An Interview with a Woman the Year After a Serious Massachusetts Bike Accident

According to a recent article form the Salem News, a 50-year-old woman and her friend were riding their bikes in Salem, when she was hit by a horse trailer being towed by a pickup truck. It was at first considered to be a hit-and-run accident, because the driver of the vehicle never stopped to see what happened to the victim, but authorities were not certain the driver knew his trailer had hit a bicycle rider.

There was, however, no question the victim knew the horse trailer hit her. When first responders arrived, they determined she had suffered life-threatening injuries, and they called for a medevac helicopter to transport her Boston Medical Center’s trauma center. When she arrived at the hospital, she was immediately taken into an emergency room, where they tested her for brain damage and paralysis. She was also treated for her broken collarbone, shoulder, elbow and skull fractures. Victim said she was slipping in and out of consciousness and didn’t really know what was going on, but knew things were not right.

The day following her  bike accident, she began to realize the full extent of the damage she had sustained. Victim was an athlete and regularly competed in triathlons and ran marathons and a number of other similar events.   The day she was hit by the trailer, she was training for an upcoming competition.   On the day of the accident, her husband was racing his bike at an event in Gloucester and immediately rushed to the hospital when he heard what happened to his wife.

One of the reasons victim has been so successful in her recovery is because, on the night she was flown to Boston Medical Center, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine treated her. This surgeon was able to perform what is described a new and difficult procedure hardy ever done outside of level-one trauma centers.

She was put in an extensive physical therapy routine, where she had to work very hard to get her strength and mobility back. Her shoulder recovery was much easier than her collarbone and head injures.   She now has a full range of motion in her shoulder, which doctors are very pleased with. She described the physical therapy process as long, difficult, and painful, but she was so happy she survived the accident that it made things easier during the long road to recovery. She also said that support groups help a lot with the emotional trauma, and, after a year of recovery, she is back on her bike again and able to run in 5k races.

However, despite the progress she has made, she is still not fully healed. She still must attend frequent physical and occupational therapy sessions. In some more positive news, she has been able to return to work as a marketing manager in downtown Boston.   Victim said she spent the anniversary of her injury with her husband enjoying a quiet evening thinking about how amazing it is she survived what could have been a deadly accident.

If you are injured in an accident in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.

Additional Resources:

One year later, October 15, 2015, Salem News, by Amanda Ostuni

More Blog Entries:

Pedestrian Dragged Hundreds of Feet in Car Crash – Western Massachusetts, June 13, 2015, Boston Car Accident Attorney Blog