On the evening of Sept. 15, 1995, George Gosling III, then 25, bicycled down a steep section of Sanitarium Road in Deer Park. Meanwhile, a pickup truck turned left off Sanitarium onto Crystal Springs Road.

The bicycle and vehicle collided violently at the intersection, resulting in life-altering injuries for Gosling. Now, more than 11 years later, Gosling has completed a book about the accident and his painstaking rehabilitation process.

Gosling, who was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, was transported to Queen of the Valley Hospital by paramedics.

Because he was unable to speak and was carrying no identification, Gosling was a “John Doe” on his arrival at the hospital — but the Bianchi brand bicycle he rode was rare in Napa Valley. Mike Dunn, a former Calistoga bike shop owner, identified the Bianchi bicycle as Gosling’s. Julianna Gosling of Deer Park later confirmed her brother’s identity at the hospital. “It was not pleasant — it was terrible. I had to call my parents and tell them he was there,” she said. 

As a result of the crash, Gosling sustained a traumatic brain injury — or TBI — and broke his neck.

After spending about three months at the Queen, first in intensive care, and then in acute rehab, Gosling was transported to St. Helena Hospital, where he did strenuous physical therapy and re-learned how to walk, talk and eat.

“One or more family members or friends were at the hospital to visit him each day,” his mother, Charlotte Gosling said.

Gosling and his family fought his insurance company, which wanted to place him in a nursing home instead of acute rehab — something Gosling said he wouldn’t allow. With the help of his physicians, Gosling won the battle, and the third-generation Napa Valley resident, 36, now lives on his own near St. Helena and attends physical therapy once a week.

For seven years, Gosling said he worked on his autobiographical book off and on. He found his publisher, Outskirts Press Inc., on Ask Jeeves, and said he sent the manuscript to them via e-mail. He gave it a blunt title, “TBI Hell: A Traumatic Brain Injury Really Sucks.” The book was published nearly 11 years to the day from the time Gosling got out of the hospital — Dec. 23, 1995.

The book is an honest account of Gosling’s difficult recovery process and tells of his interaction with family members, doctors, physical therapists and friends during his slow recovery and rehabilitation.

“It’s not a pretty book, but it hasn’t been pretty for him, either,” Charlotte Gosling said. “It changed his life.”

Gosling’s mother said she didn’t know he was writing the book until he announced to her that it was finished.

Gosling’s work impressed his sister, Julianna Gosling. “I think the book is awesome,” she said. “It’s one of his major accomplishments since the accident. Non-verbally, you can’t tell he had an accident. It’s really positive attention and focused on a positive aspect of the accident and there aren’t that many really.”

Gosling’s brother-in-law, Olaf Beckmann, said Gosling began work on his book shortly after he received a computer from his grandmother. “At first the book was rough, so we sent it off to someone to read it. Then the feedback came back: ‘You should never publish this. You should put it away in a drawer and look at it again in 20 years.’ It’s mostly stuff he kept to himself until he wrote it down,” Beckmann said, adding that the aftermath of the accident was challenging not only for Gosling, but also for his family.

But Beckmann said the Goslings worked together to meet these challenges. “The Gosling family has no bad blood. There are five children and they all get along really well. ... Their mom doesn’t coddle them, but she would lay down in front of a speeding train for her kids. (The Goslings) are salt-of-the-earth people.”

Beckmann said Gosling was fresh out of college and extremely physically fit just prior to the accident. “Then the cruelest thing happened. He sits a little bit now in purgatory. He has a very strong work ethic but can’t concentrate long enough to work a job for more than two or three hours.”

Today, Gosling volunteers at the video library of the Veterans Home of California at Yountville.

He said some local bookstores carry copies of his book, and it can also be bought online by visiting outskirtspress.com/tbihell.

Be safe

Napa County saw 16 vehicle-bicycle collisions in 2006, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jerry Rico. Napa Police Sgt. Tom Pieper said most accidents involving bicycles and cars occur when bicyclists ride on the wrong side of the road. Bicyclists should follow the direction of vehicle traffic and drive as closely to the curb as possible, he said. Pieper added that children are required by law to wear helmets, and said bicyclists must follow all rules of the road, including stopping at stop signs and yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks.