Wednesday, July 29, 2009

July 22nd 2009 = Crash

It has been way too long since I have been on here... once again. I keep telling myself I will update this once a week but my life is so filled with Star Trek and X-files these days it is really quite hard to find the time.

So last Wednesday was a shit Wednesday. Reason : motorcycle accident.

I was heading to IEC (work) going my normal route and everything was going fine. Was about to pop my Honda into 3rd when out of no where an SUV comes into the road right in my path. It was a rainy day and what happened next was unavoidable. So with my options limited to crashing into the fender or crashing into the fender I chose crashing into the fender. I hit the front right fender probably at about 45km/hr, then hit the ground roughly at the same speed.

It was one of those accidents when you can see it about to happen but you also realize at the exact same moment that there is nothing you can do. Then the moment after you are on the road sliding down the street.

The accident could have been much much worse. I use to rock this shitty helmut that was meant to look good but wasn't really built for saving lives. A week prior to my accident I had purchased a new, much more protective head piece and that was what saved my life.
Right after I hit the SUV my head/motorcycle was the next thing to hit the ground. If I hadn't bought that new helmut my brains/body might be laying down somewhere else in Medan other than in my bed shortly.

Once I hit the ground I immediately got up I didn't feel hurt all that bad. It might have been the shock of it all. When I did get up I do remember my vision being extremely blurred due to the fact that my head had bounced off the road. Luckily some police where behind us in traffic and were able to assist with getting my bike off the road and talking to the driver of the SUV who couldn't speak much English.
After the small shock and rush wore off I noticed how much my wrist was in pain. I thought maybe it was broken but when the police took me to the hospital for x-rays we found out it was extremely sprained. For some reason though the hospital didn't supply and tensor bandages...
24 years old and not even a motorcycle crash can give me my first broken bone.

After a few hours there of being talked to by police and pushed around by doctors in a wheelchair we were off to the police station. I actually had to ride my bike to the police station with my messed up wrist. It was an odd day.
Considering I don't have a license in this country or any proof that my motorcycle is actually mine I got off very clean.

The driver of the SUV found out from one of the cops that I didn't have a license on me so he knew he had the upper hand. He was demanding that I pay for the repairs to his vehicle, mainly the headlight I took out on the way down.
I thought maybe he would just be cool and walk away. Like I was willing to do when the cops asked me if I wanted to press charges and I said no. He wasn't that cool.
After some chatting with my AC (academic coordinator) from my school, we were able to bribe the man off with 250,000 rupiah (about 25 dollars)

That's all the whole ordeal actually cost me. There were a few costs at the hospital for X-rays and medication but the school pays you back for things like that. I took my bike in to get repaired a few days later and that only cost 40,000 rupiah (about 4 dollars)

I love this country.

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