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My accident

wvshooter

wvshooter

Scooter
Just putting this out there for perspective on how we ride.

Last Sunday, 5:30 pm. , sunny, two lane expressway, in city limits, 55mph limit, moderate curve to the right with freeway entrance to my right introducing more traffic into a now third lane which becomes the far right lane.

I'm in the far left lane about to pass a large black late model sedan which is in the middle lane. I'm probably doing between 55 and 60. BTW, I'm riding a '94 Connie. As my front tire comes even with the left rear wheel of the black sedan the driver starts moving into my lane. Not a drift into my lane but a serious lane change. No signal of any kind. I hit the front brake which locks up the front wheel enough to cause the front of the bike to lose ability to stay up.

The rest is a blur. I come off the bike and as I'm sliding along the pavement I think to myself, "So this is what it's like to crash."  I slide along the highway across all three lanes ending up touching the guard rail on the right side of the expressway. A distance of 150' according to officers.

It's made me rethink the risk involved in passing cars in a freeway setting.
 
:eek: Yikes! That sux Dave, but I'm glad to hear you are ok.  :great:

Another thought for ya might be to use that insurance check towards a C14 with ABS?  ???

Heal quick brother!  :beerchug:

 
I am curious, what tires do you have on that bike? The reason I am asking is because it takes a lot to lock up the front on an old 94 Connie at 55 to 60.
You must have not only grabbed a full butt-pucker squeeze on the front brake  but you also nailed hard the rear brake and locked up the rear tire as well.
Very normal reaction for most people  in a panic stop.
My solution for passing cars is a short tap on my Stebel Air Horn to let cagers know I am passing.
Get well soon!!
 
The no turn signal thing pisses me off as much as cell phone use , can't imagine what the hell folks are thinking not using signals .
 
Hope you weren't injured.  Curious too about the tire/brake pad combo, having performed several practice at-speed full-on stops without so much as a tire chirp until putting EBC HH pads on the rear.
 
Boy that sucks, a few days ago in Western IA on I-80 there was a similar accident to yours.....

(Atlantic) The Iowa State Patrol released the names of the people involved in the fatal accident on Interstate 80 north of Atlantic Saturday afternoon.

One person died and three others were injured in a chain reaction accident just before 1:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon on interstate 80 just west of the 57-mile marker. The accident involved three motorcycles, a passenger car and a semi.

The Iowa State Patrol says 38-year-old Ryan J. Lossing, of Omaha was killed in the crash. The injured are identified as 33-year-old John Chase, of Pacific Junction, 56-year-old William Schurevich, of Fremont, Nebraska and 38-year-old Christina Lossing, of Omaha. Chase and Schurevich were taken by medivac to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. Schurevich was later air-lifted to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha.

The Iowa State Patrol says a westbound 2011 Buick Lucerne driven by 81-year-old Donald Kerby, of Des Moines, was in the right lane near the 57.7 mile marker when he moved into the left lane away from a stock trailer on the right shoulder. Kerby came in contact with a 2000 Yamaha, driven by Chase  traveling in the left lane. The Buick entered the median and the motorcycle ended up on its side. A 2008 Harley Davidson, driven by Ryan Lossing, tried to avoid the Collison and ended up on its side, ejecting Lossing and his passenger Christina Lossing. Ryan Lossing was then struck by a westbound 2007 Kenworth semi, driven by 61-year old Senad Segetalo, of Salt Lake City, UT. A 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by 56-year-old William J. Schurevich trying to avoid the collision also ended up on its side.

The accident closed down that portion of the Interstate for nearly five hours.

Plan to take I-29 down to Kansas city on Thursday, I will sure be watching for this type of situation (so I can avoid it!)  bummer.
 
Sorry you had to deal with this.  Practice Practice.  Grabbing to much brake and going down is 100% on you though.  I was not there but I bet there were all kinds of options none of which involved going down.  If you were even with the front tire you could have just reached over and punched the driver in the head if the window was down.  I may have opted for laying on the horn while matching their swerve and bolting out in front of them... if far enough ahead.  Good use of practiced emergency braking if to far behind.
 
smithr1 said:
Sorry you had to deal with this.  Practice Practice.  Grabbing to much brake and going down is 100% on you though.  I was not there but I bet there were all kinds of options none of which involved going down.  If you were even with the front tire you could have just reached over and punched the driver in the head if the window was down.  I may have opted for laying on the horn while matching their swerve and bolting out in front of them... if far enough ahead.  Good use of practiced emergency braking if to far behind.
Click to expand...

