For some reason this one really affected me

We all love riding bikes for many fantastic reasons. Unfortunately this hobby has a very dark side. The news every summer too routinely mentions a motorcycle/car collision where the rider dies. We accept this, somehow.
Monday night I went to the local Parts Source for a replacement headlight bulb and the police, paramedics and fire fighters had the street cordoned off for a crash investigation. A new Husky supermoto was positioned on the sidestand with the forks slightly kinked. What really worried me was a pair of running shoes in the middle of the road. For some reason this detail bore right into my brain.
His mother appeared on the Tuesday night news. He was 28 years old. He told his mother if anything were to ever happen just know I was doing what I really enjoy.

 

Sometimes the crashes get to me too. I was a big follower of Dr. John Hinds; in part because I like road racing, and in part because I learned a lot about trauma response from his talks (I'm on the crisis committee at work, so anything that helps me do a better job in an emergency is welcome). I was absoultely crushed to hear that he had passed away as the result of a motorcycle crash.
The crash that got me the most though was a former student who was driving tired, crossed the double-yellow, and rolled her car. 22 years old, engaged, and just beginning to learn how to be happy about life. I was double-checking my seatbelt (in the truck) and hugging the white line for weeks after.

Part of it comes-on because the older I get the less immortal I feel. One day it'll be my turn.

 

Interesting link k-moe.
I have a cousin who still competes in enduros at 58 yo and still rides on the street as well. He's a fire fighter and one of the guys tasked with the clean up. It can't be easy dealing with this stuff and I know it plays on him.
Everybody, next time you see that driver looking for his opening in traffic, always assume he doesn't see you.

 

I understand how you feel Simmy, it seems every other weekend and every holiday weekend there is at least one motorcycle tragedy. I spent 29 years as a photojournalist and have seen way too many riders in various stages of trauma. It’s one of the things that drove me to become a level 2 first aider.
I grew up in England and my older brother was a bike racer, Ducati 500, and rode a Kawasaki 25o on the street. He had a couple of accidents on the street and track but nothing too major.
At 20 I took a then new Honda Interceptor 750 for a test ride. I had no license and very little experience on a bike, but a friend worked at the dealership and on I got. The front wheel was off the ground in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears and at 115kph on a busy main road in Calgary I came to my senses. I shut her down, took it back to the dealership and bought a ‘74 Celica GT and proceeded to mod the hell out of it. That moment of clarity is the only reason I am still here today at 54 years of age.
I have wanted my own bike ever since and when I found an ‘84 XJ750RL I bought it and swore to learn to ride it properly. I absolutely love riding this bike. I understand why all the people I have covered over the years rode and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
But, riding you have to realize that you are moving your life into a much more dangerous zone. Hopefully not by your actions, but by the actions of those around you. I cannot think of a way to make it any safer than keeping your eyes open and doing what my dad told me: “Look at the other drivers, think of the stupidest thing they could do and assume they will do it.”

 

As an aside, I owned a slightly modified '75 Celica ST in my late teens/early 20's. I did not drive it sanely. It was fun. I should have kept it.

 

I loved mine too k-more. It was hit by a 16 year-old kid in his moms Nova that left a stop sign unsafe. I was so pissed, I had a new overbored block and pistons arriving the next day, I held him up by his neck and debated whether to snap it or not. Like I said I had ALOT of growing up to do.
I let the insurance pay me out for it and I’ve always regretted that.

 

I went down in a very slow speed crash a few weeks back and the responses from people around me was abysmal.

I had one guy laugh and say... dude your bike is f***ed

Strangely I had a high school kid come over to help and all his friends were telling him not too.

Accidents can really throw things into different perspectives if your the rider or bystander.

We know the risks we take getting on the bike and if someone passes doing what they love good for them.

 

I was gun shy after my bike accident would slam on the brakes in my car for a moth. it was 8 months before I could ride again (winter slowed that down). took a few weeks geting my confidence back when I rolled out the bike (same one I was in accident with).

 

I can’t imagine what that’s like. I remember being a bit shell shocked after shooting the aftermath of a Ford Escort full of kids was hit by a logging truck, but that is the closest I’ve come.

 

You had a pretty bad one, I can’t even imagine going through all that, recovery, and getting back on. Good on you for riding again though.

 

That's one of the things that made me turn away from doing newspaper photography (the rash of small papers closing in the early 90's didn't help either). I found it difficult to work those sort of incidents without feeling like I was being intrusive and unhelpful. I knew that the work was fairly important to do, it just wasn't the sort of journalism I was interested in, but you can't make that sort of nuanced choice as a new reporter. I think it was about the third bad wreck I covered that convinced me to move on to other things.

 

That’s one of the reason I got my first aid ticket. Nothing worse than being on scene and not able to do anything but take pictures. I know it was work that needed to be done but it made me feel like hell sometimes.
First responders get counselling but journalist only get a scotch bottle. I’m working in the press room printing the paper now for as long as it lasts. I feel more relaxed and the Seca has made me feel even better.

 

When I went down earlier this month, there was TONS of help. It was in front of a gas station, and a guy abandoned his vehicle at the pump to run out to the road and pick the bike up off my leg and roll it to safety. Cars stopped to make sure I was okay, and offered to call for help. A pedestrian sat with me while I was in shock to make sure nothing worse was going on with me. A passing rider saw my gear scattered around the lot and me hobbling around, and stopped and checked out the bike for me. He pulled out some pliers and straightened out some stuff that had been knocked around. He waited for my wife to arrive, and then rode my bike home for me. He didn't want to take the cash I gave him for his time, but I wasn't having it. Btw, he was riding a sweet custom Shadow 600 with a Chucky doll head for a taillight holder, leds in the eyes, the doll's arms holding the turn signals, turned up exhaust at about shoulder height with one of those flaps that you see on transport trucks to keep out water. It was super cool, a work of art, my 7 yr old son loved it! thanks again Denis, I owe you for life!

 

A couple of years ago I was heading west on interstate 80 on my 2001 FZ1 near Seward Nebraska and the traffic was running about 80mph. It slowed down to a crawl. Then I passed it. A semi had come to a stop in the next lane to my left. Under the cab was a bike with the rider crumpled under the engine. Guess something had come loose on the bike and tangled in his rear wheel lock up. A very sobering moment in my life. Take care to make sure those bungee cords are on right. Something so simple. I would do 100 so I wouldn't get boxed in by semis on the freeway.

 

Wow RCHER that’s a good thought to keep in mind. Something so simple can go very wrong very quickly.