Rider friend killed, a lesson for everyone

[yamaholic]

Well, I attended the wake today of a former co-worker, a female about 47 years old who has been riding about 7 years.

She was killed by pulling the plug, after an MC accident which left her in a coma w/ little chance for recovery. Damage to the brain stem and a grim diagnosis.

What got her....a stupid groundhog! She told the hospital when she was still conscious the first 24 hours that she swerved to avoid a groundhog and low sided. She also was not wearing a helmet!

Now this is a subject I've been harping to my wife about for a few years as she is a new rider and we have a lot of critters running around my area. My advice to my wife has been, and shall remain....don't react (much) to avoid a small animal. Just pretend it's a big pothole, stand up slightly, get loose on the bars, accelerate just before the animal, and just hit the thing square on. Don't brake, don't swerve...just hit it with the technique above.

700lbs on a few inches of tread contact vs. a groundhog is no match. A deer, moose, elk...sure get the )($*$ out it's way and do whatever it takes to stop/avoid it!!! But not something small like a cat, dog, rabbit, squirrel, groundhog, etc.

A lesson here for all of us to NOT overreact should a small object appear out of nowhere. Just act like it's a huge pothole and face it head on. Let the bike react UNDER you by getting your weight off the seat. The helmet thing is obvious. Yet here in Ohio, where helmets are not mandatory, almost ALL riders I see out there don't wear one. This gal always wore one, and I cannot figure out why she was not wearing one during the accident. Neither can her family and friends.

Nonetheless, IMO due to overreaction and not wearing a helmet, it cost this gal her life.

Just passing this along not to begin a mourn session, but to educate you guys on what to do should a small animal get your way.

So...that's....stand up slightly, loosen up on the bars, square off, accelerate, and hit it right in the kisser.

 

[FJR Steve]

Agreed.

We teach our new starters at the mine to NOT swerve to miss a kangaroo. AIM for it. Last guy that swerved rolled the vehicle and destroyed the utility (Toyota). He was lucky to be alive, The cab was crushed, and the steering wheel was resting on the drivers seat.

DON'T SWERVE. AIM.

It's also humane.

 

[huron52]

Sad news indeed.

RIP

Have to agree with you. I ran over a small dog years ago with the front tire. must rolled or something because I didn't hit him with the rear and he was running away last I saw him. Bet he never chased any thing for a while after. Hit it square on as possible and it was just a bump in the road.

 

[Silent]

If it's bigger than you can eat in a single sitting, then try and avoid, if it's smaller, then aim for it h34r:

 

[madmike2]

Be wise in your decision. IIRC, a coyote did bad juju to Warchild's FJR, and a killer jackrabbit did some major harm to the plastic of his XX. Hmmmmm, Dale, that's 3 animal strikes (including the deer strike with the ST1100). :dribble: We gotta work on your kharma meter!

 

[yamaholic]

Be wise in your decision. IIRC, a coyote did bad juju to Warchild's FJR, and a killer jackrabbit did some major harm to the plastic of his XX. Hmmmmm, Dale, that's 3 animal strikes (including the deer strike with the ST1100). :dribble: We gotta work on your kharma meter!

Agreed, don't just hit a buffalo or a moose. I recall his story was he popped the clutch and wheelied (ie hard acceleration) right at the coyote. Perfect execution of such an obstacle, IMO, and that execution came from knowing what threat to "attack" and what threat to brake/swerve. Exactly the points made.

Something small like a coyote or rabbit is definitely not worth risking an emergency swerve for. Bikes will crush these animals quite easily.

 

[FJRMGM]

that's sad to read - never swerve for small animals.

 

[frayne]

What state did this happen in ?

 

[BugR]

Moose, Aim for the middle and duck.

 

[Joevelocity]

Good advice.....just this past weekend I had a rabbit encounter. Let's just say a rabbit in two pieces is better than me being in two pieces. Barely felt a bump while up on the foot pegs.

I am sensitive to animal rights, but more sensitive to making sure I am around for my 7 year boy.

 

[Cdogman]

I think the biggest thing I got out of that was dont overreact..... Period. Just know what is right and act.

Sorry about your friend. Helmet is our friend

 

[Toecutter]

I have often pondered the complications of hitting a small animal while leaned over. I think I'd rather stand the bike up and hit it that way than risk a low-side. Leaned to the right, as I usually take the right tire track, I'd have some room to stand it up before crossing the center line. Leaned left, not so much room to stand it up, so I might elect to swerve rather than hit it and low-side, but off road is better than into oncoming traffic, IMHO. What says the collective?

