Always Check Your Bike’s Brakes
I had gotten a new bicycle, but for some reason, the brakes weren’t working. I rode it anyway—with disastrous results. I couldn’t stop and crashed into a giant planter, breaking it and getting myself all scratched up. The reflective mirror on my handlebars also broke, exposing sharp edges. The next day I thought the brakes not working was just a fluke.
I decided to go on another bike ride. This time I was going much faster and couldn’t slow down enough to make a turn onto a bridge. I went flying into the riverbed and landed face-first on my broken reflective mirror.
It sliced my face open right down to the muscle layer. I had to get three different layers of stitches, over 150 stitches, and had to get reconstructive plastic surgery. I don’t ride bikes anymore. Story credit: Reddit/kay_k88