Hey guys, I thought to share the story of how one of my good riding friends died from a motorcycle accident in the summer of 2015. I'd thought it would be a good idea to share so that others are extra cautious when you're out there riding.
Bikes:
Mine - 14R
My friend - BMW S1000RR
His friend - Honda CBR 500
His friend - Yamaha FJ 1300
One early Sunday morning in July 2015, my friend along with two other riders met for a ride into the countryside of Northern CT. My friend and I had ridden up the route several times before but this was the first time we were taking his two friends for the ride. As we proceeded with the ride, I was leading most of the time but when we got closer to our destination, I'd motioned for my friend to lead the ride up to our destination. The ride we took up into CT were a combination of straight, sweeping long curves and twisty roads that had anywhere between 10 - 30 mph turns.
As I'd mentioned before, I'd taken my friend up on this particular ride several times so I thought he'd be just fine to lead the ride throughout a part of the ride known for its winding stretch of road. He then cracked the throttle and blew by me with the younger rider on the CBR 500 on his tail. They quickly faded into the right turn ahead. Then, they were out of sight. The older rider stood behind me as we rode at a nice pace but I decided not to pursue my friend and the younger rider behind him.
Perhaps it was about 20-30 seconds when I bypassed the yellow/black speed posted sign that stated 30 mph, when I took the left turn. I was leaning the 14R quite low into the turn when I had to immediately pick the bike up. I was completed in shock of what was in front of my path. It was complete chaos. There was oil, gas, motorcycle parts and dirt scattered all over roadway. I, along with the older rider, had to quickly find a way around the oil and debris to prevent from going down on our own bikes.
As I zigged-zagged around the debris, the younger rider chasing my friend was in the middle of the road waving us off the road. I remember seeing his bike on the grass area but didn't see my friend's S1000RR until I made a U-turn and there I saw his bike on the side of the road.
It was completely destroyed; mangled beyond disbelief. I quickly got off my bike and look to the other side and saw my friend on the floor next to the rock wall. There were no cars or any traffic on that road. My friend was unconscious on the floor but the younger rider was performing CBR on him. At the time, nobody's cell was working but mine. I immediately called 911 to get EMS on the scene. Luckily a volunteer firefighter was passing through and quickly offered to help us.
The State police and EMS arrived on the scene and continued to performed CPR and defibrillation on my friend. They quickly took him away but he died en route to the hospital. He apparently suffered massive internal injuries which led to his unfortunate death.
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I wasn't present during the actual accident but did view the video recording. He had a Go Pro on his helmet which recording the entire accident and it appears as he was going way too hot into the turn with the younger rider chasing him. The younger rider admitted that he was right on his rear tire. The video shows his speed at 89-90 mph just as he passing the 30 mph sign which also is a narrow two-way road. He apparently loses control, hits one of the signs attached to the ground which splits in half, and he flies into the rock wall then hits the partly grass/rock floor. The younger rider said that he tried to avoid hitting my friend but also lost control and ran his bike further down the road. He wasn't injured.
To date, I still can't believe he's gone. A true friend who was someone I really cared about. A week before his accident we were at my house and we were setting up a time we would hang out together with the wives. Sadly, he's gone.
Guys, be careful out there. Be very, very aware of your surroundings but enjoy yourself. I've been riding for many years and although I've seen stuff and I've also had my share of accidents, I still love and enjoy riding my bike. I'll continue to take my own advice and try my best to ride safely.
WillsZX14R
Here are some of the photos:
The photo of the turn he went down.
* Last updated by: WillsZX14R on 11/7/2016 @ 7:11 AM *
Yow. That is indeed a shame. Thanks for posting the grim reminder we all need to hear from time to time. 3x the posted limit in a curve is insane. He must have been caught up in the moment and not noticed. Yeah, you gotta KNOW that road. If you can't see it, with your eyes, you have to see it in your mind or your going to get taken completely by surprise. I have entered a corner only to discover it was not the corner I thought it was and it was a scary situation. We have to remember to keep focussed and even then, things can happen. I guess it's all about keeping the risk to a minimum.
