Collatoral Damage
I was riding down the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, avoiding the usual gormless tourists that swarm the centrum. I could see these kids, was ringing my bell, and expected the kid to move. He did, but the wrong way, and thus 100kg of man on speeding bike collected 55kg of french schoolboy.
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My bike
Naturally I suffered the most. The front wheel of my bike seemed to take most of the impact and I sailed over the handlebars and head first into a metal manhole cover in the road. Luckily there was a half an apple to catch my fall or I would have really hurt myself.
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Friendly ambulance guy
Within minutes the police and ambulance were there. I started taking these photos after the cops arrived and they asked me to stop. Cops don't like being photographed. Ambulance guys don't seem to mind though.
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On route clean up
They dressed my wounds a bit and checked my all over for injury, mental and physical. Amazingly, apart from almost losing my ear, a bang on the knee and a sore wrist, I am fine.
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Ambulance ride
I must admit I've had better days. Still it could have been worse, that kid is lucky to be alive in my opinion.
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In hospital
I sure messed my ear up. They put two stitches in it to hold it back and cleaned me up a bit more.
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I split my ear open
I must have really scraped the bugger out of my ear - it needed a couple of stitches to put it back together.
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I was wearing this
I was wearing this when i hit the road. Check out the scratches on the earpiece. It was the most surreal experience seeing concerned people gathering, speaking and gesturing, while Psycho Candy by the Jesus and Mary Chain played at full blast. It was all I could hear.
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Scratched but saved my eardrum
If I'd not been wearing my iPod, i may be deaf right now, and to tell the truth if my head had not hit an apple on a steel plate but instead hit the road's surface, i'd have a lot more than 2 stitches.
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Hospital room
I was in hospital for all of an hour and a half. Not bad going. The staff were all fantastic - laura the nurse did a great job of my stictches despite not adminsitering an anesthetic.
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My ear a few hours later
it feels worse than it looks. Thanks dayv for shooting this pic for me.
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And oh my aching head
I'm sure it will all settle down soon. Thanks dayv for shooting this pic for me.
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