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Kaelaria

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Feb 12, 2007
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Location
Holiday, FL
Not me, my wife :(

We took a ride for a couple hours to visit the Ikea store in Orlando and were coming home westbound on I-4, getting on NB I-75. The exit/entrance ramp is a long gentle curve, two lane. We were in the outside lane, she was riding behind me against my direction to her, just in case something happens (so I can see it and react quickly since odds are something will happen to her before me). Not 5 min prior down the road I had directed her to lead but she refused.

Anyway, just into the curve she paniced/froze, thinking she was going in to hot (we weren't), and she trusted the wrong instincts, standing the bike up, grabbing the brakes and shooting right off the road. LUCKILY it was a fiarly long grassy embankment, that had muddy weedy parts at the bottom, and she hit it at a shallow angle slowing her down in a hurry when she hit. She then ran through some small mangrove like trees, knocking her off the bike and sending it several feet into them on it's side. She said she closed her eyes when she got into the trees and screamed, then opened her eyes to see she was sitting on her butt in a shrub.

Unfortunately with me being ahead, I didn't see her immediately go off, and only had a general idea of where she could be. My first thought was she didn't make the exit and continued down I-4 and I REALLY didn't want to think about the what-if, of her actually going off the road. There is no shoulder, and no where for me to stop turn around or ride back. I made a split second decision once I saw her missing to go southbound and had to do the long way round of 4 exits to get back. A guy who witnessed it cought up to me at the first exit I was getting off at and confirmed my fear, that she indeed did go off on the curve. Needless to say I made it back ASAP, not caring if I got a ticket for 150 in the process.

I rolled up to find a trooper, a couple cars and a semi pulled over, with a crowd down in the trees. As I rolled up I saw a guy standing give me the OK hand signal, and my heart began beating again. I ran down and talked to her, she was in shock, but nothing broken. EMS and a firecrew rolled up and got her to lay down and gave her a once over, treating several bad gashes. She already had a few really bad bumps showing, and was getting sore and swollen. 2:30 later the scene was cleaned up and the bike was on a flatbed going home.

Shes super sore today on a cocktail of anti-inflamtories, motrin, icepacks and TLC. The HD dealer has her Sportster, and after I washed it for 30 min, removed 20 lbs of foilage, mud and limbs from it, the damage looks expensive, but cosmetic. It was techincally rideable home, but she wasn't able, no how no way. I rode it to the dealer this morning and dropped it off.

The far road ranger truck is where she went off. The pic is after I pulled it out of the trees and where she landed, 2nd pic.

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I hope everything works out OK, sounds like her ego may have got the worst damage. The flesh usually heals pretty quick.

I got the dreaded 'there's been an accident' phone call last year when my wife took a spill after hitting a Chevy Suburban and sliced her knee up pretty well. It was a lump in your throat scene to come upon with the bike scattered all over the road and your bride laying in the middle of it holding her leg. A short ambulance ride and a few hours in the hospital and the leg wounds were fine. Nothing broken fortunately. Thank you Lord.

Interesting side note: The ER Doc was on the ER team in PA when Ben Rothslesburger(sp?) had his little Hyabusa mis-hap so he has some cycle accident cleanup experience.

All is OK now and she's riding again on a new scoot.

Best wishes to you and her as she heals and relives this experience. Time heals.

 
Man, I'm sorry to hear that. I have that fear myself, since the wife has started riding. Give her our best wishes.

 
Sorry to hear it, hope she heals fast. This is my nightmare, looking back and no one there.

 
Great ending, although painful, she is at home and that is better than the other alternatives! Will keep her in our prayers for quick recovery and end of pain. Maybe now she will listen to you about staying in front. B)

 
Best wishes to your wife on a speedy and healthy recovery. Its always scary to think that your life can change dramatically in a heartbeat.

 
Glad to hear she is OK physically. I hope she is able to recover mentally and get back to riding, but that is a personal decision. Maybe it isn't even in her thoughts right now.

 
Good to hear that she's ok ..

I've got a wife who rides too. Whenever we get into the twisties I ride faster, then wait up for her. When she takes a bit longer than I expect, I start to fear the worst. I should know better .. she rides more conservatively than I do (she's deathly afraid of sand/gravel on the road), and doesn't crash as often as I do. And when we take the MSF and track days together, she usually gets better marks than me. Heck .. once the instructor pulled me off the track and said "look at how you're wife is hanging off .. that's how you're supposed to do it".

hm .. in your case .. maybe she needs a sportier bike to handle those corners better ;-)

 
Sorry to hear of the mishap, but glad she's not in really bad shape. My wife doesn't ride but the thought of her in some kind of accident with the kids runs through my mind on occasion.

Glenn

 
Sorry to hear it, hope she heals fast. This is my nightmare, looking back and no one there.
Ditto indeed. Heal fast.

When I started riding again a few years ago (after a multi-year hiatus) my wife's dismayed answer was, "Buy one if you must; I won't be getting on it." That eventually changed to her being a good passenger and then she opted to get her own bike. She took the MSF class and practiced a lot in a parking lot before venturing onto the streets, but I had hugely mixed feelings about her riding for fear of what you just went through.

I did always rode behind her, no ifs, ands, or buts, though when she was riding solo to work there was nothing I could do but worry. When she finally gave it up, citing the cage-bound lunatics, I wasn't completely disappointed.

Hope your wife heals quickly, learned her lesson, and rediscovers a love of riding. If we ever move out of SoCal, the redhead has said she wants to get back onto two wheels.

Rancho

 
Last year, my wife decided she wanted her own bike. I was highly dubious. Being a shortbody, she chose a Honda Silverwing 650. Her 'motorcycle' career lasted 30 minutes. She lost all interest in riding on her own afterwards, and I decided that was a good thing. She 'retired' happily, and only slightly injured.

The bike was okay. I talked my daughter into trying it. She's a drag racer, and can drive anything. Sure enough, she took to two wheels, instantly. Her observation was: "This is stupid. You could get run over on this thing. I don't want to use one."... Oh, well.

My oldest son wants to get his wife a bike. They've looked at some Sportsters. I'm going to save these pictures, and send them to him.

I've seen very few women who are actually suited for serious, long-term, street riding. Although it's not true for all, the majority make better pillions than pilots.

I'm glad your wife is okay. Her next decision is whether to ride or not to ride. If she quits, you might lose the fun of having a riding partner, but the worry you'll lose will more than make up for it.

Best of luck to her, whatever she chooses.

 
Thanks everyone, for all the comments.

Yes, right now she says she'll sell the bike for $1 when it comes back. I hope she will at least give it some time to think things through. If she gets back on, good for her, if not, no sweat off MY brow that's for sure.

She's a teacher and missed the first day back yesterday (no kids) but it wasn't anything terribly important. She went in today and started really moving around for the first time. I've gotten quite a few messages so far about how much she hurts and all the bruises that are now appearing LOL!

 
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