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Triathlete hit in race Sunday...

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AmericanFlyers

May 2, 06 17:35

Post #1 of 29 (4094 views)

Triathlete hit in race Sunday...	Can't Post

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1150815.html

Tony Rigdon, the Logistics/Timing Coordinator of UltraMax Events (National Halfmax Championships), was hit while racing in the Steamboat Classic Triathlon in Cape Girardeau, MO this Sunday sustaining severe injuries and rendering his newly updated P3 unrecognizable. Another competitor was struck by a different driver during the same race.

When will this carnage end? This pattern is becoming ridiculous...

Dave G

May 2, 06 19:33

Post #2 of 29 (3927 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

How come is always the 1979 vans that hit people? Thats wild that two people got struck in what was probably a relatively small race.

alarson

May 2, 06 21:14

Post #3 of 29 (3775 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

S*&%! He's one of our sponsored athletes! Anyone have an update?

Alicia

www.trisports.com

mboyer

May 3, 06 3:11

Post #4 of 29 (3657 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

great...now it is unsafe to even ride on the roads during races...(if there were 2 hits, that obviously raises questions on the event saftey)...seems that Ernest was a top competitor, with a good chance of being the lead biker in that race....hope it is not too serious and he fully recovers quickly

TeamBarenaked

May 3, 06 5:13

Post #5 of 29 (3553 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [alarson] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I heard he got back to Columbia yesterday. His jaw/teeth are in bad shape, broken bones around his eye, collarbone, among other things.

Good news is no brain injuries, I'm told.

QuintanaRooster

May 3, 06 6:08

Post #6 of 29 (3454 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am very sorry to hear about this as well as disgusted to hear about this.. My heart goes out to he and his family especially after what I am going through. Any more word on his injuries? You just don't expect these things to happen, especially during a race. My prayers go out to he and his family. Please keep us updated on his condition.

Sponsored by: Team Ti and The Orthopedic Trauma Unit at Tampa General Hospital.

gwaveswims

May 3, 06 9:54

Post #7 of 29 (3292 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This is Tony's girlfriend and he wanted me to give folks a little update. Tony spent two days in the hospital down in Cape. He had a concussion, fractured his orbital bone above his eye, broke his jaw in three places, lost some teeth, has about 3 places on his face that needed stitches, and he has staples holding wounds together in both legs. To the best of my knowledge Tony was averaging about 25 mph upon impact with the grill of the van that hit him head on going at what witnesses say to be 50 mph. He is lucky to be alive much less able to walk out of the hospital. Its a miracle that he didn't have more traumatic injuries.

We were however able to bring him back to Columbia, MO yesterday. He is scheduled for oral/facial reconstructive surgery this Friday. All he can talk about right now is getting back to training and racing. He was pumped to be doing the trisports.com race down in Arizona and is hell bent on being there but I've tried telling him to take his time. His bike was totaled and he's really upset about that. He had a P3 and had just upgraded to a new set of aerobars that cost him over $700 the week before the race. He won't stop talking about getting his bike replaced.

He plans on contacting trisports.com either today or tomorrow. If anyone has any suggestions or can help with replacing his bike, I know that he doesn't really want to wait for insurance to sort things out but also can't afford to fork out a couple grand out of pocket right away either.

Kevin in MD

May 3, 06 9:58

Post #8 of 29 (3270 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [gwaveswims] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Head on?

I'd like to know the specifics of how he came to hit a van head on.

Crazy

alarson

May 3, 06 10:00

Post #9 of 29 (3259 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [gwaveswims] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks so much for the update. I will look forward to hearing from Tony. I'm very sorry to hear about the extent of his injuries, and the loss of his bike. My advice for that is to collect every receipt he has and submit it to the insurance company of the driver who hit him (who I assume was caught, cited, and is currently sweating balls hoping not to be sued). And, as has been discussed elsewhere on this forum, barring that submit it to your homeowner's insurance. If he doesn't have receipts, have him contact the bike shops where he's purchased the gear. Bike shops are usually very accommodating in helping people who've been hit by cars.

Anyone else have any suggestions?

Alicia

www.trisports.com

gwaveswims

May 3, 06 10:26

Post #10 of 29 (3199 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [Kevin in MD] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Tony had just passed an intersection (where we orignally thought the accident occurred and wondered where the hell traffic control was) and the van driver didn't think that Tony was going very fast so he thought he could beat him and make a speedy turn in front of Tony to pull into his driveway. He was wrong... almost deadly wrong.

Tri-Wog StL

May 3, 06 10:43

Post #11 of 29 (3151 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [gwaveswims] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Please give Tony our best wishes for a speedy and more importantly complete recovery! Some of us StL folks know Tony only in passing at U-max events but respect and appreciate everything he does and does for the local triathlon scene!

