After almost a week of constant rain, the sunshine was just the tonic Jennifer and Ross Pewterbaugh and eight other members of the Denton Motorcycle Riders Group needed that late February day. The Texas-based riders group had planned a 60-mile ride that would take them to nearby St. Joe for lunch.
What had been a wonderful day with friends, however, did not end the way the couple had planned.
About halfway down the off-ramp, Jennifer hit the brakes on her ’99 Honda Shadow and hit a either a puddle of water or sand on the road, she said. The back tire of the bike slid to the left, then swung back to the right, and before she knew what happened, Jennifer’s helmet smashed into the ground.
“I flipped multiple times until I came to a halt about halfway to the light,” she said. “I sat up immediately and noticed I was in the middle lane and my bike wasn't far from me. I was not able to stand because of the extreme pain in my right leg and knee. I sat there in the middle of the service road as cars drove right past me.”
A CT scan later confirmed three fractures in Jennifer’s tibial plateau, the upper part of the shinbone that involves the knee joint, and a shattered fibula head. The two bones of the leg are the tibia and the fibula, which is the smaller of the two bones that lies laterally.
“Luckily, I had no other injuries, just some scrapes and bruises,” Jennifer said. Things could have been much worse had it not been for the fact she was wearing her Fulmer full face helmet.
“I bought the 151 Pulse full face after my husband purchased his from a private business here in town,” said Jennifer, who always wears a full face helmet whether driving her bike or riding as a passenger. “It was comfortable, lightweight and I really enjoyed the retractable sun shield.”
Jennifer believes the helmet saved her life. “If I hadn’t of been wearing a full face (helmet) I would have smashed my face in the concrete at 40 to 50 miles an hour,” she said. “Such a strong impact easily would have broken my nose and shattered my cheek bone and, likely, would have caused brain damage, if not worse.”
Recovery has been slow. It took a good two months before Jennifer was able to bear any weight on her knee. “I am currently on the second week of physical therapy and am able to withstand about 60-percent weight on my right leg,” she said.
Jennifer said she plans to ride again wearing a Fulmer helmet, as soon as she’s able to fully walk on her own.
Fulmer Powerspsorts recognizes that accidents can and do happen, but we are proud of the ultimate protection our helmets offer. As a gesture of good will and wishes for a speedy recovery, Fulmer is replacing Jennifer’s helmet, at no cost to her.
Stay the course, Jennifer, and get well soon!
Check out Fulmer at Fulmerpowersports.com