Saw a BAD accident tonight.

[asdf2231]

I was driving home from a meeting and on the other side of the divided 4 lane a guy on a motorcycle tangled with a car.

Me and a student nurse and a couple of other people huddled around this guy laying in a spreading pool of blood from his head and what looked like tib and fib broken on the leg. Had a whole frigging trauma bag out of my truck with everything from pressure bandages to Kwik Clot.

And the only thing I could do was hand my watch to the nurse so she could check his vitals while I laid a hand on his back to try to keep him still and talked cheerful about how he was okay and the ambulance was coming. Fractured skull at least. Plus he was wearing a wife beater so he had about three yards of road rash on his upper body.

No. Helmet.

I just do not get it folks.  I really do not.

[BEG]

You did more than I could have.  I freak in situations where someone is hurt. 

We saw a really bad wreck coming back from Tulsa over the 4th.  I don't think the person could have lived, the car flipped over a couple of times.  It was terrible. 

[Chris_]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

[Taxman]

Friend of mine works in an ER and she says the term they use in the ER for motorcycles is donorcycles.  Here in MT, you can ride without a helmet I see lots of riders without helmets.  One moose, deer or ground squirrel and they could likely be drooling in a nursing home for the rest of their lives or worse.  

[Chris_]

ICK!

Same here, Chris.  I know some folks ( an ex-boyfriend comes to mind) who are flat-out determined not to wear helmets when riding their motorcycles.

A few years back, I was riding with my grandparents just outside Jacksonville, when we passed by a similar accident.  The rider was already dead, as the paramedics had covered him with a sheet.  The bike was completely destroyed.  I will never forget that sight.     From what I could tell, no helmet.

[SemiSpook]

Unfortunately, there's no law outlawing stupidity (although a lot of people want to do so for even stupider reasons). The guy made the choice to ride without the proper gear, and now he's got to pay for it.

Unfortunate that it happened, but now he has to live with what he decided to do. Shame it had to happen at all, though.

If people would just understand this simple concept, life would be so much easier, don't y'all think?

[asdf2231]

My head was... IS... a little messed up still.

I'm okay functioning during events.  I get a little flukey afterward.  After the EMTs showed up I drove down the road and did my grocery shopping.  I lost about 45 minutes there and came home with a bunch of crap I don't remember buying. Comfort food and goodies that I sure as hell don't need, lol.

I'm gonna go have some tea and get some sleep I think.

I wonder if the guy made it?

[ReardenSteel]

It was great of you guys to do what you could.

Prayers for the guy.

[Miss Mia]

I'll never understand why they don't wear helmets. 


It's great that you can help out, I'd be too freaked to do anything.

[debk]

When my ex was doing his surgical residency 30 yrs ago at UVa....was when I first heard it referred to as a donorcycle.

He had 2 come in one night when he was on ER duty....they had been sideswiped...the guy's leg had been torn off, and the girl had broken bones.

Friend of my mother's had been killed on one when they were in the Navy during WWII.....I was never allowed on one. My first, last and only time I was on one, I was 38 yrs old with my neighbor who had had bikes for years. Said he'd never had anyone cling as hard as I did and never move....I was frozen. Looking under a semi while going 65 miles an hour is not my idea of a fun time.

I'll stick to my Murano .....


asdf...it was good of you all to stop....most people drove on...rather than help....you were God's angels....

[BEG]

When my ex was doing his surgical residency 30 yrs ago at UVa....was when I first heard it referred to as a donorcycle.

He had 2 come in one night when he was on ER duty....they had been sideswiped...the guy's leg had been torn off, and the girl had broken bones.

Friend of my mother's had been killed on one when they were in the Navy during WWII.....I was never allowed on one. My first, last and only time I was on one, I was 38 yrs old with my neighbor who had had bikes for years. Said he'd never had anyone cling as hard as I did and never move....I was frozen. Looking under a semi while going 65 miles an hour is not my idea of a fun time.

I'll stick to my Murano .....


asdf...it was good of you all to stop....most people drove on...rather than help....you were God's angels....

How do you like your Murano?  I had one the first month they came out.  BIG mistake, they were so not willing to make a deal when they had only been out a few weeks.  I now have an Infiniti FX that I love but I also loved the Murano.

[rich_t]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

I wouldn't call them idiots, but I personally wear a helmet when riding.

[debk]

It's 2 yrs old....I got it with 8 miles on it...and haven't hit 20,000 yet.

I do a lease because it's better for me from a tax standpoint and went from a Jeep Grand Cherokee limited to the Murano.

I like it, but am not sure if I will do another one. I sit low, cause I'm kinda short...and I have terrible blind spots on both sides in the rear. I also don't like the way the seat "fits".

It's a 6-cylinder and zooms....hard to keep to speed limit in it, cause it doesn't seem like it's going that fast when it is (lead foot doesn't count)

I love how much it holds though....I can cram so much into it...even when the seats are down....there is still space between the front seats and the back which gives extra room.

[BEG]

It's 2 yrs old....I got it with 8 miles on it...and haven't hit 20,000 yet.

I do a lease because it's better for me from a tax standpoint and went from a Jeep Grand Cherokee limited to the Murano.

I like it, but am not sure if I will do another one. I sit low, cause I'm kinda short...and I have terrible blind spots on both sides in the rear. I also don't like the way the seat "fits".

