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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Yesterday morning my nephew called to tell me that my Brother was in the ER and his 2009 HD CVO Ultra Classic was wrecked.
Medically he was lucky. He normally rides with a helmet but not that ride. He has staples in his scalp, eight cracked ribs and some road rash. He was inhabated for over 24 hours but they pulled the tube out and he is on a mask right now.
In the end he should fully recover from his injuries.
This could have been caused by a swerve to miss a deer.....I doubt it but it is possible.
From what I can guess by looking at the scene.
Possible root causes: Too much speed into and out of the corner and/or Object Fixation.
He came very close to hitting a curb, or hit it (it is a very low curb at maybe an inch and a half high) or maybe even the grass on the outside of the corner on a turn around under a bridge. Before the bike went down he was on the back brake hard. I could see the tire skid over the the solid white stripe near the edge of the road.
First the bike Low Sided.bummer.
Then the bike High Sided..and this is the part that really sucked. I am sure this launched my brother and his CVO in the air and really trashed the bike and his ribs.
I had to console my Mother all day yesterday for which my Big Brother will owe me big time.
My wife told me that I was no longer to ride at night...and my answer was "Why?" This was a single bike wreck! Daylight or Dark would not have made any difference. What would make a difference is the RIDER and throttle control!
A few months ago my Brother admitted to me that I was a better rider than he was....why did he have to go out an prove it!?
Visions are great bikes....families are complicated!
RIDE SAFE!!!! Yea, you....that's right I am talking to YOU!!!! Don't give me that look, you know what I am talking about!
Edited by radioteacher 2011-03-09 5:34 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 520
Simi Valley, CA | Prayers to your brother and your family....
Tim |
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | praying for your brother. The good thing is he can tell his story |
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Cruiser
Posts: 132
New York | Sorry to hear that... Lets hope for a speedy recovery....Prayers to your brother and family.. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 215
orrick, mo | Hope he has a speedy recovery. The bright side is now is the perfect time to get him to switch over to Victory if the HD is toast. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | A lucky man! All my best and positive thoughts for his rapid recovery! |
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Central Wisconsin | Sorry to hear about your Brother's accident. Glad that he made it. Believe me I know what's it's like when a Brother doesn't make it.
May God bless your Brother and his family through these times. "RIDE SAFE!!!! Yea, you....that's right I am talking to YOU!!!! Don't give me that look, you know what I am talking about!" Good reminder!
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| I'm sorry to read about your brother. I'm happy hes on the way to recovery.
I have told so many friends that the read brake will throw you to the ground and hurt you. They just want to argue with me but they will not read to find out I'm right. The neighbor down the street aimed dead center on the dear that jumped in front of him and the insurance write told him that what your suppose to do.
I know it will be some time for your brother to be well so help him and your Mother all you can and the Lord will help you. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD | Sorry that it takes incidents like you are dealing with to make some of us take notice and really think about how we're driving.
All the best and thanks for sharing. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 123
NE Florida Jacksonville | Ours prayers go out for your brother, mother and wife. Ride safe... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1632
Jasper, MO | Tell him he's in our thoughts and prayers Paul.
I don't ride much at night anymore. Freekin' deer are everywhere, except on opening day of deer season.
I drove professionally for a lot of years. The seminars given by the safety director claim you should use maximum braking and DO NOT swerve to miss a deer. Hold your line and maintain control. You have no idea which way that deer will go. If see you're going to impact the deer, (or dog), release your brakes immediately before impact. You'll have a better chance of maintaining control with the wheels turning.
I hit a full grown St. Bernard broadside with my Sport Cruiser a few years ago, at about 60 MPH. I did the brake hard, then release just before impact thing, and it worked. It was a rough ride, but I didn't go down. Just lucky, I guess.
Too much speed in a corner will get you too. It's a wonder I've survived this long.
Best wishes for your brother.
Ronnie |
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Tourer
Posts: 323
Troy, NY | rdbudd - 2011-03-09 9:31 PM
Tell him he's in our thoughts and prayers Paul.
