Fatal Accident

Hello everyone, I was on my way to work this morning when I arrived at the scene of an accident which had happened moments before. The rider and passenger of a bike had hit the side of an articulated lorry which was crossing a dual carriage way in Snodland in Kent. I went across to the scene, the rider was dead,lying on his back, killed by the impact and trauma to his chest. The passenger, a young lady was in great pain with her feet trapped under the lorry. I covered the body with a thermal sheet, then the fire brigade arrived and asked if I could help to hold up a tarpaulin in front of the dead rider and the injured passenger to hide the scene from public view. I was standing next to the dead riders body watching the paramedics work on the passenger, it was horrible. I'm writing this for two reasons, first to get it out of my head and second to remind you of something that you all know anyway, ride as if drivers don't see you, because they really don't. Cheers, Steve

Steve,
This event must have been very upsetting, Young life ending this way, i last experianced this 40 years ago when a local lad hit a trailer kiling him outright.
This will stick with you for years.
Kind regards
John

I worked on a volunteer rescue squad for over 14 years. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) I have been on the scene of many horrific vehicular, home, industrial and hunting accidents as well as GSW as a result of criminal activity or suicide. It is never pleasant and always serves as a reminder of how frail the human body really is.

Ditto- "It is never pleasant and always serves as a reminder of how frail the human body really is." Gotta wear your helmet, and rest of your riding gear for that matter, I happened to be in a hospital in Okinawa and there was a guy in the bed beside me who had wrecked his bike wearing only a wife beater under shirt and a pair of shorts with tennis shoes, lots of road rash. He lived although he wasn't a very happy camper. Cj

BS you panzy's, don't ever forget it as this is part and parcel of motorcycling. I ride with dead souls whispering in my ear every-time, knowing I could be someones ghost just as easy. I ask myself before a ride if this is a good day to die, sometimes I ain't up to it and take the cage. Stiff upper lip or stay off em, either way ya die, so what its all about anyway.

It's a reality check when that happens. Every time I ride I'm aware of the consequences. Been using a high visibiliy vest jacket for the last 2 season's. If it increases my odds by 1% I'll wear it. Been considering a Motorcycle Air-Bag Jacket, little pricey though. Just have to drive defensively and pay attention to the surroundings to avoid incidents. Ride safe.

A ejector seat & parachute ??

Theres the Known , & the Unknown . And in between , is Hobot , Ur the windows . . . no . doors . um .

Used to try the white helmet / yellow coveralls . Great for getting the run around in traffic ( the nicest people dont hurl bricks thru windows )
Dressing the Quasi Biker ( though id developed a stern disposaition by then ) had cars flinhing and divergeing at 100 yds in poor visibility .

Eye contact even if impossibly far off , and Commanding the road , offensive not defensive driveing seems a lot safer .
Someone trying to crowd you , youd lean into them , and mean it . If they know your there theres not many who are phycopaths and murderers

Some days it doesnt pay to get it far of the throttle stops though , others you own the highway .

Operateing proceedure for aircraft is the approach more applicable to a warm Commando .

Used to be asstounded at old ladies who were polite and chat , when youre dressed like a hood too .. ./

Oh man that is a shitty way to start anybodies day.
All the best Steve, try and think about the good thing you did, and not the visions.
The memories will last, but you did a good thing.
Thanks for jolting me back to reality. I'v been a bit blaise' lately re., riding gear and defencive riding.
AC.

I'm pretty much with Matt's routine, quasi bad ass aggressive looking/behaving in traffic. But I've seem my face implanted in grills and torso torn in half on railings any time I start to kick up my heels. But those are things I'm in control of and have almost been whipped out 3 x's on Trixie so far totally being legal sane and safe except I was on a running motorcycle. One was on last ride taking it really easy as brake going away after I left and forgot I'd let air out for mud and rough Gravel conditons, when almost head on by two HD baggers half way in my lane.

