Egads what a day

[SeaCat]

At 0900 this morning I was sitting on the patio with my wife when we heard a Sport Bike engine wind out quickly followed by a loud crash. When I looked out there was a bike on it's side in the yard next to the parking area. Oh shitski. I took off out the door so fast my wife didn't know where I was going.

When I reached the bike the rider was sitting up on the other side. When he stood up I Told him to sit back down which he did. Unfortunately when he sat down he keeled over in a full blown siezure. (Not good.) As he was doing this my wife was calling 9-1-1 and one of my neighbors came up to the scene. He wanted to get the guys helmet off to give him some air and I almost had to cold cock him to back off. (You never do this in case the rider hs a neck injury.)

Finally the police and rescue showed up as I was arguing with the rider about getting up. I gave a quick report to the Medic on the rig and he immediatly called for the backboard and Headblocks. He was hauled off and I moved his bike into my parking area.

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The rider showed up this evening to reclaim his bike and to thank me for helping him out. He came up to the trailer wearing a neck brace and a cast on one arm. He was lucky. (He appologised for hitting my car in the accident and I just shook my head. He had hit the one spot on the car I don't mind people banging into. My spare tire which hangs on the back door of the car.)

This afternoon I was under the trailer removing and replacing the old flex ducting. (I told you I was going to do this.) The job was dirty, hot and nasty but I got it done. It took me four hours and while the A/C was unhooked the temperature inside the trailer rose to an alarming 98°F. Thankfully it's going down now. Thank god for cold showers.

Cat

 

[TE999]

Wha hoppen to the rider that caused him to lose control...a tad too much throttle or did someone hit him? Fortunately you were there instead of the 'helpful' neighbor. Once again, cat saves the day. Good on you, man.

 

[SeaCat]

Wha hoppen to the rider that caused him to lose control...a tad too much throttle or did someone hit him? Fortunately you were there instead of the 'helpful' neighbor. Once again, cat saves the day. Good on you, man.

From what he said he had shut down his choke as he rounded the curve. His bike started to die so he blipped the throttle a bit. As he was doing this a car came around the curve heading towards him in his lane. He reached for the brakes and as he slid his hand forward it rolled on more throttle. (It happens. I've done it myself.) The bike took off under him and he lost control.

He was truly lucky on several fronts.

He hit the back of my car a glancing blow. If he had hit the car square he would have been in much worse shape.

He low sided.

I got there before my neighbor did.

He was wearing a helmet. (I could see the chips and scrapes in the side of his helmet which told me his head hit the pavement before he slid into the grass.)

The Medics on the rig listened to me.

Cat

 

[Handley_Page]

A real Good Samaritan.
He was fortunate !

 

[popcorn2721]

Back when I was a child living at home there used to be this bar that was a rather rough joint. It was on a hot summer night when the humidity causes the air to carry noise a long way... anyways, at around 2230 this guy leaves the bar, tearing ass on a FJ1100 (this was many years ago when you couldn't buy a bike any faster). I heard first gear wind out, then second gear... third gear started to wind then cut to dead silence. I heard my dad get up and say he figured someone died. The phone range about 15 min later (he was the mayor at the time) and the police explained that the rider was killed in the accident. It happened less than a 12th of a mile from my home...boy, I remember that night as if it was yesterday.


Glad to hear your rider was ok.
It was a really good call not to remove that helmet too man.

 

[DesertPirate]

As usual, ya done good Cat.

 

[SeaCat]

Back when I was a child living at home there used to be this bar that was a rather rough joint. It was on a hot summer night when the humidity causes the air to carry noise a long way... anyways, at around 2230 this guy leaves the bar, tearing ass on a FJ1100 (this was many years ago when you couldn't buy a bike any faster). I heard first gear wind out, then second gear... third gear started to wind then cut to dead silence. I heard my dad get up and say he figured someone died. The phone range about 15 min later (he was the mayor at the time) and the police explained that the rider was killed in the accident. It happened less than a 12th of a mile from my home...boy, I remember that night as if it was yesterday.


Glad to hear your rider was ok.
It was a really good call not to remove that helmet too man.

Having been a rider off and on most of my life I have seen more than my share of bike accidents.

As a Firefighter E.M.T. up north I responded to a lot of them to help pick up the pieces.

This however was the first time I had one in my front yard.

As for removing the helmet, when I first started out in the medical field they said we should always remove the helmet first off to help in checking the Airway as well as for assisting in checking other Vital Signs. (That was back a few years.) I disagreed with this and managed to get my department to change it's policies in regards to this. Ours was the first department in Mass. to institute this change.

That being said there are ways to remove a helmet without moving the head and neck. (The big tricks are to remember to undo the chin strap and to pull the sides of the helmet away from the head while removing it. You do need two people to do it correctly though.) If you think I'm joking about the chin strap you would be surprised at what people forget to do in an emergency.

If you come across an accident there are four basic types of helmets worn.

The first is what I call the Brain Bucket or half helmet. This looks a lot like a skull cap. It doesn't offer a whole lot of protection but it is a helmet. It is easy to remove without moving the head.

The second is a 3/4 helmet. The sides of this come down over the ears and back of the head. It can have a shield of some kind on it. Again it is fairly easy to remove and you can remove the shield to get easy access to the face without removing the helmet. (It's held on by snaps.)

The third is the full face. This one as the name implies covers the face with a small opening for the rider to see through. This opening is usually covered with a flip up visor. This one is harder to remove and I would suggest two people to do it correctly.

The fourth could be classified with the third but I wanted it seperate as it is slowly becoming more popular. This is the flip face/ flip front/Modular Helmet. As the name implies the entire front of the helmet can flip up. (If you watch Mythbusters you have seen them.) They are heavier and noisier than the Full Face helmet but they are more convenient. (I don't have one right now. Maybe when the weight comes down.) They can be removed like a 3/4 helmet if you flip up the face.

Cat

 

[DesertPirate]

Great advice Cat!
It would terrify you to think of my old original Bell Star (vintage 73). That sucker was so heavy it might have caused more damage than it saved.