Going straight, aim and attain ramming speed! I've always felt that with an impact of something lighter than the bike, like a deer, an accelerating blow would be preferable to a decelerating blow, once avoidance had been ruled out. Same thing in the cage, for going against lighter weight vehicles, e.g. Land Cruiser v. Honda Civic, deliver an accelerating blow, once avoidance has been ruled out. Hey, at that point, it's them or me, so all bets are off. Bad physics? It works in golf....

Lastly, if you knew you were going against a heavier object, like a car, would you jump? As in straight up off the pegs, to try and clear the bike and avoid impacting the vehicle with your body? I think I would, as opposed to auguring in. After all, my suit is best suited for sliding, not bouncing off stuff....

 

[odot]

What says the collective?

Toe cares? Say it ain't so........ :huh:

 

[Silver Penguin]

Lastly, if you knew you were going against a heavier object, like a car, would you jump? As in straight up off the pegs, to try and clear the bike and avoid impacting the vehicle with your body? I think I would, as opposed to auguring in. After all, my suit is best suited for sliding, not bouncing off stuff....

The bionic man (aka DH) put this to the test when an SUV suddenly appeared at ninety degrees across his lane. The car was stationary. The bike was traveling at 65mph. Concrete wall to one side and line of cars to the other, prevented any swerving. In the few seconds of decision time, Andy scrubbed off as much speed as he could, then aimed the bike towards the hood rather than the cab, of the SUV. At the last second he stood up on the pegs. The impact was not pretty but he absorbed some of the kinetic energy by flying, and sliding, rather than impacting the cab and stopping more suddenly.

Jill

 

[Warchild]

..... educate you guys on what to do should a small animal get your way.
So...that's....stand up slightly, loosen up on the bars, square off, accelerate, and hit it right in the kisser.

Yep.... and still good advice, even if you are hitting a larger animal:

This is your first, last and only warning: Following story describes my 60mphdeerstrike in great detail. Graphically, too, so delete now if you are sensitive

to language, squeamish about gore, or are a tree-hugging, card-carrying member

of the SPCA (while I'd like to say no animals were harmed in the production

of this story, that wasn't quite the case).

Executive Summary:

=================

Place: East-central Oregon, HWY 395, south of John Day, north of Burns, Oregon

Time: 5:04 AM PDT, Thursday, May 24, 2001

Conditions: 55 degrees F, clear, bright daylight, completely dry, outstanding road surface

Speed at impact: 61mph

Damage: Massive bodywork damage, upper and lower fairings smashed, fairing pockets

cracked, inner front fairing gone, front fender destroyed, radiator severely dented (but serviceable),

both FIAMM horns destroyed, right wingtip cover missing, left wingtip cover

cracked, windshield valance crushed.

Final Score: Warchild = 1

Bambi = 0

Night Train = -1

The Story:

=========

See why I HATE these ******* deer so much?

So there I was, riding to Gerlach and the infamous MASS GOLD endurance event.

I had departed well after midnight, cruising down HWY 395, one of THE FINEST

motorcycle roads to be found anywhere. I was just coming down a hill to an incredibly

flat valley that stretched perhaps 1-2 miles before the next series of hills. This valley was

flat, Flat, FLAT, with nothing but sagebrush that was only 12-18" high. I looked

long and hard for any range cattle or other furry critters that could cause

problems. Nope, not a thing on this prairie but sagebrush. I relaxed and descended

into the valley floor.

I was approximately halfway across the valley when I went into another instrument

scan. I checked the tachometer, looked up at the Sigma, then down to the temp

gauge, then looked up to see the 75-lb doe looking right at me, standing directly

in front of the bike, about 50 feet from impact.

The Sigma revealed I was traveling at 61 mph, which means I had about a half

a second to do something. However, there was nothing to be done. I knew I was

going to strike the deer, and even the deer looked like she knew she was about

to die. As my brain realized that an accident was imminent, the classic perception

of "time slowing down" kicked in, allowing all the following to happen prior

to impact:

The first thing I did was silently scream at the deer, "Now, just where in the

**** did you come from?!" This was just too unbelievable.... it's not like this

deer emerged from a forest, and it's not like it had any place to hide!! [Note:

surveying the crash scene afterward, I saw a somewhat more sizable sage brush

that the doe was (obviously) sleeping/hiding behind; it was about 24" high,

immediately next to the point of impact]

I began an attempt to swerve behind the doe, started to push the right grip

downward when (again, given that perception of "slow time") I realized it wasn't

going to do any good, and I had better not be leaning when we struck, so I stood

the bike up so I would have a "clean" impact. By now I was about 10 feet from

the doe, and looked right into her eyes. Two thoughts flashed "Man, is my bride

ever going to be pissed at me if I die like this...." and a second thought:

"well, it's lookin' like there will be one less rider at MASS GOLD...".

