Motorcycle crash

[Cajunrider]

My son and I were riding this afternoon and came up on a motorcycle/car crash at a local 4 way stop intersection. Someone had already summoned an ambulance and the state police. My son is an EMT and I am certified in first aid so we began assisting the victim who was lying on his side on the shoulder. He had broadsided a Pontiac Gran am ejecting him over the bars and onto the windshield. Amazingly, it appears that he only suffered severe bruises or possible fractures on his right arm and leg. He was wearing a full face DOT helmet and an armored textile jacket. His pants had ripped over his right knee and he only had a half dollar size strawberry just below the knee. He was hurting pretty badly but seemed to feel much better when I praised his riding ethics wearing a full face helmet and an armored jacket. It must have sounded kind of hypocritical coming from a guy wearing a half helmet and tee shirt! Being it was a 4 way stop with him being ejected at least 35 feet, there is no way he could have stopped at the intersection. He told us that he is a helicopter pilot and has been wanting a vacation. What a way to get some time off??? I think he will be OK besides being in a world of hurt for some time. His helmet had some road rash on it so there is no doubt that his chances of making it would have shrunk considerably without it.

[Idaho]

Can't say enough for personal protective equipment. The more, the better.

[rksaw]

Thanks for the reminder.

[ells]

+10 Very admirable of you and your son in providing assistance to the downed rider. I'm sure he'll never forget.

[bosko]

You guys rock

Glad to here he's not hurt worse than what you described.

Karma coming your way

[burkazoid]

Yeah, good work there on helping out the rider.

I had posted on here a couple of weeks ago about riding down to Galveston with a co-worker, Bob (drives the red 2007 Sporster in the pics I posted). I had also posted a couple of months ago about Bob getting hit broadside by a car way back in February. He healed up pretty well, basically lost most of the padding on his left foot so he has a bit of a limp, and busted his right hand, which he has a bit of arthritis in now. Sportster was fully restored and beautiful.

Anyway, not a full week after we get back from the Galveston ride does Bob get in another accident. This time he was a block or two from home, and a huge dog runs out in front of him. I haven't talked to him personally, but my understanding is his hip came out of the socket this time. I know for certain he is off work for a while, but have no idea when he will return.

I'm kind of puzzled by the luck, but I guess when you go 40 years riding bikes without an accident, it just catches up with you. I swear, every time someone I know gets in an accident on their bike, I really seriously consider selling mine.

[bomadgary]

Can say enough about protective gear or the kindness of strangers. Good on ya.

[johnb]

God bless you for not only helping but having the necessary skills to know how to help.

Every time I start to feel how "inconvenient" it feels to have to put on all the equipment, Full face helmet, proper riding jacket, gloves, steel toe boots, I think about what would happen if I didn't and had an accident.

You can't let the potential for an accident to bother you, you either accept the odds or quit. You can make your odds better by practicing ATGAT "all the gear, all the time" and by riding with good sense, always keeping aware of where you are in relation to the traffic and environment.

I wonder if our friend with the sportster is not paying the kind of attention to his surroundings as much as he should and maybe pushes the limit a bit?

[paul]

Thanks, T B. Comforting to know that there are guys like you out there, and being alert. Good job. May you never go down.

[lw]

Originally Posted by Ells

+10 Very admirable of you and your son in providing assistance to the downed rider. I'm sure he'll never forget.

Donald Sutherland's arsonist character "Ronald" (Backdraft) was pretty much on the money in his statement:
"Funny thing about firemen. . . night and day they're always firemen"

Good job.

[burkazoid]

Originally Posted by johnb

I wonder if our friend with the sportster is not paying the kind of attention to his surroundings as much as he should and maybe pushes the limit a bit?

Well, he rides fast that's for sure. He's also a lifer. He rides the bike everywhere, rain or shine. I take exception to the rain, myself.

[Cajunrider]

We are the minority on the highways and are most vulnerable to injury and death. There were a few good samaritan cagers already with the rider providing assistance. They all kindly moved aside when we arrived with first aid kits. My son was nearly hit head on while riding up to the scene in the oncoming lane by a guy in a pickup who turned left at the stop sign at someones directive. Scared the heck out of me to say the least. It was nice to see the look of confidence on the riders face when he saw two guys over him wearing helmets. The first thing we did was try to keep him still. He was lying on his left side and was actually trying to sit up. He wiggled all of his fingers and toes at our request and squeezed my hand with his left hand. The right arm was hurting too much for him to sqeeze with the right hand. I wouldn't remove his helmet as he requested out of fear of further injuring him. It puzzled me that the first thing the paramedic asked was that his gloves and helmet be removed. I took his gloves off one finger at a time and very gently removed the full helmet. We didn't have to remove his shoes. They were removed on impact. We only found one of them and his cell phone in an adjacent drainage ditch. This guy is truly blessed to have survived this crash. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that his gear saved his life. Those of us (including myself) who take the risk of riding without it need to think about the pain and sorrow those we leave behind will feel for the rest of their days. It all boils down to taking the little time involved in gearing up for our own safety. Thanks for the kind words but I know we would all do the same for one of our brothers or sisters. It's our duty.

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by Cajunrider

We are the minority on the highways and are most vulnerable to injury and death. There were a few good samaritan cagers already with the rider providing assistance. They all kindly moved aside when we arrived with first aid kits. My son was nearly hit head on while riding up to the scene in the oncoming lane by a guy in a pickup who turned left at the stop sign at someones directive. Scared the heck out of me to say the least. It was nice to see the look of confidence on the riders face when he saw two guys over him wearing helmets. The first thing we did was try to keep him still. He was lying on his left side and was actually trying to sit up. He wiggled all of his fingers and toes at our request and squeezed my hand with his left hand. The right arm was hurting too much for him to sqeeze with the right hand. I wouldn't remove his helmet as he requested out of fear of further injuring him. It puzzled me that the first thing the paramedic asked was that his gloves and helmet be removed. I took his gloves off one finger at a time and very gently removed the full helmet. We didn't have to remove his shoes. They were removed on impact. We only found one of them and his cell phone in an adjacent drainage ditch. This guy is truly blessed to have survived this crash. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that his gear saved his life. Those of us (including myself) who take the risk of riding without it need to think about the pain and sorrow those we leave behind will feel for the rest of their days. It all boils down to taking the little time involved in gearing up for our own safety. Thanks for the kind words but I know we would all do the same for one of our brothers or sisters. It's our duty.

As sad as it is, there are many, many riders who will not take your advice. Many of them on this forum. You know who you are.

[rickyboy]

"All the gear, all the time"

[joker]

Originally Posted by rickyboy ... #00722

"All the gear, all the time"

+1
I was involved in an accident on my previous bike (VTX) in the summer (a 72-year old woman went through a stop sign). Got away with a hurt shoulder and a few scrapes and bruises. The bike was totalled. If I wasn't wearing an armored jacket and a helmet I would have been much worse off. Funny thing was that I didn't remember hitting my head on anything, but the paint completely came off in one spot on the helmet.