Hi All,

I haven't posted much for a while because my new job has kept me pretty busy and I can't attend hardly any of the events.  But I had an experience last night that made me want to say something. 

My new job is as a Minneapolis Police Officer and last night I came across my first motorcycle fatality.  There were many factors that contributed to the accident.  Any one of which could have been enough to cause a crash.  But the reason that this one was fatal was that he was not wearing a helmet. 

It's not entirely clear what happened since there were no witnesses.  But he hit an island median and I believe he was thrown from the bike and was air borne for about 20 feet.  He landed on his head, rolled and skidded to a stop on the other side of the median.  I was the first one on scene and had to try to scrape away the pool of blood and guck away from his face to try and open an airway.  As far as we could tell he did not break any other bones.

I know I'm preaching to the chior here since Ducati riders as a group seem to be some of the best about wearing their gear.  But a little reminder never hurts anyone.

Stay Safe

Quote from: Sgt_H on June 02, 2009, 08:48:45 PM
Hi All,

I haven't posted much for a while because my new job has kept me pretty busy and I can't attend hardly any of the events.  But I had an experience last night that made me want to say something. 

My new job is as a Minneapolis Police Officer and last night I came across my first motorcycle fatality.  There were many factors that contributed to the accident.  Any one of which could have been enough to cause a crash.  But the reason that this one was fatal was that he was not wearing a helmet. 

It's not entirely clear what happened since there were no witnesses.  But he hit an island median and I believe he was thrown from the bike and was air borne for about 20 feet.  He landed on his head, rolled and skidded to a stop on the other side of the median.  I was the first one on scene and had to try to scrape away the pool of blood and guck away from his face to try and open an airway.  As far as we could tell he did not break any other bones.

I know I'm preaching to the chior here since Ducati riders as a group seem to be some of the best about wearing their gear.  But a little reminder never hurts anyone.

Stay Safe

Wow.  This is a stark reminder of how dangerous motorcycling is.

I always wear my helmet, but I have been lax with other gear at times.  That will change.

perhaps a broken neck may have attributed to the fatality?

Quote from: MAXdB on June 02, 2009, 11:07:46 PM
perhaps a broken neck may have attributed to the fatality?

That's possible.  I don't want to speculate too much because that's not my job, and this is a man with a family, but having seen him, I'm pretty sure that it was the head trauma.

Thanks for posting. I heard about this. He was a deputy sheriff riding a bike that he built. I'm surprised that an officer would ride without a helmet after seeing what he does every day. In this land of the free, we get to choose so please...choose wisely.

R.I.P. fellow biker.

Not only does that make me want to always wear my helmet (which I do 99% of the time anyway), but it makes me want to get a new one, as mine is about 7-8 years old.....

That's why I'm an ATGATT guy, full face, bohn mesh with knee, hip, and tailbone pads, and my favorite, I clip into a Hit-Air airbag jacket every time I saddle up.

I think I've ridden a total of about 10 miles in the last 10 years without a helmet.  I just feel completely exposed without one.

Sgt H - I didn't know you'd become a Minneapolis .    Good for you.  

furthest i ride without my space suit is from my garage up the street to my house down the street to wash the bike, never exceeding 10 mph.
too damn windy!

Terrible to hear. I moved to Rochester in April after living in NC for 10 years. NC has a helmet law and loads of good M/C roads, therefore many helmet-clad motorcyclists. Once I got here and the weather turned nice, I was amazed/shocked/appalled at the sheer number of riders who choose not to wear helmets. There does not seem to be a real difference among sportbikers, cruisers, tourers or scooter riders. I won't even start into my "I don't understand how someone can even tolerate the discomfort of riding with no helmet..." piece, but hopefully for every story like this, one more rider makes that choice a little more wisely.

Quote from: gregrnel on June 03, 2009, 07:04:13 AM
That's why I'm an ATGATT guy, full face, bohn mesh with knee, hip, and tailbone pads, and my favorite, I clip into a Hit-Air airbag jacket every time I saddle up.

Sorry to threadjack, but what's a Hit-Air airbag jacket? Never heard of that.

I bought this (  http://www.eggparka.com/english/lineup/gp2/index.html  ) in red about 2 months back (pricey at $550), on it's own it's a nice textile jacket with elbow, shoulder and back pads. The air bag mechanism offers great bonus protection especially in critical back and chest areas. It takes a little while to get into the clip in/out habit, but now it's like putting a seatbelt on in a car. It takes quite a tug to set it off, so even if you forget to unclip, it's not going to be set off unless you really yank at it. I feel good wearing it and feel I'll wind up in much better shape if I get whacked by a cager.

Quote from: erik822 on June 03, 2009, 12:06:11 PM
Sorry to threadjack, but what's a Hit-Air airbag jacket? Never heard of that.