You have no concept of what you will be unable to do until something similar happens to you. BTW, my original post has my front tire even with the car's left rear tire not the car's front tire.

Use the bike's horn... forget it. There isn't any time.

Apply brake in a controlled fashion... forget it. There isn't any time.

All kinds of options... good luck with that one.

Imagine you're standing on the corner and something makes you look up. You see a baby grand piano about twenty feet above your head falling fast. That's what this is like. 
 
Daytona_Mike said:
I am curious, what tires do you have on that bike? The reason I am asking is because it takes a lot to lock up the front on an old 94 Connie at 55 to 60.
You must have not only grabbed a full butt-pucker squeeze on the front brake  but you also nailed hard the rear brake and locked up the rear tire as well.
Very normal reaction for most people  in a panic stop.
My solution for passing cars is a short tap on my Stebel Air Horn to let cagers know I am passing.
Get well soon!!
Click to expand...

Front tire was Dunlop D404 with plenty of tread.

When your life is in the balance your hand gets really strong. Never touched the rear brake... would have been impossible considering how fast this happened.

Really like the air horn idea.


What I feel like I've learned.

Wear a full face helmet, a motorcycle jacket with armor in the elbows and shoulders, gloves with armor, armored over pants and cycle boots with some armor. I was wearing the full face and the armored jacket but screwed up on the rest. Learned my lesson.

Be very suspicious of other drivers.
 
dave_h said:
Be very suspicious of other drivers.
Click to expand...

Amen to that.  Actually, I go with "be totally paranoid of other drivers".  I approach every car with the thought "this azzhat is going to do something stupid".  If they don't, I'm pleasantly surprised.  However, if they do...  I have more time to react because I was expecting it. 

I understand Dave's statement of "there isn't any time", because that's what it feels like in an emergency.  But if you anticipate the problem, you have already started considering escape options when it happens.  There are almost always options.  If you are riding in the outside part of your lane, there are both time and space between you and the car.  If you are in the inside part of the lane, while your time is less, you have more space to evade.  Anticipation buys you extra time to deal with the situation, so it doesn't "feel" as much like an emergency. 

Accidents will still happen and some will be truly unavoidable.  But there are still things we can do to mitigate some of the risk.  Anticipation and protective gear are two excellent ways to do it.
 
Ya I once rolled a car trying to miss a deer, stupidest thing was I locked up the brakes, more to it but that was the real cause in hindsight. I know now, AND I knew then, you are not supposed to lock up the brakes, but I did it. When all was said and done the only thing sore was my right leg......'cause I was trying to push that pedal right through the floor ! Hindsight is 20/20.....glad you fared well
 
ZG said:
:eek: Yikes! That sux Dave, but I'm glad to hear you are ok.  :great:

Another thought for ya might be to use that insurance check towards a C14 with ABS?  ???

Heal quick brother!  :beerchug:
Click to expand...

Hi,
      Best advice yet! :great:

Glad your ok amigo!

Sometimes there is no time for a horn (don't ask how I know this) but a Stebal air horn is on my short list! ;D
 

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Dave H,
          Did the guy stop or keep going? I am glad you are okay. I would have been so mad that I would not know what I would have done to them. I keep a keen eye out for their blind spots. But you just never know.
        Hopefully insurance covers everything and you get a way better bike. I feel for you and the loss of your bike.

Dave is cool  :great: :great: :great: 
 
smithr1 said:
Sorry you had to deal with this.  Practice Practice.  Grabbing to much brake and going down is 100% on you though.  I was not there but I bet there were all kinds of options none of which involved going down.  If you were even with the front tire you could have just reached over and punched the driver in the head if the window was down.  I may have opted for laying on the horn while matching their swerve and bolting out in front of them... if far enough ahead.  Good use of practiced emergency braking if to far behind.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%, lots of options as well as simply applying just enough brake while moving over to the left to allow him in front of you. I've moved over into the left hand shoulder and slowed down for stupid drivers.
Glad no one got seriously hurt.

LouSpag
 
dave,

Glad you're OK.

