Saw a guy make decision that killed him

I was out driving one day and out of nowhere I hear a loud crash. Turn around and I see a dude that was on a motorcycle on the ground, other car completely messed up on the side of impact. Run up and realize it’s one of my good friends. He’s out of it, major concussion has no idea what happened or what’s going on. He gets rushed to the ER where they discover his femur was broken in three places, broke both wrists and several bones in his right hand, broke his clavicle, and ruptured his spleen. To make it worse, he suffers a bad stroke caused from the accident. One of his major arteries in his neck was ruptured and he ended up losing about 20% of his brain matter which he’ll never get back. He had no idea how to talk for several weeks and is steadily getting better. He came so close to dying and witnessing a scene as such first hand and requesting EMS makes you realize how fast things change. He was out having a good day and the next he nearly died. Make wise choices, sometimes fun comes at a cost.

 

Dude won’t do that again

 

I feel bad for all three of the families involved.
On a side note, not one car in the Dollar General...

 

I think they cleared the lot so the choppa could land. Lol. Dg sucks!

 

I don't tell this story to most folks because i just don't like talking about it but some of the comments in here warrant it. Not everybody is a dick head or asshole most are good people who make tragic mistakes or use completely poor judgesment.
I woke up one morning last November and my IBS had kicked in so I texted my buddy I rode with and told him to go on with out me I would just drive so I didn''t hold him up. On my way to work, we live out in the country, as I entered a long straitaway that is right before where his road intersected in the distance I saw lights flying all over the place and thought wTF is this? As I got closer the 2 cars in front of swerved around something and I could see a large lump in the road and realized it was what was left of a car and there was a tractor trailer down in the creek bed next to it. I pulled over and ran back to the car but it was pitch dark down in a hollow and I couldn't really see the car well and was afraid i was going to get hit by other cars so I ran back to my truck and turned the work lights on the back of it on so I could see and be seen. When I turned backe to the car I saw the bright blue bumper cover of what I hoped was not my buddy's car laying in the grass. As I ran back to the car I could then see it in the dark and when I flipped up the side curtain ait bag there he was. He was still alive and I stayed right with him while contacting our work so they could try to reach his sister. I eventually got into the car with him sneaking past the firefighter but stayed with him until they made me leave. everytimr he would try to struggle I could get him calmed down so they could try to help. At one point they made me and the truck driver leave as they had been trying to cut him out of the car. I could tell when I saw him he had passed when they released the preassure off of him so they made us step back up to my truck and wait. He lived about an hour and a half in the car. As the truck driver and I sat there I asked him what happenned?
He said as he came over the hill the car had nosed out to the road so he started to swerve over to the center line and then it just pulled out in front of him all he could do was hit the brakes and swerve which really was all he could have done. I stayed with my buddy until the coroner finlly came and picked him up.




But for the grace of God I would have been sitting right in the passenger seat just like every other day. He wasn't a dumbass or a dick head he was a veteran and a good man who made a very bad decision. I asked my self why dd I take any pictures? I was so determined he was going to be OK I wanted to show him just how bad it had been. Somebody was looking out for me that day but I live with this everyday and have to drive through that spot all the time.

 

Speechless right honestly.

 

It was nothing I ever hope for anyone to have to go through. The only reason I posted this is because people, and yes I admit I can do it as well, are so quick to judge. Nobody stopped to help us people just drove by and I am sure they were thinking look at this asshole drove out in front of the truck. He wasn"t an asshole he was a really good person that made a really bad mistake or whatever we will never know what really happenned

 

Gosh, this is heartbreaking.

 

Having been an EMT doing 911 for years and an avid motorcycle rider I'm relieved that your daughter wasn't witness to the accident. I was worried that's where the story was going and I will never forget the bad motorcycle crashes I ran on. Even with full gear it's amazing what a crash can do to the human body.

 

For those interested here is a download for the MSF Basic course https://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/brchandbook.pdf

Even if you're riding safely there's soooo many things can go wrong on two wheels. I'm surprised I don't see people using modulating headlamps. Visibility is a key thing.

 

I grew up riding dirt bikes so when I decided to get a street bike I felt fully confident with a V45 Magna (750 4 cylinder)

Before I got my bike I would see people on motorcycles zipping around and think "Why is that guy going so fast? No need to ride like a jerk"

After I got my bike my thoughts while I was riding were "Why is everyone going so slow? Oh wait, I'm running 90 "

The power and speed were so effortless compared to even a fast car.

