Freak accident-broken leg

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 01, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject: Freak accident-broken leg

Yesterday I had 10 of my friends up to the lake to celebrate my 18th birthday/graduation. Everything was going great, and everyone went riding. My friend who is 6'6" rode...it was his second weekend of riding. He was getting comfortable riding around, but he was stuck on his heelside edge, so he tried coming in to the wake toeside to cross back in. He came in at a solid speed, and started leaning back a little as he reached the wake. He didnt have his knees very loose, so he caught a little air as he fell onto his butt (from leaning back as he crossed the wake). The fall looked completely innocent. Nobody thought anything of it at all. We came around and he was wincing and cursing under his breath saying his ankle was killing him. We got him on the platform and took off the board. Luckily the LF alphas he was wearing came off easily. His upper ankle/lower leg was bruising badly quick, so we took him to the ER. Turns out he broke his leg clean right above his ankle. I forget which bone is which, but it was the smaller of the two.
I cant believe such an innocent fall could break a freaking leg. Ive never seen or heard of anyone breaking a bone wakeboarding except for the infamous byerly binding compound fracture picture. We tried to figure out what happened and this is the best we could come up with...We think he had his toes pointed when he hit the water, so his front edge dug while he fell back onto his butt, causing his leg to pivot (break) around the top of the binding (the back overlay). He is regular and it was his left leg that broke.

I guess the moral of the story is that you never know what can happen, even if you are careful...the smallest of things can get you on the water!

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Wild! Prayers for a quick recovery.

SaveTheMotherland1 · Soul Rider Joined: 23 Dec 2003 Posts: 314 City: Eugene

Sorry about your friend, hope he gets better soon as possible. Strange happenings, i think you have a solid theory there, but what do i know?

JeffreyCH · Posted: Jun 01, 2009 7:54 pm Post subject:

Damn that blows, best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. I worry about that kind of thing happening to one of my crew. All are noobs and most are older. I'm older and a noob but I don't worry bout it, I think the more you worry or stress about things like that the more you draw them on yourself.

brad_layin_low · Criminal Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 50 City: walnut ridge

sorry bout ur friend hope he gets better

crashhappy · Outlaw Joined: 04 Aug 2008 Posts: 116 City: Acworth

That's to bad....I wish tour friend a speedy recovery.

shaggyboarder · Posted: Jun 02, 2009 8:15 am Post subject: Re: Freak accident-broken leg

holdsworth · Posted: Jun 02, 2009 8:24 am Post subject:

That sucks! Hope he has a good recovery. Tell him to drink more milk and strengthen them bones up! Wink

MasonH · Soul Rider Joined: 10 Jan 2009 Posts: 422 City: Eufaula

Hope he heals quick

ctgretzky99 · Posted: Jun 02, 2009 9:51 am Post subject:

Ouch! And I was complaining because my right shoulder feels like it is out of socket Confused

Now I feel like a Taco Bell Chalupa.

Hollywood · Posted: Jun 02, 2009 9:53 am Post subject:

Or he fell backwards (towards his left elbow/butt) with the board "poked" out in front of him. Ankles don't bend sideways. Ouch. Puppy Eyes

sodji · Newbie Joined: 01 Jun 2009 Posts: 7

Hope he gets well soon

prior40 · Addict Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 579 City: Palo Alto

That sucks, I broke the same bone when I was 15, but that was playing basketball. Luckily it usually heals in about 4 weeks, and he can start getting active again. I've had a few accidents on my board involving my ankles, and almost had to have a binding cut off one time. Nothing like trying to get that foot out when something is wrong.

Stephan · Guest

I broke the outer ankle bone learning HS Fronts, it hurt like hell. It can happen. I have two friends that double compounded their Tib/Fib wakeboarding. One on a tantrum and the other a Krypt. One has a video which is fairly repulsive, bone marrow is purple...

The ankle injury is minor, I was out for 2 months.

Wakeboarder3780 · Posted: Jun 02, 2009 2:24 pm Post subject:

So - I'm baffled. I have a fair amount of newbies on the boat (love teaching new people) never had anything remotely close happen. Out of curiosity, is the guy lactose intolerant?

grip01 · Outlaw Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 120 City: altus

What he did was surpass the ankles natural movement and it gave somewhere else.Usually right above the ankle in the fibula.Most riders can't understand how this can happen because they subconsiously know how to crash.

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

LFADAM, think of it this way, it gives you some street cred now that people realize you can actually get hurt wakeboarding. Now they probably think you are a badass because you take bad falls all the time and never break bones. Laughing

HHI Dave · Posted: Jun 03, 2009 12:10 am Post subject: Re: Freak accident-broken leg

Hope your friend heals quickly and rides again another day.

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jun 03, 2009 12:20 am Post subject:

that sux man. 6 weeks ago i broke my ankle wakeboarding.... it wasnt fun at all! and my closed toe ronix ones were alot harder to get off then u sed the alphas were lol. but im off crutches and my cast 2day! so happy Very Happy

. best wishes to ur friend, hope he recovvers soon

Wakeplant · Newbie Joined: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 16 City: Winston-Salem

I have a friend thats in his mid 40's that broke his ankle last year. He is pretty good at boardsports for his age and has himself a nautique 210 team. On his first attempt at a railey, he didn't get the board back under him and tried to do somewhat of a dive but the board caught edge. I'm not sure if the fall broke it, or getting out of his HL Temets did the trick. After he got the boot off, he pulled other people boarding for a while and then went to the hostpitol (lol). He recovered but hes moved on to wakeskating now.

I personally have had to serious injuries but after I was learning my w2w I had a bad headache for about 4 days. I guess it was a mild concussion?

Hollywood · Posted: Jun 04, 2009 6:28 am Post subject:

Dragonlady8 · Black Widow Joined: 27 Aug 2004 Posts: 9198

There's been several compound tib-fib fractures from wakeboarding and a few femur fractures from both wakeboarding & wake skating. A few of the compound tibia fxs have been posted. I'm sure you can find them if you searched.

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

Had a really bad tibial plateau fracture 4 years ago from wakeboarding. 8 weeks in a soft cast... SUUCCCKKKEEEDDD

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 05, 2009 9:29 am Post subject:

HHI Dave, oh yea, dunno how I forgot about that one.

And no, hes not lactose intolerant. Laughing

shaggyboarder · Posted: Jun 05, 2009 10:00 am Post subject:

.....

DJ_Sygnal · Newbie Joined: 20 May 2009 Posts: 28 City: Milledgeville

Dang. lucky he came out of them bindings ok, I could only imagine having a broken ankle and still be stuk in the boots

Mcmenamp · Posted: Jun 07, 2009 9:32 am Post subject:

I feel his pain. I've got three weeks to go since I just broke two bones in the top of my foot riding. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to have a pin in it.

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

serg, broken ankles are VERY common in wakeboarding. I would say each wakeboarder breaks their ankle at least once or twice a year. I know on this post almost everyone on here has had ankle surgery. We are pretty much like the X-Men when it comes to how much metal we have in us.

Rhawn · Posted: Aug 01, 2009 7:14 am Post subject: Re: Freak accident-broken leg

Prizzy · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 360 City: Milwaukee

5'5''.... so hopefully i can aavoid something as serious as this. Ive concussed myself wakeboarding once. broke my arm and my collar bone skateboarding, so im no stranger to this kinda pain but it still hurts a hella lot. Have a good recovery dude.

LFADAM · Posted: Aug 02, 2009 9:02 am Post subject:

As of last week he can walk without crutches...ended up having a plate and five screws put in.

serg, its not that common...knee injuries are much more common