A Tragedy That Could Easily Have Been Prevented

Published by: Carol on 21st Jun 2010 | View all blogs by Carol

A couple of days ago, I read about an accident in my area where a couple riding a bike was hit by another biker who was drunk http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37815299/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_panj/. The drunken rider went to pass the couple and, as he tried to pass, he hit their rear wheel. The rider on the bike that was hit is now in critical condition in the hospital. The passenger on that bike was thrown from the bike and was run over and killed by a car (the driver of the car left the scene and had not been located at the time of the news story). The drunken motorcyclist who caused the catastrophe "sustained several cuts and bruises and was treated at the hospital before being taken into custody."

So what is the reality here? One biker dead, one biker in critical condition fighting for his life, and the biker who caused it all survives with minor bruises and a certain jail sentence and who knows how many lawsuits to plague him for the rest of his life. All because he was stupid enough to ride drunk.

Comments

3 Comments

by big jim 1 year ago

if u must drink and drive ,drink water.Even one beer is one too many!
by GoldwingRon 1 year ago

I read about this story, and I read the comments from readers as well. It sickens me that we as riders, we must be on constant guard against inattentive drivers looking to run us off the roads, but to have to worry about some hotshot on a sport bike that's been drinking all night slamming into the back of us while we carefully navigate the highways; it's infuriating. This is another reason to carefully consider the times that you ride as well as your usual risk assessments. By no means was this the fault of the pair that were hit, but as the evening wears on, your odds of sharing the road with intoxicated drivers increases. As a rule, I do not ride after 11, and if I am riding even close to that time it's very rare and is usually with at least one other rider. Just my 2 cents.
by Carol 1 year ago

Thanks for your comments, big jim and VTXRon. Last night, I got together with some other woman riders... We were at a local diner, right across the road from the "Brickhouse," a new and very popular hangout for bikers. Well, here we were, 4 women who ride bikes, looking across the road at the biker hangout, listening to the noise, wondering how much booze was being consumed by the bikers there... It was scary to think about how many of the bikers at that place were getting intoxicated and were going to get back on their bikes to ride.

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