In the blink of an eye...

This afternoon, around 1:30, I heard a quick street bike in the neighborhood. I was out in the backyard working on the sprinkler system but stopped to listen. I heard it go thru gears 1-3 pretty quickly so it was probably going somewhere between 50 and 75 miles per hour. I then heard thump, thump, thud, scritch, crash!!!

I dropped everything and ran out, with phone dialing 911, to see what I could do to assist. Unfortunately, the rider and his blue Triumph were obliterated. The rider had been thrown 15 feet or so hitting a tree with his un-helmeted head. The top of his skull was torn off and grey matter was on the rocks to his side. Though I was on with the emergency operator, it was no longer a rush to get to this crash victim. He was already gone.

His father, an ER nurse, ran down and hollered for his boys to go get their mom. He was also in understanding that there was nothing to be done for him. Mom came down wailing for her son in grief. At that point, police had arrived and asked all non-witnesses to leave the area and began to tape it off.

I went back and grabbed a camera for documentation purposes but was told by the police that they would have to take my camera as evidence if I shot any photos. I walked away clean. Then the cops went about their business and I took a couple of shots. Here they are, none of the man who lost his life today, just a couple of shots of what was left of the bike from a couple houses away.

What happened was, the man hit a speed bump about 100 feet to the left of the bike in the picture while still accellerating. The bike caught a little bit of air when going over the speed bump and it did not get back to the ground and in control before he hit the curb. The front tire went sideways, sliding along the curb, and threw the rider into a tree. The forks and front tire stayed near the rider. The bike then flew to the spot above which is about 40 yards from the tree. The man was dead upon impact, I am quite sure.

Until today, I wanted more than anything to get a motorcycle again. As of right now, I could not see myself taking a risk like that. A long life with Heather and the kids is much more important than tearing up the streets with those crotch rockets that I loved to ride. I think that I am just a little shaken up by hearing someone die in my quiet neighborhood today on a bike.

(A Happy Memory)

Keep the wheels side down...if you can.


Scott