I was planning on going to Winthrop, WA, on this past Saturday. We were on the way via the 'side route' I found a year or two ago which it cuts out a long sheriff infested arrow straight route and replaces it with twisties. nice morning ride, ready for the good part of Hwy 20. Came up to a the only major intersection only to have yellow tape crossing the road and closing the intersection/hwy in all directions. VERY VERY VERY BAD accident involving...yes, a motorbike. I'll sum it up by saying it will be a closed casket. I'm still trying to grapple with the carnage laying on the road. I'm still trying to figure out just what the fock happened, but I know I will never understand. We couldnt' have been ten minutes from seeing it happen and I know there would have been nothing I could have done to help. I feel horrible for the (I'm assuming) mans family and friends. I'm nearly sick writing this and I can't belive how this has affected me. Beautiful day, great ride with a friend and I guess that's what I need to focus on. We make our choices with the life we're given. When my ticket is punched, my ticket is punched. Hopefully I make good choices that will extend my ride and ride that ends when I'm 82 and asleep after a night out with my Ton Up boys.
Quote from: tonupyank on August 24, 2008, 04:57:45 PM
I feel horrible for the (I'm assuming) mans family and friends. I'm nearly sick writing this and I can't belive how this has affected me.
R.I.P. biker guy. :(
I know what you mean about it affecting you. For some reason I keep thinking about some stuff like this. I've wanted to go for a ride all week but everytime I go near the bike I decide to do something else instead. A premonition maybe? ???
I hope this funk goes away soon.
Ugh, I know the feeling man. Years ago me and some guys would always hit the local canyons on Thanksgiving morning (we are in socal so the weather is usually sunny and crisp). We were all having a good time when a young rider (20 or so) low sided on turn only to be met by a tow-truck. We got to the scene, tried to help but it was too late. That day needless to say will stay with me for the rest of my life, thanksgiving dinner took a different meaning for me that year as all I could think of was the riders family and his friends and the horror they must have felt to have lost a loved one.
RIP biker!
Thanks boys. I had the chance to talk to a nurse friend about how she 'gets rid' of sights she sees at hospital. For her it's more of a clinic aspect, but she does bring some home with her. She said something that helped me, that it's difficult for us to comprehend a violent trauma to a human body, but know that what we saw was just that - the body. The soul had already left 'the package'. Maybe I'm just blathering here, but I know what I saw and it shook me to my core.
I need to let this go now. :-\
I also barly missed an accident occurance this weekend. I think it was a pretty mellow (as mellow as a crash can be) as the biker was sitting on the curb by the accident with a couple of paramedics, but it was still such a surreal thing to see even a smalish econo car with a Harley tucked nicely part of the way underneath it. Sorry for you guys who've seen some of the more gnarly accidents happen. I actually wake up some nights with the occasional less-than-settling moto dream and sometimes even have odd flashbacks of such events while I'm riding. The only thing that keeps me on the bike is that polar opposite, sheer, unadultrated joy it brings me which is something I really really need right now.
Thoughts and best of wishes to that rider's closest, and to everyone else, stay safe and enjoy.
Wow man, sorry you had to deal with that. Where did it happen. I was headed from the eastside up 395 to 20 and was headed towards
Winthrop as well. I didn't see anything about it all weekend, and I'm sorry you had to see it firsthand.
Hey Visceral, it was at the intersection of Hwy 543 and Concrete-Sauk Valley Rd. I mean RIGHT in the intersection. If you were heading north or south on 543 between probably 11am and 6pm, you didn't make it past that insection. Volunteer fire guy said 'full investigation' would be happening with the troopers. Bike was probably 30 meters off the road (north bound) in some trees with both wheels blown off, helmet was about 30 feet off the road (southbound) and the body was in the center of the road. I still can't figure out what he hit, but we didn't see the front of any vehicles facing southbound past the intersection.
I didn't see anything in the PI about it today either.
The other day as I was riding up one of our favorite roads, I came up on this REALLY STUPID GIRL. [bang] I WAS LIVID!!!
She was taking evey turn on the opposite side (point the car into a blind left turn) of the road. Who ever could have come down on at least 10 of those turns this idiot was riding on-------yea, not a pretty sight.
I notice after that day, I have slowed down quite a bit and have questioned riding all together. Watching that shook me up something awful. [coffee]
Wow, what a mess, sounds like speed was a factor?
I was just riding the "boring" part of hwy 20. Need to go over the mountains again soon.
Sorry again you had to see that, it really messes with your head.