From the very beginning Stelianos Psaroudakis' story didn't add up. He was apparently riding a downhill trail when he hit barbed wire strung at neck height across the trail. I asked Stelios (the name he goes by) how fast he thought he was going and he estimated 40-50 km/h (although he he was quick to add that he didn't have a 'speedometer' on his bike). He said he and his dog were thrown from his bike, which is certainly consistent with being clotheslined at high speed, but the injury to his neck is more difficult to explain. The images make it difficult to determine if the wound required stitches but Stelios told me the doctors at Foothills Hospital in Calgary determined no sutures were required. It seems obvious that hitting barbed wire with your neck at even 5 km/h would produce a wound requiring more than just a little Polysporin, but perhaps this was some kind of anomaly?

I managed to get in touch with a physician at Foothills who related that Stelios' injuries were 'minor' but that he was indeed admitted to hospital. I was unable to confirm any other information. In our conversation Stelios told me his liver had been severed, a serious situation indeed! I suggested that perhaps it had been lacerated and he agreed that sounded correct. As a result Mr. Psaroudakis says he will be unable to work for three months. Or perhaps a month. He referred to both of those intervals in our conversation.