion and heel-side edge strike the back of their own head was enough to send me to the shoppe for a helmet (12 years now, maybe)

[BlueB]

Hey, I'm glad you are in one piece!

Helmet is a must!

After few decades without concussions, I had 4 last spring/summer, every next one was worse then previous, nausea for few days, headaches, yet no memory loss.
First 2 were in the spring, on snowboard riding switch in bad snow, with helmet. Then in the summer, my little son jumped into water head-to-head onto me. He came out unsheaken, but almost drown me... Last one was a weird slip getting into a car on rain-flooded street. Big bang to the head, knee, elbow and dent in the car!
Headache still visits every now and then...

[Dusty Bottle]

~tb
- Glad you're ok!

I just related a similar, although seemingly not as serious, accident I had this last Saturday on the YO LCI! thread. I was only unconscience for a few seconds and lost only a little of my memory of the day, but the whole weekend is blurry and still have a ringing inmy ears.

Our helmets may have very well saved our lives!

No violins, just empathy!

I've been riding motorcycles for over 40 years (raced 20+) and seeing first-hand numerous lives saved by helmets, I'll never ride without one! Snow or asphalt!

Hope you feel better soon!
James

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulleti...postcount=1981

[jp1]

Todd, sorry to hear. Take Care and heal well, hoping you are back to 100% soon...

[slopestar]

Ouch... I have been wearing a brain bucket since 95'. A skate helmet but a helmet none the less. Bono and Kennedy ate trees the following years. I have never "needed" mine but have always forgotten it was on moments after strapping the chin. I have seen many who wished they had done the same, a couple post-mortem. Glad to hear you were not picking up gray matter. I upgraded to a Ruroc full face this season but it had a defect and is under warranty. Wear protection, even on the hill

[John E]

We'd all like to think that helmets make us unbreakable. Unfortunately as your episode shows, they do not.

There are riders that wear helmets religiously and those that refuse to. No amount of information will convert them.

I never want to say "I wish I had been wearing my helmet".

Heal fast and completely.

[sic t 2]

you know, I always explain to the non-helmet mindset that you don't wear a helmet to save your head, you wear it to save your arms. I get that puzzled look, of course.... Then explain that when you catch your back edge and you know you are going to take a massive head shot, with a helmet you just grimace,,,, without a helmet you instinctively stick an arm behind you to protect your head. And then you have broken bones or a dislocated shoulder and your season(s) are done.

of course a helmet lets you ride so much faster too. its way better than fresh wax

[skatha]

On Sept. 9, we were camping in Sam Houston state park, just north of Helltown...Sam Houston has lots of pine trees but it's pretty flat. After Sam and I had spent about 3 hours kayaking around the lake, we headed back and I told my Nintendo DS playing kids to do something. Tim got on his bike to go biking with Sam while I decided to start dinner. I had forgotten to bring the helmets but Sam assured me he was going to stick to some easy flat trails. Needless to say, Tim hit a root and careened into a tree and had to sit out the rest of football season because he'd fractured his skull....and, yes, we drove him to the ER after packing up camp because I, with my medical training, ATLS, 10 years ER experience and 22 years total medical experience, thought he just had a concussion....(this is a reference to the Sugarloaf widow's experience with the EMTs and clinic personnel-it can happen anywhere)

[k2slopesurfer]

Last January I decided to meet up with a new local buddy and road trip up to Beech Mountain. It was my first day on snow last season, and my last. I hit a little roller in a snowblower fog and dug the nose in some softish manmade. I face planted with my helmet and some huge goggles and still managed to split the skin on my right temple. Or so my buddy tells me. I remember nothing of that day, except when he dropped me off to my partner 9+ hours after my accident. 4 hours in er, 2 cat scans, and 3.5 hr drive home, plus the time it took ski patrol after I snowboarded to my car and asked him who the heck he was!

I apparently cracked up the patrollers, and the er staff, and later the 2nd er staff because apparently me with a head injury is like a drunken comedienne (after I got home and hours later couldn't stop vomiting, I got to have a third CT, and told the nurse that not only was it not my first time, but that I am a certified ski AND snowboard instructor...)

Diagnosis: Grade 2+ concussion (would have been 3 but no LOC)
initially told no physical activity for 3 days, and no activity in which i could sustain even a slight knock to the head for 2-3 weeks after cessation of symptoms. That turned out to be 3 months, because I had headaches, don't remember the 2 weeks following the accident, and had trouble finding the right words when speaking. ( That was the worst, as I have always been a pretty verbal person, and it was frustrating to be unable to just say the word "apple" if that was what I wanted, for example.That lasted the longest, still had some problems 7 months later.)

So I sat out the entire season and have a trip planned for february 6-10, 1 year and 1 month after my accident. I have already purchased 2 new helmets, and plan on taking it easy. Yay Helmets! Hope you heal quickly TB!

[~tb]

Thanks to all,

Looks like I am off snow for a month. . . . better then some of the alternatives!

To those of you who are taking your helmets seriously post concussion, what helmets offer the best concussion protection? I was surprised that i did NOT find any consumer reports articles on this.

-Todd

[Pat Donnelly]

Speedy recovery to you Todd!

Last season Mats sold me on POC helmets as their mission was to build a better product. This link offers some insighthttp://www.pocsports.com/en/content/... Concepts Snow

[teach]

> what helmets offer the best concussion protection? I was surprised that i did NOT find any consumer reports articles on this.

+1 on that!

someone (I think Consumer's Reports) did their own test of bicycle helmets, and found that a lot of the more expensive ones didn't withstand the tests as well as a few of the cheaper ones. I bought the one they found most protective, BUT it's a "one-size fits all" and is a bit too small adjusted to it largest. I suspect that affects the level of protection. Now that's the loaner.

[johnasmo]

Skier collision.
7 or 8 minute LOC according to the skier and his son.
No memory of that days riding, and most of the week prior.
ER, CAT scan, the whole nine yards (though I don't remember any of that).

Was wearing a Giro Nine.9; only slightly damaged.
Replaced with a POC competition race helmet.
Now wearing a POC Cortex DH full face.
Pretty sold on POC.