Black Ice

Bletch

Bletch

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Anyone one else out there 'fell' victim to this yet? :(

I've probably just not mastered the art of walking on it, but last Saturday, I finished work early around 5am and walked down to the White Roase Centre in Leeds to catch the first bus home. Bad mistake. It was still dark, and before I knew it - Slip! - flying backwards. It was the scariest thing EVER! I swear to God, the amount of thoughts going through my head before I even hit the ground - namely - don't break anything, don't bang your head, there's no one here to help, I'm gonna be paralyzed, Whoa! Anyway it did hurt when I landed, mostly got a sore bum and right hand. I fact, I still cringe when I think about it :(

I can't wait to get winter over.
 
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wow, reminds me of years ago working a night shift at Thales in Doncaster, must have been -8 in the car park, fired the car up and scraped the windowscreen and jumped in, where i worked was literally just off the motorway so just pulled on and about 30seconds later my windscreen went bang a massive crack right up the middle..
 
The only experience I recall was in the 1970's

On my Honda 125 commute to work I was on a side road in the Wandsworth area and suffice to say I was being very very careful.

Suddenly with no warning (I was going at about walking pace speed(?)) the bike slid out from under me and both it & I slid to the gutter edge. All very slow mo and only my pride dented :LOL:

I got the bike upright and gingerly walked it out of the danger zone, to continue my ride to work in Tower Hamlets, at The (now Royal) London Hospital.
 
We had some black ice on part of one road in the village. It nearly caught me when I was crossing but I managed to keep my balance. Nasty stuff .
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
We had some black ice on part of one road in the village. It nearly caught me when I was crossing but I managed to keep my balance. Nasty stuff .
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Yonks ago there were advertised clip on (crampons like) teeth to attach to shoes to help cope with icy paths.
 
I've got to walk that same bloody path again tomorrow morning after work. I might try the other side of the road. Hopefully it wont be that wet/cold anyway
 
Cagey75 said:
It's like a switch goes off inside that's been lying dormant for decades! I just turned 50 on NYE and suddenly I'm terrified of icy pathways :ROFLMAO:
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yep that is actually a thing my wife said that recently i am now a bit risk averse , i still do loads of stuff but some things are a firm NO like ladders over 6ft , i even got rid of my chainsaw
 
Yes, I was caught out 10 days ago, hurt like hell but now getting better, I was lucky, nothing apparently broken this time, still painful when I sit down or stand up, and getting out of bed is a challenge, but I'm getting there:) Best avoided at the age of 80 . . .

Last time though, quite a few years ago, I broke several ribs very badly. This was on wet slippery stone steps at the farm, not ice but the same result. It was dark, pouring with rain, very cold and I was in agony. There were two people on the farm - somewhere - but no phone signal, We have red flares everywhere - all vehicles, farm machinery and similar - but there were none in my pocket:( I eventually tried 999 but that didn't work either so I eventually had to get myself up and into the house, I managed it but it was a close-run thing. As a result, I invested in a licenced 2-way radio system which, in an emergency, can be used to contact the Coastguard.

A few years before that, I slipped on black ice and broke a few ribs, which was nasty but at least I didn't nearly freeze to death:)

And about 50 years ago, slipped on black ice and broke my collar bone, ambulance job, a long time to heal.
 
I try not to venture out if it is icy, because I am useless at keeping my balance on ice. A few years ago, a guy died in our village after falling on ice and hitting the back of his head.
 
Bletch said:
Oh God I cant bring myself to watch!
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It is quite a nasty fall, looked like he went straight on his head, but he did come forward later - after it became a popular meme - to say it was him and he was alright after
 
andya700 said:
I try not to venture out if it is icy, because I am useless at keeping my balance on ice. A few years ago, a guy died in our village after falling on ice and hitting the back of his head.
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I'm the same, since retiring I've avoided going out in bad conditions. The fall that I mentioned above happened because I walked to my car to get something out of the boot, slipped and fell as I reached it, I should have stayed indoors:(
 
Over the years I've had falls from bicycles and motorcycles on ice, often bruising but not breaking anything. Now in my 60s, my balance is less good and so I'm careful, especially as healing is slower.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Over the years I've had falls from bicycles and motorcycles on ice, often bruising but not breaking anything. Now in my 60s, my balance is less good and so I'm careful, especially as healing is slower.
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Ironically, most of my bike falls [and I've had some nasty ones] were in my teens - 20's, just turned 50 and haven't had a fall in over a decade *touches wood!*

The last one I remember was about 12yrs ago, I was carrying some shopping bags on the bike and one of them jammed into the front wheel ... up and over I went! I do remember being mid-air, and time seemed to freeze lol, just thinking quickly to myself 'don't break anything!" thankfully I didn't, just a lot of scrapage all over my arms.
 
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Cagey75 said:
Ironically, most of my bike falls [and I've had some nasty ones] were in my teens - 20's, just turned 50 and haven't had a fall in over a decade *touches wood!*

The last one I remember was about 12yrs ago, I was carrying some shopping bags on the bike and one of them jammed into the front wheel ... up and over I went! I do remember being mid-air, and time seemed to freeze lol, just thinking quickly to myself 'don't break anything!" thankfully I didn't, just a lot of scrapage all over my arms.
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My last bike falls were on a mountain bike, penultimate had me over the bars, broken collar bone and ribs. The next ride after I'd healed went over the bars again, and at that point I heard the message clearly.
 
ancient_mariner said:
My last bike falls were on a mountain bike, penultimate had me over the bars, broken collar bone and ribs. The next ride after I'd healed went over the bars again, and at that point I heard the message clearly.
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I think I had a lucky escape, I was pelting downhill the time I went over - whatever my brain told me in that moment I managed to keep my arms out forward which helped prevent nastier injury! I feel like I was 10ft in the air, it probably wasn't as dramatic for anyone who witnessed! But in my mind I was practically 'flying' lol.

It was mountain bike for me too, these days I'm on an e-mtb, and tbh feel safer for it, as the bike is a lot heavier, the brakes are better, and I guess I'm more concious of what speed I'm travelling
 
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