| Author | Message | ||
     Fltwistygirl |
Had a very unique and sad experience while teaching today’s BRC. We witnessed a serious motorcycle crash on the road in front of our range. I’m saying prayers for the person who went down and his family. The psychological impact of the crash on the students and both ridercoaches is certain to be more long lived and far reaching that any DVD we would watch in the classroom. The Scene: I was working at our newest range in a very busy part of town. Always heavy traffic in this area which is a mix of locals and tourists. People tend to be distracted by normal daily things on this stretch of road: cell phones, looking for that restaurant that just opened, and "oh crap, I just missed the only turn off for the gas station". This situation is compounded by the tourist faction, most who are lost and/or preoccupied by the excitement of seeing the big mouse (Mickey) or the big fish (Shamu). Some are not used to driving in the good ol’ US of A. This is also a heavily traveled motorcycle road as it’s one way to get to the roads that take you to the beach. Safety is the last thing on most minds. Our training range runs parallel to the busy road. We have a clear view of traffic, and people in traffic can see us. It was the last exercise of the day, the students were gelling as a group, laughing and learning and having fun. The Set-up: With heavy traffic moving quickly between stop lights at the busy intersections, plenty of last second lane changes, directional confusion, misdirected priorities (that call on your cell phone is so important it can’t wait? Really? The paint on your bike cost how much, yet you are wearing NO GEAR?) The ingredients in traffic were lining up one by one for a full-on mess. I had just called one of my students down for the second part of the stopping quickly exercise. He stopped, rode over to me, and we had a short dialogue. Next thing, our attention was captured by two extremely loud, too fast for traffic conditions bikes in the lane closest to us. The Crash: My student and I watched together in horror as the helmetless, shorts-and t-shirt wearing person on the sportbike, who, while using no front brake, locked up the rear brake, fishtailed out of control, and skidded on the pavement into the car in front of him. His riding partner, on a cruiser, saw his friend on the pavement, pulled his own bike to the side of the road, and ran over to help his buddy, who was writhing, crying and bleeding. Amazingly, most cars just kept moving on their merry way, not to be bothered by some downed squid on a sportbike. The aftermath: If you’ve read anything I’ve ever posted, you’ll probably get the gist that I am not a real religious person. Spiritual, yes, but not religious. However, like the Lawrence Fishburne character in the movie “Pulp Fiction”, today I am a believer. Everything the guy who went down needed to survive was right there. On the side of the range next to the busy road, our student, an EMT/firefighter, had just completed his braking run. Upon hearing the impact of the crash, he was ON. He shut down his bike, took off his helmet and ran to administer first aid. The other coach called 9-1-1. People secured the scene and started re-routing traffic around the accident site. The Emergency response team had just finished another call to another m/c accident and were there within minutes. We shut down our exercise and gathered in the shade to watch and/or help. Another student answered the paramedics request for water and came back to our group with a grisly report “You can’t recognize his face”. His face smashed into the bumper of the car he hit. Finally, they loaded him into the advanced life support van and took him away. The troopers were still on scene when I left the school. Our EMT/Firefighter student said the downed rider just got his endorsement. If that is the case, IMHO, it was probably way too soon for him to have been on the road in that type of traffic. Lessons learned/reinforced: 1. Please, if you are a new rider, practice before you take your bike into traffic. Make sure you can control your bike in any situation, especially those requiring an evasive maneuver (stopping quickly, swerving). Use both brakes to stop, make that a habit. 2. Set side funds for good gear and wear it. Heck, buy good gear before you get a bike. Then wear it all the time. I’m guessing most of my students from this class are gonna be candidates for Facebook’s ATGATT group. I’m already there, but after today, am more so. 3. Drive for the traffic and road conditions you are in. 4.Practice your braking. Practice it in different road conditions (wet pavement, dry pavement, sand, etc.) Keep your skills sharp. 5. Keep your head in the game. Don’t ride if you can’t focus 100% on the ride. 6. Drive like you are invisible. Most people in their air-conditioned cages are not paying attention to you, and don’t care. Badwebbers, please be careful out there. BeLinda (wearing her ridercoach hat) | ||
| Glitch |
Thanks BeLinda. Keeping things in perspective is what's needed. Distracted drivers, and inattentive riders are a deadly mix. Hope the rider is able to heal up and gets back to normal soon. Looks like you may have held the most lasting riding lessons ever. Oh and by the way, it was Samuel L. Jackson that played Jules in Pulp Fiction.  | ||
| Nevrenuf |
after going out to keep an eye on buellistic for his first ride in 7 months or so since he had his knees worked on, i stopped by my buddy cheech(hardcore biker) and the first thing he asked was, isn't that jacket hot. typically i say i'd rather be sweating than bleeding but this time i just told him that it's vented. the only thing i don't have are full time riding pants. do wear the chaps mostly in the morning and evenings or adventure pants on occasion. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
