I had a lot of luck and only hurt myself very little in relation to what happened. My record:

• right clavicle broken
• left hip dislocated, a tiny piece of bone was chipped off the neck of the femur
• left kneecap broken

I suppose that is acceptable. After a week and a half in hospital, I was able to go home. Fortunately, surgery was not necessary. After two weeks I got rid of my crutches and could walk freely again. Climbing stairs (especially downhill) was still very difficult. For three weeks I was in daily physiotherapy. After five weeks I could go to work again. Walking, climbing stairs and swimming was already possible normally. The doctors were quite satisfied with the healing process.

Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions

• How could this happen?

  It was the subject of a preliminary investigation. The proceedings have been discontinued against payment of a sum of money to the Gera traffic oversight board.

  I must have misinterpreted the scenic conditions and thus especially the course of the road. I saw a wide and clearly visible empty left turn and started to overtake. But actually there was an S-turn, initiated by a quite sharp right-hand bend, which was covered by an embankment. The embankment covered the oncoming car.

  A very unpleasant surprise and something that makes me think. I hope that in the future I will investigate the actual course of the road even more thoroughly before I start to overtake.

• Were you conscious?

  Yes. I was aware of everything. However, the actual accident happened so fast that there was little time to think. Oh, impact, flight, ouch, crap. That's all it took.

• Was there someone there to help you?

  Yes. I had very good first responders who were very supportive until the ambulance arrived. They were very considerate and did the most important thing you can do for an injured person: They helped immediately and without hesitation and they distracted me from what was happening. I am very grateful to the first responders.

• Were you in pain and did you immediately know what was broken?

  I hardly had any pain. Apparently the body's own shock mechanism works very well for me. I knew immediately that I had broken my collarbone. I noticed the severe swelling of my hip without realizing what had happened (but I was very worried) and I knew that something was wrong with my knee. Nothing more.

• Did the hip dislocation hurt a lot?

  No. It was only done at the hospital and there under full anesthesia. But I was already given painkillers in the ambulance.

• What about when taking the helmet off?

  Funny. The first responders did not want to do it because I was conscious. I first had to make it clear to them that it didn't have to stay like that and that in this case it would be rather unfavorable if the helmet was still on. The first aiders then did this in an exemplary manner. (Head support with a slight pull on the head with an overstretched neck by one helper, opening of the helmet and removal over the face by a second helper, careful laying of the head on a prepared surface so that the neck is further slightly overstretched and the head cannot move sideways)

• Are you going to ride a motorcycle again?

  Yes. The decision was made in autumn 2002 after a ride on a rental motorcycle.

  Here are some pictures of the bike after the accident. The machine is completely destroyed.