I tore into her body at 61 mph.

The doe had decided to take another step before I hit her, so the front wheel

split her body roughly mid-section, such that the forward 2/3's of the deer

fell along the left side of the bike, the rear 1/3 of the carcass went down the

right side. It was like you could feel and hear the sounds of cartilage, bone

and sinew being snapped and torn asunder. My right lower leg was smashed

with the rear hindquarters of the severed doe.

But what got to me was the ****. Literally. ****! Deer ****.... lot's and LOT'S

of deer ****!

The ENTIRE RIGHT HALF of the forward fuselage area was no longer Honda red....

it was brown and green!!! DEER ****!!!! I could not believe my eyes! Not only

was there a massive amount of deer **** on the road, but my bike front and right

side were AWASH in deer ****!! How can a creature hold this much **** in their

bodies AND STILL BE ALIVE?!!! What, do these deer have to "**** on demand" for

a living, or something?! There was an UNBELIEVABLE amount of intestinal matter

in every single crevice of the bike. Lovely aroma......

Since I had begun a right swerve, I was pointing slightly right when we struck,

and after severing the animal, the bike was now pointed to the far right, and

into the ditch beyond. I stabbed both brakes and start leaving fresh Dunlop

and Metzeler on the road. My speed starts to bleed off, but I see with crystal

clarity that I am fast approaching the edge of the road.....

and snow-melt sand is *inside* the edge of the white line! "Guess I'm done bleeding

off speed", I think to myself. Just before I reach the sand, I release the brakes

as I look at the Sigma. It says 53 mph as the ST1100 leaves the road, and flies

airborne into the ditch.

As we leave the road, I get up on the footpegs and assume my best Jeremy McGrath

riding stance. The front tire slams down into the ditch and the rear end bounces

up to try to pop me off the bike, but I'm ready for it, and hang on somehow.

I bounce and hop all over the ditch, which is roughly 7 feet wide and three

feet deep. I keep looking for the drainage ditch that will end my off-road adventure

(and probably my young life) in an instant, the very same way Jack Baird got

his serious injuries. First order of business, however, is to avoid the telephone

pole that is fast approaching on the left. I manage to sneak past the pole,

even though it knocked off my left mirror housing (amazingly enough, the post-accident

inspection revealed not a single mark on the mirror housing... go figure!)

By now I am down to 30 mph, and I'm beginning to believe I might live if no

Jack Baird drainage-ditch surprises me. About that time, I realize, hey, I'd

better do something about getting the bike out of the ditch while I am still moving,

or I'll be in this ditch a long time.

So I gently apply a little countersteering, and amazingly, the ST "walks up"

the side of the ditch, trading speed for elevation. I am almost to the top of

the ditch, and am only going 5 mph!! I finally come out of the ditch, and roll

onto the paved shoulder just as I came to a gentle stop!!!! I slowly put the

kickstand down. I stepped off the bike and immediately ran around to looked

at the front end damage.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The front fairings are all smashed. The fender is barely hanging on. The lower

gray fairing has major holes torn all through it.... and there is a hoof in

one of the holes!! The left middle fairing is cracked from top to bottom. The

inner middle fair is..... gone!! COMPLETELY GONE!!! The right middle fairing

is severely damaged with razor-sharp jagged edges that did most of the deer-slicing,

along with the right tip-over guard. The force of the impact buckled and cracked

the right (lockable) fairing pocket. Both side maintenance panels took impact

damage. The right FIAMM electric clamshell horn is flattened and looks like

a frisbee. The other FIAMM horn looks worse. The radiator has a sizeable dent

in the right side, but appears intact. I expected to have radiator fluid everywhere,

but the cooling system remained intact.

My Night Train was hit hard.... but still serviceable.

As I surveyed the damage, the adrenaline from the near-accident started to wear

off, and was being replaced by a seething, raging anger. That ******* deer.....

just LOOK at the mess it has made! Then, the final straw..... I discovered that

the deer had cause me to lose the PIAA 910s! When I discovered this...... all

my attention turn to the deer, still 250 feet back. Shaking with rage, I reached

for the Browning, pulled back the slide, chambered a round, and started walking

back to the carcass.

As I slowly walked back to the point of impact, I looked over to the left to

see the deep, long furrow the ST1100 had made as it ran through the ditch and

back up onto the highway. I walked past by the telephone pole that knocked off

my mirror housing. As I approach the deer, I have to step around various organs

and deer splatter to make my way around to the front 2/3 of the carcass. I lean

over the head of the deer and look into her soft, brown eyes. I gently whisper

"**** you", then empty the clip into her.

