(Get a drink ready for one of my novels...)
Hmm... let's see... First bike related injury I can remember:
10 years old - slid the front wheel trying to corner on the sidewalk too fast. Badly scraped my left elbow. In a stereotypical Gen-X childhood, my parents weren't home, so a neighbor wrapped it with gauze. Which naturally stuck to the wound. Later than night my father had to yank it off. My elbow is still scarred, although I've scraped that elbow numerous times over the years.
12ish? Slipped a pedal doing a jump and got a nice shin scar that I still have today.
1996 - first ride ever on a full suspension bike - a friend's Heckler. He had wide (for the time) bars on it and combined with the typical for the day 130mm stem, the handling was not what I was used to... resulted in a high-speed wreck at the bottom of a loose descent at the Wissahickon. Broken helmet and pretty sure I was out for a few seconds. Resulting bump on my neck was there for at least 20 years although x-rays some years later indicated nothing was ever broken.
1997 - During a night ride at the Wiss, I spun out on a wet bridge and took a dive off the bridge into the rocks/creek below. I somehow managed to land a large, flat rock that sloped down the hill, tucked and rolled down that rock. Broken helmet and a bit sore, but no other injuries. I got extremely lucky... Amusingly, I got home, laid on my back in bed, closed my eyes and woke up 8 hours later having not moved at all. One of the best night's sleep of my life...
Then in 1999 I started racing downhill more seriously... and naturally started racking up the injuries... Especially after I moved up to Expert class.
1999 - Training day at Whitetail resort - took a bad line and face-planted into a rock garden. Somehow managed to cut my face below my lip under my full-face helmet. Scar is still there but has faded.
1999 - NORBA race at Mt Snow. Lost it through one of the mud bogs on the ski slope at high speed. Flat pedal cut a deep gash into my left shin. The NP at the mtn medical center gave me a local, scrubbed the crap out of it to get all of the black VT mud out of the wound, stitched it up (2 layers - 3 internal and 11 to close) and gave me some antibiotics saying, "I think I got all of the dirt out, but I can't make any promises. Take these for a couple of weeks and see your Dr if it looks infected." Never got infected, and my Dr said she did an impressive job with the stitches. The scar is still quite visible - especially in dusty conditions since the scar doesn't sweat the same so it shows up. While in the Mt Snow medical center, I shared space with Steve Peat (shoulder) and a very young Mick Hannah (collarbone).
2000 - DH training day at Mtn Creek. Wrecked in one of the rock gardens and broke one of my fingers.
2001/2 - During the spell when Mtn Creek didn't have a bike program, I joined some of the Avalanche Team members (Kathy and Steve P) for some DH training at Ramapo. I had my FSR M-1 and the time and was playing with the progressive settings on the links. I set it to be more progressive, but neglected to adjust the shock accordingly. I went off one of the step-drops and the excessive rebound spit me OTB into rocks, breaking the metacarpus pinky bone in my right hand. That was a bitch to heal and I still have the bump where the break was. it was about 5 years before I could properly make a fist again...
2001 - NORBA Snowshoe DH. First day of practice. The last rock garden (that was still in the recent WC course). I hit something wrong and my right foot slipped off the flat pedal and I toed into a rock hard - basically killed my big toenail. It hurt like a mofo to walk on, but I could ride on it. Managed my best ever finish in Expert - 7th out of 57 registered in 30-35 Expert. The nail on my right big toe has been fubar ever since. Unless it was super-muddy, I think that was the last DH race I did on flat pedals... I have also looked at shoes for DH riding based on how much protection the toe box has.
I retired from DH racing in 2003 and riding in general took a back seat to other hobbies. Still rode, but mostly on the road from my -ex's house. Got back into riding more around 2009 and then back into DH racing in 2015.
2015 - Timberline, VA - Gravity East Series DH. I decided to do this race sort of on a whim after winning my class (40-49 Cat 2) the GES race at Blue Mtn a few weeks prior. There was a jump build on a lift tower foundation near the bottom of the course. It had a good lip on it and required some skill to jump cleanly. Skills I didn't have at the time. Third run - I hit the jump with more speed than I had prior, panicked and dead-sailored it, going OTB from about 12 feet in the air and landing flat on my back. The landing caused my back to spasm so hard I could barely move. Fortunately, the EMT on the mtn was a fulltime ER nurse and after we got my armor off, he ran his hand down my spine and said, "Well... I don't feel anything out of place. You might have gotten away with one... If it doesn't start feeling better, see your Dr." I could barely walk for days... but slowly the spasm loosened up and I was back to normal. I am thoroughly convinced the back protector I was wearing is the only reason I can still walk and I won't ride DH without one.
2020 - White Clay. There is a section towards the end of the loop we ride where you sort of zigzag between three trees. I judged it wrong and ping-ponged off them, landing hard on my right shoulder. Grade 2 separation that still bothers me.
2025 - Feb. Pennypack. Maybe 100 feet away from the Pine Road parking lot, front wheel washed out on ice I didn't see under dirt and slammed down hard on my left shoulder. Broken collarbone.
There are plenty of other crashes resulting in minor injuries, but those are the big ones I can remember.
