if you ride, & love your family, wear yo ur helmet

“My son's little league coach killed himself by accident this Saturday afternoon.

Nice guy. Three kids. A girl age 16, a girl age 12 and his son age 9. He had custody of all three kids and they lived with him and his new wife (not sure how long they'd beenmarried, a few years anyhow) in the house he grew up in in town. His mom still lived with them. His dad just died during baseball season from comlications on an otherwise striaghtforward surgical procedure. Good family guy. he was a marine. Big guy 63 or better, pushing 260, still had a buzz cut and reflector aviator sunglasses. He was pretty hard on the kids during the season, but my son learned a heck of a lot. And he was fair. Sort of a man's man kind of guy.


He used to pass me on his way to work. I just took up road bike riding, and he'd be headed south to the plant for the 6:00 am shift as I was biking, decked out in my fruity spandex bike shorts and shirt.

He and his new wife had Harley's tried to get out to ride when they could. We traded favotire routes, me cyling and him on the Harley.


Saturday he tried to take the on ramp onto the highway about 3/4 mile from his house too fast. Without a helmet. Saturday was gorgeous day for riding without a helmet. Unseasonably cool and dry. 73 degrees, bright blue sky crystal clear air.

He asked the kid that found him to please call his wife, and that he was going way to fast onto the ramp.


He died on the helicopter flight tothe hospital: massive head and neck trauma.

We'll take my son to visiting hours tomorrow.


If you ride. Wear your damn helmet.

There is no excuse not to.

Motorcylce riders are vulenerable enough as it is . . . .wear your damn helmet.”

“On a related note. One of the very very few times it would be easier to be a person of faith is in explaining death to a child.

It would be easier to say that it was him time. That God wanted him home. That he will be in heaven.


It is harder to say: It was an accident. He didn't mean or want to die.


I don't even begin to know how to explain . . .he wasn't wearing a helmet and was going too fast.”

“Great words to live by.

On a recent trip to Illinois, I was amazed at how many motorcycles were on the road, even more suprised tat about 1% of the ones I saw wore helmets.

I just got a helmet for when I ride on my peddle bike.

I might look like a dork, but it's a hell of a lot better than gray matter everywhere.”

“Yeah, my son, 12, kinda laughed at me for putting on my helmet when I ride my bicycle on my exercise rides and said, Geez Dad why do you wear that thing? I told him I'd gotten kind of accustomed to my brain being where it is in the right shape.

He thought for a minute and said, Oh, ok.”

“It's law in Michigan.

I told my daughter that it is really cool to wear a helmet. Just look at Lance and all those cute mountain biker boys.”

“There is no motorcylcle helmet law in CT”

“Lee I'm sorry you and your family have to deal with such saddness. You will find the right words to explian to your young son. He may or may not understand now, but he will in time.
wish I had the magic words to tell you to tell him but I don't. Look deep in your heart and you will find them.
Peace”

“btw, no helmet laws in FL either.”

“I've already seen 2 bad cycle accidents. One when I was 6, and the bikers' leg was ripped off at the knee. The second was june 18, 2001, when I saw a guy's head explode like a melon. Nope, not a fan of motorcycles but I do support helmet laws. The helmet law was repealed in Florida in late 2000.”

“Sorry for you, your son, and the families loss. What a tragedy. I can't help but think of that portion on time where he knew he would die and had the presence of mind to pass along a message to his family.”

“In the '70s Maryland flirted with no helmets(motorcycle) and now its helmets again.

My brother-in-law is an ER physician in a D.C. area trauma center(they get the good stuff).

He refers to motorcycle riders without helmets as "organ donors".

I saw a lot of riders in New Hampshire without helmets in June.

I rode without a helmet now and then back in the '70s, but always for a short time and would put it back on.”

“side note: I saw (the after math)6 accidents this past weekend.”

“Like seatbelts, helmets save lives and medical insurance costs for us all.

About ten years ago I read an article by a neurosurgeon about seatbelt laws.

He said that he makes a lot of money on accident victims who son't wear belts.

On average those with belts requiring hospitalization cost a bit over $4,000.
Those without cost over $40,000.

We all pay.”

“My kids hated to wear helmets, but its now a habit that they got used to. To my kowledge they have never rote a bike without a helmet, but once while visiting grandma. Trust me... I wasnt happy when I found out.

