Always wear your helmet!

OK, so it had to happen eventually. I took a bad spill on my mountain bike yesterday. I've taken plenty of spills, quite worse than this one frankly; however, this one got the best of me. I lost momentum going up a pretty steep climb and then couldn't get unclipped from my pedals. The hill has steep embankments on the left and right so there was only two ways to go, down left or down right. I tumbled sideways, bike and all, down about a 12', 50-60 degree embankment and slammed my head on the ground at some point. Initial impact had me very dazed and I couldn't lift my left arm more than a few inches. The arm problem seemed to get better after a minute or two, but my neck was hurting pretty bad. I called Laura to come pick me up. She said she knew I was hurt when the phone rang because I never call while I'm riding unless I need to be picked up. Last time, she picked us up because Jacob got hurt and I think once before when I had a flat with no spare tube. But yesterday, she said she knew. She took me to the hospital for X-rays, which were negative for any serious head/neck/back injuries. Got out with some facial abrasions and some pulled muscles in my neck, which is very sore today and will be for a few days. Without a doubt, this could have been much more serious and the helmet undoubtedly made a huge difference in the outcome. Always wear your helmet! The mark on my forehead is from the inside of my helmet. The facial abrasions courtesy of good ole' Cypress Creek sand and dirt. And I think I bit my lip during the tumble. Ride anyone?