D'oh, Glitch! Thanks for the correction. I'm not a huge movie person, but even I knew it was Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp fiction, not that Cowboy Curtis guy. Blamin' it on MAMF (middle aged mind fart). And, Neil, I'm with ya on the riding pants. I don't have full-time pants either, and wish I did. My friend's S.O. praised me for the gear I wear, but chastized me for my lack of riding pants. He studies m/c crash investigations and sees lots of icky stuff. And even though I have the jumbo hard bags on the uly, I don't like carrying more crap with me than needed. I've yet to find Florida-friendly riding pants that I can wear on the commute to and from work, and while coaching in the heat. Armour is hot as snot. | ||
| Ninefortheroad |
Wow, That was too real as I read it! I sure hope and pray that the squid does fully recover and that all present come away with an added respect for the risk we take to doing what we enjoy so well! And take action to help avoid such an accident. ...not necessarily in order... Good gear (min. helmet, gloves, jacket) Improving our riding skills, everyday Keeping our ride in good condition. We are "invisible", not "invincible" | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I bet you won't have to have the ATGATT conversation more than once. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Amazingly, most cars just kept moving on their merry way, not to be bothered by some downed squid on a sportbike. The day I got hit plenty of people drove by. A week later I was telling a buddy's dad about the accident. He says, "Oh, that was you? I would have stopped if I knew that."  It took me seeing a guy jumping around with gravel from neck to ass because he was riding with shorts and a wife beater. I NEVER ride without a helmet. The Florida sun sucks though! From that day I went nowhere without my jacket. Now I just need to find a boot that will keep my foot from spinning backwards!  Hopefully the rider is well and you as well. I've seen a kid get ran over by a car. It's an image that never leaves! | ||
| Metalrabbit |
God Bless Those that come to the rescue! You guys put tears in my eyes for what you do. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Thanks for posting that Belinda. Prayers for the rider, nobody deserves that, no matter how stupid a moment they had.  | ||
| Skinstains |
It's OK everyone knows "they" all look the same. | ||
| Steve_mackay |
I'd suggest to ANY motorcycle rider, to take this course. It's excellent! I've taken the basic course a couple of years ago, and am now taking the advanced course next weekend. http://accidentscene.org/ | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
ATGATT | ||
| Ironhead1977 |
Belinda My wife is taking the trike class in Orlando this weekend. By chance are you one of the coaches? Jim | ||
| Tailspining |
BeLinda, Thanks for taking the time to pass on the events you witnessed. It's a fact that all of us often get too comfortable with the repetitive things we do every day. If we are lucky, the "Oh crap" or near miss moment brings us back to center. Again, thank you for providing me with that moment. I will keep that story in my mind before I ride and rest assured I am currently seeking a refresher course. Gary | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
+1 on all those guys (n gals) that come to our rescue. EMTs, firefighters and the popo rock. These guys were amazing to see in action yesterday. It was a traumatic event for anyone to see, but really hit home with my group of new riders. Our Firefighter/EMT guy really had a unique perspective in the whole scene, being that he wore both hats (EMT and new rider). Again, we were sooo thankful he was there. As far as taking time to pass this stuff along, that's kind of who I am and what I try to do. Facilitate learning. Get people to think about stuff. Also, as a female who loves to write, especially about all things 2 and 3 wheeled, it's kinda my avenue to process things and there was a bunch of stuff floating around my head after that experience. All the better if I can channel it to an audience that may garner a thing or 2 from it. Speaking of 3 wheels, Ironhead, if it is the Sidecar/Trike class in Eustis on Mon and Tues, I'm one of the instructors!! | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Steve Mackay- One of my fellow coaches/EMT friends passed that link along to me a while back and I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for posting. About ATGATT-today I was BOMBARDED with questions about gear. They definitely took what they saw to heart. If we could only figure out a way to pique their interest without such a dramatic event... | ||
| Jrfitzny |
does FL not have a mandatory MSF to get your motorcycle endorsement? Texas just made in mandatory last year, I definitely think it's the way to go...if he had taken one, he'd probably know to use both brakes. I hope he ends up alright. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Yes, FL changed to mandatory BRC for endorsement on 7.1.08. I agree its the way to go. Even if you learn one new thing in the class, that one thing could save your bacon someday. Here's the thing, even if a new rider was using the correct technique over 2 days, that's no guarantee those skills will follow him to the street, especially in a panic moment. I had some bad dirt bike habits that followed me into street bike world. They'd surface when I was feeling nervous (during my coach apprenticeship). Took awhile to get over that. No substitute for seat time, gotta practice practice practice 'til the correct technique becomes second nature. Man, I hope he's alright too. | ||
| Andymnelson |
my little brother (who has a history of making lots and lots of BAD decisions) bought another bike on saturday.... "another" because he had to sell his Blast 2 years ago when he got a DUI on it... My older brother, my fiance and I all ride Buells, and ride ATTGATT. We preach it to him all the time...i hope he listens...he's "too cool" sometimes... | ||
| Irideabuell |
I live in Merritt Island and commute to Orlando. It is hot as hell in the summer wearing helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, etc. (I don't have full-time riding pants either), but I wouldn't swing a leg over the seat without putting them on. The truth is, it's not that bad while you're moving, but the occasional stop lights are sweltering. | ||
| Irideabuell |
What range was this? | ||
