Rider down in Tampa...

[jstone8952]

kid may make it but hes busted up bad...
gf was sitting at a light next to a kid at abt 330 this afternoon and a white mid 90s Ford Explorer with a big Bucs sticker on the back ran him over while he was waiting for the light to change AND KEPT ON GOING. Kids forearm bone was sticking out and he had massive internal injuries. She waited with him until the ambulance got there and gave a statement...
I really hope they catch the son of a bitch who ran this kid over... Im always checking my mirrors at red lights but that couldve been me... Im at that intersection every morning and afternoon. Gives me chills...

I hope the kid makes it. Couldnt have been older than 20, wearing a t shirt and jeans. No helmet.

Wear your shit when riding guys. Check your mirrors at lights and keep it in 1st gear. Most of all just ride safe. There but for the grace of God go I. Im ordering body armor asap.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Hope he makes it & they catch the asshole.

 

[tothemax93]

A lot of times there are cameras at intersections.

 

[Traumahawk]

I knew a guy that was 30's on a bike and a little old lady in a early 70's Buick run him over at an intersection. She said later that she never saw him.

I hope that they catch the guy and the kid pulls thru.

 

[Karmakatt]

Terrible news.. You run after something like that you deserve to be charged with attempted murder. What possible excuse could you have for not stopping?
True cowards :-(
My heart goes out to him and his family..

 

[Karmakatt]

Jstone,
Your GF is a hero.. I'm sure you'll treat her as such! We should hold onto good people. Good honest and decent people.

-Karma-
Lee 5652

 

[Miles Long]

+1 for checking your mirrors, and keeping the bike in gear.
Also, invest in one of those programmable brake light flashers, or at least pump your brakes when you see approaching traffic from the rear.
Here's hoping the kid pulls through without any lasting injuries.

 

[SpecOps13]

Shooting the driver would have been appropriate. Leaving the scene with injuries is a Felony.....:gun shoot: Oh, That'd be more gun violence though.

I'll say a prayer for the riders recovery although it sounds pretty bad. :sad2:


jstone8952: Sorry for what your GF must have and is going through....

 

[PATMAX]

Be sure the GF is OK head wise bro. That can shake a person up and may not manifest itself right away. We had a discussion on here about this very subject. Like Miles said, keep it in gear, expect to be hit, don't stop in the middle of the lane but pick a side, and of course ATGATT (all the gear all the time).
Here in Florida we have a lot of unlicensed, non citizens that of course are uninsured. What do they have to lose by leaving the seen. Can't believe no one followed the truck but your GF made a split second decision to stay and that may have been the best choice.

 

[jstone8952]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. GF said the rider was conscious but wasnt able to get any words out- head wise shes not ok. Her last bf died about 2 years ago and she came home in tears. Chose to have her drive me to work tonight as the bike is my only means of transportation.

Funny thing is she and I had a long talk about two weeks ago when she was protesting wearing her helmet and jacket on a "bike date" (as she calls them) to Ft Desoto and one of the things I mentioned in my "safety speech" was checking mirrors at red lights because so many people get run over at them. I get shit and "Power Ranger" jokes from my boss (Harley guy) and other riders for going out in full gear every day but I know what I have to lose and I refuse to be a statistic. I get shit from my family, the GFs family and all my non-riding friends about how dangerous bikes are and how I "risk (my) life" every time I get on my bike and I'll be damned if anyone ever gets to say "told you so" while I lay in a hospital bed or coffin.

 

[jstone8952]

Possibly a bit off topic but any tips (besides wearing gear and reassuring her) on how to keep her from having a full blown panic attack every morning I go to work? I love her and I love my bike but when it comes between my two loves she will win every time, hands down.

 

[SpecOps13]

Part of being alive are the risks we take to make ourselves feel the rush.
I should have been dead several thousand time for the stupid stuff I do
but sitting on the couch, drinkin beer and watching TV never turned me
on.... It'd be a terrible place for me to die anyway...

 

[Traumahawk]

part of being alive are the risks we take to make ourselves feel the rush.
i should have been dead several thousand time for the stupid stuff i do
but sitting on the couch, drinkin beer and watching tv never turned me
on.... It'd be a terrible place for me to die anyway...

+1

@jstone...it might actually come down to counseling, and that is not a bad thing. At some point in time everyone needs someone else just to talk to.

