My crash story was a bit humerous at the time, but after reading about the recent pv deaths, I count my lucky stars.
Early season, cold weather, 3rd attempt at 15-6. Myself and another competitor (Larry Wolfe) had cleared 15-0, but I was losing on misses.
Late plant, I felt myself going off to the side, but I wanted to win, so I didn't bail. I cleared the bar cleanly, but also cleared the side of the pit!
My knees hit the top edge of the pit, but my whole upper body missed it, propelling my head downwards onto the concrete base. I twisted like a cat to try to break my fall with my hands , but my face took the impact, breaking my 2 front teeth, my nose, and giving me a slight concussion.
After stopping the bleeding, I felt well enough to try 16-0, but Coach Ken Shannon (who was older and wiser than me
) forced me to call it a day.
Could have been lots worse, but I was OK after a couple weeks, and finished the season with a PR.
Lesson learned: If it feels like a late plant - it is! Bail!!!
Caution: Don't try this at home!
Kirk Bryde