Don’t mock the importance of a strong noggin

At various times in my life, I have been accused of having both a large and hard head. Well, for you mockers out there, that is not as big of an insult as you think it is. As the following example shows, having a healthy melon can be a big bonus.

Consider this recent news story:

MILWAUKEE - Ryan Lipscomb lived to tell how it felt to have a truck run over his head. "Really strange," he said.

Lipscomb, 26 of Seattle, suffered a concussion but was otherwise unhurt. He was shaken up, especially after he saw his mangled helmet.

Lipscomb, a graduate student in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was riding down a bike path in Madison on Friday afternoon. As he approached an intersection, he said, he noticed the oncoming delivery truck preparing to make a right turn in front of him.

The truck wasn't going to stop, Lipscomb said, so he slammed on his brakes, flipping his bike and landing in the street.

A moment later the truck rolled over his head.

"I didn't see it coming, but I sure felt it roll over my head," he told The Capital Times newspaper. "It feels really strange to have a truck run over your head."

His black helmet was flattened, tread marks visible on the cracked frame.

Lipscomb was taken to a hospital and released about three hours later.

In a telephone interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Lipscomb said he has had some lingering headaches and a stiff neck.

"All things considered, that's about as good as it can get," he said.