FLCC> Sunday President's ride: accident update

[John Dennis]

I just spoke with Bill Wittlin at the ER at Wilson Memorial Medical Center
in Johnson City where he was airlifted this afternoon from a football field
in Speedsville. The news is amazingly good considering he fractured five out
of his eight cervical vertebrae during a crash coming down the west end of
Glen Road.  The fractures are stable and a brain bleed is considered
relatively insignificant. He will have to wear a collar for some weeks and
he is even cleared to ride a stationary bike.  I am driving down in a few
minutes to pick him up and he will spend tonight at my house so we can check
him a few times during the night for any signs of subdural hematoma. 

 

I did get Dr. Bill’s permission to share this information with the flcc
listserv.  It’s important for everyone to know the seriousness of crashing
during a rapid hill descent.  Judging from what Gary Hodges and Bill have
said it seems the accident began when Bill’s front wheel left the wet
pavement on a curve. He apparently was able to get back onto the pavement,
but was so destabilized that the bike then ended up on the left shoulder and
Bill over on the right shoulder with severe neck pain, a facial laceration,
numbness in three right fingers, and dents in his helmet.  Response at the
site was fairly simple: keeping his head and neck immobilized until a
cervical collar was in position and he was back-boarded. Mike Richter, who
has rescue training for ski patrol work, checked him over for other injuries
and assisted the Brooktondale Rescue Squad with the back-boarding.  Whew,
let’s hope this is a rare event!!

 

Bill has asked me to thank all of you who assisted in one way or another. 

 

Best,   John


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