A sobering story

[efjanssen]

I am writing this on behalf of my friend Mark Johnson, who many of you know from rockin' days (and nights) up at Ottertail Lake and down at SPI. Mark had a tragic accident last Saturday kiting on OT. The graph from the weather station on OT pretty much tells the story, and it is stunning:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... &year=2009

The forecast for the day was for winds of 15-20 mph - perfect. It was 35 degrees with a bright, blue sky - again, perfect. Mark set up his 8 mtr Ozone Access in light but building wind around 1:30 - 2:00. As you can see by the graph, within less than an hour, the winds were up to 30 mph with gust in the mid-40s. Mark was having a hard time holding his edge on the hard-packed surface. As he stood with the kite overhead in the neutral position, he could see the flag on shore switching directions. He noted that his kite was flying erratically as he tried to move it from neutral into a power position in order to work his way home. That is the last thing Mark remembers. After being knocked unconscious for an unknown period of time, Mark came to face down in the snow, and he knew immediately that he was seriously injured. He has no recollection as to what happened. Perhaps he was boosted and then pulled forward. He will never know. Only by incredibly good fortune did a person on shore see Mark laying on the ice, and went out to check on him. Per Mark's instructions, the guy called 911. He also got Mark's kite under control, which was still powering up and dragging him across the ice. Fortunately Mark was well out from shore (as he always is) and was not in immediate risk of hitting anything. (He also had his helmet on, as well as knee pads and a padded girdle.) The paramedics arrived, stabilized him, and took him to the local hospital for x-rays. The x-rays revealed the worst - a fracture of the C2. Thank God - and I say it again - THANK GOD - Mark is alive and well and has not suffered any paralysis. He is wearing a halo cast for the next three months, and should make a full recovery.

We wanted to share this story for two reasons. First, we wanted those who know Mark to know what's up. Secondly, we wanted to share this so we all can learn from this accident. I am sure there are many lessons to learn. The main one is to be careful out there, and expect the unexpected.

[Dave Z]

Wow - so happy he's ok. Think he got yanked by a rogue 40+ gust?

[Bryce]

wow..... I could imagine how hugely overpowered that big kite would be in that much wind.

I'm glad it is ok!

[RandyL]

You’re in my prayers for a speedy and full recovery.
Hang in there Mark!!!

[Mike G.]

Man, that's scary.. Mark, best wishes during your recovery; we're all thankful it wasn't more serious.

-Mike

[torisspacedog]

Hope you make a speedy recovery and can get back to doing the things you enjoy. Mark L.

[Tighe]

Good talking with you today Mark. So glad you are ok.

I'm going to start a forum for incidences like these so that we can start a knowledge base of accidents. I hope to have a format that will include details of the conditions, incident report, and lessons learned.

Thanks Ed for capturing this.

[dtownkiter]

Mark--glad to hear you are doing o.k. and I will pray for a quick and healthy recovery.

Wish you my best,

Adam T.

[Eric Bro]

So glad you're gonna be ok Mark! Thank goodness!

Thanks for the post, so that we can all learn from these things..

I have an 8m Ozone Access, which I like, but it is such a big fat wing up there that I can see how it would be very hard to tame in super strong winds. When the Access is overpowered you can't dump the power out of it like you can with an inflatable bow kite. It becomes super firm and holds that nice airfoil that has tons of lift like an old Piper Cub wing. Not good when the wind starts howling. A couple of weeks ago I put up a 10m Frenzy in strong wind and it was a struggle. I put it away and a bit later pumped up a 10m Switchblade and had no problem handling the gusts.

The foils are great for quick setup and super easy to carry around. I'm going to be careful, though, to make sure I don't put one up when the wind might go crazy.

Eric Bro

[Tom L]

Thats scary....glad Marks OK, relatively speaking. I wonder if the foil fell or turned, in a lull or wind direction change, and then exploded into full power further back in the window, in a 45mph gust. That could lead to a serious lofting.

[markjohnson]

Thanks all you guys for your concern. Ed you described it well,thank you. I never considered the 8 m Access to be all that powerful of a kite. I've had it out in big,big winds many times before with no problems. Wish I had a better memory of the exact events (couldn't even remember what lake I was on). I really can't believe I'm sitting here with 4 screws cranked into my head. This should not have happened. The nasty gusts probably sneaked up on me and kicked my ass before I realized it. Quite unusual.

[NJB]

Sooo glad youre ok, Mark. Hope all goes well in your recovery.