 

[Tex85]

Hopefully the rider is patched up and has a swift recovery. I also hope the driver of the car reaps what he sows and get his ass ran over. Being as I have been in a bike wreck before (mini-van exited a shopping plaza, crossed 3 lanes of traffic to zip in between the two cars in the left lane... unfortunately I was in between the same two cars already and "she didn't see me" that became the end of my Kawasaki Concours) I never going riding without a jacket anymore and I always use a full face helmet. Hell a full face helmet is the reason I am able to type this message, it cracked when my head hit the ground.

On a somewhat related note and with safety in mind, does anyone use one of those rear break auto-flashers and have a recommendation of a reliable brand/vendor?

 

[AMechEng]

You can get those flashers on ebay cheap. They are all simple solid state electronics so even the knock offs will be just as reliable as the branded versions.

As far as getting rear ended, I always watch my mirrors even when in my car. Plenty of people are crippled or dead from being stopped at a red light and having a truck slam into them going 50+ miles/hr.

 

[Redbone]

Hopefully the rider is patched up and has a swift recovery. I also hope the driver of the car reaps what he sows and get his ass ran over. Being as I have been in a bike wreck before (mini-van exited a shopping plaza, crossed 3 lanes of traffic to zip in between the two cars in the left lane... unfortunately I was in between the same two cars already and "she didn't see me" that became the end of my Kawasaki Concours) I never going riding without a jacket anymore and I always use a full face helmet. Hell a full face helmet is the reason I am able to type this message, it cracked when my head hit the ground.

On a somewhat related note and with safety in mind, does anyone use one of those rear break auto-flashers and have a recommendation of a reliable brand/vendor?

Here are a few options for flashing your brake light: http://www.pashnit.com/product/signal_dynamics.html

 

[dannymax]

I got some from Custom Dynamics, they would flash 5 times then come on solid.


http://www.customdynamics.com/motorcycle_lights.htm

 

[Redbone]

I got some from Custom Dynamics, they would flash 5 times then come on solid.


http://www.customdynamics.com/motorcycle_lights.htm

I have a CD Knight Rider based custom 3 led tailight, the middle one flashes 5 times while the other two stay on continuosly while brake is applied. I also run a grab bar custom made LED tail/ brake light that operates like a normal brake light, you can't have enough rear lighting. Keeping it in 1st and eyes in the mirrors for idiot cagers is a must.

I hope this young rider recovers quickly and the scum bag that hit him get caught and the book thrown at them! Hopefully he will come back to riding when he is ready, and has learned that ATGATT is a good way to ride.

 

[Fire-medic]

Your g.f. already has PTSD if she is coming-home crying. (post-traumatic stress disorder). She needs to use her health insurance and to go see a psychologist. She is a lay-person, not a soldier or ER nurse, or an EMT or paramedic where you are used to the inhumanity of someone seriously hurting or killing someone and leaving it to others to clean-up. This person when caught, will go to jail for years. Not long-enough, but plenty of time to stew over what he or she did.

In the meantime, get your g.f. into counseling ASAP, it will help, and I agree about the protective gear, yeah I sweat in the summer but i would rather 'rash' my mesh (jacket) than my body. I've seen too-many major trauma victims in the Level I Trauma Centers here in south FL where my students go for their training. One day in the not-too-distant past we had back-to-back moped riders cross the threshhold, two different accidents, neither one wearing any protective gear or helmets, unless t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops count.:confused2: And, one was a local cop! You can piss-off people when you speak to them at traffic lights and recommend a plastic surgeon by-name because of the way some people choose to ride. Not "if," but "when."

I have a Custom Dynamics on my FZR1000 rear, and one waiting to go-on my VMax. Good products, well-made.

 

[PATMAX]

If they ever catch that cager, he might be responsible for any counseling costs she undertakes and possibly emotional distress award. Holding someones skull together in the street until first responders show up sounds pretty grisly especially for a lay person. I'm sure a compound fracture can shake a person up just as bad.
As far as rear lights go. The best I've seen were on Harley Dresser but I am sure they can be modded for our use. Not cheap though ($200? I think)
Company called BrightAssLights or something like that.
As far as the GF situation goes. Don't push her to ride, don't tell her about any close calls you might have, if and when she rides with you, ride like you are carrying a dozen eggs and no rippin until she asks. Talking from experience here bro.