You never know what's around that curve/IN

[PeteSC]

Two motorcyclists killed
By Seth Slabaugh
seths@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE - Two motorcyclists died in unrelated collisions Friday and Saturday.

Ball State University student Joshua Hudson, 22, 1001 Ashland Ave., was killed Friday afternoon near campus after an oncoming car made a left turn in front of him.

Thomas Foster, 52, 1710 N. Delaware County Road 397-E, was killed Saturday afternoon after entering a curve and colliding with an oncoming farm tractor, according to police.

Hudson, whose hometown was Huntington, was eastbound on Riverside Avenue at 3:14 p.m.

Kevin Smith, 43, 5700 Cedar Springs Road, was stopped in his Ford Taurus in the westbound lane of Riverside, waiting to turn left onto Martin Street.

"He (Smith) sees a bicycle, so he stops until the bike crosses," city police Sgt. Brad Arey said. "The bike is going eastbound on Riverside. He (Smith) never saw the motorcycle. The motorcycle hits the car on the passenger side, toward the front part of the car, and the rider goes over the top of the car and hits his head on the pavement."

Smith failed to yield, the officer said.

The student was not wearing a helmet, "but it's hard to say if that would have saved his life," Arey said.

At 5:41 p.m. on Saturday, Foster was southbound on County Road 400-E (north of Centennial Avenue) a short distance north of his home. The road curved to Foster's right.

"He was going south and the tractor was going north," said county police Lt. Arlan Johnson. "We've got a witness who says he (Foster) was going really fast. He comes around the curve and hits the tractor."

The collision knocked the left front wheel off of the tractor, which was driven by Joe Shroyer.

The tractor was pulling a hay conditioner that measured 11 feet, 7 inches wide. The lane the tractor was traveling in measured 10 feet, 8 inches wide.

"The hay conditioner is wider than the lane," Johnson said. "But the tractor, .... has the right to use the road that way, by Indiana law. You've seen combines 20- feet wide on roads. It looks to me like the point of impact was right in the center of the road. I don't think either one of them could see around the curve," Johnson said.

Foster, who died instantly, was not wearing a helmet, but Coroner James Clevenger doubts Foster would have lived even if he had been wearing one.

Foster might have been rushing home or to the hospital after receiving a call that his wife had been hospitalized for treatment of a bee sting.

Clevenger notified Foster's wife of his death while she was in Ball Memorial Hospital.

"She is groggy," Clevenger said. "She is medicated and with friends. She is being admitted overnight due to her own injuries from the bee sting."

"He was going south and the tractor was going north," said county police Lt. Arlan Johnson. "We've got a witness who says he (Foster) was going really fast. He comes around the curve and hits the tractor."

The collision knocked the left front wheel off of the tractor, which was driven by Joe Shroyer.

The tractor was pulling a hay conditioner that measured 11 feet, 7 inches wide. The lane the tractor was traveling in measured 10 feet, 8 inches wide.

"The hay conditioner is wider than the lane," Johnson said. "But the tractor, .... has the right to use the road that way, by Indiana law. You've seen combines 20- feet wide on roads. It looks to me like the point of impact was right in the center of the road. I don't think either one of them could see around the curve," Johnson said.

Anytime I see farm machinery on rural roads,  I get real cautious!
  You never know who is getting real impatient to get around it, or if the farm machinery is going to suddenly cut in front of you to turn into some field or driveway.  They're also usually going much slower than you guess, and are wider than they look.

  My favorites are the rolling pieces of junk you see locally in the early mornings here in SC, during watermelon season.
   You'll be barreling down a rural road in the dark, and notice a dark spot ahead of you.....and it turns out to be a ancient, overloaded pickup, pulling an ancient, overloaded trailer, with NO lights, and maybe doing 35!
  There may be some exemption for these farm trailers to be on the road, but it sure as hell isn't safe.  I"m talking 4 wheeled trailers like you'd haul stuff around the farm, with NO lights....and heading 60-70 miles away in the dark to the farmers market.
  Frequently, you'll come up on them broken down, or with flat tires.....just sitting in the middle of the road........in the dark.

