I saw a fellow biker get killed today.......

[Farp]

I was heading west on the I 90 just past the Snoqualmie Pass summit. Four lanes of medium density traffic going about 75 to 80 MPH when several hundred yards in front of me I saw a street sweeper truck in the fast lane going about 10 MPH. At the same time I saw what looked to be a DOT work truck and some workers in the slow lane right across from the street sweeper. So now it's four lanes into two with no warning!!! I saw an escape route to the paved shoulder and went for it, braking hard, and about the same time I saw the traffic in front of me locking up their brakes and heard the thump of a crash. I got around it safely on the shoulder and saw two bodies lying on the hwy and what looked like a full dress Harley in the weeds on the right hand side of the road. One of the riders was trying to get up but was hurt too bad to make it. He kept looking back at the other rider who I assume was his wife (couldn't tell if it was male or female) and was lying completely motionless and looked like she'd done a face plant at 70 MPH on the tarmac - and it was obvious she was dead. I won't go into any descriptions but it was probably the most terrible thing I've ever seen and I'm still horribly shaken up over it. I had come to a stop about 10 feet from the injured rider and about 30 feet further down the road from the one fatally injured. I told the injured rider to lie still and that help was coming but he was in too much shock to respond. I stayed there about another minute and then couldn't take the scene any more and left.

I couldn't tell what kind of a helmet the fatality had been wearing but the injured rider had one of those beany style helmets on so I assume his partner was wearing something similar. A better helmet might have saved her but she hit so hard that I doubt it would have made any difference. I posted this incident here hoping that maybe it would help ease the horrible, sickening feeling I have right now but so far it hasn't worked.

Ride safe my friends. Never lose focus on the road and always try to keep yourself aware of any avenues of escape that you might be able to use if there's a crash in front of you.

John

 

[mekanik]

Never a good thing to witness, see way too many riders not wearing the gear to save their own lives! Hope you can shake the images and feeling.

 

[dogon2whls]

Really sorry you had to witness that john . I won't try to offer you any strategies to deal with what you are experiencing other than to say that this is a genuine mental health issue , and if you feel you need to seek professional help , by all means do it .

i can steer you towards a very good counsellor if you'd like .

 

[Farp]

Thanks, Dog. I'm feeling better today. As they say "time heals all wounds".

John

 

[KTM-Bryon]

Glad you weren't involved in the crash, sorry you had to witness that.

News reports are more about the traffic delays from that accident than any info on what happened.

 

[LordEndo]

Terrible thing John. Thanks for posting. Thoughts and prayers to the riders.

 

[Shuswap]

snipped for brevity....

Ride safe my friends. Never lose focus on the road and always try to keep yourself aware of any avenues of escape that you might be able to use if there's a crash in front of you.

John

Very true Farp. Any time we ride among other vehicles it's a trip into an unforgiving and hostile environment. The shock of an event like this can make it very tough to get back in the saddle.....hope this doesn't affect you that way.

 

[caribooster]

John,

I am happy to hear that you are okay after going through such a tragic event. I get frustrated myself by the lack of warnings on highway maintenance as well as the over use of signs when work is being done. There is nothing more frustrating on the highway when the traffic is routed over to a single lane at 50 km/hr for 5 km and there is no work being performed that day.

Ride safe my friend and always keep one finger near the front brake.

Brad

 

[mroddis]

Hi John,
I can relate. This past July I was driving along the Cascade highway heading to do the WABDR. I came around a corner and came upon a Harley rider who had run wide and left the road seconds earlier. I was the first person on scene and quite quickly it was apparent the rider didn’t survive (please wear full face helmets – falling on a dirt shoulder shouldn’t kill you). I was joined by a few other riders but there was nothing for us to do except to call for help and just stay with the rider. It was a sobering and disturbing scene, and affected me deeply. Given the remote nature of Highway 20 it took about 25 minutes for the paramedics to arrive.

After finishing with the police I was on my way (I still had a day’s worth of riding to do even if I was to go home). The severity of the incident hit me a few miles down the road where I had to stop and gather my thoughts. Seeing a person lying there really hit me hard. I love riding my bike, but I also have a family and do whatever I can to make it home safe after each ride.

My initial reaction was to sell my bike – I contemplated giving up riding but my family understand the joy I get from it. I posted my story on ADVRider and got some good advice. It's been a month since the incident and I continue to ride. I do think about it occasionally.

I was was recommended to speak with a therapist who specializes in this sort of trauma. My mother in law is a phycologist and suggested I get some help to talk through the day. I have an appointment coming up. I can send you her info if you message me.

In short, it's something we all all face. I know seeing the effects of a fatal crash has affected me very deeply and I hope that you can eventually move on. I know what you're going through. Speak to people, share your thoughts, get help if you're comfortable doing so.

Ride safe, all.

Matthew.

 

[Farp]

Thanks, Mathew.

This is the second time I've seen a rider killed on the street. The first was an accident I saw in California while returning to my motel from a MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. The shock and horror at seeing something like that cannot be adequately described. It took a while to get over seeing the Laguna accident and I expect it will take a similar length of time to get over this one, but the terrible memory of the accidents, unfortunately, can never be forgotten. My advice to anyone who encounters such an accident is this: if there are others attending to the injured and there's nothing you can do to help, then stay away. Do not go for a look because you will create a memory you do not want to have, and the sight will create a severe emotional shock that you absolutely do not want to experience.

Ride safe my friends, and I hope you never have to see anything like this.

John

 

[redpillar]

+1 on that.