HORRENDOUS LOSS!!!!!!!

[Warchild]

Oh. My. God.

This is a staggering loss to the Long Distance community!

I am writing to inform the LD community that Eddie James passed away lastnight as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle vs. car accident

occurring at approximately 7:30 PM on I-75 in Atlanta, Georgia. The

magnitude of this loss requires no amplification; there is so much I want to

say but find I have no words at this time, only sadness.

Additional information will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I ask that you

hold Eddie, Lisa and the family in the light of your thoughts and prayers.

Adam Wolkoff

for Team Strange Airheads, Inc.

 

[JT 384]

Sorry to hear that. My condolences and prayers to the family, RIP Eddie.

 

[kaitsdad]

Rest in Peace, Eddie. Thank You for everything.

My condolences to the James family.

 

[SkooterG]

Incomprehensible. Staggering. Just plain freaking sucks.

One of the good one's was take from us yesterday.

 

[beemerdons]

Rest In Peace, Eddie. We Stanley Boys are Praying for You and Your Family.

 

[squeezer]

Oh.. my... God. I can't believe we've lost Eddie James. I don't know what to say.

 

[Ignacio]

NO!

For those that wandered the Iron Butt website sometimes and wondered about pictures...this is vintage Eddie as posted by WC on one of Eddie's regular haunts:

He finished Top 10 in the '05 IBR with a stuffed teddie bear strapped to the bike of his bike...on a perpetual charity ride.

 

[bmwhd]

Wow. What a sad lost. Prayers for sure.

I use HOV lanes too and always fear the sudden stopped vehicle in a lane with very limited egress options.

 

[valetz]

Lyle T. Bear, and Eddie telling a one of his many stories...

 

[turbodave_98]

truly a sad loss to all of us LDRs. Prayers go out for family and friends. Life is short and we never know when we have seen our last sunrise or sunset.

 

[Warchild]

A bit of an update on this tragedy.... Bob Wooldridge has been in contact with Lisa (Eddie's widow) and passed the following along:

Lisa said she was O.K. with me sharing the particulars of the accident as I'm sure many of you want to know what happened.
Eddie was meeting with some folks from the Adventure Riders Forum for a Sunday nite pizza party in Atlanta. He left the group and was riding north on I-75 in the HOV lane behind a large vehicle. According to witnesses the vehicle swerved to the right suddendly to avoid a van that was stopped dead in the HOV lane. Eddie did not have time to react to the stalled vehicle and hit the tail end square on at speed. He was gone by the time the EMT's arrived. They did try to revive him, and he was transported to an ER but there was no hope. The police are still investigating and they say there will probably be charges filed against the van driver for stopping in the traffic lanes.

The van driver claims he had a flat tire. There was room to pull off of the HOV lane. This happened about two miles from their house.

We've lost a good friend and riding buddy. Right now John Pedro and Adam Wolkoff are really hurting. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and all of Eddies friends and family.

Bob & Lynda Wooldridge

This is truly a devastating tragedy.... I realize many here did not know of Eddie James, but those even remotely associated with the Long Distance/Endurance Riding community know that Eddie James was a Force of Nature, that he was a man larger than life. He and Adam Wolkoff were to be co-Rallymasters of the first ever Iron Butt 5000 next summer. I've been in contact with Adam today; my suspicion is that Adam is still is shock about this. To say the two were like brothers doesn't begin to describe their relationship.

I am still trying to process this, and I'll be honest; it isn't going well. This is the third time in three years of devastating losses to my motorcycling world... OrangevaleFJR in '07, TwoWheelNut in '08, and Eddie James in '09. Losses like this put Age on a man.

Requiescat in pace, Eddie James. Strength and Honor, my brother.

 

[Old Michael]

Rest in Peace, Eddie.

Take care, Dale.

 

[03silverbullet]

While I never had the opportunity to meet Eddie, I am truly sorry to hear this.

I can only hope that the driver of the van gets whats coming to him and I hope it's not pleasant. It amazes me how ignorant some people are.

RIP Eddie.

 

[DaJuice]

I'm honored to have known this icon of the LD community for the past few years. It is difficult for me to picture what a TeamStrange event will be without him. I never got the chance to be a participant in an event with him as rallymaster, but was looking forward to the next version of the "Giant Bat" bonus.

Wrong Bat:

Right Bat:

Both of these were in Louisville, KY a couple blocks apart.

 

[Warchild]

I can only hope that the driver of the van gets whats coming to him and I hope it's not pleasant. It amazes me how ignorant some people are.

I do as well. It won't bring Eddie back, but this van driver needs to be held accountable.

Reports are that Eddie died at the scene due to blunt trauma.

There was not a mark on him anywhere... not so much as a scratch on his face, because like all serious riders, he was ATGATT from head to toe when this incident occurred.

Still stunned by this. Just can not believe he's been taken from us....

 

[doctorJ]

"It amazes me how ignorant some people are."

Yes, it has been said that "stupid hurts" but usually referred to the stupid one. In many cases though it hurts someone else who isn't the stupid or ignorant one. I imagine, like most of us, Eddie had avoided a lot of stupid drivers actions in his motorcycle riding, but it only takes one. AS WC said, there has just been too much of this stuff in the last couple of years, including DAVO.

doctorj

 

[beemerdons]

https://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41512 Voni Glaves and Bob Wooldridge have posted Funeral Service Info.

 

[FJR-RemingtonRider]

With heartfelt sympathy to the family...Find Peace and Strength in each other, family and friends.

 

[jwilly]

Damn it! I read about this accident online and my stomach turned. Thoughts and prayers for the family and friends.

JW

Edit: link to story on AJC.com