Get Well Tony!!

Paul
Sponsored by RUDY PROJECT...check out www.e-rudy.com!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich st�rker.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger."
-Friedrich Nietzsche, G�tzen-D�mmerung (1899)

tonythetriguy

May 3, 06 13:41

Post #12 of 29 (3028 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [Tri-Wog StL] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes! I forget how small and close knit this community is, i've been brought to tears so many times since Sunday! As some of you know, I'm really fortunate to be alive... I don't really remember the accident, apparantley I was talking about it when I was first brought in, but I don't remember it anymore. The weather had been wet and rainy all morning, but I didn't leave until the 5th wave, I was helping out the eventual winner, Delbert Marriott with timing the event, the plan was I would leave after he got finished... So by the time I left the course had dried up nicely. My swim went great! I've been stuck with an average swim, typically for 500 yards I would expect to average 1:40 per hundred, but I've been swimming 10k + yards a week trying to improve. My official time is 15th overall, but I came in on 500 yards and thought I had another 50 yards left... So I flipped and went an extra 5 or 10 yards before I looked back and saw the counter waving her arms at me... so my time would have been faster than the 7:35 I got credited with...

Once out on the bike I was cruising. I had worked out a trade, my 87 Saab 900 for a set of white carbon Bontrager handlebars, the floyd landis edition. They were a $700+ set of handle bars and they looked totally sweet with the red and white cervelo! Plus I was using a new to me Hed 3 trispoke on the front as well... all told I probably had about 1,000 worth of uprades on my bike that I was checking out for the first time... I was really going fast and with the dry pavement I fully expected to place second on the day, but thought Delbert's first place finish was probably out of my reach... I remember the first few miles, but I don't know when I hit the car or how it happened... I've been told I was doing around 26 mph and the car tried to cut a corner in front of me, like maybe they were trying to get in a driveway... Someone said it looked like they were doing 50...

That's my p3, notice the crack in the downtube. And that's a hed 3 carbon disc that is almost bent in half. And those new bontrager carbon handle bars are in 4 pieces...

Here's another image:

Maybe I shouldn't be posting any pictures of my injuries, hopefully nobody has really weak stomachs... I guess I looked worse than this initially, these are all taken on Tuesday after I had been in the hospital since sunday:

Hopefully I haven't ruined anyone's dinner! Remember to wear those helmets! I gaurentee you if I hadn't had mine on I wouldn't be here today... Thanks for all the support and well wishes! Especially thanks to all my friends in Columbia Multisport Club and the TriSPorts.com racing team! I was really looking forward to going to my award ceremony with the TriSports.com logo on... Hope to see everyone in a race soon!

Tony
http://www.triathleteguru.com

(This post was edited by tonythetriguy on Feb 20, 08 19:52)

mullinsm

May 3, 06 13:51

Post #13 of 29 (2995 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Oh my goodness.

Tony, I am glad you are alive. Those pictures are simultaneously terrible and incredible. I'm amazing you weren't hurt worse -- you must be one tough triathlete.

Please get well soon. Hopefully, people here can help you out with all the things you are going to need in the coming weeks/months. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Best wishes,

Mike Mullins

TriMike

May 3, 06 14:12

Post #14 of 29 (2950 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Tony

Glad to hear you survived. I would not recommend you post any further discriptions or accounts of the accident. In the event this matter ends up in litigation, your above comments are discoverable and perhaps admissable.

Good luck with your recovery!

psycholist

May 3, 06 15:32

Post #15 of 29 (2842 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thank God you survived that. And hey ... it's almost hard to tell, but that looks like a smile in those photos. What a spirit! You're an inspiration!

A couple of things:

From your girlfriend's post, I know you're really concerned about your bike. I assume you know who did this to you and they've been cited or charged? Also, do they have insurance? If so, you should be able to get a property settlement very quickly. I was hit in exactly the same manner 3 1/2 years ago ... teenage driver made an unsignaled left turn directly into my path and hit me head-on. I had a check for over $5,000 to replace my bike within 3 weeks. My LBS prepared the estimate for replacement and my wife got it to the insurance people.

My injuries were extensive and I got a very nice settlement that was roughly 4-times the actual medical charges. Three times is customary and it can go up from there depending on severity of the injuries and the amount of pain and suffering. Unfortunately, I never lost consciousness. I was wide awake for all that I endured. But I was told repeatedly that I'd have gotten more had I lost consciousness. So ... good on you. ;-)

I've also read that you're anxious and eager to get back. Good for you! I've had a couple of bad wrecks over the years and my docs are always really conservative. They're used to treating little old ladies and doing hip and knee replacements in old men. Be careful and heed what the doctor says, but push that envelope, too.