I never dropped mine but I got rid of it when I had one close call too many.

Countless times where people pulled in front of me or came into my lane, completely oblivious to my presence despite mine having the modulating headlight and being bright red.

While it sounds like the rider in this story was riding like an idiot, part of that idiocy is thinking that other motorists will actually give you the right of way.

When my wife was working the ER they always called motorcycles Donorcycles.

Sad for everyone involved.

 

I ride. I ride responsibly, wearing a helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, etc at all times. My bikes have wayyyyyy more power than I need and I don’t abuse it.

What’s sickening is 90 percent of you are on your cell phones driving. Towing trailers. Weaving through traffic. Scrolling Facebook. That’s what kills us bikers, not just stupid kids. Put the damn phones down people.

 

I too was a motorcycle rider who sold my bike when my first child was born. I was also a police officer in a large and very violent city and had been involved in shootings. My father couldn’t understand why I chose to work in the most violent part of one of the most violent cities and asked, “Why would you choose to walk down the middle of the street when you could walk on the sidewalk?” I figured due to my training and experience I could control my outcome.

Motor Officers on our Department receive Hazard Pay because their job is considered extremely dangerous and they believe it is only a matter of time until they are struck by a vehicle or forced to lay their bike down to avoid a collision.

Regardless of how safe you are on your motorcycle, riding a motorcycle near other vehicles greatly increases your chances of being involved in an accident. As a Supervisor, I was on loan to Traffic Division for one month. Traffic Supervisors do not have much responsibility when assigned to Traffic, but must respond to all traffic calls involving fatalities. During this month, I responded to four Supervisor Requests and all four were deaths that involved vehicles versus motorcycles. In all four incidents, the drivers of the vehicles (3 cars and 1 tractor trailer) were at fault and in all 4 incidents the drivers of the vehicles failed to yield right of way by turning left in front of the motorcyclists. The riders were struck so hard and so violently that they were knocked out of there boots that were thrown over 25 yards and still had the laces tied. The impact caused teeth to be removed from their mouth, roots and all, as if pulled out with pliers. Unfortunately, the only purpose the helmets served was to help identify the rider and helmets are commonly referred to as “brain buckets” as a result. The internal damage received is devastating and too much for most to withstand.

If you ride, or regardless of how you choose to “walk down the middle of the street”, I hope you are careful, minimize your risk, and “enjoy the ride”.

 

Thank you for your service my cousin was a motor officer in Texas that lost his life during a pursuit about 14 years ago.

 

I’ve only ever ridden one once. A buddy of mine from high school picked up a new GSX-R probably 12 or 15 years ago now, and stopped by to show it to me. He let me take it for a ride (we’d ridden lesser bikes together for years prior). Not before, or ever since, have I ever been in or on a land-based vehicle with that much pure, raw, power and speed. I took it around the block, and brought it back. Never got it out of first gear. I would have certainly died had I ever owned one of those. Would’ve just been too tempting.

 

Most of what I’m reading is how dangerous motorcycles are, when the fact of the matter is the real danger of a motorcycle is alcohol use and vehicles turning left in front of a motorcycle. Those two factors are the primary cause of motorcycle fatalities. Don’t drink and ride, period. Expect every driver to be some asshole who’s about to turn left in front of you, and you won’t be far wrong. Expect it, and be prepared for it, because the majority of drivers really suck at being safe drivers, regardless of what their personal opinion of themselves is.

I trust no one and have an exit strategy for the road I ride. Yeah, some asshole probably will do me in some day, but fear doesn’t keep me off my bike.

 

Reason they are called donorcycles

 

Riding in Los Angeles, you might as well be a mine detector/bomb squad in some war torn country.

 

Only two kinds of riders. Those that have crashed and those that will

 

dont discount inexperience. Ive known a few inexperienced SOBER people that have wrecked, knew of one guy that wrecked speeding and lost control hit the curve sign so hard it snapped his neck--he did have a helmet but didnt matter, saw one guy dead in the median speeding--I dont know if alcohol was involved in that one. So not just alcohol and inattentive drivers. Ive seen experienced drivers also dump a bike showing off...