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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | A friend and I took a short ride today and saw a wrecked Ultra on 281 at about 5:10 PM.
The traffic was backed up a half a mile and my friend figured it was a wreck up ahead. When we topped the hill it looks like rock concert with all of the emergency vehicles with their lights blazing. It took twenty minutes to reach the scene. It was a shock to see the Ultra down.
It was very said. There was a red Ultra Classic laying on its side with no rider in sight. The bike did not look like a CVO. My brother rides a red CVO Ultra and lives in the area. Even so, I called my brother just to check on him as soon as I got home. He was OK. He rode out to Bandera for a bike rally.
There was no damage to the front of the Ultra. We figured it was side swiped.
Leaving the area we saw a Fire Department car with the lights and siren en route to the scene. I am sure it was a supervisor. Maybe even the Chief.
We figured the rider was dead with all of the equipment that was tied up at the site. We did not know at the time that an ambulance was involved.
That intersection is a trouble spot. A lot of traffic goes through it. While eating in the area my wife and I saw another wreck there a few months ago.
Why is this intersection a problem???
Well, when you are West bound on Evans going towards 281 the road is much lower than the highway and you can not see the South Bound traffic on 281 very well if at all. On approaching the highway your head is lower then the crown of the highway.
From the San Antonio - Express-News web site.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Motorcyclist_killed_in_collision_w...
Motorcyclist killed in collision with ambulance
By Michelle Mondo
A 46-year-old motorcyclist was killed Sunday afternoon when he failed to yield to an ambulance en route to a call and collided with it at a North Side intersection, authorities said.
The name of the man was not released because his family had not been notified, according to authorities.
Melissa Sparks, a spokeswoman for the San Antonio Fire Department, said the crash occurred around 4 p.m. at U.S. 281 and Evans Road.
Sparks said she did not know where the ambulance was going when the crash occurred.
Officials with the San Antonio Police Department said other traffic did yield to the ambulance.
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Cruiser
Posts: 104
| It's always bad to hear about a motorcycle riders getting killed.
I'm a retired Firefighter Paramedic and I know for a fact that emergency vehicles should not bust through intersection. The reason is a lot of driver do not see or hear the emergency vehicles coming.
In the City of Arlington where I worked we were wrote up for busting through the intersection without slowing and or stopping until the intersection was clear.
If there was no damage to the front end of the bike, that would tell me it was the ambulance driver was at fault. The SA News states he ran into (collided) the ambulance.
I know I was not there and I don't know all of the fact and it could have been the motorcycle riders fault. It just that I have seen many Police, Fire, and Ambulance vehicles bust through intersection and having close calls of being hit or getting hit.
radioteacher - 2009-09-27 11:41 PM
There was no damage to the front of the Ultra. We figured it was side swiped.
Ride Safe!
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Update,
As they say "Do not believe what you see."
The ambulance with lights and siren going went through the red light and all other traffic yielded. The ambulance took the lane the motorcycle was in. The motorcycle hit the ambulance.
In that area it goes both ways. When going down the highway at 60 mph the side traffic from westbound Evans just pops up on the road. There is an extra acceleration lane on the left side of the road that the ambulance could have used to build up speed before entering traffic.
Regardless who was at fault some things are sure. Nobody wanted this to happen. Nobody wins.
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Cruiser
Posts: 170
Houston, TX | Sad to hear. Ride Safe... | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 143
Sparta, WI | Accidents that could have been avoided with proper forewarning should be dealt with aggressively. Known dangerous spots on the road should be well marked. It is our duty to alert the "keepers of the highways" by identifying and complaining about these trouble spots to the DOT, the local highway departments and our local Representatives, Congressman, Senators and who ever else we can work with to red flag obvious highway death traps. Does ABATE, AMA or other cycle groups work on these type of problems? One rider lost due to negligence of our highway departments is one too many. It's no game out there on the highways and biways of our country.
Ride it like you are invisible!
Edited by Minnow 2009-09-28 11:04 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 104
| Agreed!
radioteacher - 2009-09-28 6:56 AM
Regardless who was at fault some things are sure. Nobody wanted this to happen. Nobody wins.
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Visionary
Posts: 1290
Ruskin, Fl | I too am a firefighter/paramedic. We are required to come to a COMPLETE stop before proceeding through an intersection against the red light or stop sign. I have taught EVOC (emergency vehicle operation) and there is another point to make. We have a device called Opticom on our vehicles. It changes the light to green for us as we approach an intersection. This too can be dangerous. If a motorist sees a light turn green for them as they approach, than 10 seconds later it goes red again for emergency cross traffic, a lot of people don't realize the light is red for them and go right through.
