Near Fatal Accident

Trip Start Jul 01, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Indonesia Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

July 16, 2008

Near Fatal Accident

I must have a guardian angel or perhaps I am just the luckiest person. I left Ubud in the afternoon to go back to Kuta since I left bags with all my clothes back at the hostel. I got on my motorcycle got on the busy road. I was about twenty minutes away from Kuta when I missed my turn. I stopped on the side of the road to turn around. I looked on my left and to my right and saw no one on the road. I proceeded to turn when I heard a loud motorcycle coming fast directly at me while I was on the middle of my turn. The last thing I heard was the other driver's scream and a loud crash as he hit me.

The impact knocked me off my motorcycle

Yay!! It's not broken

. I was lying on the middle of the road dizzied. I knew I needed to get up and get off the road due to oncoming traffic. But my right foot gave out as soon as I put some weight on it. I saw my motorcycle on the other side of the road. A street vendor came to my aid and helped me drag my motorcycle off the road. I was hopping on my left foot and reached the side of the road when I collapsed to the ground. I felt a tingling sensation on my knee and right elbow. I tried to stand up again and my left ankle was in excruciating pain. I must have twisted it pretty badly or maybe worst.

On the other side of the road I saw the other motorcycle driver. He was also in a bad shape. I looked at my knee and right elbow covered in blood. I must have scraped it on the pavement pretty badly. The street vendor put some car lubricant on my wounds that seemed to work well to stop the bleeding. We were both lucky to survive the accident. He had cuts on his face, arms, and knees. I felt guilty. I knew that it was both of our faults, he was going too fast and I made an illegal u-turn. We both agreed to not involve the police mainly because it would make things more difficult. I gave him some money because I could afford it so he could fix his motorcycle and get some aid for his wounds.

I got back on my motorcycle and checked into a different hostel

I have a cankle

. The right rearview mirror and right brake grip were broken. Also, the front wheel was out of alignment. Since I rented the motorcycle I can't bring it back to my first hostel in such condition. Unlike back home, the motorcycle didn't come with insurance.

My first aid kit was back at my first hostel so I cleaned my wounds with water and kept my ankle elevated. The hostel didn't have ice and it was too painful for me to go to a nearby store to get some. So I slept that night with so much pain. There was not even a blanket so I used the bed sheet throughout the night.

The next morning I woke up and asked for direction to a nearby motorcycle shop. Luckily it was not too far away. The shop replaced and fixed the motorcycle to its original condition. I saw a local hospital and stopped by to get my ankle checked out. I was worried it was broken or there might be a fracture. But the x-ray proved that everything was fine. The doctor told me to rest for the new several days and put ice on my ankle and prescribed some medicine for the swelling.

I got back to my hostel and returned the motorcycle. The guy at the front desk asked me why I was limping and I told him that I fell while taking photos of the bull the day before. He didn't suspect anything more.

I have been putting ice on my ankle for the last 36 hours and the swelling have gone down. I will stay in Kuta perhaps for another 48 hours and head out north to Lovina or head out to Lombok, another smaller island to the east of Bali. For now, I am spending my time recuperating and editing my photos.