Young 1
11 January 2014
Life Changer
Traumatic events come in many different ways at many different times of ones life. Can you imagine being thrown from a Motorcycle at 50 mph? Well, I never thought I could until this happened to me in the summer of 1978. It was a gorgeous July afternoon, when my life made a complete 360 degree turn around. I only had my 1974 Harley Davidson sportster for a few months when this unfortunate tragedy struck.
I had spent most of the day at my girl friends house, and now I was on my way home. I was almost home when an old farmer not paying attention turned his ford truck in front of me and changed my life forever.
I found myself lying in a ditch beside my motorcycle. I had this bitter taste in my mouth and I couldn’t see out of one eye because of all the blood, and I knew things were really bad. I slowly tried to get up on one leg but I couldn‘t, then realized my right leg was folded up under me.
There was an old blue pickup coming down the road and it stopped.. It was a friend of mine on his way to the race track and he called an ambulance on his cell phone. While we were waiting for the ambulance I was hysterical. My friend Johnny removed my helmet and put a tunicate around my leg which had an open compound fracture. I was bleeding from my shoulder and my eyelid was slashed open. I couldn't move or feel my
Young 2 right leg, and I felt like I was going to pass out from the pain .Johnny did everything he could think of to calm me down. He asked me questions about family, school, and pretty much anything he could think of. I learned all about his wife, and his family; his racing experience and where he dove his race car.
Eventually, after what seemed like three hours waiting for the ambulance, it finally got there. The paramedics rushed out, and loaded me into the wailing vehicle.The whole way to the hospital they asked me questions about my injuries and what I remember about the incident. The pain was almost unbearable, I tried to tell them just enough that they'd shut up. They put my leg in splints and finally gave me something for the pain. After about 15 minutes in the ambulance we got to the hospital and