I had a similar incident a few years ago. I was riding the Virginia Creeper Trail  http://tinylink.com/?CbW8zoHVO2     for the first time, 33.4 miles in a day on a bike was a challenge for me but it turned out to be so beautiful and enjoyable that the miles just melted away. There are 100 old trestles on the trail and one of them ends the ride in Abingdon, VA. A rider friend who was familiar with the trail informed us that this was the end of the line as we approached this final trestle which is a long one with a gentle curve and as I got on it I decided to give it all I had for the finish line. Little did I know that at the other end of the trestle, just after you leave the old wooden planks, is a steel gate, forest green against a backdrop of trees. No other markings to make this forestry gate stand out. I was pumping the peddles with all I had when I finally spotted the gate about 6-8 feet away, it was too late, I applied breaks but for naught. I plowed into the gate at nearly full throttle, the bike stopped and I went flying over the gate and fortunately managed to roll into a summer sault, head over heels and landed back on my feet. My arm hurt a little but I was fortunately not killed. My pride was hurting pretty bad though as I had an audience. My bike wasn't so lucky as you could see the shape of the gate all the way back to the forks. I'm happy to say that the gate received a new paint job and some reflective decals after that day. I didn't sue anyone. ;-) My DiamondBack turned out to be fixable thank goodness.