Motorcycle down; Man down; Part 2

17th Nov 2018 · 2 min read · senegal accident police kindness food

The first thing I remember from today is being sat at the desk of a chief policeman in Senegal who was asking what happened to me. However, I don't know how I got there or what happened! The chief was on the phone to his commander who was apparently very concerned for me.

It seems that I was hit by another vehicle, but I don't know what. Here's what I know for sure. The subframe on my motorcycle is snapped and bent backwards on the bottom right and the pannier rack is also snapped and bent. The water coolant reservoir is split. My trousers and hand guard have green paint, which could suggest another vehicle was involved. I have a piece of headed paper from a hospital with a doctor's name and signature. I have small cuts on my leg, a sore ankle, and a sore shoulder.

Whilst sat at the chief's desk, I noticed there was lots of paperwork spread across the desk and a machete resting on top.

Machete on desk of chief policemen in Senegal.

My motorcycle was at the Gendarmerie (police) station. They brought in two mechanics who patched the split water reservoir with super glue and talc (or similar). The fix looks good. Once they had taken a statement and fixed the motorcycle, it had become dark, and they allowed me to camp inside the grounds of their station. I was so relieved because, I didn't want to ride in the dark!

The other policemen invited me to eat chicken, chips, and bread with them. We sat around a large dish eating with our hands. They guy to my right was incredibly kind as he was breaking off chunks of chicken and leaving them in front of me :D The onion sauce was fantastic!