I still don't understand how in SC there is no helmet law for motorcyle riders.”

“Last October, my front tire rolled out from under me on a hard turn and I slammed sideways to the ground helmet first hard enough to make me see stars and shatter my helmet. I got up, and biked home slowly, with just a sore head, and bought a a new helmet. Without the helmet, I would have had a skull fracture on a desolate forest preserve trail, and who knows what.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET.”

“PA has no helmet law.”

“Gemini, its "freedom, baby!"

In 1975 I was riding up and down the street to dry my hair.......smart, huh?

On the way back I tangled with an exceedingly stupid Irish Setter.

The stupid mutt got into my front wheel, almost taking me down.

I gassed it and ran him over, managing to keep it up.

The dog seemed OK and I wanted to rip its head off, I was so pissed.”

“Just after the Pa. no-helmet law was passed, a guy not wearing a helmet was killed from massive head injury. I wrote an editorial about that, and some idiot wrote in arguing with me.”

“In Florida you must have supplimental insurance to ride helmetless otherwise you must wear a helmet.

End result, much higher fatality rate (all the key figures who pushed for the change are now dead from bike wrecks), cops aren't going to stop every rider to check who does and does not have the extra insurace so everyone who wants to rides without a lid and even more money for insurance companies. (If they didn't like people riding helmetless then they would not offer insurance to them at all.)”

“Yeah Geo, its all about freedom, huh?

Is it a fashion faux pas for Harley guys to wear a "real" helmet instead of those "egg shell" things?”

“...I could argue for hours...but I won't!!

Just don't make sense to me:

I MUST wear my seatbelts.
I MUST NOT wear a helmet.

so what's that about??”

“As a person that's all for less government in my life I will say that I feel naked without a seat belt. I didn't wear one until it became the law in Alabama in about '92. I can't imagine not wearing one. I've always worn a helmet on motorcycles.

MarkO - amen on the eggshell thing. Having the brain intact may not mean much if your face has been scraped off along 100' of pavement.”

“Yeah, to those knuckleheads its freedom.

I suppose with motorcycle helmets its similar to the belt thing......without a helmet it must cost a fortune.

And WHY do Harley guys get away with making so much noise?

If a car was that loud they would get busted.”

“I've ridden hundreds of thousands of miles. They always had helmet laws so I just got used to it and when they started repealing them and I hit one of those states I tried it without but It didn't feel right so I put it back on. I guess I wasn't cool enough.

Just now I tried to make a list of all the riders I know that died on their bikes. I'm at 14 but I think I've forgotten some. That, and now and then I hear of one I had lost touch with and didn't know about.

Sorry about your friend lee.”

“When I was younger I never, never wore my seatbelt. But I lived in a very rural area with no interstates and very little traffic cogestion.

Then, I moved to Memphis and after about two days of driving around the 240 loop and Poplar and Union Avenues, I started wearign the thing.

Decided I didn't wanna die in a car crash.

Now I feel really naked and vulnerable without it on.”

“At age 17 and 18, he and I took a very short ride on his bike. We didn't make it out of the driveway, with the extra weight on back, he did a wheely and we landed on the driveway. Both our helmeted heads hit the pavement. That pretty much sold us right there.

Several years ago, my brother wiped out on motorcycle and ruined a helmet. He figures it could have been his head. He did mess up his back and wrist and tons of road rash.”

“I just cringe when I see someone riding without a helmet.”

“Not only helmets, but full protective gear is a must imho on a motorcycle. Pavement at 55mph can grind away flesh to the bone. A 50mph lowside that ate away all the flesh on your leg could have easily been one you just hope up and walk away from with the right protective gear. To me a motorcycle is not entertainment or amusement, but a mode of transportation. Hell... I feel nude on a motorcycle if I'm not covered head to toe in leather.

”

“I can't imagine riding w/o a helmet. Now I feel stupid riding w/o my leather jacket, so I think I'll be donning that more often. I kinda like my skin.”

“"I just cringe when I see someone riding without a helmet."
Nigal
03:52:31 PM

I cringe even more when the person not wearing the helmet is also wearing shorts and a tee shirt, weaving in and out of traffic, and popping wheelies.

I've seen someone doing this twice.

