Most serious helmet crash I have ever seen

[CWO4GUNNER]

Apparently the guy did not live. Why riding at night is not time to be speeding.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/tulsacrash.asp

[PitterB4]

OMG - that's hideous! 

[CWO4GUNNER]

Don't think badly of me, but with my slight dyslexia I though you had wrote hilarious and almost wrote something angry  in response LOL.  Originally I was posting this as a helmet safety promo because I had received the photo's and commentary by email which said he had lived because of helmet safety, pass it on stuff bla-bla. But someone pointed me to the actual article after I had posted so I made the correction. Still a good reality check for think twice safe ride I guess...

OMG - that's hideous! 

[vwkaferman]

Yep, remember seeing that float around the web when that happened.

I hate riding at night. Too many night time scares in New Mexico on Holloman AFB, they imported a bunch of African oryx back in the day. HUGE animals, let alone other small critters running out for no freaking reason.

Phoenix isn't that bad, everything is lit to hell but out in the middle of nowhere riding, no thanks.

James

FYI, this is an Oryx:

[Barbarian]

Damn that's bad.

Back when I was living in Vancouver, a friend of mine riding her bicycle home did a header into the back of a bus that was parked -- no lights-- in a bike lane and on the grass. She suffered a severe concussion which altered her personality and intellect for 9 months.
Her helmet was destroyed in the crash.

[CWO4GUNNER]

Wow, I don't know what would be worse hitting a truck or an African oryx and getting skewered.

[Pillage]

I remember when that happened.  A "Do gooder" at work sent it to me.  She said she sent it because it bothered her that I rode.  BTW, I barely know this woman.  I told her that we all know the risk, but the reward is so great that it's worth it. 

To me, the photos of that accident are sad and unnerving.  Sad, because the poor guy has been memorialized by pics of his dead body on the internet.  Unnerving because a grizzly end could be in store for me or any of my riding buddies. 

I still think the reward is greater than the possible outcome.  I believe that those of us that ride, live a fuller life.  If my death is the result of a horrific accident, I just hope I am not memorialized by the pics of my dead body on the internet.

Anyway it's almost up to 40 degrees here, I haven't ridden in three weeks, so I'm heading out on the bike to have some fun!   

[smooth operator]

 We had a similar type accident in our nieborhood a couple weeks ago. Only it was a snowmobile ran into the back of a state plow truck. It was still light(5:25pm) but in whiteout  conditions EJ morrison,I know the family,I laid the block basement of his Dad,s house about 30 yrs ago. EJ (Elmer jr.)  was about 9 then. They were also involved in the local highschool wrestling program that I was involved in. He left behind 2 young children,was teaching nursing classes at a local hospital where he worked. He will be sadly missed. His Dad and brother Mike were riding with him when it happened.

[TK421]

Travelling that fast at night on a public road is like playing Russian roulette-- sooner or later your luck will run out.  At that hour I wouldn't be surprised if alcohol was involved too.

Crashes like this one don't bother me, because I don't ride like that.  Its the ones where someone turns in front of a rider or rear-ends them that mess with my head a little bit.

[CWO4GUNNER]

From my personal point of view these things use to bother me as well, because even with the best of intentions and best of circumstances this type of traumatic death can happen to any of us at any time. Now before each ride I prepare by saying a prayer of forgiveness and salvation to Christ. These days a bit weird and way outside popular culture for most, but I see it as free insurance with nothing to loose and hopefully all upside. Anyway it sure makes my rides allot less apprehensive, and free to be so much more enjoyable IMHO.

[solman]

I went on a night ride on time back in Texas around a lake for an aggressive ride.  One guy went down right in front of me and I hated every minute of it.  Never done it since and ride at a safe pace at night.

[TK421]

Between my weird work schedule and my reluctance to lose time with my 2 year old during the day, I end up riding at night a lot.  Plus during the summers here, it's often just too hot to ride in the day.

solman put his finger on the key point:  you have to reduce your pace dramatically.  Night is not the time for aggressive riding.  I enjoy the lack of traffic, but I stick to familiar roads at a relaxed pace and don't ride on Friday or Saturday nights at all (too many drunks on the road.)       

[smooth operator]

  It goes rigtht back to the basics,your total stopping distance vs your vission. You can't out ride what you can't see. Besides that, around here I am aways watching for a deer to jump out in front of me. And here the bugs are terrible at noght too, I've had to stop befor to just clean the bugs off my shield to see. NASTY
  I prefer the daylight myself.  Dan

[orionburn]

Yep, remember seeing that float around the web when that happened.

I hate riding at night.

Same here. Two things I try to avoid is riding at night and when it's foggy out. That's one thing that pissed me off about Indiana finally making the switch to observe daylight savings time. You used to be able to leave for work at 5:30 am and the sun was already up. Now even in the middle of summer it's still dark out when I leave for work. Half awake cagers doing 65 mph down the highway aren't the best of company....