That's what I heard when I answered the phone a week ago today. Mitch and I had a perfectly good Sunday going. We'd taken his mom to dinner, ran a few errands and then came back to the house to change and go to the park. It was sunny and cold. Mitch and I have cold weather gear, so temp isn't really a factor. Mitch left our driveway on his Orbea Alma at 3:15. I pulled out of the drive 5 minutes later and headed to the park for a walk. That's been our routine since I can no longer ride a bike with my damaged hand; he rides 12 miles; I drive to the park and walk 3, and he meets me there.
A mile or so from the house, my cell phone rang. It was a stranger calling to tell me Mitch had wrecked on the trail. I got his location, whipped the car around and drove like a mad woman back up Lone Pine. Two cyclists were waiting for me at the trail head. I gave one the first aid kit I carry and told him to ride ahead, then ran a quarter of a mile down the trail. I found Mitch laying quite still, covered in blood, being attended to by 2 doctors who just happened to be jogging on the trail, too.
Turns out, a couple walking their dog turned it off its lead (which is against city ordinance) and it ran headlong at Mitch. He swerved to avoid it, hit a patch of mud and went end over end. The dog, which weighed 60 or 70 pounds, tried to bite several people who stopped to help. I don't know what it's owners were thinking - taking an aggressive dog to a city park and turning it loose; I can't go there.
Long story short: Mitch was taken by ambulance to St. John's Hospital. FYI: I chose St. John's. No way was I letting Cox get their hands on him! Mitch suffered a shattered left wrist, a dislocated right elbow, severe trauma to his right knee with a soccer ball sized hematoma, a severed artery above his right eye and muliple facial lacerations. He's had plastic surgery on his face, had his right arm reset and then had another surgery to put plates and screws in his left wrist. We came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to our family and friends who surrounded us every step of the way. My brother and SIL actually beat the ambulance to the hospital! Our family and friends were nothing short of amazing, and I can't begin to tell you what a comfort it was to know I was not alone this week.
Mitch's recovery has been miraculous so far; he improves every single day. His 2 injured arms will keep him from driving any time soon, but he's able to use his laptop a little so he can work from his office here at the house once his head clears from the drugs.
As for his bike riding, Mitch probably won't be able to ride the Orbea any more; the wrist injuries were too severe. Amazingly, the Alma wasn't even scratched! This is a picture of Mitch and the Alma; I took it in November when we went on our Katy Trail holiday.
We are home resting and recouping. As you know, I have very limited use of my left hand, so we're quite a team, Mitch and I. You should see us trying to put on a pair of his socks! I appreciate all the prayers and well wishes, and hope you'll remember us for the next few weeks while he mends!