Local man escapes severe injuries
Helmet may have saved his life
Staff reporter
Motorists and cyclists know they should wear seat belts and helmets but often don't because it's inconvenient or uncomfortable.
Mike Holub of rural Marion, is thankful he was wearing a helmet Sept. 27 when the motorcycle he was riding struck a dog in the roadway which caused him to be dragged on an asphalt road.
The accident occurred at 4 p.m. on Quail Creek Road south of Ramona.
Mike was on his way to Tampa on the same road he was accustomed to traveling. He was aware of the dog, a Chow mix, and always avoided it. But this time, the dog came out of a ditch and stopped in front of the motorcycle.
"When I hit the dog, I hung on to the handlebars because I thought I could regain control of the bike," said Holub. Unfortunately, he didn't.
The bike went on its left side and pulled Mike in a horrific slide down the hard-surface road.
"I could hear my helmet scraping as I slid down the road," Mike said. "The first thing I thought of was Evel Knievel. I don't know why except I think he's probably broke about every bone in his body."
When he and the motorcycle finally stopped, he found himself in the lane of traffic. Luckily, there weren't any vehicles directly behind or approaching him.
Mike was able to stand up, and pick up his motorcycle and move it to the side of the road.
"Several vehicles went by but I don't think they realized I had had an accident," he said.
He walked to the nearby Ron Davis residence. An ambulance was called from Tampa, and he was transported to St. Luke Hospital, Marion.
Injuries included three fractured ribs, a laceration to his left knee that required stitches, and the most serious, a contusion to a lung. And of course, lots of bruises and scrapes.
"The concern was the lung collapsing," said Pauline Holub, Mike's wife.
It was cool that day, so Mike was wearing a jacket. What was left of the jacket and jeans after sliding on the road were cut off by EMS workers.
An experienced rider, Mike has owned and ridden motorcycles off and on since 1970. The bike in the accident was a Kawasaki 650.
Pauline also rides with him. Mike is thankful she wasn't with him that Tuesday afternoon.
"I wear my helmet probably 95 percent of the time," Mike said. He wears it when he rides his cycle three miles to work at the Kansas Department of Transportation office at Cedar Street and U.S.-56, Marion.
He doesn't always wear it when he's riding in town but may change his mind about that.
"I was only going 35 mph when the accident occurred which is about the same as driving in town," Mike said, "and look what happened."
He still considers it to be a personal preference for adults.
"Kids should wear them always," he said.
The helmet that he wore that day hardly looks damaged. There's a scrape on the side where Mike's head scraped the asphalt and the visor broke on the left side.
"If I hadn't been wearing the helmet, I would have scraped the side of my head and face," Mike said, which could have included his ear.
"It saved him from a head injury," Pauline added.
Mike wears glasses which were not damaged in the accident.
When he's healed, Mike plans to get back on the cycle that bucked him off. He's hoping to be able to repair the motorcycle but doesn't know the extent of the damage.
"I'm not afraid to ride again," Mike said, "but I sure do respect it."
Pauline agreed she would ride with Mike again. She, too, wears a helmet when she rides.
The couple said it could take eight weeks for his ribs to heal. Stitches from his knee will be removed Monday but he isn't sure when he'll be able to return to work.
"We can't say enough good things about St. Luke Hospital," said Pauline. She added that Mike received great care during the four days he was hospitalized.
Mike agreed. "The ambulance crew and hospital staff were so nice and so caring," he said.
"It's a shame I had to go through all this just to meet some nice people," he said with a smile, proving his sense of humor still is intact.
