The tragic events I am about to tell makes me mad, sad and scared. Last Sunday on hiway 98, Just South of Tallahassee, a woman driving a cage swerved into the middle lane as 4 motorcyclist where riding in the the opposite lane. The Cage driver side swiped the first driver and cut her left leg off, side swiped the second and mangled who leg so bad that it will be amputated, and hit the 3rd headon, killing her instantly. The fourth motorcyclist was last in line and managed to drive her bike off the side of the road and was not injured, but in shock (who would'nt be after seeing your friends mangled and killed). A good friend of mine was riding his Harley and came up on the accident 10 mins after it happened. He states he was in rescue when he was younger and this had to be the most horrifying accident he had ever seen. Officers had arrived on the scene a few minutes earlier and where in the process of covering the dead woman. They called life flight from Tallahassee that arrived as my friend was their. The woman that hit the cyclist was also injured. Her story was that she swerved to avoid a bicycle. People who arrived about 20 seconds after the accident report that they did not see a bicyclist either way. The road is wide enough to avoid a bicylist without swerving into a lane. One of the officers relayed her excuse to my friend. The officer states no one believes her and thinks she was either on her cell phone or reaching for it as her cell phone was found at the accident scene. The women were ages 53-60 and had just left a Goldwing Rally in a close by city. If the Cage driver was on her cell phone, I hope she is sued for every penny she has. HOw many times have you seen some yoyo cage driver on a cell phone not paying attention to what they are doing? I'm not one for a lot of laws, but this cell phone use and driving is a dangerous combination. In my opinion there should be a law to fine drivers who are talking on cell phones just as there are laws in Florida that fine people who don't buckle up and drive drunk. One killed and 2 crippled for life and psycological damage to their friend who survived. I am a safe and vigilant driver, not one who takes risks, but I know that the main danger is from Cage drivers who don't care or take the proper precautions . People in cages like to think we as motorcyclist are the ones driving careless when the majority of the time it is the fault of cage drivers. It should be mandatory on the drivers test that part of the written portion is about how to watch out for cyclist . Good and safe riding friends.

 

Gods speed be with all of us.

 

If they can prove she was on her cell phone at the time of the accident (and a subpeona of her records will prove that), I see a case for negligent homicide or vehicular manslaughter.

I sincerely hope she cant' sleep at nite, replaying in her head if that call was worth the life of one person, and the permanent dismemberment of two others.

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On a similar note, a group of my co-workers took a 5 day trip to Colorado over the Labor Day weekend. Loved the trip, with the exception of day #4:


Topeka man hurt in crash

The Capital-Journal

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- A 62-year-old Topeka lawyer was hospitalized in critical condition Saturday after a motorcycle crash Friday night on Colorado Highway 133 near Hotchkiss.

A Colorado Highway Patrol dispatcher said Randy Baird was riding a motorcycle with friends when the accident occurred at about 7:50 p.m.

Details of Baird's direction of travel and what caused the accident weren't available, as the dispatcher read from notes taken over the radio moments after the accident.

Baird was taken by ground ambulance to a Delta, Colo., airport, and then flown by airplane to Grand Junction, Colo., where he was taken to St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center.

"His injuries were very serious," the dispatcher said. "It was very close to a fatal accident."




** He was at the tail end of the group when the accident occurred, so nobody saw what happened. He DID suffer from diabetes, so it is possible he had some sort of medical problem, but they had all just left a gas station minutes before, and Randy did not mention feeling poorly. One of guys in the group is a Police Certification Instructor thru Northwestern Institute. He is of the opinion that Randy, who had just started riding with footboards, may have scraped a board, and startled himself into jerking upright (they were in a turn), and running off of the road.

 

It is 2 counts of vehicular assault, and one count of negligent homicide. Does not matter if there was a cell phone or not. This rank old bitch deserves to die in jail with all her possessions taken away to pay off the ones she hit. I do not care who's relative she is, if SHE has kids, or anything else. If these pissants running the government agencies do not do something, then it is time we start doing it for them.

Condolences to the fallen's family, and well wishes to the injured. But this crap pisses me off.

 

This is truly a sad story. My condolences to all the victims and family members and the rescue workers and others who assisted them.

According to the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System there were a total of 43,443 people fatally injured in vehicle accidents in the year 2005. This includes drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Until the states decide to get serious about driver education and training and crack down on all the distractions we participate in while driving (talking on cell phones, eating, reading, make-up, etc), this will probably continue.

Over 40,000 people per year!! If this were a war the media would be all over it. Until a change takes place we just have to realize that everytime we get on our bike or even in our cage, we expose ourselves to this risk. I do all I can to protect myself and stay aware, but still the unexpected can happen and I just have to be willing to accept that risk if I am going to ride...and I am.

Someday the states will get a clue and driver training and licensing will be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Negligent drivers should be held accountable for their actions. Until then, be careful and give yourself the best chance possible to finish the ride.

 

Tragic news.

I used to drive my vette to work every day, and every day (it seemed) I'd hear at least one or two reports on the news about a motorcycle-involved accident slowing traffic somewhere. Slowing traffic! Who gives a crap about slowing traffic when you've got some poor SOB biker down, probably as a result of negligence by a cager? I wish to God the news stations would at least append a statement like "PLEASE people, pay attention to what you're doing when you're behind the wheel. A minor mistake by you could destroy the life a motorcyclist and everyone who loves him."

 

Well it's obvious if the woman is so willing to lie about swerving to miss a bicyclist, she has no remorse for what happened. It amazes me how much lack of accountability goes on. Not that I am not exempt from shirking accountability, but we ain't talking about injuring / killing someone. I am with everyone else...no remorse for the offender, where's the firing squad and is there a spot for me on it?

 

First of all, very sad story and my heart goes out to all those ladies and their families. Now, I don't know how many of you may have seen this, but myth busters did a controled test on a closed course to see if cell phones were as dangerous as drinking and driving. The results proved that cell phones we just as dangerous as a person who was just over the legal limit for intoxifcation. I know cell phones have become a crutch that most of us can't live without, but for the love of all that's holy, and for peoples lives, either pull over to talk or shut them off when your driving. It's not worth one more life, bike or cage.

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Ditto.........that bitch should pay big time in prison......[:@]

 

Today I was talking with my friend who's been on the local PD for >20 years. I commented that bikers believe that if a cager hits them, they essentially go unpunished. That is basically true. But what I think is if a driver injures/kills another person on the roadways - no matter of they are walking or driving a truck - the "crime" essentially goes unpunished. He agreed with me! It's been his experianc eover the years that unless it's a sensational case, it's usually a small fine and a suspended sentance. Jail time almost never occurs, no matter what the circumstances.

Check around in your town, and you'll find out it's probably true. Unfortunatly, you have to really do some digging to find out what kinds of injuries, who was at fault, and what was the case disposition.

Vehicular homicide today is treated about the same as DUI was 20 years ago. Remember when DUI got you a $50 fine? It wasn't even a moving violation, so it wasn't reported to your insurance company.

It's not just bikers, it's everyone. Thank your elected officials for that.