Man Loses Most Of Ear During Bike Ride

Mon May 09 2005
Posted May 9, 2005
11,201

Ruis Says All Bikers Should Wear Helmets POSTED: 8:29 am CDT May 9, 2005 UPDATED: 8:43 am CDT May 9, 2005 COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- A Council Bluffs man is sore but OK after losing most of his ear in a biking accident Saturday morning. Dale Ruis was biking along the Wabash Trace Trail with friends Saturday near Pioneer Trail and Rolling Hills Loop when he decided to take a detour onto the horse path. "I thought I'd get out there and get some nice air -- and I got some air. I met a tree while I was still in the air," Ruis said. Ruis said he was going about 20 mph when he hit a bump and slammed into a tree. "Being without a helmet, it ended up taking most of my ear off," Ruis said. "There was a portion ... that was still attached." Ruis also suffered neck injuries and was taken by helicopter out of the area. "The Lewis Township firemen actually dug a 4-inch hole around my neck for them to slip a collar through with their bare hands! That kind of stuff is very touching," Ruis said. Ruis he was relieved when tests showed his back and neck were OK, and that doctors could reattach his ear. He said there's one thing he forgot at home Saturday that could have prevented his injuries. "The guys that I ride with, when they were visiting me in the hospital, said yesterday, 'Someone shows up without a helmet, they're going home. We're not letting them ride with us. It's just not worth it.' You don't just need them for the streets to prevent getting hit by a car, you need them on trails, or anytime you ride a bike," Ruis said. Ruis said he's sore. He said doctors tell him his ear will be slightly deformed, but that his hearing should be fine. Ruis is hoping to be back on his bike in two weeks.