Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: PeteSC on August 10, 2005, 03:57:45 AM
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$1 Million Bond Set In Fatal Motorcycle Crash
South Dakota Driver Faces Charges In Death Of Colorado Man
POSTED: 9:15 am MDT August 9, 2005
Bond was set at $1 million Monday for a South Dakota man accused of driving under the influence and slamming into two Colorado motorcyclists, killing one of them.
Garold Lee Fowler, 46, of Hill City, S.D., protested the high bond Monday, saying he was a life-long resident of the area and has a wife and six children.
Magistrate Judge Shawn Pahkle said, "Sir, you're alleged to have killed someone," and said she considered his previous criminal record before setting the bond. If Fowler is found guilty, it would be his sixth lifetime DUI conviction, according to the Rapid City Journal. It would be his third DUI charge in the last 10 years, prosecutors said.
Authorities said Fowler was driving a Chevrolet S-10 pickup on Aug. 3 and rear-ended a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was stopped to make a left turn between Keystone and Hill City in the Black Hills.
The motorcycle's driver, James Byron Cain, 53, of Englewood, Colo., was killed in the accident. His wife, Judith Buch-Cain, 45, was injured and treated at a Rapid City hospital before being discharged the next day. Both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash, police said.
Fowler is charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular battery and felony driving under the influence.
The Englewood couple was heading to the Sturgis motorcycle rally at the time of the accident. The rally started Monday in Sturgis, S.D., about 50 miles north of the accident site.
If Fowler is found guilty, it would be his sixth lifetime DUI conviction, according to the Rapid City Journal. It would be his third DUI charge in the last 10 years, prosecutors said.
This guy shouldn't have been allowed within 100 feet of any car....let alone drive one.
I didn't see any mention of him driving with a suspended license....
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Well, considering his record and the fatality, it ought to be life in prison for him. He certainly had his share of second chances. :roll:
Funny how he brought up the wife and six children thing, considering he didn't think enough of them to walk (or drive) the straight and narrow.
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well, let's see if the defense uses the "janklow" defense. SD doesn't have a very good record for prosecuting these guys. maybe his mile long record will put him where he belongs.
phil
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how many chances does he need they should throw the book at him max sentance no one forced him to drink n drive!!!!!!!!
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I've been to Sturgis for the rally twice, and my riding buddies go every year. I can't remember a year when some rider isn't killed, and I think it's more typically between 3 and 6 deaths. Last year one of them was a buddy (going too fast for conditions). May he and Mr. Cain rest in peace.
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See this article of today about deaths in Sturgis and Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1405/5556058.html
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do alot of people over in the us wear skid lids(crash helmets) and other safty gear i live in uk where its the law to wear your lid also advised to wear proper bike jackets n stuff cos from own experance i know what gravel feels like at 30 mph as it tries to rip you to bits my bike gear was totaled but i walked away with out a scratch easyer to buy new trousers n jacket then new skin
dougie
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do alot of people over in the us wear skid lids(crash helmets) and other safty gear
Only where it's required by law, unfortunatly.
In Florida, where I am, it's not required by law anymore. There was a recent news article here about how motorcycle fatalities have increased something like 60% since the law was repealed. I'd have to say 1 in 10 riders I see have helmets and are wearing them, maybe 1 in 15 have other gear. Most are wearing t-shirts, shorts, and sunglasses.
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It's a state law issue whether you have to wear helmets or not. The state of South Dakota, where the rally is held, has no helmet law. There are no laws that I'm aware of anywhere in the U.S. requiring any other gear (e.g., jackets, gloves, boots, etc.). If they exist, they aren't enforced. There are some states where the insurance laws state that the rider's damages are capped if you aren't wearing a helmet. Some question whether that is constitutional or not. Because South Dakota doesn't have helmet laws, I'd say a majority of the riders don't wear them while tooling around the rally.
Mark
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well here in the uk crash helmet is a legal thing but its that dam cold in the winter that wearing good jacket n trousers is recomended not law but i have seen what happens when you dont and it aint pretty as for ridiny in shorts n t shirts and sun glasses well i wouldnt do it dont matter how hot it is over here id rather be hot than a skin donor
dougie
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The guys who really amaze me are the ones that are wearing a colorful jacket with matching helment but then have on the back of the bike some girl in tiny shorts, top and flip-flops. Putting oneself at risk is one thing, but endangering some innocent who wants a ride is criminal.
Mark
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Here in the US, like they said, I think only 2/3's of the states have Helmet laws for ADULTS. Most still have some sort of EYE protection laws, either a windscreen, faceshield, sunglasses........
