Yoemite Rider In Collision With Another Harley

[skyway]

I changed my mind and decided to catch up with the group today instead of tommorow, due to some nasty clouds forming in the Sierras. I made it into the park and started toward the Hwy120/H395 junction at Lee Vining. I came upon an accident scene and spotted 2 FJR's at the side of the road. Thoughts of 'not again' came into my mind. I spotted madmike2 and mcml near the bikes and pulled in next to them.

From talking to Mike and Joseph, there was an earlier accident involving a car that had traffic running slow in both directions. 2 cars were approaching in the opposite direction, when the front vehicle slammed on its brakes and stopped for no apparent reason. The car behind managed to stop in time, but a Harley rider with a passenger coming around the corner had momemterily looked away while going through the turn between 40-50mph. The Harley slammed on and locked up the rear and was heading sideways toward the back of car #2 and managed somehow to guide the bike around the car without hitting it. Unfortunately this happened at the same time that some FJR's were coming in the opposite direction.

The highway bar of the Harley struck the left panier of mcml's bike which resulted in it being ripped off the bike and also barely missing the left leg of his passenger. I would say that they were both literally 2 inches away from a free helicopter ride. It appears that the riding skills of Joseph probably saved them both as there was a substantial drop off at the side of the road. Fortunately everyone involved managed to walk away injury free.

 

[turbodave_98]

Thank God for all of those involved being ok. Especially Joseph and his passenger. It is just another example that we have to always remember that riding our bikes involves a real element of danger regardless of our skills. Lots of conditions are out of our control.

I am sorry that this happened and hope that all of the group will ride defensively always and return home safely.

For Joseph, I am glad you and passenger escaped without injury. I know your skills brought you through this with God's will being done.

 

[pennerk]

I wasn't going to comment on the accident but as the sweeper for the group I was right behind Joseph. The incident happened so fast that had it not been for the experience of riding skills there would have been major injuries. The rider of the Harley made a big mistake in losing focus on what was happening around him and in avoiding a rear end accident he chose instead to enter the oncoming traffic. He was a hairs breath away from laying his Harley down in front of Joseph but managed to keep it upright. Had he laid his bike down, well he didn't and that is very good. Having spent the 45 minutes filling in paperwork for the Park Rangers and needing to get back home I didn't make it all the way to the Tioga Pass summit.

It was a good thing Mike was there with straps, duct tape and various other repair items or Joseph's panier would have been abandoned.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Linda said that she didn't have time to be scared until she realized how close her leg was to the Panier that got ripped off the bike. I'm so glad they are okay. Joseph said some great things about the HD rider's choice...I'll let him repeat them.

By the way...O'vale checking in safe. We had a great ride home up 395 to 88 to Mormon Emigrant Trale (Iron Mountain Road) to 50 and home from Shingle Springs. Great ride and a great group of 4 riders. Very fun ride home!

 

[CISCO]

I was worried something happened when we got to Lee Vining....and no Madmike or MCML.

What a nasty looking hole in the side case! Linda was lucky not to be injured....the both of them realy!

 

[Thug]

Glad all are well but I wonder what was said to the Harley rider???

 

[Rogue]

I rode back with Joseph and just got home, He should get home soon and I'm sure he will have something to say.

 

[MCML]

Hello all. Thanks for starting this thread as I was trying to come up with something clever for the title of the thread but could not. I am home safely in Tarzana after a delightful ride over Sherman Pass with Rogue and TwoWheelNut. G-d what a great passion we all share!

The descriptions (above) of the accident are a pretty close match to my own perception of the events with one exception being that I don't think that the cars in front of the Harley had slammed on their brakes. By all accounts they had merely stopped at the barricade that the Park Service had placed in the road (not blocking it) to warn everyone to slow down becuase of the prior accident. Now, they probably should not have stopped (oh, how I wish they had not) but, from what I saw, if the Harley rider had been watching the road then he would have had only to have come to a moderate stop.

Being a reformed cynic, (now merely a healthy skeptic) some of my insticts are to really lay into the other rider....and if he and/or his insurance company behaves in any way short of superbly then they will find that I can be quite agressive in pursuing an outcome that I believe is just. As of this writing, though, I am more interested in examining his choice - He opted, either consciously or otherwise, to put other people's lives in danger in order to save his own neck (or ass, or scalp) and that of his passenger. In this case, the lives he jeopordized were mine, Linda's and Mike's. Others have told me that, from what they saw, had he not swerved he and his passenger would likely have been seriously hurt. What choice would I, or you, dear reader, have made? Okay, on a written test we all know the answer, but in real life? Would it be merely a survival instinct?

Still this guy put my life in danger, in a very real sense and I am ticked off about that. An inch or two either way and we're talking crushed bone, severed arteries and bleeding to death on one of world's most scenic roads.

It is customary around here to take apart these events with no holds barred. That way we learn from each others' actions. I am not sure what I could have done differently...but there must have been something. Remember, though, that I had no idea where the serving bike was heading becuase I had no sense that the rider had any idea where he was headed. His path was not straight or even consistent. He appeared to me to be out of control. Should I have slowed even more when I saw two cars stopped on the other side of the road - anticipating that the vehicle behind them might not be paying attention? Did any of the dozen or so FJR's in front of me make that choice? Should I have gone into "panic" stop mode and thereby reduced the number of moving variables from two to one and perhaps also increased the "closing distance" or time to potential impact? Of course, then I give up all ability to maneuver out of the way of what appears to me to be an unguided missle. Go left into the other lane (I don't think this was an option given the position of the stopped cars)? Just how steep was that hill over the right side of the road? All critiques welcome.

