Witnessed a motorcycle crash

[Adroit]

So I was heading home from school last Tuesday night during rush hour, and saw a guy go down less than 40 feet in front of me. I was in the carpool lane on an interchange from the 57 freeway to the 5, there was a guy on a large cruiser bike in front, a guy on a sport bike behind him, and me trailing behind them (none of us knew each other, just happened to be together). Anyway, the carpool lane goes down this bridge that turns to the left, and there is ALWAYS stopped traffic building up on this bridge around this time (there is even a sign as you enter the interchange that says to watch for stopped traffic). Apparently the guy on the cruiser wasn't paying enough attention, and was still going probably 30-40 mph with cars heavy on the brakes about 20 ft ahead of him. It looked like he was on the brakes while trying to swerve around them but he locked his front tire for a second and the front end immediately washed out. All I could see was this shower of sparks as his bike slid across the pavement (he ended up sliding in front of his bike.. so technically a high side I suppose). Me and the other rider obviously stopped to see if he was okay, we lifted the bike off him and called for paramedics. He was an older guy (probably in his 60's) with one leg already in a cast (he was carrying a crutch on his bike believe it or not), and from what I overheard from the paramedics he seemed to have a dislocated or broken shoulder but otherwise was okay. Me and the other rider just waited around for the CHP to show up and give our names as witnesses (his bike ended up sliding into the minivan in front and dented the bumper a bit).

I tend to get a little too comfortable on my bike sometimes and go searching around for motorcycle crash videos/stories to motivate me to be a little more cautious, so I guess I'm just adding mine to the mix in case anybody else out there is like me Ride safe out there!

 

[kvc25]

Not too long ago I also witnessed a pretty bad crash myself. Guy on a gsxr was coming around a blind curve on the street doing maybe 50mph. Light was turning yellow for him but he gunned it to try to make the light. Unfortunately for him, a minivan was turning left in front of him. The guy bailed from the bike, but ended up sliding right into the path of the minivans tires. He got run over and literally had to stay under the minivan until the fire department came and lifted the car off him. Paramedics took him away but I don't really know how that turned out. Hope all went well.

 

[rhnatyk]

Not to be macabre and unsympathetic, but I find the fact that this guy was riding with a cast on his leg and carrying a crutch to be very funny. I can't seem to get this grin off my face.

 

[applejax]

Not to be macabre and unsympathetic, but the I find the fact that this guy was riding with a cast on his leg and carrying a crutch to be very funny. I can't seem to get this grin off my face.

When you get that itch to ride, nothing can stop ya!

 

[MistahT]

Not to be macabre and unsympathetic, but the I find the fact that this guy was riding with a cast on his leg and carrying a crutch to be very funny. I can't seem to get this grin off my face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ-82iUpwSU

Pre-FZ6R. One of my friends does urban exploring, fell 40 feet or so after tying quick knots coming down a damn, and broke his femur. A rod in his leg and many weeks later, the doctor cleared him to walk with a cane. So first thing he does is throw the cane in his backpack and jump on his bike!! :Sport:

 

[godwearsblack]

I didnt see the actual accident, I just saw the aftermath, a biker was hit by a car, and got his leg broken, thbike was on the floor, I saw that their was a nurse, who was helping the guy, I got off my car picked up his bike and shut it off, cuz it was laying down. I couldnt do anything else, since an ambulance was already on its way.

 

[Detrich]

Before I started riding, about 3+ years ago, one time I heard a terrible crash outside my office window. We all looked outside, and a silver Corvette turned left head-on into a cruiser. I guess he didn't see him. It was awful.

Ambulance came and stretchered the biker away. He was lying on the ground on his back moaning in pain. Te bike was obliterated.

The guy driving the vette was a white-haired grandpa-looking guy- prolly in his 70's. He looked pretty shaken up with his hands on his head, and the cops were talking to him and trying to calm him down.

Makes me wonder sometimes if senior citizens need to get their driving skills checked.

 

[buzzbomb]

I lost my CB750 due to a minivan with the highbeams on, on a hairpin turn in the Georgia mountains. The woman driving the van was so oblivious and lacking common sense, that she stopped. Right there in the middle of the hairpin where she wrecked me and wife, and was hollaring out of her window to ask if we were OK.

God forbid she get off the darn road. She just stopped, right there in the middle of the turn, at night. No concept that she was the reason we wrecked. Not a thought that she was more than likely to cause another, by being stopped where she was.

Most drivers honestly shouldn't be driving. But they do, and they are out there. Everywhere. The real question is not how stupid that driver is, but how prepared are you to handle their stupidity.

Rider error happens as well. As in the story from the initial post. None of us are perfect. Mistakes happen, be it from other drivers or our own dumb selves. ATGATT, my brothers and sisters. ATGATT won't save you from everything, but it will surely lessen the injuries.

 

[haris011]

Ah talking about crashes, I thought I might contribute my own story.

I have a mate here is Sydney, Australia who has been riding for close to 5 years I would say. He rides a little '91 cbr250rr and I used to ride a similar bike at the time this happened (I have now upgraded to a fz6r). He likes it because they are small and easy to filter traffic with.

anyway so this one morning we all (had a few other mates) strap in and get ready to ride up to a few twisties on old pacific highway up north of Sydney. It was early morning and we had just set off. Just a few turns in though, as my mate took a left turn at the lights, he simply just lost grip and slid across the road. It was probably the cold tyres but there he was, sliding in towards oncoming traffic just a Few meters in front of me. Luckily the cars stopped and he had just donned on his riding pants that morning for the first time. He wasn't hurt whatsoever. We picked up the bike, and push started it to get it going.

Poor guy probably was having a bad day. In the twisties itself, I saw him stack it again later that day after he lost grip on one of the turns. There was probably a stick on the road or something and he was probably doing about 70kmph. he hadnt had a crash for a very long time, let alone two on the same day. What was remarkable was the beauty of the engineering on this bike. It was probably why h was able to pick it up again, dust it off and ride it back home. Here was a dent on the wheel, the fairings were cracked and grazed and the indicators were gone, but the 22 year old engine just amazingly kept breathing!

Moral of story is probably that you're never too old or too experienced to have accidents because of silly reasons. Or just have a bit of bad luck. Watch out guys.