Wear full protective gear and be smart when you ride.”

“you forgot the flipflops.”

“The word "Harley "has popped up here a lot. There's a huge Harley Davidson lobby. How many times do you see a Harley rider with a helmet? Not much.

Of course, other riders go without helmets at times, too. But I think you owe a lot of the perceived "freedom" of riding helmet-less to Harleys.

My personal story: My ex, before we were married, had a run-in with a train. He motocrossed, knew full well the value of protective gear including a helmet, and knew how to dump a bike if need be.

At a RR crossing with no lights or crossbars, he vaguely heard the whistle through his helmet. He dumped the bike. He slid; the bike slid. He stopped short of the train, brains intact. The bike was run over by the train.

For myself, I endoed off my mt. bike and hit asphalt in a three-point landing: right shoulder, left knee, right temple. The helmet took the brunt on the right temple.

Isn't it a pity people can't find the sense to ride with helmets? I guess it's the freedom to see another day vs. the freedom of wind in your hair. What a concept!”

“And in another story in my area... Harley riders were out in an Amish area. Went by horses and a big wagon. These horses broke free from the kid (of around 5) on the reins. A Harley ended up hitting the wagon. Splat. Brains all over it.

So this woman whose son was killed is on a big kick with the MN legislature to make Amish accountable for damages and to make them have insurance. Which is fine. BUT... where is the talk of the missing helmet???”

“Freedom is a perception. In a world with little or no real freedom I say do what makes you happy. Not everybody is content playing the "What if..." game. Not to mention, we don't all view death the same either.”

“Anyone remember Gary Bucci back when he lobbied for helmet-less laws?

...until he got into a bad accident without his helmet, and now has changed his stance to pro-helmet.

Unfortunately, some learn the hard way.”

“About 10 years ago, I flew off my motorcycle when I hit a pothole at night time. Was going around 70mph...had abit of road rash on both knees and hips...and abit on the left wrist. Luckily I decided to wear my leather jacket, because I didn't want to stop in the middle of the hi-way if it got too cold. The jacket took the blunt of the scratches....still have imprints of coins and keys where the pockets are.

My head didn't touch the ground...not even one scratch on the helmet. I was lucky that time...it could've been alot worst.”

“It's crazy to ride without a helmet. I crashed hard once in 1987 and got a concussion. Without the helmet on, I would have probably died. I won't even ride my bicycle without a helmet and was saved by that a few times too.
Last year, Pennsylvania rolled back helmet laws and I thought it was a stupid idea. Last spring, my friend's brother fell off his Harley without a helmet and suffered a severe head injury. Fractured skull in 3 places and in a coma for weeks. He's now in a rehab hospital and is learning to eat and only speaks a few words. The prognosis for a normal life at this point looks grim and they just don't know how much function he will get back. The pain inflicted on his family is terrible. They always had a helmet law because they knew head injuries would increase without it and it seems that motorcyclists and being killed or injured every few days from what I see in the newspaper.”

“It's a tragedy, RichB. Rendell reversed the helmet law for the sake of getting votes from motorcyclists, regardless of the fact that injuries and death WILL increase in motorcycle accidents and the fact that the health care to those injured in the accidents who don't have benefits will be footed by us taxpayers.

I thought passing and repealing laws was meant to SAVE lives.”

“It figures that politics would be involved in some way.

The front page morning headlines in the paper today read "Motorcyclists being killed or injured at an alarming rate" Three riders from our area were killed in the last 19 days.”

“

I don't even begin to know how to explain . . .he wasn't wearing a helmet and was going too fast."
lee

You've explained it right there.

A friend's motorcycle hit a small, oil spot on the road. The result was loss of control, a bunch of broken bones and $3,500 damage to his motorcycle.

It does not take much to cause an accident. Even in a car I feel that a helmet and full football gear could save lives.”

“5 years ago I had bike fever. I just knew that when I got to certain place financially I'd get a bike. Probably a Honda Shadow or the like. 2 kids later....no thanks on the bike.

I started not to post because I remembered how this thread started and how it's evolved. I think all motorcycle discussions take this turn though. Sort of like reading about climbers. The stories always turn to friends lost.”

“liz

Do you suppose the excessive noise from the Harleys with NO mufflers contributed to the horses going ape?