[chevsuz12]

As a former farmer myself, I can tell you many stories of either being hit by others or coming very close.  But at least in Louisiana (where  I am originally from, any farm vehicle operated on a public road at night must have proper lighting.  Daytime not required, but must have an SMV sign (Bright red or orange triangle) this typically means that the vehicle is not moving more than 15mph.  Most tractors won't go more than about 14 to 17mph anyway.  And yes 17mph can feel awfully fast in some tractors!

I was once hit by a dumbass driving a garbage truck while crossing an overpass!  My escort blocked the road while I was driving a Versatile 935 8 wheeled tractor pulling a 23 foot plow behind me.  There was no more than 6 inches on either side of the plow and the gaurd rail.  The garbage truck went around my escort (who thankfully notified me by radio)  but there wasn't anything I could do.  He slowed greatly and then struck the front wheels of the tractor.  Surprisingly it didn't hurt the tractor but really smashed up the garbage truck!

[PeteSC]

Here' more info on the first wreck in the lead story......

Professor fails to yield, collides with motorcycle riden by student
Joshua Hudson, 22, died Friday night in Indianapolis



Emily Ortman | News Editor
September 12, 2005


A collision between a car and a motorcycle, which killed a Ball State University student and involved a Ball State history professor, remains under investigation, Muncie Police officials said Sunday.

Ball State junior Joshua Hudson, 22, 1001 Ashland Avenue, died around 9 p.m. Friday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after being taken there by helicopter earlier in the day, Sgt. Brad Arey said. Hudson suffered from blunt force trauma to the head, Arey added.

An investigation usually takes a week or two to complete, traffic investigator Gary Vannatta said.

“At this time, [department of history assistant chairman Kevin Smith] has not been cited for anything, but the investigation is still pending,” Vannatta said Sunday night.

The accident occurred Friday afternoon around 3 p.m. as Hudson was traveling eastbound on Riverside Avenue on his motorcycle, Arey said.

Smith was stopped in his Ford Taurus on Riverside Avenue facing west waiting to turn left onto Martin Street.

“He said he saw a bicyclist pass, and then he turned left onto Martin Street,” Arey said.

Smith failed to yield because he did not see Hudson’s motorcycle, Arey said.

Hudson’s motorcycle hit the right side of Smith’s car, and Hudson was thrown from his motorcycle. Hudson was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Arey said.

“It was on the back of the bike,” he said.

Hudson was a business administration major from Huntington, about 30 miles south of Fort Wayne.

Smith began teaching at Ball State in 1991 as an assistant professor of history. He became a professor of history in 1996 and has been assistant chairman since 2001.

Attempts made to contact Smith for comment were unsuccessful.

Hudson was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Arey said.

“It was on the back of the bike,” he said.

  The back of the bike sustained major injuires, but is expected to recover?

Dunno, if you've got one, you might as well be wearing it.......

 I'm at the point in life I want to avoid the PAIN, expense, and scars, and recuperation of bike wrecks....if possible!
  A couple of weeks ago, while riding around the infield on my DR650 at Road Atlanta during the races, and yes...after having a couple of drinks....and not wearing a helmet...and in shorts...I felt REALLY vulnerable.
  Add to the fact that squids were popping wheelies within feet of you, and any sort of motorized mayhem was flying by on the infield roads....I really slowed down...paid attention...and didn't give a crap if some  squid gave me a dirty look as he flew past me, or actually stopped at a stop sign....or yielded to stupider traffic.
  I've got nothing to prove.  I just want my sorry arse to remain somewhat intact.....  It's the only sorry arse I've got!

[Maniac]

Farm equipment makes me nervous in a -car-. I can't remember the number of times stuff has fallen off my dad's old Model-A John Deer. Thats a sweet old tractor, but it's litterally held together with bailing twine and hose clamps.

[PeteSC]

Heck, even lawn mowers on the side of the road make me nervous!
  How many times have you been hit by a rock being thrown along with the grass, or heard it ricochet off of something?