Rachel Atherton Car Crash Accident - Update
Rachel Atherton was involved in a head on collision with a pickup truck while out on a casual training road ride on January 18th. The current World Champion has had a few days to recover and figure out what happened, so here is a small video updating us on how the accident happened.
Heal up Rachel! - Video InsideOn January 18th Rachel Altherton was out enjoying the inaugural road bike ride on her fully carbon Cervelo road bike. Rachel recalls rounding a corner listening to some AC/DC, looking up and seeing the pickup truck coming towards her. After a quick stutter Rachel decided to swerve to the right, but the truck did the same movement. Rachel switched it up to the other side, and the truck followed quickly, and the last thing Rachel recalls is seeing the grill coming at her.
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Rachel's legs took the brute of the force, forcing Rachel onto the hood, and into the windshield. She shattered the windshield on the truck, and was instantly in pain. Brother Gee recalls seeing his sister laying on the ground in front of this pickup truck, and recalls thinking to himself that he had lost his sister. After noticing she was still alive, and in a massive amount of pain, brothers Gee and Dan had to act quickly.
![photo]()
Rachel requested that her dislocated shoulder be put back into place as to not further injure her shoulders. Gee jokingly said he had "seen her in worse condition, but not by much". Rachel's biggest concern at the time of the video was being shot while she looked so horrible.
Rachel was shocked to see the damage that was done to her brand new Cervelo road bike. The front rim was wrecked, the steer tube was broken off the carbon fork, and still in the stem. Everything else was functional, however, Rachel doubts she will ride a road bike again for a long, long time (if ever).
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Rachel has had surgery on both her shoulders prior to this, so extensive or long term damage is unknown. By the time you read this Rachel will be planning to have an MRI done, and hopes to get back on the steed asap.
Thanks to Fixtup For the video
Get well soon Rachel, we hope to see you out winning World Cups again asap.
Click here for the original story.
Update ( thanks hampsteadbandit)
latest Police report says she was on the wrong side of the road when truck hit her, her bad, no helmet either....
Bicyclist injured in accident
A 21-year-old woman was flown to an out-of-county trauma center after being hit by a pickup while riding her bicycle around noon Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol. She was not wearing a helmet.
The woman, visiting from Britain, was biking northbound in the southbound lanes of Amesti Road just south of Browns Valley Road. She was riding with friends when she was hit, CHP officer A. Voorhees said.
"The exact cause of the crash is under investigation but basically she was on the wrong side of the road," Voorhees said. "She was with a group of riders and was the first to leave the closure at Amesti, came around the curve and drifted into the opposing lane."
The woman crashed into the windshield on the passenger side and suffered a dislocated shoulder as well as some cuts to her face, according to CalFire Capt. Tony Arnold.
The woman was conscious and breathing when medics responded.
"She just wasn't paying attention," Arnold said.
Traffic in the area was blocked for about 20 minutes, the CHP reported.
Aptos
Heal up Rachel! - Video InsideOn January 18th Rachel Altherton was out enjoying the inaugural road bike ride on her fully carbon Cervelo road bike. Rachel recalls rounding a corner listening to some AC/DC, looking up and seeing the pickup truck coming towards her. After a quick stutter Rachel decided to swerve to the right, but the truck did the same movement. Rachel switched it up to the other side, and the truck followed quickly, and the last thing Rachel recalls is seeing the grill coming at her.
Rachel's legs took the brute of the force, forcing Rachel onto the hood, and into the windshield. She shattered the windshield on the truck, and was instantly in pain. Brother Gee recalls seeing his sister laying on the ground in front of this pickup truck, and recalls thinking to himself that he had lost his sister. After noticing she was still alive, and in a massive amount of pain, brothers Gee and Dan had to act quickly.
Rachel requested that her dislocated shoulder be put back into place as to not further injure her shoulders. Gee jokingly said he had "seen her in worse condition, but not by much". Rachel's biggest concern at the time of the video was being shot while she looked so horrible.
Rachel was shocked to see the damage that was done to her brand new Cervelo road bike. The front rim was wrecked, the steer tube was broken off the carbon fork, and still in the stem. Everything else was functional, however, Rachel doubts she will ride a road bike again for a long, long time (if ever).
Rachel has had surgery on both her shoulders prior to this, so extensive or long term damage is unknown. By the time you read this Rachel will be planning to have an MRI done, and hopes to get back on the steed asap.
Get well soon Rachel, we hope to see you out winning World Cups again asap.
Click here for the original story.
Update ( thanks hampsteadbandit)
latest Police report says she was on the wrong side of the road when truck hit her, her bad, no helmet either....
Bicyclist injured in accident
A 21-year-old woman was flown to an out-of-county trauma center after being hit by a pickup while riding her bicycle around noon Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol. She was not wearing a helmet.
The woman, visiting from Britain, was biking northbound in the southbound lanes of Amesti Road just south of Browns Valley Road. She was riding with friends when she was hit, CHP officer A. Voorhees said.
"The exact cause of the crash is under investigation but basically she was on the wrong side of the road," Voorhees said. "She was with a group of riders and was the first to leave the closure at Amesti, came around the curve and drifted into the opposing lane."
The woman crashed into the windshield on the passenger side and suffered a dislocated shoulder as well as some cuts to her face, according to CalFire Capt. Tony Arnold.
The woman was conscious and breathing when medics responded.
"She just wasn't paying attention," Arnold said.
Traffic in the area was blocked for about 20 minutes, the CHP reported.
Aptos
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get well soon.
