First Motorbike Accident (December 1, 2023)¶
The setup (to the crash)¶
The month before the crash was a very busy month at work. We had been working 15-hour days for several weeks. This was also the first time I was being on-call for a TSDB. I take my job extra-seriously when the word "database" is involved.
This IPL was extra special because this was my first IPL working at last9.
Moreover, we were running our events-pipeline for the first time during an IPL and I was the only on-call SRE who was involved in this project from day-1. So I had the most context on the system. The other on-call SREs were involved in the metrics-pipeline.
Naturally, when the festivities (IPL) ended, I decided that a good way to spend my days would be to travel to Bengaluru on the bike. A trip to Bengaluru was long overdue. Little did I know that I would not be travelling to Bengaluru anytime soon.
The days before Day-0¶
The last match of IPL 2022 was on 29th May. After the match we spent about ⅔ days cleaning up the system that was scaled to huge proportions to support the load.
I had promised myself that I would buy a pair of motorcycling gloves before my next long trip. What I did not anticipate was that the "next long tour" would happen so soon. So on that Sunday (28th) I went to the Rynox showroom in Viman Nagar and purchased a pair of gloves. That day, I headed to Taminhi Ghat to test out the gloves. After all, you should never use new equipment without familiarizing yourself with it first.
The total distance from Pune to Bengaluru is about 844kms. I am not crazy (or stupid/careless) enough to attempt this distance without prior practice. So I decided that stopping at Hubballi would be a good decision. I even booked a cheap hotel with covered parking. I like to plan my end-of-day stays as it helps me not think about getting to a town early enough to look for stays. My previous single-day distance record was a little bit over 350kms and the distance from Pune to Hubballi is about 430kms. So not-too-bad overall.
Day-0 and early Day-1¶
The plan was to get done with work early, pack and go to bed early. This was supposed to be the day before the trip and all the books/blogs/YouTube videos of motorbikers say that getting a good night's sleep and proper hydration is crucial. This will be important later on.
As with all plans, things soon went to shit. Work took long. Packing took lesser time. Packing always takes lesser time than allocated.
What was unexpected was that a certain person called me and all logic went out of the window. We spent a good couple of hours on the phone talking about random things, as we had done many times before.
Anyway, we said the "goodnight"s and I went off to bed. It was 3 AM on Day 1. This was my first big mistake.
Day-1¶
Woke up at 6am. It was a beautiful morning. I made some strong coffee, took a bath and set off. I was on the road by 6:30 AM.
The road towards Bengaluru is beautiful. The road is unblemished and very very smooth. It is a very well-maintained road. One could almost fall asleep on this road.
Sometime during this day, the vibrations on the handlebar of the motorbike finally screwed the optical image stabilisation motors on the mobile phone camera. As a result, my camera no longer focuses. On a Google Pixel 4a, this is a weird set of circumstances.
First signs of trouble.¶
The initial 120 kilometers were good. No complications. No fatigue.
During this ride, my hands were getting very uncomfortable, so I would ride for a while with my gloves on and then take off my gloves and ride a bit more; before putting them back on again. This cycle put me in a good routine and I was stopping every 90 mins or so. After Satara the fatigue started to kick in.
There were episodes of microsleep. This is something which I had read about before, but failed to recognise them for what they were. I should have turned back then. This was mistake-2.
There was once a point where I clearly remember seeing the rear of a truck in front of me. A moment later, I see that the truck is a bit too close to me. I had completely lost the last second. It was as if I had zoomed in on the back of the truck. This is what a microsleep episode looks like.
I remember stopping at a tea-stall for some tea. I should have turned back then. I didn't.
I was constantly aware of how tired I was; but I kept going since I had a schedule to stick to. I had promised my friends that I would visit them. I had taken "leaves" from office. I had miles to go before I slept. As I would soon see, the universe has a weird sense of humor.
Anyway, I reached Kolhapur. I put on my gloves. I pushed on.
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall!!¶
Barely 60kms out of Kolhapur, there is a slight bend where the highway turns right. I woke up from a microsleep episode and noticed that I was too close to the edge of the road. I made a hard turn, but it was too late.
The front wheel dropped onto the dirt piled along the side of the road, and the bike fell on its right side, hitting the highway and sliding for some time before coming to a stop.
I remember feeling the helmet hit the ground. I remember seeing the concrete scrape under the visor. I remember feeling my hands slide on the concrete.
Soon, the sliding stopped. I got up and did some damage assessment.
The aftermath¶
Fortunately, I was not bleeding, which was quite surprising; though I had several scratches. My limbs were not broken, which was also a major relief.
My wrists were twisted and some fingers badly hurt, making movement difficult. The gloves did a fantastic job. I remember my arms touching the ground and sliding. They held up really well even though they took a lot of beating. They prevented the loss of skin; for which I am glad.
