Horrible accident during our ride today

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2006FJR

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We had just took the bikes across the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and we are heading down the 101 when we saw this lady pull out slowly in front of a van. It hit her camper so hard and with so much force it flipped her camper on it's side. My wife and I pull over and everyone starts calling on their cell phones to get help. Mean while the camper van is spilling gas on the road and starting to smoke. No one even thought to go to help the lady in the van because it looked like it was getting ready to start fire. There was a Marine and I who looked at each other and started running to her aid. He and I jumped up and in he went. He was able to crawl in and undo her seat belt and I was able to pull her out and down to safety before the fire ignited.

While we were doing this some knuckelheads were getting ready to light flares and place them around the accident. There was gas all over the ground and these guys in their attempt to help could have killed us. It was a messed up situation but the lady was taken to a local hospital and seemed to be alright. Just wanted to share.

 
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No one even thought to go to help the lady in the van because it looked like it was getting ready to start fire. There was a Marine and I who looked at each other and started running to her aid. He and I jumped up and in he went. He was able to crawl in and undo her seat belt and I was able to pull her out and down to safety before the fire ignited....
courage = feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Absolutely great that there were two of you, out of the group.

From the rest of the motoring public, and her, thank you :excl:

 
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It's great that you helped! Even better that you guys got her out!

I know just what you mean...in the middle of the night, I once came upon a car that had hit a tree head-on (trees just always get in the way, you know). There was already a fire under the hood, and when I got stopped I heard two voices screaming...one in pain, one screaming "mi hermano!" It was a couple of years ago, and rather traumatic for me (I got off easy, the guy's leg was burning)...made me start thinking about whether anybody would help me if I were in his shoes.

Being raised in the mid-west, I have always tended to stop and help people, but now that I'm in California, I'm seeing that it's kinda rare around here.

Hope that YOU are one of the people that sees the accident, if I ever end up in one!

 
It was an accident. It was unnecessary. It was a waste. It was NOT horrible. It MIGHT have been horrible, but everyone got off easy.

No guts, no body parts, no explosions.

 
It was an accident. It was unnecessary. It was a waste. It was NOT horrible. It MIGHT have been horrible, but everyone got off easy.
No guts, no body parts, no explosions.
You make a good point Bramfrank and your right. Everyone did get off pretty easy. I guess I was suprised to see 5 strong males standing around with cell phones in their ear looking at the camper van and talking to the police on their cell phones.

 
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It was an accident. It was unnecessary. It was a waste. It was NOT horrible. It MIGHT have been horrible, but everyone got off easy.
No guts, no body parts, no explosions.
You make a good point Bramfrank and your right. Everyone did get off pretty easy. I guess I was suprised to see 5 strong males standing around with cell phones in their ear looking at the camper van and talking to the police on their cell phones.
When I read the above, this is what entered my mind: Why do they call it Common Sense?

You should now have a reservation in heaven. Good job.

 
You did the right thing, of course. Glad we still have conscientious and considerate folks around.

In the mountain west, most of us feel a moral obligation or imperative to help those in distress; if you pass them by, they could die from exposure to the elements. Stopping to help is not a moral option; in fact, its a legal requirement, depending on the severity of the circumstances. I could cite many instances where I have helped people injured, broken down, stuck, and could cite many where people have come to my aid when I was in a jam. Just recently I broke down (failed front wheel bearings) on my FJR in a very remote area 25 miles from home. The first vehicle that came along stopped, gave me a lift right to my house, then offered to go back out with me to load the broken bike. Mighty fine folks around here. Two weeks ago, my wife and I were enjoying cocktails on the deck of our riverfront cabin, six hypothermic youngin's come floating by on inner tubes at 9:30 p.m., 10 minutes of light left and two hours from their get-out and vehicle. Yup, rounded up blankets, coats, sweatshirts, whatever we had, got 'em warmed up and transported downriver to their rig. It was not optional. I, too, have been rescued off a river during a float trip gone bad.

What goes around, comes around.

You made a nice deposit in your karma bank.

Big Sky

 
We had just took the bikes across the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and we are heading down the 101 when we saw this lady pull out slowly in front of a van.
So what was the deal? Did her brakes fail? Or was she just another incompetent driver causing an accident?

(me, I would've just said "ooooh, THAT looks painful!" and kept on going)

 
We just had a similar situation here near Vancouver WA yesterday. A local guy went to the aid of a woman who was trapped in her vehicle that had been in an accident and was on fire. He got her partially out of a window (after he'd broke it out with his foot) and had to stop because the smoke was so intense. On his 2nd attempt he got her out. He suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns on his hands and arms. Complete story here: https://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/20...burning-van.cfm

You're both heroes in my book.

 
Sounds to me like you two had understanding while the rest of the crowd was performing to calliope music.

Always a potentially deadly situation.

Good job!

 
While we were doing this some knuckelheads were getting ready to light flares and place them around the accident. There was gas all over the ground and these guys in their attempt to help could have killed us. It was a messed up situation but the lady was taken to a local hospital and seemed to be alright. Just wanted to share.
Sounds about right. Eight out of ten people are ******* idiots.

You and the marine did good.

 
Ain't nothing wrong with being a good boy scout. You did the right thing, I hope it comes back around to you. If decent folk don't help the fools and idiots, the whole world would go to hell. Some of those idiots live to become decent folks themselves. You make me proud of you.

 
The Marine with you would appreciate this:

b-icon.gif


z-icon.gif


Bravo Zulu.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bravo_Zulu

 
We had just took the bikes across the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and we are heading down the 101 when we saw this lady pull out slowly in front of a van. It hit her camper so hard and with so much force it flipped her camper on it's side. My wife and I pull over and everyone starts calling on their cell phones to get help. Mean while the camper van is spilling gas on the road and starting to smoke. No one even thought to go to help the lady in the van because it looked like it was getting ready to start fire. There was a Marine and I who looked at each other and started running to her aid. He and I jumped up and in he went. He was able to crawl in and undo her seat belt and I was able to pull her out and down to safety before the fire ignited.
While we were doing this some knuckelheads were getting ready to light flares and place them around the accident. There was gas all over the ground and these guys in their attempt to help could have killed us. It was a messed up situation but the lady was taken to a local hospital and seemed to be alright. Just wanted to share.
== Awesome job... twice in my life I've been given an opportunity to help in a life threatening situation, both turned out well and both times people just stood there

with that "somebody ought to do something look "... GREAT JOB!! :clapping: :clapping:

 
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