[JRN]

WE ARE ALL PULLING FOR YOU, MARK! Glad you escaped without more serious injury. I don't know what I would have done any differently. Probably safest to pull the plug and ski, or walk in, but who will choose that over a wind powered return? I have heard of others recently among us getting spanked, mid-loft when the wind direction and speed switched.
This is an endorsement for going out "fully-armored" with everything padded. Maybe we need to be more aware of changing conditions. Land your kite & wait for a gust or front to pass if you see it coming. Instead of the biggest kite you can handle, the smallest? You have given us alot to think about. Hopefully we'll all be wiser as a result.TGUROK!!
P.S: My Pami implores me, "Never kite alone!"

[Eric P]

Jim: My Anna says the same. Good luck with the recovery Mark, it sounds like it could have happened to any one of us.

[Denis]

Mark,

Really sorry to hear the story. A C2 fracture can be really serious and I'm glad that you are doing ok. It is a reminder that hard surfaces are a lot less forgiving than liquid. Sending good vibes your way and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Denis

[face plant]

Mark, Glad you are OK! Paul Wild Gave me a call and let me know what happened. I don't think we'll be able to rope him into the sport after both your and Adams mishaps. Bummer! I was hoping it would be Ok to stop by and see how you are doing, and also if there is any way to help out at the office? Drop me a line or post back here to see if we could set something up. Also let your bride know I can easily pick things up for you and the family as I live so close. my cell is 651-253-1091. hope to see you soon. roger

[toyletbowl]

OMFG Mark,

I'm so glad that you are OK. It's Bob from Madison.

A few people will fully understand my next comment.

I had tears in my eyes as I was reading this. Wow did this hit close to home and your accident sounds really really scary when you can't remember what happened and having your C2 fractured.

Exactly 1 Year ago to the date (FEB 6th, 2008) I broke my upper femur in 3 places on a jump gone bad. I was supposed to go about 5-10 feet and went about 20 feet. No biggie, but it was gusty and lost all the power in my kite and slammed hard. Fortunately or unfortunately, I remembered every second of the crash and the extreme pain, and the weeks and months of hard work, but enough about me.

Strength will come from all of us and the kiteboarding crew...use it for recovery.
Strength will come from friends and family...you'll love lasagna for the first few months and then hate it for the next 6 months. lol. Friends will bring over some great food for you.
Strength will come from you and your determination to come back faster than expected and stronger than before.

If it's OK with everyone, I'd now like to designate Feb 6th as the official NO KITING day forever. This is just too eerie.

Mark...make sure you take control of your recovery with the docs and nurses. Meaning...at night time or any time, if you find a trend of medication that works, be diligent in making sure the nurses, etc. fully understand what you need. I had one nurse who would not wake me if i was sleeping if it was my 3 hour Med time. So 4 hours would go by and sure as shit...the pain was ridiculous. so I had to train her to wake me no matter what. I told her I would give her a sucker if she would wake me. She laughed and never missed another 3 hour Med time. lol.

yea...it really helps to figure out a way to have a sense of humor with those who are taking care of you. they like that stuff compared to being bitched out, etc.

One last thing...work your ass off as much as you can on the front end and it will reap rewards later down the line.

Mark...please PM me your phone number in the hospital. I'd like to call and talk.

Man...Best of wishes with your recovery and you're in our thoughts and prayers for a full recovery.

Bob

[markjohnson]

Thanks, Bob, sorry I brought back bad memories for you. It sounds like you had a lot more pain than I did. I have a halo screwed into my head, but I am up and able to walk around and step over the dog. I was just plain lucky, could have died right there or become a quadriplegic. Now I am just inconvenienced and can't work for a while, but very little present pain. Got a great wife and friends to keep me up at all times. Told my wife if she says I can't kite anymore that I am going to buy me a WINGSUIT instead...I think she's backing down already. Thanks for your support!!

[steveb]

Mark, really sorry to hear about this. Considering what could have happened I'm overjoyed to hear the damage is relatively short term,as you said an inconvenience.A huge bummer of an invenience but at least you know life will be the same once you're back in form.
I guess you've been living right, bonus points for all the people you've helped in your life.

Let us know if there's anything you need while you recover, I bet we lakawans have quite a collection of dvds,books etc. between us.

[Mark_in_SD]

Mark,

I am sorry to hear what happened and I am glad that you escaped permanent injuries.
I wish you a speedy recovery.

Mark in Brookings, SD