I'm surmising your speed was only a few miles per hour more than the car you were passing. When we pass a car too slowly, we are in the car's blind spot too long, and they have no clue we are there. As said by others, locking up the front while the bars are turned will yield an instant fall, there is no correcting it, you are down.

I've had my share of being where I didn't belong, and I've found the left 1/3 of my lane puts me as far from a car on the right as I can get. This spacing can give time to avoid a crash.  I do not ride along in the blind spot of a car, ever.

You might also consider adding some "be seen" or DRL lights to the front to be seen better by cars you are passing.

Ride safe.....and well
 
Larry_Buck_FL said:
dave,

Glad you're OK.

I'm surmising your speed was only a few miles per hour more than the car you were passing. When we pass a car too slowly, we are in the car's blind spot too long, and they have no clue we are there. As said by others, locking up the front while the bars are turned will yield an instant fall, there is no correcting it, you are down.

I've had my share of being where I didn't belong, and I've found the left 1/3 of my lane puts me as far from a car on the right as I can get. This spacing can give time to avoid a crash.  I do not ride along in the blind spot of a car, ever.

You might also consider adding some "be seen" or DRL lights to the front to be seen better by cars you are passing.

Ride safe.....and well
Click to expand...

:iagree:

Dave, I'm glad you got through it, and heal up quick.

I'm fortunate not to have to ride in heavy traffic a lot, but when I do,  I'm either behind or in front of any car to the left/right.
I stay back behind the blind spot until I can get ahead of the car I'm passing, then pass quickly.  Motorcycling is fun, but
I've learned that concentration is so much more draining on a bike, especially in traffic, because of these situations.
 
I locked up the front wheel twice on my Buell and ended up on the ground (slow learner sometimes).  If you grab the front brake hard and sudden, it can happen.  On the Buell, I only use two fingers on the front brake now.  On my 2003 Concours I use three since the brakes aren't as strong.  Do this all the time so that it is second nature when it's important.  Accelerate through the blind spot when passing and always assume that the other driver is going to do something stupid.
 
dave_h said:
You have no concept of what you will be unable to do until something similar happens to you.
Click to expand...

Exactly...  Glad you are OK and thanks for sharing your story. 

Experienced and beginner rider education curriculum like the one provided by MSF works on developing good rider skill habits and emphasizes practicing long after completing the course. When a quick response is needed to a hazard, riders need to be able to react with skills that have been practiced and happen naturally. Forced reaction to a hazard can bring about a bad end result.
 
Dave I had a car do the same to me in south bay area traffic and like you I slammed the front brake on like I was stopping the eart from spinning(75mph though),and you can scary your self silly especially raising the rear wheel.But I made that novice mistake because it literally was my first ride on my Connie(any bike in a decade).Good answer MC safety class.You and I both.  The Wizard
 
Glad you see my point.  :(  Even if there is no time and he hits you at least it is his fault and not yours.  I never am next to a vehicle on the road unless I am passing them or them me.  In that instant I am next to them I am watching their body language and wheel movement.

Everyone practice emergency control and situation awareness and maybe just maybe you would come away unscathed when it is your turn.

BTW it happens to me all the time.  Just because I have not gone down from it only means I am luckier or am correct.
 
Appreciate all the kind thoughts and good advice.

The road rash is healing up fast. No other injuries, thank God! Picked up a very nice 2000 model this weekend. Riding tomorrow. Will wear lots of protective gear.

 

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Glad to hear you're doing ok.

Did the driver stop?

Good argument for helmet cams.

As has been mentioned, I always assume (especially when on the bike) that drivers will do the WORST POSSIBLE thing in the moment. So I give the idiots plenty of room. And when I pass, I start by making sure they see me first, then pass like mad (downshift and GO).

Sorry to hear you went down. Lesson/reminder for us all to really pay attention.
 
Glad to hear you're OK Dave.

Had my own get-off recently and I have to say that it re-affirms my attitude to regard to  all vehicles other than myself with fear, loathing, and steady acceleration.

I'm a pretty conservative rider (the few on here who have ridden with me may say SLOW -- but shut up Jim  :rotflmao:), but have found that my best pace is an inconsistent one that takes each vehicle as an obstacle that I approach cautiously, evaluate the blind spot, blast through and then chill a bit as I scope the next move. Of course on my commute, this is greatly compressed and mixed with ample dosed of Van Morrison music and infrequent screaming at minvan drivers who seems to confirm my superpowers of invisibility.

