Was not sure where to post, but thought I would share....there was a terrible accident in Puyallup, Wa yesterday right in front of a buddies house about an hour after I had left on my bike. I was riding and did not know he was trying to reach me to verify it was not me as he knew my timetable and route would have put me near the scene at the wrong time.

The bike was not recognizable and the officers at the scene only identified it as a Harley.....

I had actually been detoured around the scene about half mile away but could see the scene from the detour route. I had no idea at the time that it involved a bike.

I try to check in and stay in touch with family and friends when riding, but in this case he tried calling me on a different phone. I felt terrible when I finally called him later in the evening as it was obvious by the shaking in his voice that he thought it was me.


I guess I am just posting as a reminder that is probably not needed, but ride like everyone is going to turn in front of you and let your friends and family know you are safe.

Reading the account in the paper today, I can't help but feel the "police spokesman" it laying blame on the rider even though its obvious that the truck turned right into the riders path....



http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/0...es-after.html#

Godspeed brother.....I didn't know you, but I do......

 

Reading this makes you realize the risk we take every day when we head out on the bike.

Very nice post and RIP.

 

Very sad to read and the usual "left turn" crap. We all take a risk when we go out. Thoughts to the rider and his family.

 

rest in peace Tim .

its always sad to hear of a rider losing his life in a crash that could have been avoided .

if you ride fast on the street you increase your chances of having a crash your kind of at the mercy of other road users , not all of them are as smart as us motor cycle riders . the faster you go the bigger the carnage if it all goes wrong . the more of a chance you will die or get badly injured .


the profile of a bike and rider is small and a lot of drivers genuinely don't see the bike . increase your chances of survival by rideing at a safe speed. I don't mean stick like glue to the posted speed limit some places its quite safe to exceed it a bit .
just use a bit of cop on and ride defensively use your horn to warn other road users of your presence . wearing a mickey mouse crash helmet wont help your cause much either it it all goes wrong . at the end of the day its your head your life and you are your children's father .

I hope im not coming across as being holier than thou . im getting old and with age comes wisdom well I hope so anyway . when I was a young man and even not so young I used to ride like a nut case on big fast sports bikes . I have had my fair share of smashed up bikes broken bones and road rash .

all of it could have been avoided all my crashes were single vehicle it was down to rider error . be it drunk riding excessif speed for the road I was on or not reading the road right and driving with due care and attention . you never know what's around the next corner .its public roads and the public are capable of anything and some of them are real dumb mother ****ers and they are the ones that will kill you .

be carefull out there people RIDE TO LIVE LIVE TO RIDE .

 

I hear ya with the left turn BS...I know way too many people and some just within the last year that had MANY close calls with someone making a left turn across traffic. Its almost like these people are looking for the two headlights and a box of steel, but when its a motorcycle they barley take notice.

Thoughts and prayers for the family.

 

The media report will always tilt the story to make it the biker's fault. They always report on whether or not the victim was wearing a helmet, even if their heads were unscathed and the body got the bad end of the deal.

Two girls in a cage were headed to a biker rally 60+ miles away from town and a guy started stalking them on a city street. Instead of focusing on the stalker, media focused on the fact that the girls were going to a biker rally--like their destination had something to do with a perve--like it's their fault they're being harassed.

Sad story, RIP.

 

That was some **** poor reporting. What does riding recklessly mean? 5 over is a lot different than 25 over. Think the dead man is owed some factual reporting.

 

R.I.P. fellow rider....

And now I have to ask: where is all of the criticism of the news article coming from?

"Witnesses said the motorcyclist was driving recklessly before the crash, likely above the 35 mph speed limit, Engle said.
.......
Engle said the man was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but not one that is approved by the state Department of Transportation."

So witnesses said they believe he was speeding and somehow thought he was being reckless, and the police said he was not wearing a DOT helmet.

Where's the bad reporting? Those on here are assuming that it was the truck's fault, but the article itself places no blame, just reports what the witnesses and police said.

Seems those critical of the article think the reporter should have expressed opinion!

 

I have a picture of the scene and I drive and ride the road frequently. The truck turned in front of the bike, there is no turn light, the truck failed to yield the right of way....

I have seen trucks that have been hit in this manner moved 10-20' from the impact, even if the M/C was slightly over the posted speed limit the truck never has the right of way...... this truck was not pushed very far from its path, I suspect the investigation will show the M/C was doing no more than 5 over the posted speed if that. I would be absolutely shocked if the truck itself was not speeding just before the accident as that is the normal for that section of road.

Ironically I had made that same turn on my bike just about 2 hours before and was nearly run over by a kid in a small pickup as I waited for traffic to clear so I could turn. There is a school at the end of the road, not sure why they don't have a turn lane and light as it would have saved a life in this instance.

I feel bad for the family of the rider and the driver of the truck as I am sure he just missed seeing the bike and will have to live with the guilt the rest of his life....

 

I had a near miss yesterday myself. My cager went to extremes to be an asshat as I was heading for the ditch with his passenger door getting closer and closer to me. He actually went against traffic before jumping into my lane. Fortunately at slow speeds, under 30 MPH.

Two hours earlier I was in the exact place that the accident happened in Puyallup.

Weather is getting better so more bikes are on the road. The CRAZY thing about drivers in Western Washington is that they get dazzled by fair weather and more stupid the sunnier it gets. It is so gray, cold, wet and miserable most of the time up here that when a Spring day happens many drivers just drift off to Happyland and lose IQ points in the process.

My condolences to the deceased and his friends and family.