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From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Helmets are not what I thought they were
Message-ID: <2392@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Dec-85 01:17:00 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.2392
Posted: Mon Dec 16 01:17:00 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Dec-85 05:13:10 EST
Reply-To: gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett)
Organization: Blue Mouse Trailer Resort, Hellmouth, CA
Lines: 57
Keywords: helmet safety crash accident

First, let me say that while this is a criticism of a
helmet, I am religiously in favor of wearing helmets.
Following my accident, my doctor said, "Without a helmet you would
have been dead."  (And, no, I'm *not* in favor of required-
helmet laws).

I was in a motorcycle accident almost three months ago
(Sep 20th).  (More info will follow, I'm sure...).  My helmet
protected my head such that their was not a scratch on the skin of
the head and not even a crack to the skull.  Unfortunately,
however, three of my upper front teeth were cracked in half,
resulting in a $2000+ dental bill.  I am fairly certain the
faceshield of this full-face helmet was pulled over my face
(one side affect, which I'll get to later, is that I will never
remember).  Nonetheless, it appears that the faceshield must've
bent inward (pushed by what? I don't know ...) and crushed against
the front of my mouth.

So, do helmets protect teeth?  This one didn't.

A more serious limitation of helmets (probably due to laws of
physics) has become apparrent to me for the first time: as the
head is flying, when it finally comes to the ground or whatever
it is running into, the helmet successfully protects the skull
(for the most part).  It cannot, however, protect the brain
inside the skull from decellerating to crash against the skull.

In my case, I am very fortunate.  My injuries were only a blood
clod (subdura), a broken right arm (proximal humerus) and a concussion.
The effect of the injuries in the skull was to put me in a coma
for 10 days, and leave me in limited mental states over the early part
of my recovery.  Concentration, complex thinking, and memory were all
reduced from usual.  Early predictions did not give an
explicit expectation of recovery; I could have been a vegetable.

Instead, I have progressively improved (the psychological experience of
watching one's own progressive mental improvement is fascinating!).
Most people have said that I am back as I was, better in some ways.
I agree.

Another side effect that is not really medical but physiological:
because such shock was put the the brain, all memories of within 1hr
before and 4hrs after the accident did not get to long-term memory,
only short term.  They will never be remembered.

So, as you know, motorcycling is a dangerous thing.  And while you
can put a good full-face helmet on your head, you cannot thereby
completely protect the brain from injury.

[ Again, this is not an argument against helmets or motorcycling. ]
[ And, yes, I will post other info of general interest about my   ]
[ accident in later postings. ]
-- 
Gordon A. Moffett		...!{ihnp4,cbosgd,hplabs}!amdahl!gam

~See the soldier with his gun~
~Who must be dead to be admired~