Get well soon Rachel
Im sure you'll win again this year
2 top uk riders and almost taking down another
R.I.P Ben and Tom and get well soon rachel
man bad month so far first the two other guys (forget names) died in that car accedent and then this man that sucks
PS the date in the vid says April 18 2009...
have a good recovery rachel, get well soon !
Good luck all Atherton family, you Rock !!!
It doesn't say how she was listening to her music, but the impression is she had both ears plugged with some raging tunes, head down, which has further led to her demise. Not only has it prevented her hearing the traffic around her but possibly also the shouts from her brothers as to her lapse in navigation veering in to the incorrect lane. If you listen to music it's one ear only, and the curb-side one. Always.
I wish Rachel all the best, I'm a big fan of her racing, her achievements, and what she's doing for our country on the World Stage, as well as raising women's sports profile. However, she has to wise up. Riding on the road is a dangerous game, even if you have many years experience behind you. As a first-time novice, she should have known better herself, and should have been better advised by her team, and family.
Get well soon Rach.
Remember kids, stay in school and always wear a helmet when riding.
Seriously i agree with what your saying that she should have been wearing a helmet - i almost feel more need to wear one on the road than downhilling (i do wear one for both) but at least when in the woods there is trees and squidgy mud and grass - on the road it is concrete with huge lumps of metal travelling towards you rather fast! rather more scary and dangerous than downhill mush!
Bicyclist injured in accident
A 21-year-old woman was flown to an out-of-county trauma center after being hit by a pickup while riding her bicycle around noon Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol. She was not wearing a helmet.
The woman, visiting from Britain, was biking northbound in the southbound lanes of Amesti Road just south of Browns Valley Road. She was riding with friends when she was hit, CHP officer A. Voorhees said.
"The exact cause of the crash is under investigation but basically she was on the wrong side of the road," Voorhees said. "She was with a group of riders and was the first to leave the closure at Amesti, came around the curve and drifted into the opposing lane."
The woman crashed into the windshield on the passenger side and suffered a dislocated shoulder as well as some cuts to her face, according to CalFire Capt. Tony Arnold.
The woman was conscious and breathing when medics responded.
"She just wasn't paying attention," Arnold said.
Traffic in the area was blocked for about 20 minutes, the CHP reported.
Aptos
very lucky to get away with dislocated shoulder and facial injuries
healing vibes to ms. Atherton
maybe he never was passed by a car who's driver is switching the radio channel whille litting a cigarette.. leaving 30cm of space between the parked cars and the him..looking up seeing the biker.. avoiding a crash by yanking the steering wheel almost killing pedestrians walking on the SIDE walk.. with the action taken...
and you dont yell at bicycle cops.. unless you are a complete retard like U NWay
you should not road bike.. or do it on the race course and not the road ,, same as the cops send us away while riding street.. do it in a park.."were you supposed to) and to say honest riding fully on your music is nice but indeed not too smart.. but heey i do it too some times.. so a little understanding is here... U C ?
A lady in the city I live in, was out biking, with her IPOD and didn't hear A TRAIN BARRELING TOWARD HER with full on horns blasting!! What the hell was she listening to?? She crossed at a crossing and needless to say she didn't make it to the other side. I see college girls at the local college walking at night next to wooded areas listening to their IPOD. Any freak could sneak up behind them and drag them into the woods. Hey im in America, that shit happens ya know? Anyways people need to take their earphones out of their ears and join society, before they get run over, or killed by something or someone they could have noticed if they weren't listening to their IPOD. Oh ya AC/DC rocks lol.
That said, Rachel got what she asked for.
For your reference, don't barrel downhill around corners without a helmet on on the wrong side of the road with earbuds in blasting music. You might get hurt.
Maybe this will convince Rachel Giro deserves $100 of her winnings. She should never be seen without a brain bucket anyway because she is a role model for children, especially young women.
My 2 cents.
I am just glad he recovered to compete again. I handled a similar case in a a href="http://www.injury-settlement-guide.com/nevada-personal-injury-attorneys.html">nevada personal injury attorneys/a> office and the victim was awarded a huge sum of settlement.
I am just glad he recovered to compete again. I handled a similar case
in a a href="http://www.injury-settlement-guide.com/nevada-personal-injury-attorneys.html">nevada personal injury attorneys/a> office and the victim was awarded a huge sum of settlement. [url=http://www.injury-settlement-guide.com/nevada-personal-injury-attorneys.html]nevada personal injury attorneys[/url] [link=http://www.injury-settlement-guide.com/nevada-personal-injury-attorneys.html]nevada personal injury attorneys[/link]
Listen kiddies, life isn't one big XBox game of no consequences and bad spelling. One by one, you will find out that every person you love and every hero that you look up to is simply another human with failings.
You are so wrong. But if I had to explain it, you STILL wouldn't understand. Get to the back of the short-bus.
amen to that! good to see shes taken it well and can still pop out the jokes.
get well soon rach!
Road bikes = danger (usually 4x4 drivers)
But remember kids look up to role models
so wear a helmet
exactly, so thats why she hit the car. and the fact u never ridden on the wrong side doesn't mean anything to this situation.
Stay on the trails!
but I otherwise think it is absolutely her fault. Downhiller like to think roadbiking is pussy-stuff and they don't need a helmet, but that's sadly not true. I'm downhiller but I sometimes go roadbiking, and had a few bad crashs, all with a helmet. And going on the wrong lane in america is just stupid. She shouldn't stop roadbiking for training, just wear a helmet next time. And go slower in a corner =)
I hope we see her completely fit in the worldcup next year!!
get well soon rachel, and keep inspiring us all
And to smash you logically, helmets existed before mountain biking was invented.