I bet the bikes caused the accident.

In '80 I was a motorcycle messenger in D.C.
I was lucky enough, most of the time, and good enough to get through it without injury.
I did however whack a Cadillac and a taxi.
One day while splitting lanes of stopped traffic a Metrobus driver closed the gap on me, ON PURPOSE, and trapped the edge of my boot under his right front tire.
It pinched my little toe a bit.
Once free, I tried to get him out of the bus so I could dismember him.
He was smart enough to keep the door closed or I might have ended up in the slammer like Bonecrusher...;^)

The bicycle messengers didn't wear helmets back then.

I knew THREE of them who were killed on the streets.”

“Nowslimmer --

You are right, the explanation to my son is

"he wasn't wearing a helmet and was going too fast."


But . . .this is tough to explain.


With "God" as the answer . . . the sense of personal responsibility is gone.

With, "he wasn't wearing a helmet and was going too fast" , then it becomes "little Stevies's father (dad was "big" steve)is fallible. It was HIS fault . . .

I am somewhat worried (anxious maybe) about creating a sense in my son that parents make mistakes that may kill them.

My son is a smart kid,introspective, and will figure this all out. I am just concerned that he will be anxious about his own security, the safety of his own family.
There are no guarantees in life. While I can guarantee that I will never ride a Harley too fast without a helmet . . .

I do fly down hills on my road bike at 40mph (with a helmet on!!).

A raod cyclist in the next town was hit by the exetension mirros on a pickup and pushed into a telephone pole and died 3 weeks ago. A friend of somewhat here in work.

So it is the perception of random accidents that take parents lives that I am anticipating.


I am perhaps, overanalyzing on my son's behalf, he may never get that far.

This afternoon we go to visiting hours.





n.b.

1)I am NOT NOT NOT cracking on the comfort people get from faith and belief in the actions of a higher power. I am, in fact, admitting that this is at least one time where that faith would provide easier answers to a 9 year old.

2) nor am a trying to crack on the guy who died. He certainly didn't mean to hop the curb and crack his head.”

“I didn't take your comments as a crack on faith. You're trying to find the best way to say what has to be said to your son. I don't think the "God" answer is any easier. It may even be worse. God said his time was up and poof he's gone. That's a pretty rough pill to swallow.

Would explaining that he was in a traffic accident and leave it at that make the dad messed up aspect any better? That makes it more random.

I guess at the core it comes down to the issue of is it better to explain in totally random terms such as a wreck or God or whatever or is it better to explain it that actions have consequences? If he's pretty introspective you might have better luck with the latter only you might minimize the falibility(sp?) of parents issue.”

“DH --

I am all for the "actions have consequences" route generally . .. if he was approaching driving age this would be a horrible, but valuable, lesson . . .


I am just not sure at age nine . .

I don't know . .. he's a smart kid . . ..we'll take it one step at a time.”

“Yeah, very extreme example of actions having results. I'd only go that route if I could mostly minimize the fault issue. Once you do that to a tolerable level, it may not work.

I don't envy you one bit.

How's the family doing, under the circumstances? The whole thing is such a tragedy.”

“to be honest we are not clse to the family, so I am ont sure how they are doing. We have been getting some reports back that his current wife is planning on keeping the kids (by wife's #1 and #2).

His mom is still alive and lived with them . . .she was infirm, but mentally very sharp. We have friends who used her for babysitting daycare.




Everyone here has offered their well wishes etc so I didn't want to seem ungrateful, but he and I would never have really been friends. Two very different people.

The connection is only through my son, and this season's little league team.




He was my son's little”

“NH does not have a helmet law and I'd have to say approximately 90% of motorcycle riders are riding without helmets. In the "Live Free or Die" state, it is considered a personal choice.

I cannot imagine riding a bicycle without a helmet. Neither can I imagine riding a motorcycle without one.

A little story from a few years ago at the Tsali mountain bike trails near NOC...After riding trails all day, I had to use the restroom once back at the campsite. I rode my mountain bike to the bathroom without a helmet. I got back to the campsite and told everyone how strange it felt to be riding without a helmet. We all agreed that it was a good thing to feel strange about it. When we were kids, we never wore a helmet when riding our bicycles. It's a wonder I survived childhood in the 60's.”