I hope that by sharing this story, everyone will be able to glean information from it, and that it may someday save someones life. I got the unfortunate news that my father had been involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on Saturday morning 7/29/2017.
My dad had 42 years of over the road truck driving experience and had racked up quite a safety record. Over 2.5 million miles hauling mostly gasoline and fuel, but also the occasional load of anhydrous ammonia and propane, all without being involved in an at fault accident. That's 25 years of driving an 18-wheeler without a serious mistake on his part. He's been retired for just over 2 years, and has thousands of miles driven on motorcycles. Up to this point, he has never been involved in a motorcycle accident.
From my law enforcement experience I was able to go back and really put most of the pieces together. My dad was driving eastbound on a 2 lane highway that was very familiar to him at 0820 in the morning on Saturday. The speed limit was 65mph. He was within 150 feet of a railroad crossing and a contract worker was moving a railroad tie puller across the intersection. I can't tell you whether or not the gate arms were down or if my dad identified the equipment first. He identified the hazard and locked both the front and rear brakes up. The bike he was on, a 2012 HD Softail, left over 80 feet of skid marks before laying over on the left side in the westbound lane. My dad and the bike made contact with the railroad equipment between 50-55mph and he suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries. He was pronounced deceased on scene shortly after paramedics had arrived.
Having been on this same road many many times before I know how bright the sun can be heading that direction at that time of day. I do not have a definitive answer as to whether or not the sun in his eyes could have been a major contributing factor, but that's one possibility.
Here's a few points I want to make:
1. Tell your loved ones that you care about them. I think that as a society in general we lose sight of what really matters in life, and we all take a lot for granted. I thank God that the last thing I said to my dad was, "I love you" before I hung up the phone the afternoon before the accident. The last time we saw each other was with our entire family at 4th of July. If you're at odds with your family, please take the time to mend those relationships, if possible.
2. Wear your helmet. My dad was always big into safety, but for some reason he didn't like wearing a helmet on the Harley. He had the same problems I had on my V-Star with the full face helmets buffeting in the wind because of the wind flow around the bike and fuel tank. I hounded him relentlessly that if he were involved in a fatal accident and the only injuries sustained were to his head that I wouldn't be able to live with myself. On this morning my dad decided to put on his half-helmet. This subsequently saved his skull from catastrophic damage and allowed me to see him today, one last time. Your helmet may not save you, but it may allow closure to your family.
3. Wear appropriate gear. The summers are hot and I often see guys wearing flip flops, shorts, and t-shirts on their bikes. My dad had on a t-shirt, leather vest, finger less gloves, blue jeans, and work boots. He sustained a bad fracture of his left arm and a fractured femur on his right leg. You have to assume that if you go down in a t-shirt you're not walking away unscathed. If my dad would have survived the accident with just the broken bones, his life would have never been the same.
4. Last but most definitely not least. Get right with God. Some of you may not like this last point, but I'm going to say it anyways. My dad was a christian man, as am I. The only thing in this horrible situation that has put me at peace is knowing that I will someday see him again. My faith is the only thing that has made a difference. My dad left this world in a hurry doing something he loved. He didn't suffer and was very quickly in a better place. If you're in a tough place with your faith, send me a message and let me pray with you. If you'd like to talk about God or have questions please let me know. I don't have all the answers, but I hope that I can shed some light on the subject.
Even with my dad's impeccable safety record, the right set of circumstances came together at the worst possible time. I'm a firm believer that when your time comes, it doesn't matter what you're doing, your time is up. I really hated the fact that he went while riding, as that was one of the best memories I have of my dad, and started out riding on the back at a young age. I will never stop riding, as it will always remind me of him. He was 67 years old.
My dad had 42 years of over the road truck driving experience and had racked up quite a safety record. Over 2.5 million miles hauling mostly gasoline and fuel, but also the occasional load of anhydrous ammonia and propane, all without being involved in an at fault accident. That's 25 years of driving an 18-wheeler without a serious mistake on his part. He's been retired for just over 2 years, and has thousands of miles driven on motorcycles. Up to this point, he has never been involved in a motorcycle accident.
From my law enforcement experience I was able to go back and really put most of the pieces together. My dad was driving eastbound on a 2 lane highway that was very familiar to him at 0820 in the morning on Saturday. The speed limit was 65mph. He was within 150 feet of a railroad crossing and a contract worker was moving a railroad tie puller across the intersection. I can't tell you whether or not the gate arms were down or if my dad identified the equipment first. He identified the hazard and locked both the front and rear brakes up. The bike he was on, a 2012 HD Softail, left over 80 feet of skid marks before laying over on the left side in the westbound lane. My dad and the bike made contact with the railroad equipment between 50-55mph and he suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries. He was pronounced deceased on scene shortly after paramedics had arrived.
Having been on this same road many many times before I know how bright the sun can be heading that direction at that time of day. I do not have a definitive answer as to whether or not the sun in his eyes could have been a major contributing factor, but that's one possibility.
Here's a few points I want to make:
1. Tell your loved ones that you care about them. I think that as a society in general we lose sight of what really matters in life, and we all take a lot for granted. I thank God that the last thing I said to my dad was, "I love you" before I hung up the phone the afternoon before the accident. The last time we saw each other was with our entire family at 4th of July. If you're at odds with your family, please take the time to mend those relationships, if possible.
2. Wear your helmet. My dad was always big into safety, but for some reason he didn't like wearing a helmet on the Harley. He had the same problems I had on my V-Star with the full face helmets buffeting in the wind because of the wind flow around the bike and fuel tank. I hounded him relentlessly that if he were involved in a fatal accident and the only injuries sustained were to his head that I wouldn't be able to live with myself. On this morning my dad decided to put on his half-helmet. This subsequently saved his skull from catastrophic damage and allowed me to see him today, one last time. Your helmet may not save you, but it may allow closure to your family.
3. Wear appropriate gear. The summers are hot and I often see guys wearing flip flops, shorts, and t-shirts on their bikes. My dad had on a t-shirt, leather vest, finger less gloves, blue jeans, and work boots. He sustained a bad fracture of his left arm and a fractured femur on his right leg. You have to assume that if you go down in a t-shirt you're not walking away unscathed. If my dad would have survived the accident with just the broken bones, his life would have never been the same.
4. Last but most definitely not least. Get right with God. Some of you may not like this last point, but I'm going to say it anyways. My dad was a christian man, as am I. The only thing in this horrible situation that has put me at peace is knowing that I will someday see him again. My faith is the only thing that has made a difference. My dad left this world in a hurry doing something he loved. He didn't suffer and was very quickly in a better place. If you're in a tough place with your faith, send me a message and let me pray with you. If you'd like to talk about God or have questions please let me know. I don't have all the answers, but I hope that I can shed some light on the subject.
Even with my dad's impeccable safety record, the right set of circumstances came together at the worst possible time. I'm a firm believer that when your time comes, it doesn't matter what you're doing, your time is up. I really hated the fact that he went while riding, as that was one of the best memories I have of my dad, and started out riding on the back at a young age. I will never stop riding, as it will always remind me of him. He was 67 years old.
