FROM: Lutherville Bike Shop News March 2002 

     While spinning through the Loch Raven Watershed on a particularly rainy Sunday afternoon, I came upon two fellow riders on a very congested stretch of road. What really floored me was that neither rider was wearing a helmet!  Like a first-time member at an ‘A.A.’ meeting, I feel compelled to tell my story. It was the winter of 1998…

     The weather was unusually spring-like for winter.  I had just completed 40 plus miles of riding and had actually turned back into my neighborhood.  With less than a quarter mile to go, I began to descend the hill that had greeted me so many times before after a long road ride.  At the bottom, I saw an unusual sight.  A forklift, with its forks high in the air, extended across the entire width of the road.  A new neighbor was moving in!  Seeing plenty of clearance below the forks I proceeded.  The next thing I remember was walking into my basement.  How did the garage door get open?  Why was I so sore?  How did my chain get knocked off?  Why didn’t I remember the walk home?  I removed my helmet only to find a huge divot on the back and the shell cracked in many places.  How interesting!?  I was showering when my frantic wife came in, holding the helmet and asking if I was all right.  Getting no good answers for any of her questions, she decided a trip to the local ER was in order.  One CAT scan later, my concussion and I went home to recuperate.  Witnesses later confirmed the forklift had descended onto the back of my head as I rode down the hill.

     So what did I lose through this experience?   Forty-five minutes of my life!  I still have no recollection of the accident or the subsequent walk to my house.  I know I walked; I have witnesses.  I lost 3 days of work, being in bed with the headache and nauseating vertigo of post-concussive syndrome.  I have lost 50 decibels of mid-frequency hearing in my right ear, which to this day has not returned.  And to top it off, I lost the use of my right shoulder for more than a year with a partial rotator cuff tear.

     And what did I gain?  A new Bell Helmet and a ‘Saved by the Bell’ award, which I proudly keep in my office to show anyone who has doubts about the efficacy of a bike helmet.  I got my picture and story in The Washington Post in support of mandatory helmet laws.  I got a reprieve from a certain death sentence to enjoy all the family, friends, and fun that life has to offer.  Most importantly, I gained a conviction. BIKE HELMETS WORK!

     Please, PLEASE, PLEASE.  Wear your helmet any time you get on your bike, no matter how short or long your excursion.  Just tooling around the neighborhood?  Don’t think you’re in danger?  Just think of me dodging traffic for 40 miles only to have a freak accident back in my own neighborhood.  Remember, if you sustain a serious head injury, your life, as you know it, will never be the same.  And if you are killed, your family will never be the same.

Dr. Bob Duncan is a practicing Family, Geriatric, and Sports Medicine Physician, avid cyclist, and a great friend.