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I have looked at a few newspaper reports regarding this accident and the comments sections have focused more on the helmet issue and the general attitude of the dangers of riding. The fact that the trailer bowled these people over was hardly mentioned and if a row of cars with 20 inhabitants were traveling in the same place as the motorcyclists, there certainly would have been numerous deaths. And of course some ER doctor posts the typical donor cycle comment as if it was a positive for the supply of organs. And we wonder why accidents involving motorcyclists hardly ever deliver long term penalties for the cause of the accidents.
I firmly believe in "innocent until proven guilty" but folks... it's looking more and more like the riders were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They happened to be where and when the guy driving the truck and trailer lost control. That pretty much just sucks.We lash out in frustration, indignation, anger, and pain. When we see something like this, we all contemplate our own mortality. This is normal, and even healthy, but getting angry with each other will be counterproductive. No, we need to stand in solidarity with those who just lost friends and family. We need to thank the God of our choice that we're still here. We need to ask for strength for those who survived, and for those who had to clean up this mess. The initial event is over, but for those involved, that was just the kickoff to a marathon of pain they have to endure. So please, take it easy on each other here. This world is miserable enough without adding to it. And if you can, say or do something nice for a local veteran, police officer, fireman, ambulance driver, EMT, etc... Just because.
I firmly believe in "innocent until proven guilty" but folks... it's looking more and more like the riders were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They happened to be where and when the guy driving the truck and trailer lost control. That pretty much just sucks.
I won't say I told you so, but you can say it.https://www.foxnews.com/us/pickup-truck-driver-arrested-following-new-hampshire-highway-collision-that-left-7-motorcyclists-deadPickup truck driver arrested following New Hampshire highway collision that left 7 motorcyclists dead*** The Latest: Biker crash suspect had past drunk driving count ***https://news.yahoo.com/latest-biker-crash-suspect-had-174351266.html
Lannis, the "wrong place at the wrong time" reference is a thinly veiled way of stating that while the riders may not have done everything perfect, I find it highly doubtful they will be found guilty of anything beyond being on that portion of that road at that time... and yes, that is exactly how I see my own wreck, now almost four years later. I did everything right... and nearly died anyway. I was just luckier than these people, no more, no less. The point being any of us can be going along, doing everything right, and someone else, outside our control, can really screw up our plans. We don't get to know about these things beforehand, and afterwards, well, it's too late...
You are right Rick, sometimes the phrase “Life is just a vapor, here one moment and gone the next” some of us here knows where that came from.
...I tend to look at it this way: I am the cause of my survival....If I was hit by an out-of-control truck and trailer and killed, I'd know I messed up....dying would be a failure on my part....It seems there must have been some sign the truck was out of control...yes, it is scary with crazies on the road with us....
What a messy scene! I can understand everyone getting upset about it. I tend to look at it this way: I am the cause of my survival. Freak accidents can happen like a lightning bolt out of the blue striking me dead, but generally, I've found it possible to be in command of my survival and future. We have a lot more control over what happens to us than most would have you believe. One thing that most people haven't a clue about is the importance of their connections. If someone close has hidden intentions against you, mistakes and accidents will happen. It doesn't seem logical this would be the case - if the 'friend' isn't actively physically harming you right now, how could they have caused it? But it does work that way. Having real supportive friends and not those who appear to be friends (while tearing you down) is important. Secondly, any kind of drugs, even aspirin, shuts down the sixth sense - a spiritual awareness. A sort of 'knowing' that tells you to hold back for some reason, before the truck careens across your lane. Or you slow down for no reason and there's gravel in the next turn. It's a 'feeling' you get, premonitions, that sort of thing. I've worked on cultivating that awareness my whole life, and frankly, I think riding motorcycles, or even life, would be kind of scary without it. If I was hit by an out-of-control truck and trailer and killed, I'd know I messed up. Doesn't matter that I was in the right - because I'd be dead wrong. My job is to survive, so dying would be a failure on my part. It doesn't matter that something exterior to me took me out, it was my responsibility to survive. Have any of you read any of David Hough's books? He talks about most accidents being avoidable. There is usually a warning or signs something isn't right. It's knowing there could be a situation and watching for the earliest sign that evasive action might be needed. It requires constant alertness and the ability to act immediately. It seems there must have been some sign the truck was out of control. Or did it happen so quickly there was absolutely no chance of evasion? And yes, it is scary with crazies on the road with us. Many years ago I was told that something like 80% of the drivers were on some sort of meds, and now we've got phones and texting, both crazy distractions. I must be the effect of a Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times!".
I am sympathetic but this is one of many reasons why group rides should be avoided.JB
I honestly don't understand why some of you think you're Spider-man or ninjas. The closing speed on the road is 100mph. It's a 50mph zone. The driver over-corrected, the truck and trailer jackknifed going 50mph and plowed directly through the group of riders. It all happened in an instant. The combined speed of the vehicles meant they were travelling towards each other at 150 feet per second. It was a 20' long truck towing a 20' long trailer. No one could have swerved to avoid it regardless of their ninja reflexes or spidey sense. It covered two lanes and went right up a bank on the opposite side of the road. All of us would be equally dead as these poor riders. To reiterate from my previous posts:-You're not a ninja with Spider-man's sixth sense. No one is. It's not a Marvel comic book. It's real life. -In this case, it wouldn't have mattered if it was a single rider or a group of 80, you'd be just as dead either way because the truck was too wide for a rider to swerve to avoid.-The closing speed was 100mph.-The vehicles were closing at 150 feet per second. An average reaction time is .5 seconds. We're all old, decrepit Moto Guzzi riders. We don't react in .5 seconds. Even if we did, there's still nothing we could have done.Not all accidents are avoidable. Two months ago an idiot in a Prius was texting and drove directly under the rear axle of one of our 20' box trucks. Same kind of scenario. 50mph zone, driver wasn't paying attention and he just drove right under the truck. There was nothing my driver could have done.
"Fate is the Hunter":-(
Dusty's asking us to "turn it down" ....