Motorcyclist dies after hitting bird

[Fire-medic]

Wow, what bad luck! :confused2:

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOORE HAVEN, Fla. -- A southwest Florida motorcyclist was killed after a bird hit his helmet, causing him to crash.

Florida Highway Patrol reports that 49-year-old Douglas James Winfield was riding a 2013 BMW motorcycle through Glades County Thursday morning when a buzzard flew into his path. After hitting the bird, Winfield rode into a ditch and hit a fence.

FHP reports Winfield was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest about 40 feet from the roadway. The motorcycle was found about 20 feet from Winfield.



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/18/3697595/motorcyclist-dies-after-hitting.html#storylink=cpy

 

[AMechEng]

Thats shitty luck but I've heard plenty of times of people hitting large birds. You just have to take it and stay up.

 

[frank5079]

How unfortunate! Condolences to his family....

I remember, several years back, I was riding home from visiting my parents one summer late evening and something whacked the front of my faceshield pretty hard, putting a big scratch on it. Luckily, I didn't fall off my bike. I came back the next morning to see what it was.....it was a low hanging branch about as thick as my arm!!

 

[dannymax]

That sucks! And to be taken out by a fuckin' buzzard...one of the more disgusting species on the planet! :bang head:

 

[mr.maxx]

I hada huge crow fly right into my head many years ago.....luckily I was wearing a full face helmet. ill never forgrt it, hit HARD!!

 

[dannymax]

I had a small bird whack me on top of the helmet (I saw him and ducked)....it was like getting hit with a hammer! Easy to see how a big bird could dislodge you from the bike!

Riding with a buddy years ago, nice warm, easy day....next instant he's all covered with blood 'n guts 'n gore....a partridge had flown into one of his downtubes and just exploded! Couldn't figure out what the hell had happened for a second or two as neither of us saw the bird! :surprise:

 

[Karmakatt]

I love my open face helmet but Everytime I wear it I know my risk factor goes up big time. .

 

[Karmakatt]

That's no excuse, but I do own a Full Face as Well.

RIP to those brothers and sisters who've fallen from our ranks.

Karmakatt

 

[Traumahawk]

I hit a hawk about 10 years ago. It was by some road kill in the road as I was coming around a sweeping corner. I was running about 80. I saw it as he saw me...he tried to take off...but didnt have the altitude. I ducked my head and sholder into it...and I felt him roll across my back. I stayed in it, and I drove to work.

 

[poppop]

My he rest in peace,Never know when you numbers up.The only thing I ever hit was a turtle in a curve,Never saw him till I was on him,Rocked the hell outa me.

 

[dannymax]

My he rest in peace,Never know when you numbers up.The only thing I ever hit was a turtle in a curve,Never saw him till I was on him,Rocked the hell outa me.

Whoa...not a good thing to hit, for sure!! Lucky to get thru that one Terry!!

I hit an Eastern Brush Wolf up in the Adirondacks, didn't go down but broke his back and had to put him down...I felt terrible for him, still do actually.

 

[one2dmax]

I hit a bird probably 25 or more years ago when I was a bit younger lol. Was doing way into the triple digits as I always did back then. Caught the bird on the right shoulder which "pulled' the bird down and caught my passenger (best friend) directly in the chest. I could hear the big whoosh of air as it left his mouth and the impact shook the bike.

We were extremely lucky we had the backrest on the bike or it would have knocked him right off the back and likely he would have died (from doing the speeds we were going). At the time we weren't really thinking like that and once I got him breathing again we busted up laughing about it. Didn't really hurt my shoulder much but he sure had a sore chest for awhile. I suppose even thinking about it now it could have even stopped his heart from hitting him so hard. I don't even think we went looking for the bird lol.

Of course we went back to riding everywhere like our hair was on fire. Wheelies from every stop sign and as fast as we could go inbetween.

 

[tothemax93]

Had a friend hit a turkey, probably 25 years ago. He got beat up, but was OK. not bike related, but I'm working on the Thruway (90) dunkirk area. We have been seeing lots of deer, fox, mink, a bunch of hawks and the coolest is a pair of bald eagles. There have been deer hit every day, and the strangest thing is 2 hawks have been hit in my last 2 work days. The deer are really getting wound up so be careful.

 

[one2dmax]

Yea, dad's worst accident on a bike was a deer strike. He hit the deer in Colorado probably 35 years ago on an old XS850. Totaled the bike and put him in the hospital for awhile though nothing what I would call super serious. He clipped the legs in the middle of a corner. Took a bit to find him since he was our front enough the group didn't immediately see him go down. Then he wasn't anywhere near the bike and out in the middle of nowhere with no light at all.

I guess it was when he woke up and started making noise that they found him.

My worst one was when a car pulled out in front of me (ran a red light.) Nearly lost me leg on that one.

Sean

 

[Kronx]

I grew up with my cousin in Lucedale, Mississippi, and he's about as redneck as you can get and makes Larry the Cable Guy look like an uppity city boy. Oh the stories I have of this guy. Well he had a buzzard fly into the window of his "how the hell did that thing get an inspection sticker" Chevy. Caused him to run off into a ditch. The bird was still flapping around inside the car and in his Mississippi wisdom decided to shoot it. He killed the buzzard, but also shot through his floorboard and took out his tire in the process. He got a broken nose out of it too, but not sure if it was from the bird or hitting the ditch.

 

[dannymax]

I grew up with my cousin in Lucedale, Mississippi, and he's about as redneck as you can get and makes Larry the Cable Guy look like an uppity city boy. Oh the stories I have of this guy. Well he had a buzzard fly into the window of his "how the hell did that thing get an inspection sticker" Chevy. Caused him to run off into a ditch. The bird was still flapping around inside the car and in his Mississippi wisdom decided to shoot it. He killed the buzzard, but also shot through his floorboard and took out his tire in the process. He got a broken nose out of it too, but not sure if it was from the bird or hitting the ditch.

Good thing he wasn't driving a boat!! :rofl_200: