northern bear
RIP May 30,2022
Sorry no videos, and from my point of view there's not much to tell, simply from having no memory of it for the most part, but I'll tell my side, and then fill in with what I was told.
This happened summer of '08. My wife and I had just purchased an acreage and built a house the previous fall, and decided we should have a house warming party that summer. Was a hot day and I spent it cutting grass and tidying up the yard, getting ready for the festivities. Family and friends started showing up late afternoon early evening and things were going well. I was hot, dehydrated and thirsty and Corona's became my best friend. All was good until my one neighbour shows up riding his Honda Canadian trail edition around 8 or so. We end up getting into a discussion about quads and he proceeded on telling why his Honda was such a superior machine and my new Grizzly 700 was inferior. After listening to this for about 20 min or so I told my son to go get me my keys, and I proceeded on showing him he was wrong. Many Corona's had been consumed at this point and my judgement was fairly compromised at this point. Tired to pull a wheelie at some point and was having issues with the tires hooking up in the grass, so took the grizzly out to the main road which hardtop. Pulled some good wheelies there, dragging the back rack and all. When I was done with that I came back around the backside of my yard and went over my excessively large sewer mound and pulled a wheelie down the back side, with the intent if parking for the night. That's where the huge gap in memory begins. Next thing I remember was a guy saying "Come on Greg, lets just get in the ambulance and we'll talk fire dept stuff". I said okay. At one point of the normally 15 min drive to town I remember asking how long will it take to get there, Then blank again. Next was being in the hospital. I remember giving a urine sample, having x-rays taken, looking at said x-rays and the balance showing me a mangled neck brace/collar. And my right shoulder hurting immensely. Docs wanted me to stay overnight for observation, no way I was staying so I had to sign a release paper. Right arm wouldn't work to get the pen up on the counter and sign my name so I used my left hand to push my right around. Then I went home.
Here's what I've been told of the account. For whatever reason, everyone there must of felt I was still competent and not all that drunk so riding quad wasn't a big deal and no one stepped in to stop me. And there was sober peeps there so it wasn't like everyone's judgement was impaired.
Anyways as I came over the sewer mound, there was a sunken trench which is what I hit. The front wheels coming down perfectly in the trench. Never rolled or flipped the quad. Hit it at an angle so the handlebars twisted, wrenching my body backwards and sideways. It was at that point I knocked myself out cause it looked like I just fell off the quad. Didn't stick my hands out or nothing to save myself from the fall everyone was freaking out, especially my mother cause she believed she had just watched her son die. There were three RN's there that night so I was in good hands at least. I was unconscious for about 10 min apparently. When I came to I apparently asked repeatedly on where I was and what happened. Of course 911 was called, and the whole Calvary of fire dept, police and ambulance showed up. I was loaded onto the spine board and strapped down with the collar and the little blocks to stabilize my head and the spider straps. I was a normal patient still at that point, right up till they decided to load me in the back of the ambulance. I was having none of that. It took them 45 minutes to get me loaded in. I put up a good struggle. At one point in time one if the RCMP tried to bodily subdue me by holding down on the stretcher. That's when my brother got mad and grabbed the cop by the scruff of his neck and tossed him. That apparently ended up in calling for backup and pepper spray threats. I apparently threw my wife in her attempts to plead with me to get in the ambulance. It wasn't until the fire chief said lets talk fire dept that I actually allowed myself to be loaded. I was a member of a neighbouring town fire dept for 11 years and thats why he said that to me. At the hospital, when asked for a urine sample apparently I told them they ain't gonna find nothin in that except for maybe a dozen Mexicans.
I'm sure there are parts I'm still missing. I ended up with a majorly severe concussion and a dislocated/separated right shoulder. Never have felt so much pain Between my head feeling literally like it would explode the next day and my whole right shoulder feeling like it was ripped apart. It's a journey I have no intentions of doing again. Learned my lesson, perhaps, still ride hard, u bet, but I'm smarter about it now.