| Babired |
WOW what an eye opening experience you and your class had. Glad the rider made it without life threatening injuries. What a good lesson for the students to see about why we should ride with gear. We only have about 1 hour or a little over to educate them on riding gear. How did your class react after the crash? On another note I started to mentor a lady who is riding a HD trike, first one for me. I was running her thru the M-test Practice yesterday after I finished with my BRC. Her turning is weird and her start offs are slow. When she turns she is trying to lean into the turn. When she starts off she is riding her clutch a lot not gaining speed from the start. Is this because the bike is heavy or is there a lack of confidence when starting off? K | ||
| Swordsman |
Yup. I can't bring myself to ride anywhere without full gear. The only time I skimp is when I substitute jeans and knee/shin guards in place of my normal armored overpants. It's a hassle, but I have a superhuman sense of mortality. ~SM | ||
| Littlebuggles |
A very sobering and well written story. Thanks for the reminder. In the news yesterday was a local rider who hit a recliner on the freeway, it fell of a truck in front of him and he and the six year old were both hurt in the accident. Watch your following distance and always look for a way out. Play the "What If..." game when you ride. Hopefully the kid in your incident recovers and can enjoy riding again in the future, this time with that sense of mortality Swordsman mentions. | ||
| Fast1075 |
I haven't seen a crash in a while other than a slow lowside where some guy on a road couch dragged a floorboard in a parking lot. But I see these guys on stretched and lowered 'Busas (some with turbo and or nitrous...others just modded like crazy) that will "air 'em out" (maybe to the near 200mph zone) wearing shorts, a tank top, flip-flops and "maybe" sunglasses...it is insane. I asked one of them one day why he didn't wear gear...he said gear is for pu--ies...and is not "macho"....go figure...these are the same guys that use only the rear brake. I sweat and cook in hot weather...but I learned years ago that crashing without gear sucks...I missed a whole summer of swimmin' and foolin' around because of a huge spot of road rash from going down when a dog ran under my Honda 90. | ||
| Xbrad9r |
my friend that teaches the local motorcycle safety courses has a saying about gear and clothing that once you hear it, you never forget it: ONLY COVER THE SKIN YOU WANT TO KEEP ! | ||
| Sknight |
Hope the guy's OK. Last year I witnessed from behind two crashes that were completely preventable, one was wearing only a 3/4 helmet and his chin took some damage, luckily he didn't break his jaw. The other was a blown turn/target fixation into head on with a truck, thank God they both walked away with scrapes. It really will change your perception after that. Probably a breach of forum etiquette but there's no competition either. BeLinda, I'm a member of a beginners forum that is a great place for new riders. Feel free to come on over and invite your students, we have lots of rider coaches (Including wannabe me, as soon as Ga. starts hiring again.) http://www.beginnerbikers.org | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Irideabuell-The range is just east of OBT/Sand Lake Rd. intersection, near Target. I do a similar length same commute to Orlando, thankfully most of my riding is 70 mph toll roads, but the stop and go stuff is brutal at 110 degree heat index in traffic. Babired- The students were ok but still fixated on it the following day. The ride and the risk struck home. "Bike is heavy or is there a lack of confidence when starting off?" On a HD trike, it may be a bit of both. They are heavy beasts, and in comparison to our teeny training trikes (250 cc's), they look, sound and feel intimidating. Just like with a bike, she needs to feel like she has control of it, not vice versa. Leaning into the turn is how to avoid lifting the inside wheel while turning. As Martha says, "a good thing". B. | ||
| Irideabuell |
Wow! That's right around the corner from my Landstreet Road office. I never knew classes were conducted there. Not that I go that way often, but I'll have to be more observant. I am fortunate enough to travel mostly "highway speed" roads too. I take 520 out of Merritt Island to 528 and then my office is immediately off the OBT/Turnpike exit (actually, it's the building to your immediate left of the exit ramp). | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Sknight-I'll check that site out. Whoa, Irideabuell, I'm at the same Turnpike exit! How funny is that? N on OBT a couple lights to the the FL Mall, and take the back way around the mall over to our school. We've not been there too long, but do weekend and some weekday classes, 2 wheels only. I used to work for a defense contractor on that end of town right off OBT and Michigan, 'til '92. It's weird, but cool being back in this part of O-town. I've been in Lake County for most of my life now  | ||
| Irideabuell |
Is there a web site that outlines your curriculum at the new location? I'd love to perhaps come check it out or take a class if you have something more advanced. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Irideabuell, pm sent. No word on how the guy is doing, probably never will hear anything. It's scary how often this type of thing happens. There are probably tens or even hundreds of these incidents each week in the Orlando metro area alone that don't make the news unless there's a motorcycle related event (i.e. Bikeweek, Biketoberfest) going on. | ||
| Snp304 |
its a small world, I commute from Sanford to the Orlando airport for work. I Work off of Tradeport, 37 miles one way, the ride to work is brutal after I get off the interstate. Work starts at 2:30, but the ride home is beautiful when I leave work at 11:00 | ||
| Wheelybueller |
She was one of my friends/customers,she had just received her endorsement. UPDATE: Woman dies in Albion crash | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME http://www.kjonline.com/r?19=961&43=5638... Such a terrible loss, |
