A Good Day Gone Bad | Teen Ink

A Good Day Gone Bad MAG

By Anonymous

   Ouch!It was dark outside, and I had crashed my bike pretty badly. I realized I wasspitting blood and my lip was caught on my braces. My leg really hurt,too.

When I looked up after seeing if I had a broken arm, I noticed about40 headlights shining on me. Cars were waiting for me to move my bike. When theynoticed I was in pain, people came running, asking what had happened. I wasafraid they all thought I was crazy, because I was just sitting there on the sideof the road.

One family rushed me home and my brother Josh called my dadand told him to pick me up and rush me to the hospital.

Waiting for mydad, I looked at my lip. I looked and felt horrible; I had ripped part of my gumaway and my lip was still caught in my braces. I was still bleeding, and I knew Iwould have to get stitches.

To get my lip off my braces the doctor had touse pliers. I left the hospital with stitches, a leg brace, and a helmet.

Which brings me to my point: Always wear a helmet. Wearing a helmet can save yourlife. If I had worn one that night, I would have only had a fewscratches.

I found some incredible statistics that are very interestingand scary. It changed my mind about wearing a helmet, and I hope they changeyours, too:

- Over 500,000 bicyclists are admitted to emergency roomsevery year because of bicycle crash-related injuries.

- 900 people dieevery year from bike-related crashes.

- 98% of those 900 bicyclistskilled were not wearing helmets.

- 60% of bike-related deaths are due toserious head injuries.

- Helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by asmuch as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.

- It isestimated that 75% of bicycle-related fatalities among children could have beenprevented with a helmet.

I know helmets are embarrassing, but they cansave your brain and your life. I know kids who wear helmets when they go BMXriding because they do not want what happened to me to happen to them. You canpurchase one for as little as $15, which is not much compared with injuring yourbrain or death. A helmet can prevent a regular bike wreck from becoming a major



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This article has 4 comments.


i love this so much!

on Jan. 23 2015 at 11:00 am
chilicheesemadman, Easley, South Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
this is truly a inspirational piece you have here. That more people are probably going to wear a helmet from hearing that over 500,000 people go to the hospital for wearing something that is simple to use and could save your life!

on Mar. 31 2012 at 2:00 am
Aeliss-Novak-the-Zombie-Space-Pirate BRONZE, That Place With All The Trees And Stuff, Oregon
1 article 3 photos 150 comments

Favorite Quote:
Impossible is not a word, just a reason not to try.~Kutless<br /> <br /> I&#039;m going to smile and make you think I&#039;m happy, I&#039;m going to laugh, so you don&#039;t see me cry, I&#039;m going to let you go in style, and even if it kills me - I&#039;m going to smile.~Anonymous

I completely agree with what you are saying, I always wear a helmet, but a helmet would not have changed everything, you still would have had to wear a leg brace, your day still would have been bad. Plus you ran a lot of words together.

Mandy said...
on Mar. 10 2011 at 2:43 am
A good day gone bad simply because ... the lack of a helmet.