Witnessed a crash - shaken up

[CHEMIKER]

A rider crashed pretty bad right in front of me yesterday - super scary situation. I had the very unfortunate experience of lifting his bike off of his lifeless body and checking for signs of life. I think he's going to be okay, but he didn't look in good shape right after the crash.

A car made a sudden-ish lane change in front of him and he yanked on the front brake and flipped his bike is what really happened. Thankfully the car stopped as soon as it realized what was going on. The rider did end up beside/under the car, but was barely touching it - if he hit it at all it was on the way down. What made it bad is that he went over the handlebars and the bike landed right on top of him - wheels up. I can't imagine what that would feel like, but at least he was unconscious.

He was first in a line of 6 bikes. All 5 of us stopped and helped him. There were enough of us to do all the jobs: talk to him, divert traffic, call 911, etc. Thankfully he came to after several minutes and was able to tell us his name. Everyone there knew the don't take his helmet off rule. He was pretty dazed still by the time emergency services got there and could only tell us that his wrist hurt. I hope that's all - I'm worried about a pelvis fracture the way his bike landed on him.

No point to this - I am just shaken up about it all and needed to share. I originally thought he impacted the car and by the way he was laying feared the worst.

Alright, two more things.
Don't be critical of the guy. Yes he panic braked, but there is no need to bash/criticize. Just be glad he's alive and send good thoughts his way.

Practice your emergency braking. Just have the muscle memory to know how hard to squeeze that front brake without flipping your bike. I had a similar situation months ago and did a stoppie without making contact. It was about as fast as I could have possibly stopped, and squeezing the brake much harder could have resulted in a similar situation. Instead I was just really upset at the person for not using an indicator and making a sudden lane change.

 

[ped]

Been there many times. Here's one the happened a few weeks ago. She broke her arm in two places, right shoulder blade, lacerated liver and a few ribs. She's a veteran rider too. Races in fact.

Knox's Motorcycle Crash - Assfault Junkies - YouTube

 

[Humperdinkel]

Been there a couple of times mate but NOTHING could prepare me for the day I watched one of my best mates get killed ... The sight of him flying through the air will chill me for life & thats the reason why I walked away from riding for many many years......

 

[dpaul007]

Be sure to take some time off the bike if your still shaken up over the event. Take the time to do your own debriefing, talking to a friend, family member, yourself. Resources are available for these exact situations: ie counselors, hotlines, etc.

Being a member in a fire department, there are many times, even in my short two years on, where incidents ran through my head nonstop for a day or two. Everyone deals with it different, but just make sure your mentally ready before you get back on two wheels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fmf]

watched a riding buddy go down at 120ish. He survived but it was pretty bad. He panic braked too. It wouldn't quite as bad but it was a high side and after what looked like two good tumbles his bike caught up to him, and his right leg got tangled in it and then they started tumbling together.

I understand how shaken up you are, I was shaken up enough to sell my bike and not own another one for 15 years. Although, I did have to scrub his roadrashed back with what looked like a green scratch pad when his family was out of town and nobody else would do it. That was as traumatic as watching him go down.

 

[Erci]

That's terrible, man. Not blaming the guy at all for what had happened, but I do think it's very important to learn from this and use it as a reminder.
None of us want to stop riding, so what can we do to avoid every being in that situation? You all know the answer.. margin of safety, space cushion, etc. None of us are perfect and when we ride long enough without close calls (combination of doing the right thing and maybe a bit of luck?), it's very easy to *relax*.. well DON'T!!
Sincerely hope he's not hurt too bad and makes a full recovery.

 

[Erci]

Been there many times. Here's one the happened a few weeks ago. She broke her arm in two places, right shoulder blade, lacerated liver and a few ribs. She's a veteran rider too. Races in fact.

Knox's Motorcycle Crash - Assfault Junkies - YouTube

Well that certainly answers the question "Is it possible to flip the bike using front brake"

I have to admin it's difficult for me to watch that and NOT try to analyze what went wrong.

 

[Tailgate]

Everyone there knew the don't take his helmet off rule. He was pretty dazed still by the time emergency services got there and could only tell us that his wrist hurt. I hope that's all - I'm worried about a pelvis fracture the way his bike landed on him.

And, if it's really an emergency and rider needs immediate mouth to mouth recescitation or something, link below explains how to remove helmet. It's emphasized though, yeah, leave it on for paramedics to remove.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1MdIuVifGQ]How to remove a motorcycle helmet after a crash - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ChevyFazer]

At least you were able to stay level headed to help him. This is a great example of why its important to know certain limits of your bike and to also know when it's better to not brake but to swerve.

Plus, one thing I don't think anyone has mentioned yet, a properly fitted helmet. I never once blacked out or lost consciousness and I attribute that to the fact that my helmet fit me perfect. If it was a little bigger I might have passed out or had some other issues arise.

 

[Baci]

Learn from others mistakes!! Learning everything the hard way is a ****ty way to live my grandpa used to tell me. Hope the guy recovers fast.

A biker t-boned a car on my commute home, I didnt see the wreck but it just barely happened. Luckily people were already rushing to his aid. Then a week or two later a two cars did the same thing....I will be extra cautious in that spot I think. Humbled me a tad since I ride through that intersection daily.