This happened summer of '08. My wife and I had just purchased an acreage and built a house the previous fall, and decided we should have a house warming party that summer. Was a hot day and I spent it cutting grass and tidying up the yard, getting ready for the festivities. Family and friends started showing up late afternoon early evening and things were going well. I was hot, dehydrated and thirsty and Corona's became my best friend. All was good until my one neighbour shows up riding his Honda Canadian trail edition around 8 or so. We end up getting into a discussion about quads and he proceeded on telling why his Honda was such a superior machine and my new Grizzly 700 was inferior. After listening to this for about 20 min or so I told my son to go get me my keys, and I proceeded on showing him he was wrong. Many Corona's had been consumed at this point and my judgement was fairly compromised at this point. Tired to pull a wheelie at some point and was having issues with the tires hooking up in the grass, so took the grizzly out to the main road which hardtop. Pulled some good wheelies there, dragging the back rack and all. When I was done with that I came back around the backside of my yard and went over my excessively large sewer mound and pulled a wheelie down the back side, with the intent if parking for the night. That's where the huge gap in memory begins. Next thing I remember was a guy saying "Come on Greg, lets just get in the ambulance and we'll talk fire dept stuff". I said okay. At one point of the normally 15 min drive to town I remember asking how long will it take to get there, Then blank again. Next was being in the hospital. I remember giving a urine sample, having x-rays taken, looking at said x-rays and the balance showing me a mangled neck brace/collar. And my right shoulder hurting immensely. Docs wanted me to stay overnight for observation, no way I was staying so I had to sign a release paper. Right arm wouldn't work to get the pen up on the counter and sign my name so I used my left hand to push my right around. Then I went home.
Here's what I've been told of the account. For whatever reason, everyone there must of felt I was still competent and not all that drunk so riding quad wasn't a big deal and no one stepped in to stop me. And there was sober peeps there so it wasn't like everyone's judgement was impaired.
Anyways as I came over the sewer mound, there was a sunken trench which is what I hit. The front wheels coming down perfectly in the trench. Never rolled or flipped the quad. Hit it at an angle so the handlebars twisted, wrenching my body backwards and sideways. It was at that point I knocked myself out cause it looked like I just fell off the quad. Didn't stick my hands out or nothing to save myself from the fall everyone was freaking out, especially my mother cause she believed she had just watched her son die. There were three RN's there that night so I was in good hands at least. I was unconscious for about 10 min apparently. When I came to I apparently asked repeatedly on where I was and what happened. Of course 911 was called, and the whole Calvary of fire dept, police and ambulance showed up. I was loaded onto the spine board and strapped down with the collar and the little blocks to stabilize my head and the spider straps. I was a normal patient still at that point, right up till they decided to load me in the back of the ambulance. I was having none of that. It took them 45 minutes to get me loaded in. I put up a good struggle. At one point in time one if the RCMP tried to bodily subdue me by holding down on the stretcher. That's when my brother got mad and grabbed the cop by the scruff of his neck and tossed him. That apparently ended up in calling for backup and pepper spray threats. I apparently threw my wife in her attempts to plead with me to get in the ambulance. It wasn't until the fire chief said lets talk fire dept that I actually allowed myself to be loaded. I was a member of a neighbouring town fire dept for 11 years and thats why he said that to me. At the hospital, when asked for a urine sample apparently I told them they ain't gonna find nothin in that except for maybe a dozen Mexicans.
I'm sure there are parts I'm still missing. I ended up with a majorly severe concussion and a dislocated/separated right shoulder. Never have felt so much pain Between my head feeling literally like it would explode the next day and my whole right shoulder feeling like it was ripped apart. It's a journey I have no intentions of doing again. Learned my lesson, perhaps, still ride hard, u bet, but I'm smarter about it now.
Great story and glad it didnt end and you are still standing on this planet.
and it is not you carrots. High five good game bum slap buddy!
