The Old Folks Home

[Pollo Blanco]

No alcohol. He was just at a downtown red light. Not near the show grounds setup. I can only imagine that the fast hit from the rear while he was stopped broke his neck. Simply an elderly lady rammed him from the rear.

That is sad. One strategy on two wheels is to be in lane position one and watch your mirrors. If it looks like the motorist isn't going to stop, you pull forward next to the passenger side of the car ahead of you.
Anyway, when we ride, we need to be aware of the risks and work to avoid the ones that we can, and minimize the ones that we can't.
Hopefully your friend had evaluated the risks and accepted the ones that he had no control over while minimizing the ones that he could. Regardless, he lived life on his terms and did the things that were important to him. I am sure that more than one person told him 'You'll kill yourself on that thing' and he didn't; unfortunately someone else did. Anyway, kudos for him

getting out there and making it happen! I held a little Wake for him the other night.
R.I.P!

 

[Nomadicus]

I've got a Friday appointment for sciatica Friday. Hoping for an epidural soon afterwards. Meanwhile minimizing my walking and saving what I must do for morning and evening chores with feed and water. Didn't go for new shoes today. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Any more

I will say that I became much more aware of motorcycles when I got mine. Was never hit and yeah, a lot of them aren't super visible partly because most people are looking for cars, trucks, semis and seem blind to anything else.

On the other hand, I have been rear ended in cars 4 times, 3 times while stopped with foot on the brake, one of those with a left turn signal on, once while on an interstate onramp. Hit hard enough to total the car. Wife rear ended twice. Daughter rear ended as the second to last car in a line at a red light. Near total in all cases. My last accident was a driver corner to driver corner head on by a lady that crossed the line on a bridge at 8 AM on a Saturday. I don't have details but my guess is she had a "medical event". Totalled that one too. Also the only one with injury, the ambulance ride to the ER was not comfortable.


I have one that is cracking, appointment for a crown after DD1's wedding on Aug 5th.

Good luck.

 

[bruceha2000]

So what's your strategy for minimizing the possibility of getting rear ended on your motorcycle?

None, don't have it anymore But you can bet I watch my rearview while travelling forward a lot more than I used to. Pushed a light yesterday because I wasn't sure the person behind me could stop if I slammed the brakes on.

In fact, wife's first rear-ending was that exact situation. Snow on the road taking the kids to school, light turned yellow, she went to stop. The idiot behind had decided she would run the yellow so he did to. Slammed her into the intersection. Expired license, no insurance, expired registration. Fortunately no damage to people.

Of course there is nothing you can do if you are stopped in a line of traffic other than hope you don't get slammed into the car in front of you.

 

[Nomadicus]

The last time I got rear ended I was stopped at a light when a truck load of dead chickens slammed into me. No where to go. Long term neck damage that will never totally be gone.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Of course there is nothing you can do if you are stopped in a line of traffic other than hope you don't get slammed into the car in front of yoyo

Leave yourself an out; don't pull up on the car in front of you; leave a gap that gives you an out. Move into the lane that doesn't have cars coming in behind you.
I dodge so many lifted four-door single-commuter pickup trucks it would make your head spin. Watch traffic, observe who's driving erratic or carelessness, and avoid them.
Driving safety is a very active task; much more so than just obeying traffic laws.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

The last time I got rear ended I was stopped at a light when a truck load of dead chickens slammed into me. No where to go. Long term neck damage that will never totally be gone.

So you saw him(or her) coming?

 

[Nomadicus]

So you saw him(or her) coming?

I don't remember for sure but I think not. That happened over 20 years ago. By an odd chance of a meeting I was in south FL at a Police Officers Bike Rodeo and took a photo of an officer only to find out later it was the officer that handled my incident. Later when I took the large poster print to the station for him they told me that he had just died. Heart Attack. At home not on the job. His widow got the print.

 

[Pollo Blanco]

I don't remember for sure but I think not. That happened over 20 years ago.

My Chiropractor has always been able to tell me whether I had seen them coming or not.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, DMSO is great for both old and new injuries; turns out that free radicals like to congregate at old injury sites.

 

[Nomadicus]

I'm heading off to my roost soon. It's been a miserable day heat wise and I am looking forward to fall. Have a good night Old Folks.