I have been riding a motorcycle for about 20 year and until this
past Labor Day, I had never seen a fellow motorcyclist down on the
pavement when I was riding. It was sobering, especially since it
was the second crash scene we had come across during the ride and
the third in the past month!
This particular crash didn't look too gristly: it was a low-side
slide. I've seen riders walk away from these on the track or get
"minor" injuries like broken bones, so my hope is this person
wasn't hurt too badly.
From what I saw as I rode by the accident scene was he had a lot
of road rash on his back (despite wearing a jacket, which was
unzipped at that point; I don't know if a first responder had
unzipped it or if he was riding that way).
What I do know was he had obviously been lying there long enough
for a crowd to gather on a road that is loved for its low traffic
count. We rode slowly from the scene to the center of town, which
was about fifteen minutes away from the accident. When we got to
"town" we saw the volunteers rolling with the ambulance. My guess
is, that rider was going to be on the ground for at least a
half-hour before real help arrived. He would be transported to the
local hospital, which I'm guessing was at least another half hour
away. Any way you figure it that's a long time for a serious
injury.
Now, like many of you out there, I like to ride in a "spirited
fashion", though I like to think I pick my places and try to be
careful. I always wear a purpose built motorcycle jacket with back
pad, gloves, riding boots, a full face helmet and Carhartts (well,
usually). I'd like to shift the odds in my favor as much as I can.
But this crash has me thinking that I'll be slowing down a bit more
on the roads and just work on the flow.
Enjoy your ride, wear your gear and have fun out there!