My right foot felt stiff, completely unmovable, and I thought it was probably broken. Immediately, I could tell that I had lost my left shoe as my toes were burning on the hot road. A few moments passed before anyone was at my side, and I had the chance to try and move myself. I never lost consciousness, but I remember wishing that I had.Īt first I couldn’t feel anything. My eyes were closed as I finished my 522 foot tumble down highway 550. I knew this was far worse than anything I had ever gone through and I was convinced I would not live to see the next day. In a matter of seconds, I had come to the conclusion that I was going to die, and I was ok with it. In my helmet, which seemed so small and yet completely empty, I could hear my whimpers as I fought to breath and my prayer to God as I gave into the asphault. I could feel every inch of my body hitting the road tumbling, sliding and grinding into the unforgiving surface. When I hit the ground, it was as if every breath I had ever taken rushed out of me in an instant. I knew there was nothing else I could do. I remembered the basics of surviving a fall from a horse without injury, which I had done a few times in the previous year, and simply let myself go. I had no idea what excessive speed I was about to hit the ground at or the damage it would do to my body, I just thought about how my life had led to that point. I was only in the air for a spilt second, but an eternity of thoughts ran through my mind. I remember thinking that if I grabbed Sean’s t-shirt I would pull him down with me, but it was already too late to try and grab a hold of him. The force pulled on my face and helmet so hard that it sent my head up and backwards, ripping my entire body off the back seat with it. I felt a rush of wind hit my face like a brick and our bodies separated in an instant my visor had come completely open. I started to slide back on the seat and felt the cool air fill the small space between my chest and Shaun’s back. I was scared, but thought I could handle the force of the wind as it suddenly picked up much more than in the moments before. As we came around to the right and went down the hill, we kept accelerating. I placed my hands on the gas tank and pushed myself into him as much as possible without crowding him. It’s amazing how fast life came at me that day.Īpproaching mile marker seven on highway 550, I noticed that I had to start fighting the wind to stay behind Shaun without pulling on him too much. I figured that we couldn’t get into a wreck, it simply wouldn’t happen to me. I thought nothing of the fact that I had practically no protection against the asphalt if anything were to happen. I had shed my prescription glasses for a pair of sunglasses, my cowboy hat for an oversized helmet, and quickly thrown on a pair of capri jeans, tennis shoes, and a sweatshirt over my bikini. I was on the back of my friend Shaun’s GSXR 750 and was excited to be on a sport bike, even if it was as a passenger, after a long streak of no riding whatsoever. It was a beautiful Sunday morning even through my blurred vision. I know my life has a purpose, and I strive everyday to live up to the task that has been placed at my feet. Imagining that if I had not survived the accident, I wouldn’t have anything to touch at all, I smile when my fingers run over a thick layer of scar tissue in place of my once soft skin. I am also reminded how lucky I am to be alive as I close my eyes and remember why I still feel pain after an entire year of healing. Knowing that it’s real, that there is nothing I can do to change it, I am reminded of my mistakes every minute of everyday.
ROAD RASH KNEE SKIN
I still feel as if at any moment I will wake up from this terrible dream and be comfortable in my own skin once again. Touching my stomach and rib cage, I can’t imagine looking this way and feeling this pain for the rest of my life. It’s hard to look in the mirror and think that my scars are already an entire year old.