Motorcyclist Survives Accident Wearing Airbag Jacket

[BrianG]

Hello all,

I recently posted in a thread here about the motorcycle airbag jacket concept and it's potential safety benefits. To my knowledge there are currently three brands of these products now being sold in the US: The Hit-Air Jacket, the Impact Jacket, and the Airetronics Vest. This weekend I was forwarded an account of a motorcyclist in Baltimore who survived an accident while wearing the Impact Jacket. I was able to contact the rider and verify the following story came directly from him:

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Saved by Impact

Sunday morning, September 23, 2007 at 1:30 a.m. a couple of riders and I were headed home on I-83 northbound in Baltimore, which is a 4 lane interstate. While enjoying the ride in the far left lane approaching traffic I slowed down because there was a car in front of me. That car was parallel to another car that was in the next lane. To avoid being boxed in I looked and then changed one lane over to the right. I then looked again and changed over one more lane to the right. I obtained the open lane and the car that was in the last lane that I changed from moved over to my lane, cut me off and slammed on their brakes. There was not enough time for braking so I rear ended that vehicle. I was thrown to the ground where I rolled and slid for a football field length of yards. The interstate was shut down. My riding buddies were trying to wake me up as I was passed out on the pavement. All I could remember hearing from them was that “your jacket saved your life.” I passed out again and woke up in the ER of Sinai Hospital with State Troopers standing over me telling me “your jacket saved your life.” I sustained a broken thumb socket, which needed immediate surgery, road rash on my whole left side from leg to shoulder, a single abrasion all the way down to the bone and a sore left rib cage. My 2006 ZX10 Kawasaki Ninja was demolished. I will take that over death any day. I owe it all to God and Impact Jackets. Don’t ride without your IMPACT.

Thank you,

Joseph Mcphatter

Rider

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I am attempting to find out more details including the condition of the jacket after the accident, if the airbag stayed in tact or was deflated as a result of the friction, etc...

This is to my knowledge the first time a motorcyclist in the United States has experienced an accident while wearing an airbag jacket. I am obviously very happy to hear Joseph is going to recover and am initially very encouraged the airbag jacket did it's job as intended.

I will post to this thread as I'm able to get more information. I am anxious to hear your thoughts on this story.

Thanks,

Brian

 

[TriggerT]

OK, I'll bite. First off, glad to hear he is OK. BUT he must have been going WAY, WAY faster that the rest of traffic to have hit the car that cut him off with that much force. Or the guy cut him off and slammed on the brakes. SO inattentive or reckless driving sounds like a pretty good possibility.

Next, I don't think the "Airjacket" specifically saved his life. More like having some kind of gear on saved his life. We can play "Cocktail What If" all day on something like this, but again I would guess that if he had been wearing FULL ATGATT his injuries might have been even less, since it sounds like he only had jeans or some other non riding pants on.

I am by no means saying the Airjacket is a bad idea, but lets not make it into the "Wear this and you can ride like a Jackass" save your life no matter what, latest piece of motorcycle gear.

Just my $0.02. You can tell me to F.O. now.

 

[BrunDog]

I think the jacket is a good idea, and if other features are comparable to non-inflatable jackets, I would/will get one. It is probably an inevitability that more jacket MFGs will incorporate an active protection system on theirs.

I agree with Trigger that nobody (save a real forensic scientist) could make the claim that the jacket saved the rider's life. But stacking the odds in our favor is what it is all about. Mitigating risk as much as possible in this risky sport/hobby includes ATGATT as well as driving skill and best practices (space & time cushions, etc.).

-BD

 

[ionbeam]

road rash on my whole left side from leg to shoulder....I am attempting to find out more details including the condition of the jacket after the accident, if the airbag stayed in tact or was deflated

If his whole left side, including the shoulder was rashed it would be a good guess that his coat disintegrated or the waist wasn't anchored and it slid up.

 

[BrianG]

Just received another e-mail from the rider in this accident. Here is a bit of additional information he shared:

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The bag stayed inflated, but I wore a size too big for this jack(et) so my left inner elbow and the back of my left shoulder was badly scrapped. The rest of the jacket was cut up by EMTs on the scene, but most of jacket held up.

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I am not saying the airbag jacket would give someone a license to drive recklessly - not sure of all the details - just what you read. But I do think this story is important and worthy of discussion.

Thanks,

Brian

 

[BrianG]

Thought many of you would be interested to read the story and watch video of the newscast from the local NBC station in Baltimore regarding Joseph McPhatter and his experience with the airbag jacket discussed in this thread...

The story verifies my assumption that this is the first motorcyle accident in the US where the rider was wearing an airbag jacket.

Here is the link:

https://www.wbaltv.com/news/14328936/detail.html?taf=bal

Thanks,

Brian

 

[OhioFJR1300]

I get thiserror when I try the posted link "Page Not Found

You have requested a page that cannot be found.

Please use the navigation or search box on this page to guide you to your desired content."

I would like to read this, sounds like a good idea. Any one else have a problem with the link? Or is it just me?

 

[1hellofaride]

I also get " page not found "

 

[BrianG]

I also get " page not found "

Sorry - think I posted the wrong link. Here it is corrected:

https://www.wbaltv.com/news/14328936/detail.html?taf=bal

 

[exskibum]

From the article:

Joseph McPhatter, of Randallstown, was injured in a crash on Interstate 83 after being cut off by another motorist in September. According to police, McPhatter was ejected 100 feet, hitting the ground at an impact rate of 140 mph.