I've come over a crest to find a logging skidder crossing the road - chains taunt pulling logs out of the woods, no escape but Berserk braking and crazy nothing to lose maneuvers to miss the hazard but end up in ditch too steep to put a foot down, to crash at almost a stop instead of ...

Steve we are all human and all feel to some degree what others do, I am trying to avoid putting my self in the woman's state of pain and loss from a lark on a motorcycle. Couple years ago our chief of police with his wife puttering to new home was deer struck, broke his neck so wife watched him gag to death over some minutes. That is what I went through on my first deer strike but for 20 min before heart and lungs didn't just vibrate or cramp uselessly. I did die that night in horrific pain, I believe only my heavy duty psychedelics and meditation practice allowed me to endure and not just pass out and die to be found frozen next to the stiff deer corpse.

Safe Journeys
Steven hobot Shiver

I ride a self defined style I call "Aggresive Paronoia" with "Vigilant Awareness", where I believe half of the drivers don't see me and could give a rats ass if they hit me, and the other half are drunk and will intentionally go out of their way to get me. For me no ride is a "casual ride"..,, casual rides can cause unintentional casualties. I ride with intention. With that attitude and belief I have never been down from another driver since my riding days started in 1973... And with the axiom of "two kinds of riders" floating around in my brains other hemisphere, I'm pushing "that day" further and further down my natural time line.
No matter how hot and/or humid it is, I will not ride without a leather jacket, gloves, full face helmet and appropriate footwear.

JD

Seeing that kind of stuff up close and personal is not fun and can sure alter your riding habits. I am a firm believer in protective equipment also but then again I have to think a bike accident has to be a better way to go than cancer or emphysema. Been way to close to that shit too. Jim

Thankfully I've never been directly confronted with anything like this. My wife's mom died on the back of a bike that was laid down to avoid a semi which pulled out in front of them. This was 6 years ago, before the wife and I were dating. It's amazing that my wife has a) allowed me to ride at all and b) allowed me to spend the kind of money I've spent restoring my 850..

I won't step foot on a bike without my full-face helmet and at least jeans/long pants. I try to be as cautious as I can while I'm on the bike, but unfortunately there's just not much you can do (IMO) if your number gets called and it's your time to go. It's the risk we all face as motorcyclists, unfortunately.

-Jordan

Repeat after me: Motorcycle riding is dangerous, motorcycle riding is dangerous. Perhaps we should look at the reality, in a world with cars, trucks and short chain hydrocarbons (alcohol), it statistically should happen more. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

powerdoc said:

Perhaps we should look at the reality, in a world with cars, trucks and short chain hydrocarbons (alcohol), it statistically should happen more. Trust me, I'm a doctor.

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you forgot to mention cell phones in that list

And, yes, cell phones, maybe the worst of them all, for both the motorcyclist and the driver of the car. Perhaps, MWC (motorcycling while cell-phoning) should be a crime, if not just a crime of stupidity.

powerdoc said:

And, yes, cell phones, maybe the worst of them all, for both the motorcyclist and the driver of the car. Perhaps, MWC (motorcycling while cell-phoning) should be a crime, if not just a crime of stupidity.

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Cell phoning while motorcycling is a self-regulating affair.

swooshdave said:

Cell phoning while motorcycling is a self-regulating affair.

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diy570 said:

swooshdave said:

Cell phoning while motorcycling is a self-regulating affair.

Click to expand...

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We giggle at those photos, but in talking to a co-worker from Vietnam, it's extremely common. The "family car" would be a moped.

I see a new reality show here Dave

Phil

Gday Steve, well done mate on helping out at an unpleasent incident. I too only know so well what you have experienced, being a volunteer in emergency work have faced truck, motorcycle, car and aircraft fatalities. All with lingering images/memories but am at peace with it knowing I helped out. You are doing the right thing by talking about it!
Life is very much like a flickering candle in the wind and riding bikes we in the breeze.