Granted I wasn't there, but if the ambulance went through a red without stopping they should be prosecuted. Just consider there are many possibilities.
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | From the San Antonio Express News web site.
Jeffrey McCarty, 47, has been identified as the motorcyclists who died after crashing into an ambulance en route to a call on the North Side. The Bexar County Medical Examiners office released McCarty's name.
Minnow,
The few miles on Highway 281 North of Loop 1604 has been a problem since before 1984. Back then a Texas Department of Transportation Engineer said something like, "The problem is that too many people moved out to Stone Oak and Bulverde!" Thanks for the help TxDOT!
A few years ago a City council member in different district said ......It should be a toll road since that only rich people that make over $200,000 a year and 400,000 houses are out there.... This statement is a load of crap but that is the narrow minded class baiting idiots that are elected down here.
Over the past 10 years it has become grid lock in that area for over 18 hours a day every day. I was surprised that the rider could go fast enough that he did not stop in time.
The people in charge of road building assignments in Bexar county have had blinders on and only wanted toll roads to fix the issue. In the past year this group has changed and guess what.......the new members have found the money to start some work!
The real killer is that TxDOT listed the top congested roads in Texas and they listed some spots in San Antonio but not this area!!!!! The ones they listed are not nearly as bad but that is government for you.
Michael,
These lights I think are equipped with Opticom sensors. That maybe part of it. There is also a wall of rock on the right that would echo the siren coming from the left. This could have been a distraction to the rider.
My co-worker and fellow rider made it clear to me. "If you hear a siren, pull over and stop!" I like that advice. Who knows which way they are going and what is going on.
I live near a Fire Station and a Police Sub-Station. When they are lit up in my area they almost never stop when going through against the light.
Not to long ago here in San Antonio, a police office was killed while picking up flares after clearing a scene. The car that hit him was another police officer responding to a different call that, according to the investigation, did not warrant the speed his was traveling. He then went on to hit a telephone pole so hard that it nearly killed him.
Once again, there were no winners here. Everyone lost. The community is out two cops. It all just sucked.
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New user
Posts: 1
| I live in this area and was stuck in traffic for about an hour that day as a result of this accident. When I came upon the scene of the accident, the motorcycle was lying in between north and south bound lanes on 281 and except for the fact that it was lying on it's side, didn't appear to be heavily damaged.
I was shocked to later find out that the driver of the motorcycle had been killed by a collision with an ambulance.
At that particular intersection, when you are turning right onto 281 from Evans rd, there are two lanes that are right turn only lanes. As a result, if you are turning from the inside turn only lane, you are in the middle lane once you turn onto hwy 281. I was told that the ambulance was in the inside lane.
So if the motorcyclist had a green light and the ambulance didn't stop first, it was probably unavoidable for the motorcycle. If you are where the ambulance was, because of a stone wall to your left on Evans rd., it would be difficult to see most traffic on 281 until you are almost on the highway. Additionally, it would not surprise me if the motorcyclist didn't hear the ambulance, much less see it, because of the wall between him and the ambulance.
Once I was told what happened and according to what I witnessed at the scene, I believe it is more likely the fault of the ambulance than the motorcyclist.
Either way it is tragic for all involved, but this accident should be investigated to the fullest extent so this doesn't happen again.
Edited by debintexas 2009-10-29 12:37 AM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 803
Perry Hall, MD | There was a time when I worked as an accident investigator and unfortunately had to issue citations to fellow officers for making poor decisions. I watched a trooper cause an accident this weekend going through a red light with no siren on (MD law requires a siren to be considered an emergency vehicle). He was making a u-turn to get to an accident scene that we had both just passed where there did not APPEAR to be any need for an "emergency" response (ambo, fire truck, 2 patrol cars already there).
Police, fire, truck driver, little old lady, NASCAR driver, me - we all make mistakes - all the more reason to be as focused as possible when we ride. Look ahead, and do 'what you can' to make sure that every ride will be a safe one. Who was it on here that gave praise to their advanced safety class when they had to lay the bike down last week? Good advice for something we can do for ourselves.
Unfortunately my old agency has had 2 off duty officers killed in accidents in the past month. One in a pick up on a wet road where he ended up off of the road and apparently trapped, and then this past Sunday, while only a short distance from the precinct on his way to work, a car turned in front of the officer who was riding his 09 HD (Old Harford Rd and Placid Ave in Baltimore County, MD if you want to check Google Maps).
BE SAFE FRIENDS - say a prayer for those that have been less fortunate. | |
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Motorcyclist killed in collision with ambulance