I loved your pictures ... not of your broken bike, but of your unbroken spirit. Way to go, man!

Bob C.

Ted McGregor

May 3, 06 15:57

Post #16 of 29 (2798 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

oh my god dude, i really hope you can recover from that accident and hop back onto that horse. get well soon dude.
------------------------------------------------------------------
"The aspect of sport that you learn is that you have your good times and your bad times, but you share it with great people." - George Gregan

tim-mech

May 3, 06 16:02

Post #17 of 29 (2789 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Holy Effin' Moly Tony; you literally look happy to be alive!

The inability of non-cycling drivers to correctly discern bike speed is one of the biggest risks we face as riders and racers. I'm at the point in my life now where I assume every car approaching me on a residential or business roadway is going to turn in front of me.

Glad you survived and will live to race again. Great pics BTW.

Tim

#########################################

"Show me a guy who works to keep his family together, spends time with his kids, dates his wife, and compromises on his training sessions....I'll show a guy who's family is important to them." -MJuric

"Corrective action is blocked by vested interests, by well-intentioned political and business leaders, and by their electorates, all of whom are perfectly correct in not noticing big changes from year to year. Instead, each year there are just somewhat more people, and somewhat fewer resources, on Earth."-Jared Diamond

Uncle Phil

May 3, 06 16:19

Post #18 of 29 (2752 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

It is absolutely amazing that you are in such good spirits! After seeing what's left of that bike, it's pretty damn miraculous that you are still alive and that you seem to be on your way to a full recovery. Best wishes on a speedy return to doing what you obviously love to do!

bikelanehog

May 3, 06 16:35

Post #19 of 29 (2720 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [AmericanFlyers] [In reply to]	Can't Post

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Regional Sales Rep, Eastern US
TriEagle Products

last tri in 83

May 3, 06 16:50

Post #20 of 29 (2691 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am definitely not showing Mrs. Last Tri those pics!

God speed on your recovery Tony.

_____________________________________________
For you though I will stop. No more Lance. --Mr. Tibbs

QuintanaRooster

May 4, 06 6:04

Post #21 of 29 (2540 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Tony,

Keep your spirits up and take one day at a time. I was struck by an unknown motorist on the morning of April 15th and suffered multiple injuries (fractured left acetabulum/left hip-pelvis requiring extensive surgery, lumbar spine compression fracture, left ankle fracture, and right shoulder separation). I can relate more than most what you are going through right now. It is amazing that you, like me, weren't killed. I have an amazing support system and it sounds like you do too. Good luck with your surgery Friday. I am now post-op day #11. Each day gets a little better physically but it's the emotional toll that is hard to deal with. I hope your recovery goes well and quickly. I am looking at a year to year and a half of recovery and rehab. I, like you, can't wait to race again. Funny how we both ride Cervelo P3s (mine was a P3SL). The pics of your's look absolutely horrifying. I still haven't seen mine yet as it's at the police station in the property division as evidence since mine was a hit and run driver. I do know that the carbon seatpost was completely snapped off at the top of the seat tube. Other than that I have no clue what it looks like but I am just happy to be alive. Stay positive and remember that your bike is replaceable but your life is not. I will include you in my prayers.

Robert

Sponsored by: Team Ti and The Orthopedic Trauma Unit at Tampa General Hospital.

kittycat

May 4, 06 6:21

Post #22 of 29 (2516 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Tony, you are one tough mother! hit head on, walked out of the hospital and have plenty of smiles. Hey, it's great to be alive! you'll be kicking arse again before you know it, patience is the hardest thing.

speedy recovery to you!

Kitty

Twilkas

May 4, 06 6:42

Post #23 of 29 (2477 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [bikelanehog] [In reply to]	Can't Post

omfg, good stuff! :)

Best of luck in your recovery Tony.
http://www.PatGriskusTri.com

kpjoyce

May 4, 06 6:50

Post #24 of 29 (2466 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Oh, man. I hate to see this.
I am another of the (probably many) athletes in the STL tri community whom has benefitted from your involvement.
I'll be hoping for a speedy recovery, but from your attitude, that seems assured.
Good luck with your surgery later this week, and let me/us know if there is anything you need.

Just T

May 4, 06 8:56

Post #25 of 29 (2359 views)

Re: Triathlete hit in race Sunday... [tonythetriguy] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Oh. My. God. Tony, you are one bad bad mofo. A lucky mofo. I will definitely be keeping you in my thoughts. Much good karma headed your way, my friend.
_______
t

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