How hard do you have to slam on the front break to flip our bikes? I assumed they were pretty powerful but I don't think I have ever gotten my back wheel off the ground. I have locked the back wheel before and that was enough fun. Full force of the break? Maybe Ill go find a parking lot and see if I can find that spot. Rather know where it is in a semi controlled environment rather than on the highway at 80 mph with cages everywhere.

 

[Motogiro]

Good that you were there Travis! You did a good job getting that bike off of him. That, in many cases saves life and limb. Even the pros get feelings after experiencing what happens to people. Just know that your courage may help save or better someone's life in a situation like that. Sometimes just holding someones hand at that moment of duress calms them and reassures them helping them survive. Ya Done Good Bro! :rockon::rockon::rockon:

 

[FIZZER6]

Well that certainly answers the question "Is it possible to flip the bike using front brake"

I have to admin it's difficult for me to watch that and NOT try to analyze what went wrong.

That assfault video they said the rider had left the kickstand down after their last stop. Reason #1 not to disable the safety switch on your kickstand!

 

[Verharen]

There were enough of us to do all the jobs: talk to him, divert traffic, call 911, etc. Everyone there knew the don't take his helmet off rule.

Is everyone on our forum familiar with what to do when an accident happens? I'm not. What else is on the list you started so well?

No point to this

I think you and others have made some great points.

For more information on threshold braking, you can check out Nick Ienatsch's book "Sport Riding Techniques." I suppose there are certain techniques we should all be practicing in our local parking lots from time to time - including when we get new brake pads.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Practice your emergency braking. Just have the muscle memory to know how hard to squeeze that front brake without flipping your bike. I had a similar situation months ago and did a stoppie without making contact. It was about as fast as I could have possibly stopped, and squeezing the brake much harder could have resulted in a similar situation. Instead I was just really upset at the person for not using an indicator and making a sudden lane change.

This! And don't forget, sometimes swerving is a better or only option. It's a .10 second decision you have to make. So don't forget to practice your swerves, it will not come to your mind if you never do it.

 

[Erci]

That assfault video they said the rider had left the kickstand down after their last stop. Reason #1 not to disable the safety switch on your kickstand!

Saw that in comments, but I cannot see it in the video and while sidestand-down would certainly prevent a motorcycle from leaning to the left, it would not cause an endo, would it?

 

[KnuckleBallz]

Looks like she got part way through the turn, hit the stand, stood the bike right up trying to scrub off speed.

I've never ridden with mine down, so I don't know if it knocks you back vertical or if that was the brakes. Crazy though. Whoops!

 

[FZ09Bandit]

Is everyone on our forum familiar with what to do when an accident happens? I'm not. What else is on the list you started so well?



I think you and others have made some great points.

For more information on threshold braking, you can check out Nick Ienatsch's book "Sport Riding Techniques." I suppose there are certain techniques we should all be practicing in our local parking lots from time to time - including when we get new brake pads.

As well with all of states above: another very good thing to so is stabilize the head. By opening both palms and putting them where their ears would be, fingers towards the body (kinda put his head between your knees but not literally between your knees and hold) check pulse. And look for equally rise and fall of the chest, if he isnt breathing, kindly depending on the helmet lift the jaw open but do NOT disturbed the head. And if your holding C-spine immobilization. Do not move or let to UNTILL help arrives with a C collar. Removing the helmet only IF that doesn't work and he is not breathing.


Experience: combat medic, 4 yrs registered EMT going through paramedic school.

 

[dxh24]

Never witnessed an on road bike accident, but my buddy and I were dirt biking on a MX track we built on the farm. We stopped and he said he was pretty thirsty. I said ok let's go up to the house. He said maybe a couple more laps. I told him it was up to him, so we ended up going again. He was ahead of me and I had just come off the first jump, I look up and his bike is flipping through the air like on the bike crash shows you see on TV. My heart stopped. The bike landed partly on him, he fell in kind of a sitting position and the bike was still on. The scariest part was the tire was still spinning, he went limp and his helmet hit the tire and it just kicked his lifeless body away.

I ran over to get the bike off of him and see if he was still alive. He was thank god. But very unresponsive. I asked him if he was ok and he said yeah I'm okay but then he kept saying it over and over again even though I only asked once... Well he finally snapped out of it and looked around like he'd just woken up. Looked around, looked at me and just said "what happened". I told him what I saw and he's like really?- he didn't remember a thing.

Anyways he went to the hospital to check for any damage, concussion etc. Nothing of that nature but he was dehydrated :spank:

Scariest thing I've witnessed in my life. What I took away from it is NEVER push it if you think you need a drink. We concluded he passed out right before the 3rd jump and consequently bad stuff happened. I was shaken up for weeks even though he was alright.

 

[Nelly]

That assfault video they said the rider had left the kickstand down after their last stop. Reason #1 not to disable the safety switch on your kickstand!

Well done Travis, you were there for him and you made the best of a bad situation.

Kudos

Nelly

 

[CHEMIKER]

This! And don't forget, sometimes swerving is a better or only option. It's a .10 second decision you have to make. So don't forget to practice your swerves, it will not come to your mind if you never do it.

Totally. He didn't have a place to swerve in this instance, but I was thinking the same thing. You have to react with a combination of braking and swerving immediately - no time to think about it.