With respect to TriggerT's comment about the likely speed differentials involved and riding like a jackass: sometimes riding like a jackass makes for good gear test conditions.

Just saying.

 

[BrianG]

From the article:

Joseph McPhatter, of Randallstown, was injured in a crash on Interstate 83 after being cut off by another motorist in September. According to police, McPhatter was ejected 100 feet, hitting the ground at an impact rate of 140 mph.

With respect to the TriggerT's comment about the likely speed differentials involved and riding like a jackass: sometimes riding like a jackass makes for good gear test conditions.

Just saying.

He was going 70 mph when the car slammed on their brakes in front of him, not 140.

Brian

 

[Silver Penguin]

He was going 70 mph when the car slammed on their brakes in front of him, not 140.

So where does the impact with the ground, at a speed of 140mph come from? Is the driver who slammed his brakes on being held accountable for any part of this?

Jill

 

[Kevin Daly]

OK, I'll bite. First off, glad to hear he is OK. BUT he must have been going WAY, WAY faster that the rest of traffic to have hit the car that cut him off with that much force. Or the guy cut him off and slammed on the brakes. SO inattentive or reckless driving sounds like a pretty good possibility.
Next, I don't think the "Airjacket" specifically saved his life. More like having some kind of gear on saved his life. We can play "Cocktail What If" all day on something like this, but again I would guess that if he had been wearing FULL ATGATT his injuries might have been even less, since it sounds like he only had jeans or some other non riding pants on.

I am by no means saying the Airjacket is a bad idea, but lets not make it into the "Wear this and you can ride like a Jackass" save your life no matter what, latest piece of motorcycle gear.

Just my $0.02. You can tell me to F.O. now.

I'm with you on this one Trig. I would add that if the jacket provided so much protection why does he have road rash all the way up to the sholder AND rash to the bone no less. At 70 miles an hour it would have been unlikley that he would have sustained that kind of damage, at least not in leather with integrated dual compound armor.

I too hanve no formal opinion on the air jacket, but it seems to me that if that concept is to work the jacket needs to be able to survive a bit more road contact time.

 

[TriggerT]

Again, we can play the "What if" and 'Yeah But" game on this all damn day, but there are just WAY too many factors in any crash to say "The jacket saved his Life." That would imply that he would have been OK without a helmet, or other factors. Did the jacket help? Bet your ass.

One thing that I thought of today, is that "Active" armour is the future for all types of protection. The military has been working on this for years, starting with both ship and tanks. Just as they had problems when they started out, there will be problems with active armour in motorcycle gear. That being said, once the bugs are worked out, I think active armour of some kind will someday be a no brainer. For now, it is still in its infancy.

 

[SMC]

It bears keeping an open mind and watching the development of this kind of protection that is available.

Someday when they get more of the bugs worked out many more of us may be using an active system

like this?

 

[Kevin Daly]

Again, we can play the "What if" and 'Yeah But" game on this all damn day, but there are just WAY too many factors in any crash to say "The jacket saved his Life." That would imply that he would have been OK without a helmet, or other factors. Did the jacket help? Bet your ass.
One thing that I thought of today, is that "Active" armour is the future for all types of protection. The military has been working on this for years, starting with both ship and tanks. Just as they had problems when they started out, there will be problems with active armour in motorcycle gear. That being said, once the bugs are worked out, I think active armour of some kind will someday be a no brainer. For now, it is still in its infancy.

correct me if I am wrong but active armor is actually an explosive (perhaps a directional explosive) that is integrated into armor plating. for some odd reason, i just dont see that as an option for mass public consumption. But thats just me.

 

[TriggerT]

You are correct about the active armour in military applications. However, my point in that armour is evolving, and that we will see improvements in this field like we have never seen in the past over the next few years. Just my $0.02

 

[tcfjr]

From Geekologie:

The Impact jacket helps protect your delicate head and neck in case you get into a motorcycle accident. It's a padded jacket that features an airbag that deploys if you're launched from your bike. It works via a lanyard that you attach to the frame. If the lanyard is pulled with greater than 25-35 lbs of force, a CO2 cartridge deploys the bag while you're flying through the air/sliding on the pavement. Apparently it works well, because some dude in Maryland flew over 100 ft in excess of 140 mph and walked away with only minor injuries. I'm getting one for sure, and I only ride a bicycle. Ever since the training wheels came off, I've had a hard time controlling that thing.

From the vendor, Impact Jackets:

IMPACT JACKETS provides personal airbag protection jackets for motorcycle riders and horse back riders.

After the helmet, personal airbag protection jackets may be the most important safety innovation for motorcycle riders and horse back riders alike. What the industry has learned won't shock anyone. Having them is crucial and having them in the right place is even more important. Just about anything your body hits at high speed can cause serious injury or death. Your personal airbag protection jacket is what you need to reduce the risk of serious injury or death.

A report on real-world testing from Core77:

Also turns out it works--Maryland motorcyclist Joseph McPhatter was the first (involuntary) rider to use the jacket in a crash, as he flew 100 feet through the air and hit the pavement at an estimated speed of 140 miles per hour. His injuries were minor.

 

[kulwen]

Website

Does anyone have one of these?

I am not sold on this. I still think CyclePort gear is the way to go.

Thoughts?