I witnessed a sport bike go down while out on a run tonight. My wife and I stayed with the guy until the ambulance and fire department arrived. He has a bad head injury and I don't know what will happen with him. I saw the guy a few minutes earlier get on the bike and take off . He hit a patch of sand and gravel. It was very sad and I'm still a little emotional. If only he had be wearing a helmet. Helmets do save lives.

 

Tragic. Still boggles my mind when I see people with no helmet..

 

Yes they do. If not for the helmet law in California I wouldn't be alive today. I went down hard on the freeway in 2000 and got knocked out while wearing a quality helmet. It was a nice evening and I told my wife before leaving that if not for the helmet law I wouldn't wear it that night.

There are a lot of tragedies out there. I am sorry you had to witness one. Hang in there.

 

It's one thing to see wrecks on tv, youtube, etc..but seeing a motorcycle crash right before your eyes is really a sobering sight. Saw a guy get killed in Brazil a couple years ago (hit head on while overtaking on a 2 lane highway); I had recently sold my bike, and that always makes me think twice when I consider getting another. One way or another, under the right circumstances, you can get killed nearly anywhere on a motorcycle! But perhaps that's some of the subconscious appeal..?

 

Sorry you had to experience this.

Mates of mine decided one night that we'd all throw $ into a pot and see who could make it to the southside the fastest. I opted out as it was now getting rediculous. Me and two others followed behind at a safe distance and slower speed when we got to watch an aquaintance become decapitated from a traffic pole. Its the worst thing I have ever seen.

Autopsy mentioned that of course excessive speed was to blame but so too was a poor fitting helmet.

 

Even with helmets, there is only so much force they can take. On a bike, your head is your bumper. Doesn't matter how experienced you think you are, it doesn't take much for an accident to happen. I grew up riding and racing bikes. I had my shares of close calls. Luck can only take you so far. I sold my bike 3 years ago. Still miss it, but my kids would miss me more.

Sorry that you had to see it. Hopefully the rider survived this.

 

Horrible to witness, I am sure. And, obviously, sometimes the helmet isn't enough. My college roommate bounced his helmet -- and his head -- off a curb after dumping his Honda Interceptor 750 in 1985. His girlfriend, who was on the back, walked away. He died. I was studying for the California Bar at the time and had promised myself one as a present if I passed. Well, I passed but also passed on the bike. Figured the way I drive, a steel cage around me was a good thing. The way some others drive, a steel cage is not just good but required.

 

Sorry to read this, Matt; I've seen two guys crash in front of me, while I was riding, and it's horrifying.

A client of mine who works on the rescue unit of the Calgary Fire Department, has told me: "just keep the speed down until the gravel is off..."

 

We have a helmet law here. I think he was just taking a spin around the block. The firefighters didn't seem sympathetic as they see this kind of thing all too often.

 

Rough thing to go through.
As someone who has walked away from 2 'minor' bike crashes, I will never ever forget the sound of pavement scrapping helmet.

 

All I have to do is hit my head on the edge of the kitchen table on the way back up after dropping a fork. Thats 0 MPH and it hurts.

Amazingly some riders still cling to their "right" to go helmetless.

 

Sorry for your experience. Hope the guy makes it. Been riding bikes off and on-road for 46 years and wouldn't think of going out for a ride without a helmet.

 

I witnessed a motorcyclist and his rider girlfriend slide sideways and jammed themselves under a van with motorcycle. I can still hear the girlfriend screaming in pain. That scene really made me realize how dangerous biking can be. I sold my road bike shortly after and never told my daughters I used to ride.

 

It's how they need to be to do their job. For people like us, who rarely have to witness violent death, it is, as you are learning, traumatic. If you had to leave the scene of that accident to respond to the next one, which might be worse, you probably wouldn't have been able. That's what makes us human.
First responders have to develop a detachment where a patient is just another technical problem to work on. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to function.

 

Always been a fan of motorcycles but gave up owning them when I got married. My brother who was an ER doctor used to refer to them as donor makers.