"Oh Shit" moments...

TL;DR version - someone crashed, picture of mangled face.

So, this isn't about me, but my brother-in-law who isn't on the forum. I bought some of the parts and helped him build the bike though so I feel attached to it too.

None of the components were top flight but none of them were completely shit. In fact I got the frameset and wheels from the classifieds.

He reckons he didn't hit anything in the road, not a pothole, a divot nor a scurrying creature. His memory is of mashing along at 20mph near Ladywell park at around 7:30 last night and hearing a "click". The click turned out to be his seatpost simply snapping in two. He remembers little else other than the good Samaritans who gave him their jackets for pillows and took his his bag and bike in for safe keeping after the ambulance took him. He stacked it really hard and spent the evening in hospital, his pinky finger is broken, his wrist is broken and his arm is in a cast... his face is mangled up pretty bad too.

The seatpost wasn't a modern standard (26.8 I think) so we sourced a fluted Campag one from Hilary Stone. Now I know it obviously wasn't new but it was fitted properly and appropriately accommodated the minimum insertion mark. Should it have just snapped like that? Anyone have any idea of what might have caused it? If it helps, he's a big lad, like 6'4" and pretty athletic. Could he perhaps have just been exerting too much force on it somehow? Any clues would help... well actually, it won't help anything, he's bashed up but it might add some clarity.

The stem has taken a bash and both sides of the bars are scraped up so we reckon the bike must have bounced or something maybe?

Right... pictures attached.

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