I don't ride much at night anymore. Freekin' deer are everywhere, except on opening day of deer season.
I drove professionally for a lot of years. The seminars given by the safety director claim you should use maximum braking and DO NOT swerve to miss a deer. Hold your line and maintain control. You have no idea which way that deer will go. If see you're going to impact the deer, (or dog), release your brakes immediately before impact. You'll have a better chance of maintaining control with the wheels turning.
I hit a full grown St. Bernard broadside with my Sport Cruiser a few years ago, at about 60 MPH. I did the brake hard, then release just before impact thing, and it worked. It was a rough ride, but I didn't go down. Just lucky, I guess.
Too much speed in a corner will get you too. It's a wonder I've survived this long.
Best wishes for your brother.
Ronnie
Good to know about this brake release before impact. I hope I never have use this.
Good wishes for a speedy recover for your brother... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | Praying for a speedy recovery, Paul. Get him back in the saddle... Soon... |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Paul, You've had a busy year taking care of relatives! Take care of yourself, your family needs you! Thoughts and prayers for a full recovery. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 131
Edmond, OK 2012 Vision, 2012 Cross Country | I am speaking from experience in my comment as I went down last year on 9/4/10 (my 49th birthday). It is hard not to cry about any family member going down on a bike even if you are the rider who went down. It really sucks for this to happen. I pray for your brother to heal quickly and scars to heal where he is happy with the looks of them.
I went down at 70mph and was very lucky I was not hurt worse than I was. Today I still hurt from some of the injuries I suffered in my accident. The worst injuries come from the ones who give you s*** about what happened. They don't understand how lucky you are to be up and walking around and doing your normal thing, whatever that may be. We as riders know the risks we take each time we go out and ride somewhere. If you have or know someone who has been down on a bike just make sure they know you are there for them and please don't give them any s*** about what happened or even a nickname. We have to live with what happened to us not you. I does make you think twice if you will ride again, not because you are scared but because of you family at home.
The way I look at it is how many people can say if riding my bike kills me just remember I was doing something that makes me happy and enjoy every minute of it.It is no challenge to get back on a bike the challenge is to make sure you enjoy the ride even more and be sure to find the humor in what has happened to you. Its okay to make the jokes at your own expense since you are the one involved, however it is not okay to allow others to make the jokes.
Be safe my friends and think of this as you ride. Someone asked me this week why I like to ride so much and I replied, have you ever notice a dog alway likes to stick his head out the window and you not understand why. Just ask a motorcycle rider and they totally understand the dogs reason. We all like the wind in our face. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 184
Allen Park, MI | Heal quick ...ride safe. Prayers sent. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | My 3 cents. First I can ditto everything all you guys have already said.
I read Duvals comments and I have to totally agree. When I went down in October crushing my leg, it was the first time ive ever had any accident, been hospitalized, had surgery, etc etc, it was all FIRSTS. Who knew that my simple fall and 4 foot roll would give me major surgery to repair my leg, permanent plate and 9 permanent screws and worst of all 6 months of painful P A I N F U L crying alone in the bedroom over the intense pain of physical therapy and healing. (I dont cry easily, so for me to boohoo is an example of how bad the pain was getting my leg back to working).
All of that aside. What made this whole scenario the absolute worst were the stupid comments, criticisms, and "well i hope you're getting rid of that
death ride" etc etc. While I knew the comments were made by people who cared about me, I just got sick of how easily people "dismiss" MY passion and one of the best parts of my life. Without my bike I would be nothing more then "that guy who comes home at the end of the week and for the weekend does nothing more then cut the grass, work in the yard, and putz around the house". Im NOT that guy and I feel sorry for any man who is because I/we all know what he is missing out on in life. I dont want to be on my death bed and in my last breaths knowing that my list of things I wanted to do was still longer then my list of things i did. The folks who so easily said to get rid of my Vision, this was a sign to get rid of motorcycles,
everyone who rides one doesnt value their life ...blah blah blah the list goes on. To them i say, when you wrecked your car, why are you still driving?