Ride on buddy!
 
have found that my best pace is an inconsistent one
Click to expand...

THIS.

When I get people tailing me, I like to do things that other drivers will subconsciously find disturbing (since that's how most of them drive). Speed up sharply, slow down (no brakes, just cut throttle) (for no reason), change lanes for no reason, and back again seconds later. Nothing aggressive, or they'd notice (and it's dangerous), just enough change that subconsciously they feel uncomfortable and then decide to pass/move on.

I like to keep myself between the packs on the highway, and on slower roads will pull off to let people around if they won't pass but keep hangin' on my ass.
 
I had something similar happen just the other day, minus the crash part.. Entered the Express Lanes on I-95 southbound.  Was traveling about 70MPH in the center lane lined up with the drivers window of a newer-version Ford Taurus to my right.  Keeping my eyes forward toward vehicles ahead, my peripheral vision noted the Taurus coming my way in a hurry.  I quickly checked my convex mirror toward the left lane which was fortunately open, so I moved over while blasting my horn.  The woman in the Taurus didn't even look or heard my horn, just continued her STUPID cell phone conversation, oblivious to everything else around her.  I swear, she would have hit me and not noticed until her husband asked her the next day how the drivers door got all scarred up.

The weirdest all-too-frequent car driver to bike phenomena I've noticed lately is when there is a side street with a stop sign that joins a major arterial.  I can be riding along that arterial.  Car pulls up to the stop sign, makes eye contact with you on the bike, then jams on the gas, pulling out in front of you.  After jamming the bikes brakes to keep from running into the drivers door, you watch the car person continuing to look at you out their side window as you're five or six feet from their door.  After catching your breath and un-puckering from the cycle seat, you realize there were no cars behind you!   
 
seagiant1 said:
CalculatedRisk said:
I'm glad you're healing and back on a bike.

May I recommend:
Gloves
http://www.motoport.com/product/motoport-racing-glove/

Pants
http://www.motoport.com/product/ultra-ii-stretch-pant/

Jacket
http://www.motoport.com/product/marathon-air-mesh-jacket/
Click to expand...

Hi,
        I've got the pants and jacket you show from Motoport and it is THE best protection you can buy for the money bar NONE! ;D
Click to expand...
:threadjack:
  Ahhh  Seagiant1 this is the first picture I viewed on my new puter and things are even better in H.D.!  :72:
 
ZG said:
Another thought for ya might be to use that insurance check towards a C14 with ABS?  ???
Click to expand...
dave_h said:
Appreciate all the kind thoughts and good advice.

Picked up a very nice 2000 model this weekend.
Click to expand...

So I guess you decided NOT to take the advice given.  :-\

Was money the problem?  I would also have advised you to get a bike with ABS too.

Good luck - hope you never have another accident.
 
Ouch, sorry to hear about your accident. But glad to hear you're ok! Definitely safe travels out there!!

With the change in season and less daylight, we have to be careful out there no matter what the scenarios are.
 
Dave, glad to hear you made it across three lanes of traffic without becoming a speed bump! That had to be a scary situation! 

Everytime I start my bike I remember what my dad told me when I got my motorcycle license at 14. Something I have since drilled into my sons head. And that is:
    No one has ever seen you on a motorcycle, no one, not even me. NO ONE and no one ever will, and since no one has ever seen you on a bike NO ONE will ever be looking for you on one! Never become complacent and think "oh they see me". NO they don't!!!! 

I've been ran off the roadway by blind lane changers and I'll tell ya hitting grass at 70 will make you feel alive!!! Hell just about a month ago on a paved backroad I had a tractor pull out in front of me less than 50 away!! As I bounced around him in the grass I showed him how I thought he was number one!!!!!! However, because of what my dad told I always evaluate everything on the road.

And your right, these things happen so fast you don't have time to think, that's why I believe you must have the process already thought out before it happens. It's impossible to always do. I know, but attention to detail is absolute once in the saddle! 

Sorry to ramble! Now go enjoy turkey day! 
 
dave_h said:
smithr1 said:
Sorry you had to deal with this.  Practice Practice.  Grabbing to much brake and going down is 100% on you though.  I was not there but I bet there were all kinds of options none of which involved going down.  If you were even with the front tire you could have just reached over and punched the driver in the head if the window was down.  I may have opted for laying on the horn while matching their swerve and bolting out in front of them... if far enough ahead.  Good use of practiced emergency braking if to far behind.
Click to expand...

