CADFather, Ringgold, Georgia

CADFather

Supercharged
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
409
Location
Ringgold, GA
Hello to all you Rocket Captains I just joined your ranks on Wednesday April 18, 2007, Woot. I bought a used 2005 RIII with 6700 miles on the clock. I took my wife to show her the RIII at a local Honda dealer so she could see one in person and not just in a magazine. She as well as I were smitten it was love at first sight, I asked her out of all the bikes in the store which one she liked best and she said the Goldwing Trike and then came to her senses finacially and said the Triumph. There was a flaw with buying the Wing even if I could afford it, I never would get to ride it she'd always be gone on it.
The day we bought our RIII was exactly 7 months to the day since I crashed our Yamaha Road Star Warrior. I had painted it, polished it and modded it myself so I had quite a bit of time invested in it. I had won the only bike show it was entered into and in so doing bested several high dollar bikes. It had won People's choice, Best foreign, Best Paint and Best of Show. Considering it was the first thing that I had ever painted I was quite shocked.
Anyway back to the crash, I hit a man in a pickup truck that had been parked next to the concrete divider wall in the median of the interstate that goes through Chattanooga, TN. As I was approaching him he decided that the next exit was the one that he needed to turn on and pulled accross 4 lanes of rush hour traffic to get there, getting up to approx 15 mph. Traffic was heavy and I had no place to go to avoid him and struck him in the rear at about 50-55mph. After everything had come to a stop I was on one side of the interstate, my bike on the other with a tractor trailor stopped between. I do not remember the accident at all and this account was based on witness statements, given to the police.
Injuries sustained in the accident were:
Severe head trauma (I was wearing a helmet)resulting in brain surgery and a stroke.
Broken thumb on the left hand requiring pins to stabilize.
3 cracked ribs along with 2 cracked vertebrae (I was wearing my armored jacket)
A distal femur and tibial plateau fracture of the right knee joint along with a cracked patela(kneecap) resulting in to many screws to count in the xrays and steel plates to stabilize.


I spent the next 2 weeks in the intensive care trauma unit in a coma and suffered a mild stroke during surgery to fix a bleed that I had in my brain.
After which I spent another week recovering from the knee surgery and then 3 weeks in a rehab center learning to walk again. I had to have surgery about 5 weeks ago to remove a blood clot (from the bleeding in my brain) from my left eye that stopped me from being able to see.


I have to admit I was having serious doubts as to whether or not I would ever ride again. But I have been riding since I was 5 years old (35 years) and can't imagine letting the guy that hit me rob something that I love from me on top of what he has already taken.

I will miss my warrior but I believe that the RIII will fill the void nicely.
Ride safe brothers and sisters and remember to wear your gear it'll save your life, it did mine. And may God bless
 
HI

Glade your with us (in more way's than). I think you will like your Rocket even more than your Yamaha.
I do have you request! I think the only deatils that should be told about a crash on a bike is (I crashed my bike). After reading this I don't know if I want to ride home or call a Taxi:cool:

Oh ya to you poor souls up north I rode the R3 to work again today:roll:

Enjoy your R3 CADfather:bch:
 
Hey CADFather, so glad you still have your desire to get back in the saddle after your experience. I too almost lost my life in a vehicle/motorcycle accident, the "direct hit, broadside" style. Was riding a friends bike with a cast on my leg 2 months after impact.

Welcome to the forum and would like to see photos of that winning Yamaha if you can figure out how to post (and have any to share).

Have fun looking around here. Lots to read, learn & experience from the fellow captains here on this site. I really enjoy visiting every day to become better educated about the Rocket.

See ya.
 
Hello CADFather

Holy"that's more than I wanted to know"Batman! I am with Paul, but I quess stories like that are a reality check we should all go through versus the denial. I will say this, with all the bikes I have ridden over the years, this is a safe one. Plenty of torque to get you out of tight spots, great agility for a big bike, breaks cleanly, great in water, dependable. I also applaud your guts to get back on. Just don't let the accident make you too tentative. A lot of riding a motorcycle is instantaneous gut reaction that is necessary to keep the rubber between the road and the chrome. Glad to have you with us. Up for our ride to Nashville in July?
 
Cadfather

Welcome to the nut house..We are all nuts about the Rocket..And Paul,I got to ride all day cause I don't have to go to work.Te He. 71 and no bugs..HarHar Crazy Jack
 
Wow and welcome cad-daddy. I am sure the Rocket will more than fill the hole left by your Yami. Glad you healed up and are riding again.
 
I have a Cad.... Illac.

What a story.... sounds like a long road to recovery. With that knee, watch the Rocket's weight. You know better than us if you can handle it.

Welcome!!
 
Welcome

Heck of a way to get a Rocket, but I am glad you are aboard. I'd say "Ride Safe" but I think you probably know the meaning of that more than I do at the moment.
Enjoy your time on the Rocket, it is a great machine.
Dennis
17 dtg!
 
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