I live in a state where ADULTS don't have to wear helmets.
About a mile away, you can cross a bridge into Georgia, which has helmet laws.
I run back and forth across the river into GA pretty often. It's like a mile away....
There's a gas station on the SC side of the river where you'll see the cruiser guys stopping to either take off those damn oppressive beanie helmets they favor as they come into SC, or putting them on before they cross the bridge to GA.
If they aren't straying into GA, 90% of the riders around here, whether it's a Harley, or a Hayabusa, are wearing shorts, sneakers, tee shirt...and not much else.
It's all about 'freedom', you know....
The freedom to leave your brains all over the pavement....
the freedom to leave a permanent grease spot where you slid on the pavement....
the freedom to walk funny the rest of your life, if you survive...
the freedom to make things tougher for the rest of us riders!
:duh:
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For anyone intersted in motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws by state, the most up-to-date list I found was from July, 2003, provided by the Gold Wing Road Riders Association.
http://www.gwrra.org/helmetlaws.html
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well you only have to look at some of the bike racers and see how they walk or run to see that even with the best gear around they still get hurt but not as bad as if you wernt wearin it, do you guys were a lid ? and as 4 wearin matchin gear mines all black and red n silver lid iam not a valatino rossi or wayne rainy wana be lol
dougie
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Took an unexpected trip along the road yesterday :duh: . Got torn ligaments in R shoulder, cracked bone R wrist, sprained both thumbs, and assorted bruises.
I WAS wearing a full face helmet, armoured leather, boots an gloves.
The helmet had the vents and visor ripped off and was also scoured in one spot near the temple.
The jacket burst seams (2" on two) at R shoulder. Significant scuffs at both elbows and lower back.
Trousers had BIG gouges in both sliders & a fair bit of scuffing at te right hip.
Gloves; both have had the knuckle protectors scoured by the tarmac.
Boot; no damage.
It really doesn't take much thought to figure out wether I'd be well enough to type this, if I hadn't been wearing the gear.
To those who don't care to wear it, just think of Darwin, you know; "Survival of the fittest".
Are you fit enough to survive :?:
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sorry to hear about you mishap i hope you get better soon, how bad is your bike ?
dougie
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I haven't had chance to do proper check yet (arm in sling), but it looks like the bike came down on the upper front first.
So the screen is gouged,
brake master cylinder has a corner ground of the top,
RH mirror is gone,
RH fairing plastics totalled
Fairing mounting bracket; gone all noodle
LH fairing plastics may be salvageable, wiil have to wait and see
busted brake lever
RH bar end weight knackered
Givi rack mounting bent/broken weld (but side panel oly small scratch)
Givi rack plate; big grind in one spot, but still serviceable
RH pillion peg snapped off
Standard can buggered (but cheap on eBay :) )
Some scratching on fender
MASSIVE grind on 2 week old RH crash bung; worth every penny!
Just hoping the steering head and frame are OK. Guess I'll know when I can start using spanners again. So overall not too bad. [fingers crossed]
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sounds like you got off with some quite minor damage just hope your frame n stuff isnt damaged atleast your engine cases are ok
dougie
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Yeah, managed to do a bit of one handed work on it today, and it looks like when the bike came down the fairing bracket and the Givi rack absorbed most of the impact. So all in all, I have got off very lightly.
Phew!
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thats good how are you doing ? wel hope you get better soon and how long till your bikes gona be ok again ?
dougie
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Thank you for your sentiments, they help me keep my chin up.
Saw the bone doc today, he says the right wrist and left thumb are broke. Also my collar bone's dislocated and I've got to have a plate screwed to it. BUMMER. But it's a pretty quick op, and hopefully will get me fit enough to ride within a month.
Slow going on the parts front; 'er indoors is being a bit antsy about money. Maybe getting a standard can for £15 off eBay will calm her down a bit [crossed fingers].
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well i know how you feel to be honest i was knocked of my bandit last year i had only had it 3 weeks and past my test the month b4 (my first proper bike ), i was really pissed off cos of the amount of damage at 30 mph it did the engine side cover startermotor side, handlebars, headlamp surround, huge scrape in the fuel tank, clutch lever, speedo and a brand new pair of bike trousers and crash helmet also broken thumb, i replaced the lid and all my gear when i part ex'd a kmx 125 and got really good deal on my clothing as well as the bike so i took full advantage cos i was getting 40% off my gearso i got all new gear jacket+trousers and new lid, so all told the damage to the bike was £900 and £300 for my personal affects without personal injury which is still to be settled all cos a wanker pulled out from behind a van and the little barstard got away with driving with out insurance and driving without due care cos he was put in prison for hitting someone the day b4 we were due to go to court
i hope you get the bike fixed soon if you need any help sourcein parts give me a shout
dougie
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hi guys
right iam off on my holidays so ill catch you in about 12 days so take care and have fun
dougie
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Took an unexpected trip along the road yesterday :duh: . Got torn ligaments in R shoulder, cracked bone R wrist, sprained both thumbs, and assorted bruises.
