The helmet saved my life in K2K Ride

We all know Helmet is the most important riding gear in motorcycling, sometimes more precious than your motorcycle. Often riders misjudge the significance of a good helmet, which may or may not cost a bomb. Today, I will be sharing the most horrible and brutal accident of my life.

Note: Upcoming parts are the direct narration of the incident that actually happened with us, no edits. So, it might get boring, but if you value your life, you must read it.

If you are reading this, it means you value your life most. I appreciate your time. Let’s start…

It was 10th September 2016, and we started on the Kanyakumari ride from Kolkata. Our plan was to ride continuously till Chennai (1700+Km), which includes a continuous ride at night also. As planned, we completed our dinner near Khurda Road, Orissa. While discussing road conditions, locals seemed a little concerned. They advised us not to ride at night, but rather to stay at the nearest lodge or hotel. But we took this thing very lightly, as people are not that accustomed to motorcycle riding in India. So, we thanked their concern but decided to continue the ride. Just for context, we had earlier experience in riding at night during the Nainital trip. That time we rode straight to Agra from Kolkata, crossing Bihar at night.

Let’s come to that horrible day. I was riding at a constant speed of 80-90 KmPH with my pillion (wife). Suddenly, after overtaking a truck, the road became completely empty, pitch dark, not a single car, truck, or even person. I turned on the hazard light, high beam, and auxiliary lamps for better visibility. Approximately at 09:30 PM, we heard a very loud blasting sound, and within a second, something hit my head near Haripur Sasan. I was so concentrated on riding that thing that I wouldn’t grab my immediate attention. But seconds later, I started to think about what could hit my head, maybe a section of busted truck tires or some birds. But…

As soon as I stopped (within a minute), something dropped from my head to my lap, then to the ground. It was a brick-shaped stone, more than half a foot long and heavy. Then only I noticed my helmet visor was missing and couldn’t find it anywhere near. The place we stopped all of a sudden was very spooky, pitch dark. Few people came to us, I doubted them, and was trying to leave the place as soon as possible.

But my wife insisted on opening my helmet so that she could check my head for any injury. After a lot of ifs & buts, finally, I removed my helmet and she discovered it was bleeding on my forehead. Now she can’t tolerate blood, and that too mine in the middle of nowhere, literally nowhere.

One of them told us that the blast was to extract stones, and one of those bullet-like stones hit me. That time I felt helpless, but with my wife, motorcycle, and everything, I couldn’t get nervous. So, I decided to reach the nearest toll booth and seek help. But one of them offered us a medical checkup in the nearest clinic (4-5 Km away). After lots of arguments with my wife and that guy, I finally rode my motorcycle to the clinic (Deepak Drug House) at Nachuni.

We reached approximately 10 PM at night, and the medicine shop was about to close. Somehow, that guy convinced the store guy and called a doctor or maybe a compounder. My main motive was to stop the blood somehow and head towards the next toll booth or Berhampur town. After 15 long minutes, the doctor/compounder came and advised stitching the injury. He gave me a medicine for controlling the blood, but it was non-reactive. Trust me, I used to fear stitches so much. But at that time, my wife was becoming senseless, which left me no choice but to tolerate whatever they were doing until I started riding to leave the place.

They did local anesthesia, injected me with another medicine to control the blood. Maybe anesthesia or the last injection started a dizzy feeling, and all I was thinking was, what if they rob us or misbehave with my wife, or they may inject something to make me senseless. Somehow, we were lucky they were good people. Finally, after 45 minutes and multiple stitching attempts, I got a Harry Potter-like Scar. That doctor injected an antibiotic in my bum so that it would not be painful later, gave me 4 days of medicine, and all these for free. I insisted on paying the expenses, but he said the guy who took us here paid the bill of approximately INR 1000. I’m surprised how someone could be so kind.

After more questioning, I came to know that those people at that spooky place were watching guard in case any mishap happened due to the blast. Literally, I was shocked, as per that doctor/compounder, this type of incident takes place almost every night. Generally, they blast at midnight, but that unfortunate day, they blasted earlier. That cost me 4 stitches, 1.5 hours of the insecure feeling, the senseless condition of my wife, and most importantly, it was a life-threatening event. I decided to complain at the nearest police station (a Km away), but later thought they must have this information, otherwise, they would have come on the spot as soon as the blast happened.

Somehow, we found a lodge approximately 25 km away at Balugaon, and we rode there and halted for the night. The next day, I felt better and requested my family and wife to allow me to complete the trip. After a long argument, they agreed, but on two conditions.

1. Do not speed over 80 KmPH
2. If I feel unhealthy, I have to inform them and stop riding immediately

By god’s grace or my willpower, we completed the Kolkata – Kanyakumari – Rameswaram – Kolkata trip in 16 days, including this mishap. Frankly, I am neither exaggerating nor advising someone to do this. Rather, I will always suggest knowing your limits, strengths, and weaknesses before such a long ride. You should have the utmost responsibility.

Now, let’s discuss what riding gear we had that day and the mindset behind that. I learned to ride more than 10 years ago in a town where no one wears a helmet. So was I, until one day I was saved from an accident miraculously. Since then, I wear a helmet, but local ones like Aaron, Studds, Steelbird, etc. Luckily, during this scariest accident, I had an LS2 helmet, because of that, I am alive today. But my wife was wearing a Steelbird helmet, and I could not forgive myself for my entire life if that stone hit her. I wore that broken helmet till Visakhapatnam the next day. I purchased a Steelbird helmet as nothing better was available in the whole city. Seriously, I hopped more than 10 shops but bad luck. After returning from the trip, I purchased a pair of a good helmet for us.

Guess what, we carried that broken helmet to our home and kept it. So that it can remind us how important our life is, then spending on riding gear.

Oh! I forgot to mention, we were not wearing any other riding gear that day. I always get goosebumps remembering that horrible day. Soon after we purchased riding jackets, gloves.

The most fascinating part that I can say, my forehead get stitched at Orisssa, checked-up at Andhra Pradesh and finally cut the stitch at Tamilnadu that to in Kanyakumari, southern end of India.

Generally, we think we are probably the best riders or have enough riding experience & skills. Sometimes, we consider that riding gear does not matter than the cosmetics of the motorcycle. But trust me, there could be two scenarios: either you hit or you get hit. It does not matter whose fault it was. But you have to pay the bill as I did. It was not our fault that day; there was neither any road blockage nor even warning about this before. But somehow the LS2 helmet saved me. Trust me, protective gear like riding gear always feels costly until it saves you from any mishap. Although riding gear does not guarantee your complete safety or change your fate, it is a protective layer for you. In case of any mishap, it will take the first impact before you, which will significantly reduce the after-effects.

Now, let’s discuss my understanding of a good helmet. A good helmet could not be costlier than your head. It has to have a reputable certification like DOT & Shark (American Certificate), ECE (European Certificate), or SNELL, etc. Sadly, in India, a helmet worth INR 400 or less also has ISI certification (Indian Certificate). Don’t misjudge me, they really don’t provide any protection. Those companies could fake the certification, but seriously, I always wanted a trusted and safe manufacturer. Like me, you should decide the highest budget for your helmet, then look for certification. Followed by the field of view through the visor, cushioning/padding, locking mechanism, and lastly, the reputation of the manufacturing brand. You can also check out our detailed guide on “How to Choose a Good Motorcycle Helmet for you“.

Lastly, we got one life, don’t risk it unnecessarily. Be safe, Be responsible on road, don’t rash drive, keep in mind our family waits for us at home.

You can know more about the Rynox Urban Riding Jacket here.

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