It's a shame when there's judging and comments about whose fault an accident was. The OP tells us about something he witnessed and how his wife went to help.
Why is it so difficult to empathize and offer sympathy to the witnesses and first responders without asking dumb questions about helmets. A young biker lost his life, his family lost him too.

 

I would have gone home too... that sort of thing can make you hyper-careful (take no risks) and that can work against you. Riding on the street is risky. The trick is to apply some strategies to avoid risks (so they don't happen) or reduce them when they do.

Also group rides... wouldn't recommend that till a person has taken a seminar or class on doing group rides since they present a whole new set of risks. I see the local Motorsports business her in Fredericksburg, VA does these classes for $25 which includes some actual riding time in a group. They teach riders how to stagger their position, hand signals, setting safe spacing, etc. Group rides are also a bad scene for newbie riders who may be pushed to go faster then their current skill level will allow. Sorry you saw that...

 

I think the "dumb questions" about helmets, etc. stem from an concern like, "Could this happen to me?" Maybe thinking that if the person wasn't wearing a helmet then "no wonder!" and maybe thinking "I should be okay since I always wear a helmet."

Not so... something freaky and unexpected could happen to ANY OF US. Some things you just can't prepare for because they are unknown till they happen. I saw a driver loose control of their car going down slight hill in front of my house. She somehow made a 90 deg turn into my front yard... ran over some rose bushes... ran through my front yard (where my kids were just playing minutes before) and nearly hit the back of my car. She then ran down my mail box... then went on to run down my neighbor's hedge and their mail box too. The thing is that the speed limit there was 25 mph and she was going slow seemed to be in no danger. A car turned in front of her but she had plenty of time to avoid it but for some reason something went screwy in her head and she hit the gas and accelerated when she mean to brake. Very weird for sure...

As they say in the intelligence field... there are known risks, known unknown risks (things that could happen but likely will never happen), and unknown risks (things that happen that just don't make any sense -- you can't even prepare for them).

 

Trust me, a pathologist did conduct a post-mortem examination on the rider.

The Coroner may hold an inquest if the circumstances warrant. The inquest may be held with or without a jury, at the Coroner's discretion and shall be open to the public.

Mandatory Investigations
Government Code, State of California, Section 27491, and
Health and Safety Code Section 102850 mandate that the Sheriff-Coroner inquire into the following deaths:
Unattended deaths
The deceased has not been attended by a physician in the 20 days prior to death
Physician unable to state the cause of death
Known or suspected homicide
Involving any criminal action or suspicion of a criminal act, in whole or in part
Known or suspected suicide
Related to or following known or suspected self-induced or criminal abortion
Associated with a known or alleged rape or crime against nature
Following an accident, or injury (primary or contributory, occurring immediately or at some remote time)
Drowning, fire, hanging, gunshot, stabbing, cutting, starvation, exposure, alcoholism, drug addiction, strangulation or aspiration
Accidental poisoning (food, chemical, drug, therapeutic agents)
Occupational diseases or occupational hazards
Known or suspected contagious disease constituting a public health hazard
Deaths in the custody of law enforcement, in prison or while under sentence
Deaths in state hospitals serving the mentally or developmentally disabled
Suspected Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Additional Investigations

 

There was no reason road-wise or rider-skill wise why this happened st least as far as the witnesses could see. That's why I lean towards a medical or possible a mechanical issue causing it.

It didn't particularly rattle me about riding and my wife was shook mainly from being so close when he passed. We came home instead of continuing cause we just felt no joy in finishing the ride. Many people did finish it and went to the party at the end.

 

Prayers for the family and for you and your wife...... Never a good feeling witnessing anything like that. Hope you all ride safe this year.

 

Witnessing a rider down can put a dark cloud over the day. Witnessing someone dying from trauma can be a memory you cannot shake. Hope you and your wife fair well after that.

Sympathies for the surviving wife 'n kids.

...added note....pretty disrespectful crap from the helmet right fighters going into debates about if he wore a helmet or not...or if it was a novelty or not. Pay attention, use some gray matter....the bike landed on hit body, the nurses stopped CPR when they heard blood gurgling from his lungs. Hello...mcfly...massive internal injury in the body. No need for the preaching about types of helmets...a rider is down and goin' in the ground, show respect and stop bible thumping about helmets.

 

Sad to here, R.I.P bro.

 

The images of a crash scene can definitely stay with you. I was an EMT during my college days and have been to my fair share of accident scenes--not just bikes but all types of autos and vehicles(those can be nasty, too.) After a while, the images you come across don't phase you like they did when you first saw them, but that first one or two bad incidents kind of stay with you forever. My very first crash scene involved a Sport Bike, a passenger and rider, a guard rail, and fifteen minutes spent helping retrieve parts in the dark with a flashlight (not bike parts).

I know this may sound morbid, but in a way, I think it might be good if more people saw it at least once, as it puts things in perspective. At that point, things like crashing, injury and death are not just a news story or some abstract concept-- it is real and yes the same thing can happen to you. The goal isn't to take away the fun of riding. But it might change how many people approach the activity from the perspective of personal safety.

 

I never raised that debate in this thread. Matter of fact, I seem to recall pointing out sounded like he was wearing a DOT full and and had injuries beyond a head injury. RIP.