I WAS wearing a full face helmet, armoured leather, boots an gloves.
The helmet had the vents and visor ripped off and was also scoured in one spot near the temple.
The jacket burst seams (2" on two) at R shoulder. Significant scuffs at both elbows and lower back.
Trousers had BIG gouges in both sliders & a fair bit of scuffing at te right hip.
Gloves; both have had the knuckle protectors scoured by the tarmac.
Boot; no damage.
It really doesn't take much thought to figure out wether I'd be well enough to type this, if I hadn't been wearing the gear.
To those who don't care to wear it, just think of Darwin, you know; "Survival of the fittest".
Are you fit enough to survive :?:
I did something like this 40 years ago, but certainly at a much lower speed on an inferior bike with just shorts and teeshirt & sneakers. The front tire jammed against the fender when I hit a shallow unmarked construction trench in the road and did an end over end. This caused a severe shoulder separation and skin abrasions with 9 days in hospital.
Your thoughts on proper gear are right on. All of the skin abrasons would have been avoided. Proper checkups on the bike would have avoided all, but I was young and stupid.
I wear a Technic ballistic nylon/kevlar suit now when weather permits. It is good from 0C or 32F to about 28C/85F at speed. Joe Rocket now has a sorta all temperature jacket with many zip out possibilities from hot down to ?? weather for $700 C. The word in the street is that it isn't quite as good a line for quality.
Have you mentioned anywhere how fast you were going for this slide and other details?
It might help some others.
It occurs to me that Britain is the home to a great many legends.
BSA, Triumph, AJS, Ariel, Royal Enfield, Norton, Matchless, Brough, Vincent, Scott, Velocette etc. I saw quite a few of these when I was young. I recall being astonished by an Ariel square four with its geared double crankshaft.
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I don't have any clear memory of the start of the 'off'. But I do have an image of the bike on the floor (front end to my left) with me falling towards it, face first.
It happened coming off a roundabout. We had a gander at the site later in the day & figure I was powering out (left handed turn). I have the feeling the whole thing was completely my own doing; too aggressive with the right wrist :roll: My 'guestimate' is I'd maybe got to 50-60 mph, when it flicked me off.
Analysis; a couple of points worth noting.
I've only been back on bikes a year, after 20 years.
I had the B12 almost one month.
It happened about one mile from home (cold tyres).
I REALLY need to smooth out my style.
This is an almost daily commute to work, & like to 'push' on a bit to learn more about the limits of the bike. This day I exceeded the limits :duh:
Of course, a track day is the place for this, with the lack of other traffic, gravel traps, track personell, etc. But I never was that patient.
So what has it cost me? Well this comes in various catagories;
£££££££££ even using second hand parts, I figure on spending about £400.
Pride; well my 'pride & joy' is currently in pieces in my garage.
Pain and health; it'll be at least 6 months before my shoulder is 'fully' fit again.
Lastly, I CANT RIDE, for at least a month :crybaby:
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I kind of did the same thing.....trashed my B12 a few miles from home, on a road and curve I shouldn't have.
I went back several times looking for oil on the road....gravel, but there wasn't much.
It had to be my fault.....you idiot!
:duh:
I was on a 'test ride' after having trouble getting the bike started after it had been sitting a while. The bike was hesitating a bit, and all I can figure out, is I might have rolled on a bit of throttle on the slight curve, not much happened...and I subconsciously rolled a bit more on.....and it 'cooked off'. All I know was...I was sliding on the pavement...looking at cars going by the other way a few feet away. :shock:
I was mostly scraped up, and the bike took about $1000 in parts to patch up. Other than a hand I had exrayed since I thought it was broken, (It wasn't) I had some extensive road rash since I was wearing a non-bike type jacket that the sleeve 'rode up' my arm on as I was sliding.
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Just back from the hospital yesterday, still feeling pretty sore! Ended up having the same op twice :shock: Seems the plate fitted to the collar bone didn't properly engage with the shoulder blade and slipped off.
Have to stop now, more latwer