This should probably go in the general forum but, for whatever reason, I thought I'd just post it here since this is where I spend most of my forum time...

I don't know whether to be angry or sad - I guess a little bit of both. Sad, because someone local died last night due to injuries sustained in a bike accident late yesterday afternoon. Sad, becauseI know his family is grieving from the loss of a loved one. Sad, because someone, senselessly, lost their life due to a lapse in judgement.

Angry, because what happened will be added to the statistics anti-bikers will continue to try to use to take away our rights without regard to the circumstances that make this an exceptional case at best.

This guy was retired from his career as a "telephone man" and working as a contractor. Not sure he's owned or ridden a bike his whole life. Someone he did some work for paid him with a bike, in lieu of cash- not sure what brand or model but I'm being told it was a HD - but it doesn't really matter. His intention was to sell the bike and take the cash as payment for the job. Yesterday, for some reason, he decides to jump on the bike with no helmet and take it for a spin around his neighborhood. He's later found lying in a field alongside a state highway with the bike X-number of feet away in the ditch - apparently either going to fast for the curve he was in or inexperienced enough to handle it. He's airlifted to a regional medical center where he undergoes emergency surgery but later dies.

What would posess a reasonable, sane man, who has made it that far in his life, to get on a bike he's not familiar with, with no helmet and take it out on the highway? I doubt he was drinking, he was supposed to return from his "spin" and go to church with his wife. How many people do we have to lose because of being stupid on 2 wheels?

Anyway, I guess I'm venting because it's so senseless it boggles my mind. If you're God-fearing, pray for his family.

 

It is never good when we lose someone on 2 wheels. The only scoot that would make a sane man or inexperienced man try to ride would have to be an HD I would guess......so he couldn't take the turn or was it a hit and run? That sucks. I think we are all very fortunate to return and ride another day every time we go out,especially with all the crazy cagers out there.

 

There were no eyewitnesses.It is assumed he crashed unassisted. However, given where he was andthe time of day, a deer jumping out could have easily been the cause but we will never know.

 

cause dosent matter much sad to lose a good human being .for no good reason

 

Do not know if a helmet would have helped but would not have hurt. We had a similar incident here in my area last week. Exp. rider at around 2 AM did not follow the curve of the road and left the road into a barbed wire fence. The rest is not nessacary to explain but a person can guess.

 

It was his time. Sorry to say, but that's just the way it goes. Being in the military, I get to see ALOT of good folks return to the ground.[]

~Joe

 

It does go to show, though, that bike accidents that are nobody's or somebody else's fault can often times be prevented by using your head a little better. An inexperienced rider shouldn't go out alone on a bike with no protection and think he can own the road. And just because that idiot in the cage pullsout in front of someone, doesn't mean they couldn't have avoided the crash if they had just been paying a bit more attention and riding a bit more defensively.

I'm not superman and I may not come back home the next time I go out but I avoided a crash just like I described the other day down in Myrtle Beach. I'm heading down a side road to the house we rented for the weekend when I notice 2 rich kids in a Volvo coming down a cross street going entirely too fast. I realize he's finally hitting the brakes. He does a rolling stop at the sign just as I'm about to cross in front of him, they both appear to look right at me, and then the continue to turn left right in front of me without ever coming to a full stop. If I had assumed he was going to stop or never noticed him to begin with because I was just cruising merrily along assuming everyone would obey the stop signs, I'd have been hit - no doubt.

A buddy of mine rode by this guy's neighborhood this morning where a rock road leading from his house meets the paved road and saw a fresh bike tire sized skid mark on the pavement. Most likely made by this guy as he squealed out onto the road moments before straightening out a curve that didn't want to bend. Just doesn't seem to fit this guy's personality at all from all accounts I've heard. I know that rumble gets us all juiced up at times but damn.... Use your head!

 

That's a big bummer. I will pray for the family bc I can't even imagine how it must feel for them. It's also sad to think that before he left for his short cruise, most likely his loved ones didn't get to tell him any last goodbyes, settle any differences, etc. Very sad.

Not ever to say that the helmet would have saved his life, but I can only imagine it wouldn't have hurt. Whenever I ride around - even if it's in the neighborhood to clear the cobwebs out of my head, I wear a helmet. Sure, I'm guilty for going without it at times, but 98% of the time I ride with a helmet. Unfortunately it's the "slight chance" (that 2%) that will get you!

Big bummer. I think the two biggest things to learn here are:
1) ride safe and not over your limits and
2) Live life as if every day could be your last.

 

Just seems like it would be different if the guy was and wanted to be a biker. He never rode before and had no intentions of keeping the bike. He should have left it right where it was - in the garage. I don't think he was wearing a helmet because he didn't even own one. Was not a good road to be on and try to avoid the frequent highway patrol cars.I keep trying but I can't make sense of it.

 

Riding without a helmet is not even legally an option here. I'm not upset about the helmet because it should be a rider's choice anyway. But him not wearing one tells me he wasn't or shouldn't have been planning to go far but had gone farther than he should have. Most definitely no license endorsement either.