[ORRando] Lessons learned at Jim's expense

[Susan Otcenas]

All,


Four of us were with Jim this weekend when he fell asleep and crashed at 12:30am on Sunday morning during this weekend's 400K.  I've thought a lot about the incident over the intervening days, and thought I'd share some of the takeaways from the night's events.


1) Carry a cell phone.   I know some randos who still don't carry a phone.   While I certainly respect the desire to be untethered from technology, the benefits of having access to a phone during an emergency outweigh the inconvenience of carrying it.   Keep it on airport mode, or turned off to save battery life.   Also, little known fact: ANY cell phone, even one with NO contract or prepaid minutes, will connect with 911.  (My elderly dad keeps 5 or 6 old phones charged and scattered around his house, all on low shelves a foot off the ground, just in case he should ever fall and be unable to get up.) So if nothing else, carry an old flip phone just for emergencies.


 2) Have the organizer's number pre-programmed into your phone.  After you call 911, contact the ride organizer to apprise him of the situation.  While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, I contacted Jeff Loomis to let him know there had been an incident, that it was under control, and that I would follow up with him as soon as I had more information.   Contacting the ride organizer early enables him to reach out to a rider's emergency contact(s), who may be needed at the hospital and for post-ride transport.   Once the ambulance left, I sent several text messages to Jeff to let him know what hospital Jim was being transported to, and passed along Jim's requests for who should be contacted, etc.


3) Know where you are (even if you use a GPS!)   I am an unabashed GPS user.  I love that thing.  But I also carry and use a cuesheet.  While emergency services might be able to triangulate your position from your cell signal, it will be far more useful (and faster!) for you to be able to tell 911 that you are near the intersection of Old Pipeline Rd & Woods Lake Rd, 5 miles outside of Sultan.


4) Divide and Conquer.  You will be most effective if you concentrate on just one thing.  In this case, Asta took care of keeping Jim calm, Keith moved bikes and gear off the road and kept his eye out for vehicles from one direction.  Douglas watched for vehicles from the other direction.  I handled communications with 911 & Jeff.     Giving everyone a "job" keeps everyone calm and minimizes chaos.


​5) Encourage the rider to be still and wait for help.  This one is pretty hard.  Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller and no one ever wants to be "trouble" for their friends.  Embarrassment may also play a role, as might a fear of incurring "unnecessary" medical expense.   The downed rider may try to tell you nothing is wrong, that they will be fine.  However, I am a STRONG believer that in nearly every circumstance of this type, we should be calling 911.  Encourage the rider to be still and wait for an examination by professional medical personnel.   EMTs are trained to look for signs of head trauma, confusion, assess injuries, etc.   Let THEM decide if there's no need for transport.  It's always better to be safe than sorry.


6) Be Visible.   Anyone who has ridden with me at night knows, I am super reflective, well beyond the "minimums" imposed by RUSA.   And if you ride near Asta, you know her star-studded bike twinkles as brightly as does her personality.    Since we don't want one accident to lead to another, be as visible as possible so that rapidly approaching motorists can see you easily, and so that emergency personnel can find you.    The EMTs that found us were super-impressed by how brightly lit and reflective we were, complimenting us on our visibility.


7) Buddy up.   Most likely, we've all spent our fair share of time riding alone, even at night.  I know I have, and have never been "afraid" doing it.  That being said, I think there is added safety in buddying up at night.  Not only will a group be more visible than a rider out there alone, but in those rare cases where something goes wrong, someone will be there to help.  At night, our worlds tend to shrink down to the circle of light in front of us.   That can be mesmerizing...  Find a friend, have a conversation, tell blonde jokes or tall stories.   And don't be afraid to tell your buddy that you are falling asleep (or conversely, that you think THEY are riding erratically).  No ride is worth a broken collarbone.  Or worse.


So, those are my thoughts.  What did I miss or forget?  Please add to the list...  :-)


Susan



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Susan Otcenas
Team Estrogen, Inc.
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