There's nothing like the sound of brass casings tingling on asphalt. Oh, yeah.

With the post-accident mental therapy complete, I reloaded the Browning and

put it away. I walked back to the bike. Jesus, what a mess! I could not - could

NOT - get rid of the stench of deer ****.... and no wonder, IT WAS EVERYWHERE!!!

I dig into the Ventura bag for my Polaroid, and almost retch as I noticed that

the entire right side of the bag is also encrusted with deer ****. I turned

back and face the carcass, "HOW MUCH **** CAN YOU DEER *POSSIBLY* CARRY?!!!!!!!

I was just stunned at the amount of deer feces distributed about the bike. When

I get to the Polaroid, I see that it has no film. Damn, I REALLY wanted to get

a few pictures of the carcass, but it was not to be.

I got back on the bike, and slowly made the 30-ish miles to Burns. It was completely

un-nerving to look down through the opening of the triple-tree area (normally

covered by the inner middle fairing) and see asphalt whirling by! And, DAMN,

the smell emerging off the exhaust lines was INCREDIBLE!!! Upon reaching Burns,

I rolled into a Texaco and dashed inside to buy one of those disposable cameras.

I shot about a dozen pictures of the bike at various angles, then rolled over

to the car wash area and borrowed their hose. I scrubbed and scrubbed for 45

minutes, and STILL couldn't get rid of the deer **** stench that came from the

engine bay. I walked 200 feet away from the bike, and could STILL smell that

deer ****! DAMN, that's some lingering aroma... or so I thought.

Later on that morning, I stopped in Lakeview, Oregon for some gas. Went to the

restroom, and as I washed my hands, I took a brief look in the mirror. There,

in my mustache, under the right nostril, was a nice dollop of green deer ****,

all crusty and hard.

******* deer......

- Warchild

'00 CBR1100XX

'97 ST1100

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Lastly, if you knew you were going against a heavier object, like a car, would you jump? As in straight up off the pegs, to try and clear the bike and avoid impacting the vehicle with your body? I think I would, as opposed to auguring in. After all, my suit is best suited for sliding, not bouncing off stuff....

Sorry for what turned into a long post but...

I think you train to stay with "the ship" and practice avoidance techniques. Whatever you train for...hopefully you will do. If you are fixing your eyes on your escape route and not on the thing that might hurt you...you won't know whether you will hit it or not to be able to make the judgement to jump.

While going at highway speed on a 2-lane rural US route, I had a car from a right side side street pull out across my path while they were turning left. There was also an oncoming left-turner car stopped in the oncoming lane. My only escape path was to the right and probably would have been my first choice anyway. Scrubbed speed to the max, then leaned hard to the right fully expecting collision. This was a Bang-Bang reaction. I have no idea how I missed that car. My last visual memory of the car is of it pulling out in front of me...nothing after that.

I remember the distinct physical sensation of elation/relief at having missed the car. I was jolted back to reality by going off-road into a rural ditch. My skills weren't enough to keep it up in the ditch so I ended up sliding on grass which imparted some damage to the bike...but no hospital or worse for me. I ended up continuing my day's ride to Ohio for the Ohio Ramble. Yamaholic got some bailing wire and fixed me up so I could ride with them the next day.

I am on this earth today because of proper reminders of appropriate avoidance techniques from THIS Forum and various Hough books. Do yourself a favor and think through those techniques.

I am not close to being as good a rider as I would like to be. Sometimes I find myself making poor decisions and acting squidly. I only say all this because when the situation comes...things happen bang/bang. No time for thought.

The time for thought is during your typical ride...scanning and observing...keeping your pocket of safety.

 

[yamaholic]

What state did this happen in ?

Columbus, Ohio. Lane avenue to be exact.

 

[yamaholic]

Ah, yes, I remember that Wheaton! Thankfully, YOU did not need bailing wire :yahoo:

Truth be told, there probably was not a better way to handle that incident than how you did.

 

[dbvolfan]

RIP, that is sad indeed. I hate travelling with my wife at night if she is driving for that very reason...her first instinct has always been to swerve and it has nearly killed us once before. She just does it out of habit...for a freakin turtle one time on a county road we almost went off the side!

Unfortunately, we plowed through a 120lb dog 4 months ago and it totalled our car. I was driving and it was late at night, passing another car on the parkway and it came out of no where on the LH side and went through the engine bay like butter on a hot knife. I had a split second to realize it was a BIG, tan dog and that was about it....had I swerved we would have taken out the car beside us or gone into the median and possibly lost control hitting oncoming traffic.