Crash in Ventura - Please Read and Comment
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 9:03 pmHello readers,
If the following incident description and discussion can help someone avoid the rehab and lost kiting time that I'm dealing with right now, then this entire event may prove worthwhile...
First of all, I hope to be back on the water at the end of September. I am not done kiting, and I'm actually taking the whole "wreck" pretty well. Things could be a lot worse, and I'm hoping to examine my crash in hopes that kiters out there like myself, total noobs and seasoned veterans can benefit from my latest experience. I am hoping that all of you that have comments will comment.
I started kiting in late August of 2008. After a lesson or two, I went straight to the ocean and had a great time at Emma Wood beach area next to Ventura. I came back to Utah after four days in ocean wind and waves and spent another 15 or so days on the water at Deer Creek and Utah Lake - at the end of the season, I was just beginning to jump. Once the snow hit, I probabaly put 15 or 20 days of quality snowkiting in. I ski about 100 days per year and I am MUCH better at skiing than wakeboarding. Mid winter I began to jump pretty well, and could stay up for 3 to 5 seconds pretty comfortably. Looking back, however, my jumps were big and long and pretty fast. I never really spent time popping straight up jumps with slower landings.
I went to the water knowing that I would have to tone it down a notch from snowkiting, but here's what happened on about April 21st...
The wind was 18 - 25 mph waves 2-3 feet. I launched my 11m kite and went out on my new cruiser pro, which has pads that are over an inch thick, and they are also somewhat shaped like a foot and grippy. I had a ton of fun for about an hour, and did a little bit of jumping (5-8 foot jumps), but I don't really remember attempting to land much. I did have to drag to fetch my board a few times. After an hour, I thought the board was a little too wide, so I went and got my old board, an Underground Wavetray 157 with Lightwave straps.
When I came back, I literally went 300 feet offshore, jumped up 5 feet or so, and continued out. I turned around, jumped again, this time maybe 10 feet up, travelling 40? feet of distance in an arc, and did not feel like I was coming down particularly hard - especially compared to some of my hits snowkiting. This board has minimal padding, just a grip tape on the deck really. As I was coming down, travelling from right to left and floating downwind a bit, my left foot slipped out of the strap a bit. As the board hit the water, generally the left side first, I heard a loud snap, then my butt hit the water. I looked at my ankle and apparently my heel had slid (with a bootie on) but the fore of my foot stayed immobile in the strap. My ankle had rotated 90 degrees or so. At first, I was like "are you #%@ing kidding me!?" THAT dislocated my ankle? But I soon realized that I was about 600 feet offshore and had a pretty messed up ankle.
I ditched my board. My kite was still in the air and well powered, so I body dragged to shore where some fellow kitesurfers secured my kite after I landed it, and then dragged me away from the surf onto a rock. Even with a wetsuit and booties, it was obvious that my ankle was toast, so we called an ambulance. I climbed the rock embankment up to the ambulance and away I went. Total strangers packed up my goods and drove my car to the ER. What a kick ass, tight knit group of people. They are planning to party upon my return.
The rotation broke my fibula in half, which in turn tore up my deltoid ligament, which in turn broke off a piece of my tibia. I am told that my bones are pretty strong, so bone deficiencies don't factor into the extent of the injuries. They plated my fibula and slapped in seven screws - my ligaments lined up OK, so they also put one long screw throug my tibia and fibula. Recovery is supposed to be 2 months with no weight on the ankle. Then a month of 20-50% weighted, then who knows. Mostly full usuable recovery by 6 months. Good for snowkiting, and productivity at work. But not recommended in general. The muscle loss is really going to suck.
Questions for the gallery:
1) Is this a common injury?
2) Do you think the injury could have been avoided if I had the bindings from the cruiser pro on this board?
3) Are these types of injuries common with boot bindings?
4) Had I been using boot bindings, would I have toasted a knee instead?
5) Any strategies for rehab?
6) When I return to the water, Any suggestions?
7) Are there any rules for "bailing out" of a water landing?
Any suggestions / comments are appreciated
A couple if things that I learned.
1) DO have that emergency contact info in your bag, or on you. My wife was 40 miles away. I had actually told someone where my info was in the odd event of things getting ugly before I went out. Had I been unconscious with out the info, it would have really sucked.
2) Newer guys..Knowing how to body drag is huge. I made it to the beach because Billy taught me how to body drag and use my body like a rudder. It was nasty rocks on all sides of the beach. It could have been waaay worse.
3) The kiting community rocks. Total strangers helped me out, called 911, packed up my stuff, and drove my car to the ER.
Thanks for your time in helping me get this one figured out! - Chris Sherwin
If the following incident description and discussion can help someone avoid the rehab and lost kiting time that I'm dealing with right now, then this entire event may prove worthwhile...