Oh, and at the risk of being redundant. Thank you thank you thank you thank you to Mike, Ken, Tim and (later) Ian for staying at the scene of the accident and being so helpful.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

One important question comes to mind:

How much time did you have? Did you conciously not hit the brakes, or was there not enough time for you to react.

Going over the mountain, from what I saw of that area (and I saw the car that had the accident there teetering over the edge) would have been a fatal option. That's all I can say based on what I know.

 

[MCML]

Time? Very little, I think. Looking back, it's hard to tell. Certainly a second or so at most. First impulse was to stop short of whatever was comimg (braking). Quickly sensed that was not possible (other bike moving too fast) and went into swerve mode (no braking) but other bike was changing direction - not moving in a straight line. In general though, the other bike was coming from my left to my right so I moved as far to right as I could without crossing fog line. Was struck before second half of right/left swerve was completed. After strike, remember thinking that we should be going down any moment, then thinking "why aren't we falling over?" then thinking "WE AREN"T GOING OVER, YEAH". Then the thought that pieces of bodies or bmachinery might not be as they were began to creep into the picture Don't know how much of this is "real" and how much my mind is making up after the fact.

 

[bigdolma]

God joseph...

I am glad you and Linda are safe! I was reading the thread and my heart was beating until I realize that you were fine. It was really a sign of relief that you are ok! For a second, I was going into panic mode!

God Bless you and Linda bro....glad and very happy you are safe and sound.

Armand

 

[Rogue]

Armand,

We missed you, Hope you can make it to the next one.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

Joeseph my friend, you'll drive yourself insane with the " what if's " for a while. What if 5mph faster ,or 10 mph slower, a different position in the pack, etc etc...? all types of scenarios crossing both your minds for days. You did the best move you could on the skinny ass road so fate ( or god ) smiled upon you both and we're happy you both live unharmed to tell the tale. Like you said plastic's damaged , body parts intact, it's all good in a crazy sort of way.

 

[MCML]

it's all good in a crazy sort of way

I can think of a a couple of better outcomes ..... and about a hundred worse ones. I'll settle for what went down.
Armand, thanks for the kind thoughts. We all missed you. . . . tried to find a loaner who could cook kabobs and see the bright side of everything but no such luck. Hope you are feeling better.

Dave, hope you are feeling better, too.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Time? Very little, I think. Looking back, it's hard to tell. Certainly a second or so at most. First impulse was to stop short of whatever was comimg (braking). Quickly sensed that was not possible (other bike moving too fast) and went into swerve mode (no braking) but other bike was changing direction - not moving in a straight line. In general though, the other bike was coming from my left to my right so I moved as far to right as I could without crossing fog line. Was struck before second half of right/left swerve was completed. After strike, remember thinking that we should be going down any moment, then thinking "why aren't we falling over?" then thinking "WE AREN"T GOING OVER, YEAH". Then the thought that pieces of bodies or bmachinery might not be as they were began to creep into the picture Don't know how much of this is "real" and how much my mind is making up after the fact.

Wow. From what I hear you say and then what I picture from it, all I can say is great job. Great that you are both okay, and it has to say a lot:

The person that came the closest to losing something, or being hurt was confident enough to get back on the bike behind you, finish the ride and ride home with you. Obviously, she must think you did well and I don't know anyone closer to the situation. So many pinions would have rented a car, hopped a bus, caught a plane...Linda stuck with you. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that she has good reason to trust you.

 

[madmike2]

Joseph, my friend, I'm glad you got home "intact" and that you had some quality riders as company. Highlander is correct inthat you wil drive yourself nuts for a few weeks.....the "what ifs" are diabolical, but a necessary part of the catharsis. So, ponder away and get healthy! Hopefully Linda is on the same journey. Tell her that I went out and measured my pannier with a measuring tape and the "new distance" is 18 inches. Waaaay safe!

 

[bigdolma]

just for that my friend, I will invite you and whoever wants to come for some good homemade kebobs, babaghanoug and humus!

Just an appreciation of being home safe and thank god it was only plastic!

Armand

 

[beeroux]

MCML!

You have EVERY right to bag on the green puss sucking **** stain of a Hardley "rider".

I ride around these ass clowns all the time, and I treat them like so many mobile Herpes sores.

This incident coulda been a WHOLE lot worse, and I'm grateful for you all that it came down to the smart move ( no brakes, just swervy skill ) that you made to the end of this scene.

This is not a rant againast a brand, but a slag against the kind of brain-dead schmoes that buy the safety chrome and ride with goddamned TASSLES!

In hang gliding, pilots with less then 10 hours flight time are required to have a big yellow streamer on the top of their glider, to warn others that this pilot might make questionable decisions, and exhibit unpredictable behavior.

Tassles= yellow streamers.

Be careful folks.

GZ

 

[MCML]

....schmoes that buy the safety chrome and ride with goddamned TASSLES!  In hang gliding, pilots with less then 10 hours flight time are required to have a big yellow streamer on the top of their glider, to warn others that this pilot might make questionable decisions, and exhibit unpredictable behavior.
Tassles= yellow streamers.

This guy did not have tassels, and I would not have seen 'em until the deed was already being done, but what a great image! The next time I see tassels on a motorcycle I a going to think novice pilot!