And I've been blogging a bit elsewhere...
From www.brokennewyears.blogspot.com:
So, right before Christmas, I was invited to France by my ex, with whom I am still friends. I agreed, and NYE I was at his place making travel arrangements, when I decided it was getting a little late, and I wanted to take a nap and shower before going to a party for the evening.
Downtown Chicago was all blocked off and detour-y for some reason, so every time I tried to head one direction to get home on a less-major road, I got thwarted, until I was almost at the entrance to Lake Shore Drive, so I decided that I might as well take that home. I drive on LSD normally coming from home to work, but generally not this far south after dark.
A few blocks south of Navy Pier, there is a small bridge that is part of the LSD experience. As I approached the bridge, which has a horrible grid surface that is hell on a narrow wheel base, like on a scooter or motorcycle, I slowed, and as I came up onto the bridge, I realized the car immediately in front of me, nor the car in front of that car, were moving.
I swerved to miss, but there was other traffic, and I ended up laying down the scooter on it's left side, skidded sideways across two lanes of traffic, ultimately ending up facing the wrong direction against the concrete barricade on the opposite side of the road, tearing off the saddlebag, shredding the arm of my jacket, and snapping the olecranon process of my left elbow, the left side of my face inside my helmet beating a staccato against the pavement until I was able to stop.
People in their cars were stopping and asking if I was okay, I was a little muzzy headed, and immediately aware that my elbow was broken, clutching it to my chest with my right hand, but managed to say I was mostly okay as someone helped me off the ground and out from under the scooter, then across traffic to stand with the drivers of the two parked cars that had been in front of me.
The first driver had slowed for the bridge, but the second driver was looking down at her GPS, and had rear-ended the first driver's car, both stopping their vehicles, obviously, and getting out to exchange info by the side of the road. I'm pretty sure no ones hazards were on or anything.
I struggled out of my helmet and dropped it to the pavement next to me, as I listened to the discourse of the two drivers as a police officer approached and started talking to them. I remembered that I was supposed to be somewhere, and that people would worry, so I got out my phone and called my friend John, to inform him that I was broken and was going to the hospital... as he answered the phone, he apparently heard me inform the police officer who had asked if anyone was injured that I had broken my elbow and needed an ambulance, just as I greeted him and informed him redundantly that I had broken my elbow and was going to the hospital.
I then remembered that my purse and all my stuff was in one of the saddlebags on my bike, and started to stagger through traffic, the police officer trying to stop me but recognizing my dazed determination, so he stopping traffic until I was able to get to my bike and root around, even helping me get the bike upright and on the kickstand, and picking up all of the things that had spilled forth from the topcase (trunk) of the bike when I hit the ground, as I removed the keys from the ignition and put them in my pocket. Of course, I immediately realized that the saddlebag in question was no longer attached to the scoot, and was instead near where I had gone down, and began to stagger through traffic towards the dark lump in the road behind the car that had caused the whole mess, the officer chasing after me and directing traffic, until I reached the bag and made some comment about it coming undone or something, then letting myself be guided back to the other people standing around.
The ambulance arrived, and I mostly remember having a lot of things to carry, with my helmet and gloves and bag, and the numerous contest and being hustled carefully into the back of the ambulance. One EMT helped me carefully unbend my arm enough to remove my jacket, to probe the area and then put me in a sling, while I tried to manage the mounting pile of my possessions that were everywhere. Another EMT was trying to ask me questions, and I answered them to the best of my ability, but then a police officer came and inquired after my license, registration and proof of insurance, so I gave him the keys and told him where the latter two should be, as I rummaged lamely through my bag inside the torn saddlebag and pulled out my wallet and my intact new tablet that I had just gotten for Christmas. I found my id, but was unable to find any proof of insurance, nor was the officer able to do so but did find the registration, and informed me as such as I gave him my license and he returned my keys.
Then we drove to the hospital, which went by in a blur.
