Wipe Out!

John went for a bike ride with his friend, Matthew, on Friday afternoon. A little less than 2 miles from home, going about 30 mph, his foot slipped off the pedal, hit the road, and got caught in the spokes. His bike crashed into the curb and he landed on his right elbow. His left thumb was cranked by the handlebars somehow. A nurse was driving along behind, having just left work, and saw John wipe out. She turned her car around and stopped to help. Matthew had a cell phone with him (John left his home) and called me to come. When I got there, John was sitting on the curb next to a huge first aid kit. His right eye, elbows, and knees were all bloody. The nurse had checked him out and made sure he was in one piece. Then she helped me get him in the car and also helped load the bicycle. We were one block from the doctor and went straight there. Unfortunately, they close early on Fridays, and though it was only 4:15 or so, they were closed. I called Will to have him take Sarah to dance and drove straight to the Emergency Room. The triage nurse checked him out and John surmised that his left thumb was broken.

After giving John a shot of morphine, the nurses cleaned his wounds. No stitches required, but he did have a nasty hole in his right elbow. They had him move his arm around and guessed his right elbow might be broken, as well as his left thumb.

After x-rays, it was determined that the elbow was not broken, just sprained. They put it in a splint, which he can remove to shower. He can stop wearing it when the pain subsides. The right arm is also in a sling to reduce the pain. The left thumb was definitely broken. It was quite swollen by the time we got home. They put it in a temporary splint, just like the elbow. John needs to go to the doctor on Monday to determine if the thumb needs surgery in order to set the bone. It is misaligned, so needs something more than just a cast.

The gash on John's eye was really two cuts, not deep. Miraculous that that was his only head injury, considering the fact that he was not wearing a helmet. John mentioned that he was ALWAYS going to wear a helmet from now on, no matter what.

All bandaged up, John was ready to go home.

Now what should he tell his percussion teacher about the concert scheduled for Monday? Summer band? Bagpipes? He was set to start with the Salt Lake Scots this week! Hopefully he will heal really quickly!