Just left the scene of a motorcycle fatality.....

[Por_sha911]

Most people live their normal everyday lives without a thought of their mortality. We are all "dead men walking". It is unsettling when death interrupts us like that.
It behooves us all to remember that you have no guarantee of tomorrow (or even the next hour) and then to make your life decisions accordingly. A friend of mine has the expression: "give the people you love their roses before they die".

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

He was wearing Tevas ............ he wasn't wearing a helmet either.

Tevas sandals and no helmet.

I guess their was no body armor either then.

A shame.

Motorcycle body armor

As with a helmet, there is a dramatic difference in injury levels between those wearing some protection versus the shirt and bluejean crowd.

[A930Rocket]

No, just shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe because it was dark, but it looked like hed didn't have that much road rash. His bike did slide for some distance on the asphalt before going off the road.

Originally Posted by kach22i

Tevas sandals and no helmet.

I guess their was no body armor either then.

A shame.

Motorcycle body armor

[jpd]

That sucks, but glad y'all stopped to help.

We were on the interstate going on vacation for the 4th if July. Guy on a bike got cut off, his front wheel locked up and he went over the handle bars and landed on his head. He was rolling on the road. He was bout 10 feet in front of me when I came to a stop. I was pretty sure he was going to be dead, but he wasn't, and is now basically ok and recovering from 6 broken ribs, a punctured lung, broken thumb, broken shoulder blade, broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder.

It's distressing to see things like that, but when you do, you just do what you can to help. Our guy and his wife called me several times afterward to update me on his condition and thank us for stopping.

[Por_sha911]

No helmet... I feel bad for the family and friends this person selfishly left behind.

[carreradpt]

Good on you and your wife for stopping to provide aid/comfort. Very well could make the difference, though not in this case. I rode for years when I was younger and quit due to my wifes' concern for my safety. She was a nurse and when she moved to the neuro unit, my bike riding days were over. I have lost friends and have had friends quit after having a particular close call. Seems like a week doesn't go by that I hear or read of a fatal mc accident in our area. I still sometimes give thought to getting a project bike to tinker with. But probably won't, the reflexes are slowing somewhat and folks drive like shyte around here.

[Rick Lee]

I was a few hundred yards in front of a pack of Harleys when I rode through a swarm of bees at about 60 mph. Felt like someone took a shovelful of gravel and tossed it at my head. But I was wearing full gear and didn't get stung once. I have no idea what happened to those Harley guys, all wearing jeans and t-shirts, sans helmet

[A930Rocket]

Update: I met with a policeman a few mninutes ago to go over the details of what we saw. The guy was 40 years old and drove into the back of the boat before going off road. Now they are trying to determine if it was the issue of no tail lights or speed and no tail lights.

As I drove down that same road today, I saw that there was a single skid mark in the north bound lane for about 30-40 feet, before ending.

I don't forsee a good future for the boat owner...

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Isn't it funny the details you remember from a thing like this? I posted here about a fatal car accident that happened right in front of me. I remember the dead woman's jeans got down over her azz somehow. She was a bit hefty, but I remember how small and white and delicate her hands and wrists were as i was taking her pulse. And I remember she had blue eye shadow. Odd.

I can remember the way the neon lights were dancing on the asphalt next to the pool of blood. His truck, the one that ran him over accidentally, was red, with lots of chrome, and the diesel was still idling.
The gold and silver pen in the guy's front shirt pocket. The thin kind that you twist to get the point out.
The pile of $20s that were scattered in a perfect like from his pocket, and how there was just enough blood splatter that they weren't moving in the breeze.

I have his initials tattooed on my arm. I never met the man, but I'll never forget his name and his face will continue to haunt me when threads like this come up.


When the paramedics arrived, he was already gone (you could nearly see that actual last bit of life fade from his face). They were nonchalant as they slowly walked over. I was desperate for help to bring him back, and screamed obscenities at them to HURRY THE F UP AND GET OVER HERE!!!! They didn't hurry up, they knew they didn't need to.

After leaving the scene, I drove among dozens of cars filled with people who didn't know, didn't care what happened. It made me very mad that they didn't care that some guy had died in that parking lot back there.

It wasn't until the morning when I realized that I had blood all over me, all over the car interior, my clothes and hands, the apartment. I didn't sleep for days, my head was filled with watching him fade out in my arms.

The next day, I was afraid to drive the car. All I could imagine was that a kid would dart out behind me while I was backing out or something, and I'd have to watch yet another person die. I was hyper-aware of how soft and squishy we really are, and how close to death we come many times a day.

I went though some trying times after that.

