Saturday, March 17 ... contd/
... and so after waiting a 'wee' while (South Island 'speak' .. :-) from the time I made my '111' emergency service cell-phone call after the crash - actually, it was around an hour's wait - I am on my way back to the township of Te Anau, courtesy of NZ's St John Ambulance Service .. Gawd Bless'um, and with one of the Brigade's kindest officers of all .. the fair Mary. I was is in safe hands now .. or was I?
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After three or more X-rays back at Fiordland Medical Practice, Te Anau, Dr David Hamilton diagnosis was as follows:
Closed fractured left distal radius/ulna-lower end, or wrist (Severity 2)
Closed fractured rib (Severity 1)
Fractured clavicle, or collar bone (Severity 1)
Doc Hamilton reckoned on surgery to fix the smashed-up wrist and referred us all onto an orthopaedic surgeon in Southland Hospital, Invercargill - a good two-hour's drive away to the south. With my veins pumped full of morphine (wow! .. dude! :o) we were soon on our way.
So it's back south for the pair of us .. me now - the recovered bike will follow, no doubt, a day or two later .. to Invercargill, the most southerly city in New Zealand.
And so started a whole new series of friendships, which all developed from the time I was admitted into Southland Hospital's surgical ward for a 4½-day stopover, right up to the time I left New Zealand, just over three weeks later.
Here's Dennis the Maori, who occupied the bed right opposite me within our four-man ward. He had a leg amputated. Can you guess which one it was?!
BTW, if you wanna know the definitive diagnosis of my injuries, then here they are:
1. Closed undisplaced oblique fracture of base of left fifth metacarpal
2. Left side midshaft clavicle fracture
3. Left ulnar side styloid fracture
4. Closed left dominant side intra-articular distal radius fracture
5. Fracture of left 3rd rib anteriorly
6. Plus, of course, a lot of other body bruising ...
.. including my ego!
On Day 3 I had a 2-hour full-anaesthesia operation in order to rebuild and plate & pin my LH wrist.
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Thursday, March-22
After the fourth near sleepless night in hospital, I grew desperate for a decent night's kip. So, the day after the operation I asked to be discharged, a request which was granted. I then booked into a homely B&B located on the edge-of-town (Invercargill).
My magnificent hosts were Russell .. and ...
.. his wife - the very pragmatic (and funny .. :-) Maid Marion of Southland Forest.
I spent two wonderful 'home-from-home' nights with these fine Southland folk .. and their son, Glynn.
On my second day with the Miller family, Marion offered, and I gratefully accepted, her kind invitation to see the local sights around the city of Invercargill. Here's one of the family cars, with the Maid Marion sat behind the steering wheel. Can you guess where this might be? ..
Well, I'm not certain either - but I seem to recall Marion mentioning the name 'Oreti Beach' (?)
But at least I get to see some more of Invercargill and its wild coastline and beach .. :-)
On the way back to the Miller-family B&B, we dropped in at Southland Honda Motorcycle Shop to survey the Trannie's damage, as I had learned that it had been trucked down a couple of days ago.
And it don't look good!
Not a pretty sight at all .. I reckon that it'll take more than a washdown and a rub of T-Cut to fix this lot! .. :-(
Executive Conclusion: I think the tour on two wheels might need to be completed during some other future space in time!
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The day after - Fri-23-March - Russell offers to drive me to Queenstown, a good 2½-3 hours' drive towards the north.
On the way we stop to take some pictures alongside the southern banks of Lake Wakapitu. I try to hide the splint/cast over my left fore arm, hoping to keep-up the masquerade that my injuries are merely superficial - for the benefit of the folks back home.
Will I get away with it, I'm wondering at the time?
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.. but never mind all the wishful masquerading, as for now - early/mid afternoon of Friday 23 March - just less than six days after the crash - I am being literally delivered from and out of the safe hands and kind hearts of Invercargill-based Russell & Marion Miller, into the equally altruistic care of Queenstown-based Stephen and Lisa Counsell.
I stayed with Stephen & Lisa for more than a week all told. Almost complete strangers at the beginning .. but nevertheless over the course of those few following days this young couple took care of my every need .. right down to tying my shoe laces. I realy don't know what would have happened had I not met-up with Stephen, by pure chance, less than a month beforehand. I just got lucky, I guess.
I am convinced that Stephen & Lisa have a lot of Good Karma coming there way. I shall say no more except that their kindness and generosity changed my whole outlook on life .. for the better I might add.
Thanks again Stephen and Lisa. Nice one .. ;o) :o)
And I AM indeed the lucky one, as I learned at Stephen & Lisa's place, from news reports, and first-hand witness testimony, that just 12 days after my crash a US brother-rider - same age as me (52) - fell whilst riding a rented tourer (prolly something like a BMW R1150RT, or similar) in exactly the same vicinity as where I tumbled.
Sadly, Brother Patrick M Stoffey (RIP) went back home from NZ to his loved ones, in California, covered in a body bag.