It's a 6-cylinder and zooms....hard to keep to speed limit in it, cause it doesn't seem like it's going that fast when it is (lead foot doesn't count)

I love how much it holds though....I can cram so much into it...even when the seats are down....there is still space between the front seats and the back which gives extra room.

I had the black leather with black interior and I hated it.  It showed everything and the dash always looked dusty.  I got beige interior this time around.

[debk]

I have what they call "midnight blue" with a beige interior. I don't do black or grey interiors...I think they are depressing.

[rich_t]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

I wouldn't call them idiots, but I personally wear a helmet when riding.

Why would you not? Honestly curious, not trolling for an argument.

Because they are simply making a choice that others might not agree with, doesn't make them idiots anymore than folks that jump out of perfectly good airplanes are.

I also have a particular view on life (or the end of it) that many don't understand.

IMO when your number is up it is up.  Wearing or not wearing a helmet won't make any difference when the good Lord decides my time on this earth is done.

[rich_t]

While with other dangerous activities; whether sky diving, rock climbing, skiing, etc.  People can generally go a life time in those sports without a serious accident.

I know bikers that have been riding longer than I have been alive that have never had a serious accident while riding.

[Taxman]

When my ex was doing his surgical residency 30 yrs ago at UVa....was when I first heard it referred to as a donorcycle.

I just heard it the other day....but then again I am just a stupid cowboy out in the middle of nowhere Montana.   

[Chris_]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

I wouldn't call them idiots, but I personally wear a helmet when riding.

It is not a joke that many/most in the medical community call them donor-cycles.

[LaceDustBoots]

This is a motorcycle safety site that my friend used to show her wild motorcycling son the reality of his ways.  He now owns full leathers, etc.   I heard he turned pale while viewing....

Warning, very graphic.  Lots of pics of crashes, road rash, injuries and GRAPHIC death.

Live to Ride, Ride to Die.


http://home1.gte.net/res0ak9f/bike.htm

If this is too much for CC, please remove. 

[Toastedturningtidelegs]

This is a motorcycle safety site that my friend used to show her wild motorcycling son the reality of his ways.  He now owns full leathers, etc.   I heard he turned pale while viewing....

Warning, very graphic.  Lots of pics of crashes, road rash, injuries and GRAPHIC death.

Live to Ride, Ride to Die.


http://home1.gte.net/res0ak9f/bike.htm

If this is too much for CC, please remove. 

The fence post one made me cringe and

[Schadenfreude]

God love you for stopping, asdf.

When I think of how often I rode without a helmet.... it makes me cringe now.

[Chris_]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

I wouldn't call them idiots, but I personally wear a helmet when riding.

Yes, IMO they're idiots.
IF they are in an accident, the helmet will likely be needed.  When the whine and complain about not having a choice, I say fine...let 'em go without a helmet, but along with that they go without insurance.  That is, insurance carriers should be exempt from paying if a rider has no helmet.  Let hospital ER's give 'em a bandaid and send 'em home.  The rest of us should not have to pay for their stupidity.

[docstew]

oh damn.

I don't get these people that won't wear helmets.  Idiots.

I wouldn't call them idiots, but I personally wear a helmet when riding.

Yes, IMO they're idiots.
IF they are in an accident, the helmet will likely be needed.  When the whine and complain about not having a choice, I say fine...let 'em go without a helmet, but along with that they go without insurance.  That is, insurance carriers should be exempt from paying if a rider has no helmet.  Let hospital ER's give 'em a bandaid and send 'em home.  The rest of us should not have to pay for their stupidity.

that's how it works for military motorcyclists... no helmet, longsleeves and pants, gloves, reflective something on person or bike and they will open up an investigation into whether the medical treatment should be paid for, or if the life insurance should be paid.

[DixieBelle]

ASDF - God bless you for being in the right place at the right time.

I'm about to vomit reading this thread though. Brings back some really, really bad memories. I was nearly killed on a motorcycle when I was 14. I know I've shared this before but the condensed version is that I was riding with my dad and we were hit head on by a drunk in a 70's model Lincoln. My entire left leg was crushed. My dad had extensive internal injuries. It took two years of surgery/rehab/casts/braces for me to recover. I spent most of high school on crutches.

Thankfully, we both made a full recovery and shockingly, I have full use of my leg and have never had any problems.

We were only going 20mph and wearing helmets. My dad is the utimate boy scout and has never driven wild. Not even on a big wheel as a kid. Seriously.

What saved my life was someone like you. The guy that hit us kept going. He was on parole, no license, two underage girls and beer in the car. We were in a remote area (national park) and a husband/wife paramedic team just happened to come down the road behind us about 15 minutes later. They stopped and rendered aid and one of them drove to a phone and we were airlifted out. (The drunk turned around and nearly ran over the rescue crew. He was sent back to prison eventually.)

They also knew my dad. God was watching us that day. So, thank you for being a kind soul and doing what you could for that guy.

The tragic postscript to my story is that 10 years later, my brother was driving his motorcycle in a residential area and he too was hit head on and had his right leg almost taken off. Much worse than my injuries believe it or not. They almost took his leg. They never caught the guy who ran into him - he fled.

Needless to say, my mom is over motorcycles. Which is really a shame because our family loves them and we have always taken care to be safe since we are a family of mostly cops and have seen it all.