Finally got a chance to do a followup. I returned home to a busted PC and buried laptop so I used my iPhone for social media for the last week which precluded lengthy responses, Now I have the laptop back on line so I will answer some of your questions and address some learning factors.
A couple of people wondered about glasses, visual acuity: I think I am OK there. I wear monovision contacts which could potentially be an issue. But my accidents have been for unrelated issues - two from carelessness, and the current one by a fluke look around a coming corner causing me to miss seeing a small road obstruction that caught my tire. I have concluded that I need to be a lot more careful - no one can afford annual surgeries,
One more and I will consider switching to a recumbent trike (seriously). On the accident aftermath, I was lucky. I was with my wife and an out of state EMT was driving the car behind me and came to my aid. I tried to stand, with assistance from bystanders and could feel that the right hip was totally loose and out of commission. It was immediately clear that I had to go to the hospital. DW called my son who brought our our car to retrieve the bikes and DW. Surprisingly, The OBX hospital was excellent. Small, quiet but staffed with competent, friendly southerners. The orthopedic surgeon was from Georgetown and split his practice between OBX and Northern VA. My post op orthpedic doc says the metal work looks perfectly done.
On the learning front, this has been an interesting experience. There is so much to cover that the hospitals never really get you ready for a home transition. The areas I have noticed lacking include good prepartion to limit constipation from pain meds and cautions about what to do with swelling. In my case my right leg swelled like a sausage the second day at home because I sat for long hours with my leg down thinking it was a better position to be in than prone. MY ER room doc neice called while that was going on and quickly got me straightened out on how to fix that and the OIC - nontheless, 24 hours wasted,
The other factor I think needs more attention is home assistance, self assistance. It would really help to know in advance that a toilet topper with a raised seat and grab handles will be a life saver. Luckily my neighbor had one she wanted to excess so problem solved. A similar useful aid worth recommending is a simple hip and knee kit available from amazon for $30. These include a grabber to pick things up, a sock tool, long shoe horn, and and a couple of other simple devices to make you less reliant on others. That is a big deal psychologically and would be major for someone living alone with home support visits.
I am skinny and in good shape so my transition was easy. I am getting around smartly with a cane (walker for the first few days) and will be in great shape when my kit arrives tomorrow. But, this could be horrible if I was 15 years older or 100 pounds heavier. Getting up from bed unassisted in the hospital is no easy task and could be a show stopper for someone with no upper body strength or multiple injuries. Same with mastering stairs (with assistance) - a requirement for release. I really feel for injured older folks or obese folks. Very easy to end up in rehab for an extended period.
At any rate, we have learned a lot and will be better prepared when DW has a hip tendon repaired later this year. Hopefully a much more minor procedure.
Attached is a photo of the "pin" going during the operation for those who like visuals. I thought a pin was a pin, not a beam.