On March 10, 2002, I was involved in a horrendous motocross accident that
left me with broken ribs, a badly damaged brachial-plexus nerve and worst of all, a
severe TBI. 
 
Previous to the "event", I was a very successful Territory Sales Manager for a
Fortune 500 company.   It was my last day to reduce stress on the motocross track
before my wife gave birth to our first and only son.   
 
On my first warm up lap, we presume that while landing a double jump, my triple-tree
cracked in half causing the handlebars to no longer be secured.  We presume that
with the  new  ergonomics, my hand was forced into a wide open throttle position. 
 
Directly ahead of me was a steeply banked right hand turn, called a berm.  Normally,
I would enter the berm at a mere 17 mph, slow enough to safely negotiate the turn. 
This time, however, I was going something more like 47 mph. 
 
After T-boning the berm, it sent me sailing 90 feet in distance at a height of 30
feet.  Witnesses say that their judging by my body position, I may have landed it. 
As I neared touch down, however, my rear tire clipped a fence post thus; slamming me
right shoulder and head first into the ground.   
 
My helmet was badly cracked in three places and my chest protector was demolished. 
The protective gear, however, definitely saved my life! 
 
My injuries were life threatening and included broken ribs, a partially collapsed
lung, a severely damaged Brachial-Plexus nerve and worst of all, a SEVERE traumatic
brain injury (TBI). 
 
Riding immediately behind me was an EMT who witnessed the horrendous crash and
quickly assessed the situation.  In order to save precious time, he IMMEDIATELY
called "Life Flight".  When the Life Flight helicopter arrived, I was tested to be
an 8 on the "Glasgow Coma Scale".  By the time  Life Flight  reached the hospital, I
had deteriorated to a four (4).  From what I later learned, three (3) is a low as
one can go. 
 
While I was still non-coherent, my wife gave birth to our son who she renamed, in my
honor, Curtis  Gage  Matthias. 
 
After being in a coma for 10-days and then  Post Traumatic Amnesia  for a month and
a half, I began to awake.  At his point, my TBI nightmare began. 

 
Email Curt Matthias