Putting Things Into Perspective: The Aftermath of Local Motorcycle Accident

In this world there are two types of people – those who laugh at the sight of someone being unexpectedly smacked in the nuts and those that don’t. If I were to put myself in one camp, it would be the latter. I don’t have a problem with the humor – it’s seeing someone get injured that makes me uncomfortable. It’s the reason why I’ve never been able to watch Jackass and why I can’t bring myself to watch the various Motorcycle Crash Analysis Videos on YouTube, no matter how beneficial they might be.

I bring this up because I recently had the opportunity to see the aftermath of a serious motorcycle accident. Not that I’m not safe on the road but the sight really put things into perspective – especially since I had been out riding on my new bike just the day before.

Getting a Call for Help

Sunday was a beautiful morning for riding – the temperature was in the 60’s and traffic was light. All I wanted to do was throw on my gear and go out for a pleasant ride. Unfortunately, I had plenty to do before I could even think about taking out the bike. After a few hours of working on my computer, I hopped on my lawn tractor to cut the grass (which had grown like crazy after all the rain we’ve had). While mowing, I got a text from my wife “My Dad got a call – can you give him a hand unloading the rollback?”

My Father In-Law ownS an Auto-Body Shop and does towing for the township. Generally, when he needs a hand unloading the rollback, the vehicle is in really bad shape. I was happy to help and a bit shocked when I arrived at the shop. Laid over on the back of the rollback was a Harley Davidson – what was left of one, anyway…

My Father In-Law went on to explain that the accident happened at about 7pm on Saturday. Two bikes went down, one rider was taken to the hospital by ambulance and the other required a helicopter. He didn’t have specifics on the accident – all he knew was that this particular bike went down and began tumbling for about one-hundred feet. When it came to rest, it caught fire and burned hot enough to melt the bumper of a nearby parked car.

After the severity of the accident sunk in, we got to work and began manhandling the bike. I think it is safe to assume that the bike is totaled.

Accident Report

After I got back home and finished my yard work, I was curious and decided to see what I could find out about the accident. There wasn’t much to be found aside from the report from the local Fire Company – which simply stated that they responded to an accident involving two motorcycles. One rider was airlifted out due to serious injuries.

Comments on the Facebook Post from the Fire Company claim that witnesses saw two motorcyclists riding aggressively “scraping pegs through the intersection”. Given that Harley’s tend to be loud (which may make them seem aggressive even when they aren’t) and scraping pegs is very possible on a hard turn, I’d like to give the riders the benefit of the doubt. There is also a report that one rider may have rear-ended the other, causing the crash.

Whatever caused the crash, the end result is the same – two people were seriously injured. It was a stark reminder that motorcycles are inherently dangerous and require a great deal of respect. It is my hope that both riders come away without lasting injuries.

Photo Credit:

• Accident Photo: Gilbertsville Fire & Rescue Co. On Facebook