Hello.
I'm not doing any community activities separately right now,
and I mostly ride alone,
so I'm leaving this post on Dosa, where I'm only a registered member.
Due to the severe pain and difficulty breathing after the accident,
I don't remember the details clearly,
but there were several riders who moved my bicycle and gear aside to prevent a secondary accident
and looked after me,
and I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank them.
If I get the chance, I would definitely like to treat them to a meal in the future.
And to the marshal who helped me right up until I got into the ambulance
and looked after me to the very end
as I lay there trembling from the cold and pain,
I am truly grateful.
You even sent me a text afterward to check on me,
and once I've settled down a bit, I'll be sure to reach out and thank you separately again.
As for how the accident happened,
it was about 37km after the start,
and up ahead an electric vehicle (electric wheelchair) suddenly crossed the road over the center line,
and although I tried to avoid it, I ended up colliding with the rear of my bicycle, causing the accident.
I mostly ride alone now,
but I also frequently enter competitions every year
and have a fair amount of experience with pack riding,
and I'm fully aware of the risks that come with it,
and even when positioned at the back of the pack,
I have a habit of constantly checking left, right, and ahead
while riding,
yet even so, there was no way to avoid
the collision with the electric vehicle that abruptly changed direction.
On top of that, since there were a few sections of the Wonju course I hadn't been through before,
I even went and scouted them in early April,
wondering if there might be any dangerous sections.
Having taken up the sport late, after turning forty,
I've had a few minor spills over about six years,
but I'd been getting by without any major accidents until now,
and an accident really does happen in an instant...haha
My condition is fractures in five places on my ribs, a pneumothorax, and a torn shoulder ligament,
along with numerous abrasions and hematomas,
and after being treated in the ER on the day of the accident,
I returned to Seoul and was admitted to a hospital,
where I underwent a procedure to insert a tube into my lung to drain the blood and air,
and surgery to fix a pin into my shoulder bone.
I thought I was lucky to have avoided a collarbone fracture,
but they told me that a ligament tear is worse in terms of pain and subsequent rehabilitation....ㅜㅜ..
The day after surgery, even narcotic painkillers were useless...
In my mid-forties, I was wailing in the hospital room. haha
And on Sunday morning, the day after the accident, whether it was the aftershock of the accident,
I fainted for an unknown reason and broke two of my front teeth,
ending up having to have the teeth extracted....
Because of the fainting episode, they said I had to get a brain MRI before the shoulder surgery,
and I got it checked, but there was no stroke or any other problem..
The helmet saved my head...
As for the progress on the accident, since the accident happened in Chungju,
an investigation is underway at the Chungju Police Station in Chungbuk,
and I submitted the accident footage captured on my black box to the officer in charge,
and after watching the video, they said it was an accident that was absolutely impossible to avoid,
but under current law, an electric vehicle (wheelchair) is classified not as a vehicle
but as a pedestrian.ㅜㅜ
The investigation is still ongoing,
but I've been given firm assurance that although I'm classified as the perpetrator, I bear no fault,
and that the case will be closed accordingly.
The police station has contacted me a few times regarding the accident investigation,
but the competition headquarters, who said they'd contact me soon,
still hasn't gotten in touch with me...
How long I'll have to keep going to the hospital...
how long the rehabilitation will take,
and as a solo self-employed person, the loss of income from being out of work and so on—
the road ahead looks bleak,
and even though I keep telling myself to only think positive thoughts..
this is really hard...haha
I've been in a mentally very difficult state for over a year,
and just when I had recently improved a lot,
this accident struck, so it feels even harder, but well, I'll get through this too.
I could only use my right hand, so it took a long time to write,
and I'm sorry for leaving such a post on Dosa, where I'm only a member and don't participate.
Thank you for reading this disorganized post written while I still haven't fully gathered my wits,
To the riders who helped after the accident
and the marshal who looked after me to the very end,
I received help so great that saying thank you once again isn't enough.
These are only words, but I am truly and sincerely grateful.