When you tripped and fell down and broke your arm, why are you still walking. When you choked on a chicken bone, OMG YOU STILL EAT????
Point is, its those "dismissive" comments that really tore me down during the time I was trying to heal and get my mind back in a positive place.
The most interesting thing about this was that at no time did my surgeon, physical therapist, therapy assistants or anyone professionally involved in my healing, even suggest that I stop riding. It was only civilians who made the comments. odd huh.
So lets all ensure that what we say is positive, encouraging, and supportive. Afterall, those cagers will still drive that gas guzzler and when its
totalled, they will just get another one..... safe riding for all of us.
BTW i should be getting my bike back from repair in a week or so WOOHOO !!!!!!! happy dance happy dance .....slight fear. HAPPY DANCE HAPPY DANCE |
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Cruiser
Posts: 171
San Antonio, Texas | Sorry to hear about your brother, Paul. In my family, it's my brother, Paul (also), who is the 2010 HD Ultra Classic CVO rider. HD to the bone, tats and all. Sounds like your brother picked up a reminder to always wear your helmet. Glad it wasn't any worse than it was. Sounds like you made a solid assessment of the situation, as best you could. Your wife is knee-jerking and will get better about it with time (and a few nighttime rides). You're lucky, my brother would never admit anyone he knew was a better rider than he. Yep, family's are complicated! Side note: Are you going to the South Texas Motorcycle Show next week-end? We'll be there Saturday--probably early. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 82
Fargo, ND | As stated before by many others... Prayers and good thoughts are coming your way from ND. It could have been much worse (without a helmet) God was riding with him that night. Hopefully others will learn from your story and ride accordingly. None of us are bullet proof. Ride safe .
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | RT,
I can't add anything that hasn't already been said. You brother will be in my thoughts. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Saw my brother tonight and he is doing as well as could be expected.
Lots road rash plus.....staples holding scalp together are not a pretty sights but he has a lot to be thankful for.
For the first time since the trauma he took a few steps tonight and was shaky but did fine.....one step at a time.
My natural reaction is to be a selfish bastard and tell him that "His wreck is a major issue for my riding!" with a "What were you thinking?" thrown in for extra measure. But due to your many thoughtful and kind posts I have tempered my self-centered position. I can not thank you guys enough for helping me see the error in my thoughts about this event before I did or said something stupid.
He should recover but it will take months not weeks as originally stated.
Thank you all for keeping him in your prayers.
Ride Safe! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 131
Edmond, OK 2012 Vision, 2012 Cross Country | RadioTeacher,
We all understand your frustration, its your brother and you care very much for him. We all want a speedy recovery for him and hope he will heal as good as new. A day doesn't go by that a prayer isn't said to keep we who ride safe. I am sending my thoughts and prayers your way also. Tell your brother hello from Robert in Oklahoma City. Take care. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 24
Hanover, Md | RT- Thoughts and Prayers to your brother and his family. Also, the same for you. When someone we love is hurt while doing something that we do too, it can be a bit of a mind screw for us. Please focus on your riding when you are in the saddle. BTW, I don't see your thoughts as you being self-centered. It's a natural reaction to a very stressful and traumatizing event. There have been many times following a big life event where I would say something that I didn't mean, but couldn't take back, and it added to the painful situation. Thanks for posting about your brother. If the replies from others helped you keep from saying something hurtful, then this site is worth its weight in gold. That's another reason that I love this forum. So many great points of view, and people who care.
Take care, and keep us posted. |
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Tourer
Posts: 457
Green Bay, WI United States | Godspeed on you Brother's recovery. Let us all keep our attention on what we are doing when we ride.... Lord knows riding a bike and driving a car require two separate levels of attention. Just waiting to see a biker on a cell along with smoking a cig, moron in my book.
Ride hard, ride fast, but above all - ride safe and free....
Wildman/8-ball |
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Rider down - My Brother