[David]

Very sad to hear but glad you stopped to help. My neighbor across the street died on his bike last year leaving a young daughter without a dad. Like many other stories here, his blue jeans came off in the wreck. A stopped motorist was kind enough to retrieve a blanket from his car to cover him, but it's not a dignified way to go.

I'd be perfectly content to never ride a motorcycle again but my wife refuses to sell hers so I keep mine. You'd think two Porsches would be enough to satisfy her need for speed or freedom or whatever it is, who knows.

[A930Rocket]

Pazuzu - What a story...

Art, we actually looked for a blanket or anything, but had nothing. Nobody else had one either. Luckily, the road is woods and water on this portion and not many rubber neckers to watch once traffic was re-routed. There is one neighborhood across the street and gawkers came from there to watch, but the police shooed them away and held up a screen to keep them from looking.

Originally Posted by David

Very sad to hear but glad you stopped to help. My neighbor across the street died on his bike last year leaving a young daughter without a dad. Like many other stories here, his blue jeans came off in the wreck. A stopped motorist was kind enough to retrieve a blanket from his car to cover him, but it's not a dignified way to go.

I'd be perfectly content to never ride a motorcycle again but my wife refuses to sell hers so I keep mine. You'd think two Porsches would be enough to satisfy her need for speed or freedom or whatever it is, who knows.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by vash

my CHP friends said that a motorcycle rider more than likely dead, when they roll up and see the footwear gone. they cant explain it, but if the shoes are gone chances are the person is dead. we all used to ride. the saying was, "tighten up those boots!"..right before we headed out. it was an inside joke/good luck phrase..whatever.

When I went down on the 405, it took awhile for them to stop traffic (to move the dead coyote carcass) before we could hobble from the center divide to the ambulance that was on the right shoulder (and since it was midnight, no one could see us). When we walked up their eyes got big and they smiled a bit. Looked at us and said, "we were about to go out looking for pieces." The gallows humor went on from there.

Be careful out there...

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I don't forsee a good future for the boat owner...

For leaving the scene, they will get the whole book.

[LakeCleElum]

2 years ago, 7 or us were on a ride. A buddy messed up, went down on a curve into an oncoming SUV. We all took turns doing CPR, but he didn't make it - Sad day:

[Mark Howard]

Reminds me of my Saturday morning jog a few weeks ago. Finding dead folks aint fun.

[cjmurph]

Good on you and your wife for the stop and assist. It takes a special human to be in the medical field your wife should also be commended. Never performed cpr although I'm trained in first response with yearly refreshers.

Had a close call of my own 2 years ago.
Large Truck with contractor trailor attached pulled off a relatively busy 2 lane highway (no blinker or tail lights on the trailor). I noted it because I was 100 yards back at the time. He slowed on the side and as I was passing in the lane he vacated he proceeded to make a u turn. There was no way I could stop to miss, so I pulled as hard to the left as I could and I think I even gave a little gas to the throttle. I saw what was coming at the last minute and lifted my right leg, felt the bumper breeze my calf and my entire rt saddlebag was ripped off at 50 -55 mph. I did the death wobble for 50 yards and pulled off to the right. When I looked back he was still completeing his u-turn.

Longer story put short.
I sold the bike 2 weeks ago (Yamaha Warrior) and probably put less than 500 miles on in the last year. My Dad rides as well as most of my family members. I don't think I have opened up with him about my experience (most of which I downplayed with him, mom and wife) but I have a spare porsche I might try talking him into.

Curt

[A930Rocket]

It's still unclear if the boat owner came back on his own or by force.

My wife talked to the same policeman I did and he said the boat owner felt something and wondered what happened. That's when they pulled over several hundred yards down the road, and really the first place they could due to water/tidal areas.

Quote de A930Rocket

I don't forsee a good future for the boat owner...

For leaving the scene, they will get the whole book.

[A930Rocket]

Your story was the first thing I thought about Mark as we encountered the guy, and this happened an 1/8 mile south of where I was rear ended while talking to you that day.

Reminds me of my Saturday morning jog a few weeks ago. Finding dead folks aint fun.

[911Urge]

Its good to hear people still do come to the aid of others.

I can remember my brother driving me home from work late one evening. The traffic slowed and we could see all of the flashing lights and flares off in the distance. As we got closer we could see a semi in the #3 lane and the flares directing us away from the stopped big rig. Then we saw a sheet in the lanes, and another one. Oh God a total of four sheets covering the remains of two bodies and about 100 yards further a motorcycle crumpled up under the front of the semi. It was chilling for the both of us and then some for my brother as he never wanted a motorcycle after seeing that scene.

[porsche4life]

Stories like this, are what keeps me off a motorcycle....