First of all, I hope to be back on the water at the end of September. I am not done kiting, and I'm actually taking the whole "wreck" pretty well. Things could be a lot worse, and I'm hoping to examine my crash in hopes that kiters out there like myself, total noobs and seasoned veterans can benefit from my latest experience. I am hoping that all of you that have comments will comment.
I started kiting in late August of 2008. After a lesson or two, I went straight to the ocean and had a great time at Emma Wood beach area next to Ventura. I came back to Utah after four days in ocean wind and waves and spent another 15 or so days on the water at Deer Creek and Utah Lake - at the end of the season, I was just beginning to jump. Once the snow hit, I probabaly put 15 or 20 days of quality snowkiting in. I ski about 100 days per year and I am MUCH better at skiing than wakeboarding. Mid winter I began to jump pretty well, and could stay up for 3 to 5 seconds pretty comfortably. Looking back, however, my jumps were big and long and pretty fast. I never really spent time popping straight up jumps with slower landings.
I went to the water knowing that I would have to tone it down a notch from snowkiting, but here's what happened on about April 21st...
The wind was 18 - 25 mph waves 2-3 feet. I launched my 11m kite and went out on my new cruiser pro, which has pads that are over an inch thick, and they are also somewhat shaped like a foot and grippy. I had a ton of fun for about an hour, and did a little bit of jumping (5-8 foot jumps), but I don't really remember attempting to land much. I did have to drag to fetch my board a few times. After an hour, I thought the board was a little too wide, so I went and got my old board, an Underground Wavetray 157 with Lightwave straps.
When I came back, I literally went 300 feet offshore, jumped up 5 feet or so, and continued out. I turned around, jumped again, this time maybe 10 feet up, travelling 40? feet of distance in an arc, and did not feel like I was coming down particularly hard - especially compared to some of my hits snowkiting. This board has minimal padding, just a grip tape on the deck really. As I was coming down, travelling from right to left and floating downwind a bit, my left foot slipped out of the strap a bit. As the board hit the water, generally the left side first, I heard a loud snap, then my butt hit the water. I looked at my ankle and apparently my heel had slid (with a bootie on) but the fore of my foot stayed immobile in the strap. My ankle had rotated 90 degrees or so. At first, I was like "are you #%@ing kidding me!?" THAT dislocated my ankle? But I soon realized that I was about 600 feet offshore and had a pretty messed up ankle.
I ditched my board. My kite was still in the air and well powered, so I body dragged to shore where some fellow kitesurfers secured my kite after I landed it, and then dragged me away from the surf onto a rock. Even with a wetsuit and booties, it was obvious that my ankle was toast, so we called an ambulance. I climbed the rock embankment up to the ambulance and away I went. Total strangers packed up my goods and drove my car to the ER. What a kick ass, tight knit group of people. They are planning to party upon my return.
The rotation broke my fibula in half, which in turn tore up my deltoid ligament, which in turn broke off a piece of my tibia. I am told that my bones are pretty strong, so bone deficiencies don't factor into the extent of the injuries. They plated my fibula and slapped in seven screws - my ligaments lined up OK, so they also put one long screw throug my tibia and fibula. Recovery is supposed to be 2 months with no weight on the ankle. Then a month of 20-50% weighted, then who knows. Mostly full usuable recovery by 6 months. Good for snowkiting, and productivity at work. But not recommended in general. The muscle loss is really going to suck.
Questions for the gallery:
1) Is this a common injury?
2) Do you think the injury could have been avoided if I had the bindings from the cruiser pro on this board?
3) Are these types of injuries common with boot bindings?
4) Had I been using boot bindings, would I have toasted a knee instead?
5) Any strategies for rehab?
6) When I return to the water, Any suggestions?
7) Are there any rules for "bailing out" of a water landing?
Any suggestions / comments are appreciatedA couple if things that I learned.
1) DO have that emergency contact info in your bag, or on you. My wife was 40 miles away. I had actually told someone where my info was in the odd event of things getting ugly before I went out. Had I been unconscious with out the info, it would have really sucked.
2) Newer guys..Knowing how to body drag is huge. I made it to the beach because Billy taught me how to body drag and use my body like a rudder. It was nasty rocks on all sides of the beach. It could have been waaay worse.
3) The kiting community rocks. Total strangers helped me out, called 911, packed up my stuff, and drove my car to the ER.
Thanks for your time in helping me get this one figured out! - Chris Sherwin
. I have had problems similar to ralph, just forgeting to adjust straps properly or someone using my board and adjusting them and then me forgetting to readjust. It is a problem not to have a properly fitted strap, I like them snug, just the toes sticking through and the ball planted firmly. booties are a problem because they require constant adjustment, and they ball up. I have had my feet come out with booties more than barefoot. Unfourtienetly they are a neccessary evil for me, I like the protection they give me. Most people dont wear them for this reason. when i feel my feet come out I ditch the board fast, kick it off.