This weekend I and hopefully hundreds of others are participating in a ride of silence for cyclists who have been killed by motorist in the Valley.
I don't know if I will actually have to be silent for the symbolic ten mile ride but I am sure it will be a somber procession.
A local triathlete and his wife were struck by an uninsured motorist who is also an illegal alien last month and he is in miserable condition. Compound fracture to his leg, shattered arm, broken pelvis in five places, broken neck (non-paralyzing), broken ribs, ruptured kidney, torn vena cava. He was induced into a coma for a week. They finally pulled his breathing tube after a few weeks. He is still in ICU. His wife suffered some injury as she hit the car instead of vice versa.
Terribly sad situation. This is a couple who have done much for triathlon in the valley and have competed in 13 Ironman's together, including several Kona trips.
So mortality has been on my mind lately. I met with a friend today to update my life insurance and my start a disability insurance plan. I would hate to be in situation where an injury caused financial hardship to my family. And the fact is with all the 'issues' us mortals have with mortality, the fact is the chances of being disabled are higher than dying at a young age.
When I mentor young employees on what to do with their money once they start getting commas on their paycheck, I always stress health insurance or at the very least major medical. I think of all the issues I have had with my head; closed head injury, open head injury, a dozen concussions, subdural hematoma's, amnesia, I have been pig headed that last several years in not heeding my own advice to protect myself and my family from unforeseen circumstances.
So this weekend if your riding, ride for a few moments in memory of a fallen cyclist. While your juggling your holiday stuff, check in with your auto insurance carrier to see if you're covered for uninsured motorists in both car and bike injury (some do), and look into a Christmas gift for your family that revolves around you protecting them if something happens and you can't provide your normal income.
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6 comments:
Comm,
The couple will definitely be in my thoughts this sat when i ride...
The sad thing is that the combination makes is so unlikely that any relief will ever come to the family.
It's great that you are all doing something to keep them in focus and show solidarity. Prayers are what they would seem to need most, at the moment.
I recently went through and obviously survived a bad bike accident where also an uninsured motorist hit me going 50 mph. So far, nothing has happened to her. I am on the mend, and am grateful for that. But it does put in perspective your mortality and it is a good idea, doing the stuff we do, to make sure your family is protected in the unlikely event something happens while you are training or racing. You should review not only your life insurance but any estate planning documents as well. While none of us likes to think of the inevitable, having your affairs in order puts that problem out of the way for you and your loved ones.
Comm - sobering but good advice.
Jenny
Powerful post. And very, very true.
Just when we begin to believe that our sport has transformed us into skinny, invincible super-people, this kind of sad news brings us back to reality. Thanks for the reminder.
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