Paul had an accident on his bike last night and has 2 fractured ribs and possibly a fractured shoulder joint. He and I were riding on the Old Plank Trail - he was in front. We were almost to the place where we were going to turn around, when he veered to the left a little bit, and before he realized it he was at the edge of the pavemement, then on the grass, then in the ditch. The bike flipped and he landed head-first.
There's a dent in his helmet and I think he may have been unconscious for a few minutes. Needless to say, it really scared me. I flagged some people down to help me and we got the bike off him. By then he was responding to questions ok. His legs and arms seemed to be ok, so he got up and we started walking the bikes back. Then he decided he could ride, so we rode slowly the rest of the way home. (Total trip was 7.5 miles, so we're not talking too far. It was my longest trip so far this year though - in more ways than one!)
When we got home, I didn't think his shoulder looked right, so I took him into Urgent Care. They did x-rays and there are fractures on the 1st & 3rd rib. The doctor also thought there was a fracture in the shoulder joint (clavical?) but he wasn't sure. He gave Paul some pain medication and put some kind of an immobilizer around his chest with a sling for his right arm, and said to go see Dr. Will, Paul's primary physician today.
Dr. Will isn't in today, but the doctor who covers for him is reviewing the report and will decide whether he wants Paul to come in today or wait to Monday. I guess they have to refer him to Orthopedics for actual treatment, and they're not open until Monday anyway.
Continue to: Aug. 3, 1998
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Created: May 31, 1999
Last updated: July 18, 2010