Both of my shoes had been removed in the ordeal, and I even lost the right sock due to extensive damage. My legs were also hurt, particularly the left lower-leg where the bike landed. My bag was flung off and slid for a while, with some parts completely rubbed away. The bike sustained damage to its right foot-peg, half of its right brake lever, and twisted forks. The entire front section, including the headlight assembly, indicators, tank cover, right-side crash guard, and silencer pipe cover, was damaged. My helmet also sustained bad scratches, but my face and neck were unhurt. The denim jacket and Decathlon pants I was wearing also held up well, with only a small hole in the pants.
By this time, some people had gathered nearby and were busy collecting my belongings, which were strewn across the road. It felt strange to be concerned about bothering them after such an accident. With their help, I managed to pick up the bike and start it; fortunately, it was still running. I drank a lot of water and washed my face. Locals urged me to take the bike to a garage, and the mechanic confirmed it was in driveable condition. I decided the best course of action was to head to the nearest large town, Kolhapur, to stay for a day and get myself checked out by a doctor. Kolhapur was 60 kilometers in the other direction. Halfway there, I realized I hadn't taken pictures of the accident site, so I stopped and did so, also calling my brother to inform him of what had happened.
In Kolhapur¶
Finding a place to stay at Kolhapur was easy. By the time I got into the parking of the hotel, it was drizzling.
I rested in the hotel for a while before stepping out. There was a pharmacy nearby with a doctor's office attached. I went there and got a tetanus shot. The doctor also did a series of basic checks to rule out anything major and sent me on my way. There was nothing seriously wrong with me which was caused by the accident.
I had some difficulty walking; so I went for a walk and explored the road nearby. I wanted to see how badly was I hurt. I came back and called my friends. They all suggested that I arrange for a truck to take me and my bike back home. I told them I would.
That evening, unexpectedly I had severe diarrhoea. Apparently, trauma can disrupt the digestive system. Additionally my left leg started hurting a LOT more than it previously did.
Fortunately, I always carry a decent medical kit. I had a bunch of ORS sachets and a compressive-bandage.
I was exhausted and ready to fall asleep. I was also extremely hungry. I ordered some food but didn't have the appetite to eat all of it. I decided that i would much rather sleep and wake up the next day. So, I put on the bandage, put my leg on a set of pillows and drank a lot of ORS and went to sleep.
I had to use the bathroom multiple times during the night, but by morning I felt almost okay. The swelling in the left leg was much lesser. It almost didn't hurt to move my fingers anymore.
The return¶
I lied to my friends about taking a truck. I wanted to ride the bike back, so I did. The only person who knew about this trip was my brother.
This time, armed with the humbling knowledge of fatigue, I stopped the bike every 55 minutes to drink water and eat something. I also called my brother to check in every time I stopped.
During one of these stops, a friend called and I lied to them too about being on a truck. If you are reading this, I am sorry.
I even stopped for a falooda. A person was watering plants outside a shop, and I asked him to spray me with water, which he kindly did. It was a relief on a hot day.
I got home at about 3 pm that evening. The ride back home was largely uneventful. I didn't even miss the broken foot-peg and brake lever.
Some photos¶
Note that my phone camera had stopped focusing by this time. So most of the photos are selfies. :p
In this photo we can see that the headlight assembly is damaged. The speedometer console is also damaged. The entire right side of the vehicle took heavy damage. Note the broken brake-lever. It was still effective though.
The damage on the handlebars is more clearly visible here. You also also see the bag that was dragged and the right foot-peg which is missing.
These are the Rynox Urban X gloves. They are phenomenal. In the photo you can see that the palm sliders did their job perfectly. I shudder to think what would have happened if I was not wearing these gloves. Im sure bone would have been exposed. Maybe more.
This is the helmet. As we can all see, there is considerably scratches. I decided not the replace the helmet because it didnt really hit the ground; instead it slid on it. Maybe I should replace this. Again, If i didn't have this on, something worse would have happened entirely.
Lesson learnt ?¶
My friends know that I often joke about death and accidents. I find it funny.
This was the first time I was really scared. This accident actually made death seem very real to me. I always knew about the risks involved, but I also assumed that I would not get into a fatal accident. This could have been one.
I clearly remember getting up after the crash and and thinking that I had so many more things to do. I am acutely aware that things could have gone much worse. Motorcycles are not to be taken lightly. I have made that mistake.
In light of these events, I have started to take some aspects of life a bit more seriously.
I have also decided to listen to my body and not push myself when I'm tired, even if it means changing my plans. Pushing your fatigued body beyond a certain point is foolish. If your body is telling you something, you should listen to it.
This was completely avoidable, and I have no one to blame but myself. I should have slept well that night. I should have started later that morning, since I had not slept well.
I should have turned back the moment I felt tired and I still had 200 kms to go. I didn't. This was extremely irresponsible and careless of me. I should have known better.
As one friend put it, I am not an island and whatever I do has repercussions around the people in my life. I should treat myself and them with more respect.
Finally, I have a new sense of urgency. I have a lot of things I want to do, and I need to get started on them. If I wait for the 'right time,' I might never do them.
Thanks for reading and ride safe.