You have no concept of what you will be unable to do until something similar happens to you. BTW, my original post has my front tire even with the car's left rear tire not the car's front tire.

Use the bike's horn... forget it. There isn't any time.

Apply brake in a controlled fashion... forget it. There isn't any time.

All kinds of options... good luck with that one.

Imagine you're standing on the corner and something makes you look up. You see a baby grand piano about twenty feet above your head falling fast. That's what this is like.
Click to expand...

Do you think if the bike was equipped with ABS the outcome would have been different?
 
Do you think if the bike was equipped with ABS the outcome would have been different?
Click to expand...

In a word: yes.

He most likely wouldn't have locked up the front wheel on an ANTI-LOCK Brake System equipped bike, so therefore wouldn't have gone down from that element.

It likely would've also enabled him to maneuver to the left shoulder while under hard braking, thereby not getting hit by the lane-changing car.

Is ABS a panacea? No. But it can often help during such situations. And some vehicles are absolutely worthless without it - take the ABS fuse out of your fav (4-wheel) vehicle and go for a drive on clean dry pavement. You may be surprised how often the wheels want to lockup without it - I was when that fuse failed.
 
Dave,

Glad you weren't hurt (too much).  Lucky you weren't hit by any other traffic as you slid along.

I'm always paranoid when I'm driving through a car's blindspot.  Sometimes I accelerate from when I enter until I'm even with the driver.  Sometimes I think I'm being silly for worrying so much. 

Your accident show's that my paranoia is justified. 

I'll follow Larry_Buck's advice:  get through the blindspot quickly,  stay to the left, and increase my focus on the driver. 

And I'll continue to wear all my protective gear - even when it's hot out there.

Enjoy your new ride.

Lars
 
lars said:
I'll follow Larry_Buck's advice:  get through the blindspot quickly,  stay to the left, and increase my focus on the driver. 
Click to expand...

Great advice. Works for me while on my bike and in my cage.

I started looking for advice from truckers on their websites, and the most common gripe was how long it takes to pass another vehicle. Some vehicles are regulated to not go over a certain speed, like the speed limit. Others can't for other reasons.

My take on this is don't let yourself become a lingering target (easier said than done). So, I try not to pass anyone near exits or on-ramps. Too unpredictable. When I do get a chance to pass or be passed. I either zoom past them, or let them zoom past me. Minimize the opportunity to be taken out. I see it all the time while on the highway in my cage. Groups of cars take 5 miles to pass a semi. I try like hell to stay away from them situations. I'm guessing they is all set on cruise control and the drivers are letting their vehicles do the thinking for them. I let them pass me so they can get around me ASAP.  I'm in no hurry to be rolled over by several sets of tires. When climbing hills, I know the semis are straining to pass me, so I take my foot off the gas and let them pass so they don't bottleneck the damn road. I get a lot of thank-you light flashing from the truck drivers when I do this.

On my bike, I zip past them in a flash. Easier for me to do it that way.

My recent accident in my Subaru has me even more aware and in a heightened state of awareness than ever before.
 
I practice hard stops when I'm out on these midwest straight backroads with plenty of rear visibility. If I know no one is behind me, I'll wait until I see something that would be a "surprise" and bring the bike to a complete stop as fast as possible.

I also hate riding on highways, as it's a situation where most of the traffic is moving the same speed or even faster than us.  I much prefer two lanes, whipping around 4 wheelers as I need to.  I am able to be the dominant lion on a back road, we are just a gazelle on a highway. With that said, when I do end up on a multi lane highway, I still pass quickly, regardless of the speed limit in the area.  Blind spots, cagers, no turn signals, cell phones and me on a bike don't go well together.

Heal fast, and learn from your mistakes going forward.  I locked up my front and washed the bike out from under me.  I'd love to blame the guy who had mowed the grass and spewed it all over the road in the curve, but it was my dumb a** that used too much front brake. Cars will always be willing to, and in some cases even try to kill us, it's up to us to avoid them.

I just realized how old the original post was (one of the many reasons I hate message boards), I will assume you've healed by now.  Good luck this season  ;)
 
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