story...
Also forgive me for typos, wierd thoughts and spellings as my eyes have drops in them and my fingers are swollen. I'm also typing on a laptop that I'm not used to but I am all here and will ride again. I am the luckiest woman alive.
Today, our club went to a local music festival and had a great time. We're a bit different for we're women/gurls and patch wearers so we attract a lot of attention but love to party and today was a lot of fun for all. After a bit too much sun and partying, we met up with another club and let the guys talk us into going to a ranch everyone knew about It is also was along some of the prettiest roads of the area. That is what biking is about, freedom, respect and partying.
I had just restored a older FLSTF Fat Boy and I was riding last or the pick up bike. Tailgunner, if you prefer. A semi had pulled out in front of me so it took a while to get around him. But this was cool. It was such a beautiful day and such a great bike under me that I didn't have a care in the world.
The group knew that I was delayed and pulled into a gas station down the road to wait for me. This is important later...
Anyway, everything was going great. My partner was ridinng in the pick up van and she'd be waiting for me when I got to the farm. I was just cruising...
Anyway, I came up to an intersection and a lady in an older Accord pulled up to the stop sign and I made eye contact with her and just prepared to cruise therough. No sweat!! She knew I was coming and I had right of way.
Suddenly, withiout warning, she pulled across the intersection like I wasn't there at alll. She did it so carelessly that I couldn't believe she was there. However, I have very fast reflexes (I used to race motorcycles) and I had the Fat Boy on the edge of a stoppie. I didn't put the bike down for as long as you're upright, you're in control and can drive around a potential accident. In this case, if she kept going, I could slow down enough and then drive around the back of her car. Suddenly, she panicked for some reason just stopped. Aw, sh*t, I was going to hit her. But if I stayed in control and managed the brakes, it would just be a love tap. Yeah, it would hurt but I would just walk away from it.
Okay, I'm in control then "BANG" it happened. 2 guys in a pick up truck hit me in the rear. I don't know for now if they even used their brakes or not. All, I know is I was propelled into the woman's car. When the front of the bike crumpled into the car, I jumped up to try and roll over the top of her car. Didn't work! I heard two bangs and then I found myself on the road by her car. Everything was basically shredded, for I had slid for a bit.
2 things...
1st: I was wearing a MX type helmet instead of a full face one so I don't know if I would have been better protected. But the MX is cooler in Texas summers. The main thing here is that I was wearing a helmet. A lot of our groups have issues and don't like the idea of wearing a helmet for various reasons. However, I can count from ten to one backwards right now....
Other things (I learned a lot asking the Forum about wearing protection in the high heat of Texas) is wear all the protection you can stand. I was more concerned with comfort than protection and wore stuff that protected me from "road rash" (abrasion from slidding along rough concrete) and small bumps. I'm laying in a hospital bed with severe compression and extension injuries of my joints. I'm also covered in a lot of bruises that make moving painful. This would have been reduced if I had been wearing true motorcycle armor.
2nd thing: Don't give up controling a bike until you just get it taken away from you because you might be able to drive around an accident. If anything, as long as you're managing your braking, you might slow down enough to make it just a touch or low stress hit. However, when you can't control it anymore, (like when the Fat Boy's front end was crumpled) let the bike take the hit from other vehicles but don't stay with it when it starts to go down. Cars and trucks hitting your bike is much better than the same vehicles hitting you. But if a bike catches you under it, you can really be hurt bad. It's big, heavier than you are and made of hot metal. Not things you want to be laying on you or dragging you down the road.
In reality all this is good advice but just survive, thats job number 1.
One extra thing is that I believe the size of the Fat Boy saved me a lot of grief. I'm not saying everyone should ride a Fat Boy but it stayed together long enough to deflect a lot of damage away from me. But again let the bike take the hit. It's made of medal and even if it's totaled, you can walk away.
Oh, hell, I guess a few more more, don't take anthing for granted. She looked me in the eyes and still pulled out in front of me. Don't think that the size of your bike will cause it to somehow more respected for it's size. I've got a big paper weight for anyone who thinks this. And for God's sake, don't think you're somehow bulletproof. Ain't going to happen.
The rest is for fun I guess...
The group of riders I was with was across the street from the accident and saw the whole thing. So was a Sheriff's Deputy who was talking to them. Later on the lady that was driving the car said to same Sheriff's Deputy and I quote: "They make them motorcycles just too God D*mn big and If I had known that that d*mn motorcycle could have done this to my car, I wouldn't have run that God D*mn stop sign." I think I'm going to get another tatoo.
Anyway, I'm on the ground but I don't really hurt that bad so I get up and remove my helmet. It's a Shoei and it did it's job. The forward face protector is trashed bu tnot even a scratch to my face. The second hit was about eyebrow high and it too was cratered. Later on the Cat Scan that I took showed not the smallest injury. I'm taking an MIR tomorrow bu there are "NO" physical signs of any brain trauma. Oh, yeah, I broke my sunglases.
The rest is profesional stuff. My partner and I are both ER nurses and even though I was banged up pretty bad, we did what we could for the two drunks in the truck. They were both over the legal limit and niether had their safety belts on. Both of them suffered serious trauma to the head and internal injuries. Not bad as I was still standing and actually doing what I could to save their pitiful lives. All we had for tools was the First aid kit tht I carry in my saddle bags but they were living when Star Flight evacuated them to othe Trauma Center.
One hysterical thing happened when the guys who can be a bit scruffy, tried to pry the woman's door open because she was stuck in a vehicle that was leaking gas on the ground. The woman saw the Sheriff's Deputy and started screaming "rape". Sometimes fools should just be left to their fate. However the guys got her door opened but knew enough to ler her get out on her own. This craxy woman would probably say that they had damaged her somehow.
Just then a group of sport bikes rode up and did what they could do to help. It was funny seing these clean cut young men and the unkempt bikers mixing it up and getting things done. It takes all kinds. It's called freedom.
By then the ambulance got there and I got a tip to the local hospital and finally here in this bed.
So what happened. I don't know what they will do with the woman, but a lawyer with the Sport Bike group said that she was a canidate for Attempted Vehicular Homicide. I think it's a bit much but I've got his card if I want to talk to him. The Sport Bikers were even more angry than the group I was riding with and especially over the two drunks. THey even said that they shood just be left to die but that's just silly...The group I ride with have possibly a new out look about helmets and even other safety gear. But naah, they'll worry until something else comes along and they'll go back to partying. Life is funny htat way.
The pick up van had a trailer which they got what was left of the bike on. It's going to my family's farm and I will do something with it. The insurance pauout on it is going to be steep. The drunks had insurance and so my worries are lessened.
My partner still wants to learn to ride and is pushing even now that I'm down for a while. So keeping writng about what I should do with her wants and needs. I guess I'm going to have to cope.
There are a lot of friends and family that missing because of "Stoopid People Tricks". I remember many and pray for them tonight. But I won't stop riding. I'm not going to let one crazy woman or a couple of drunks make me afraid and ruin my life, D*mn them, I will not let them ruin my life.
I'm actually writing this to a few forums that I'm on that have a lot of newbies. Guysa and Gals, motorcycling is fun, it's freedom. It does have a modicom of risk but I've been riding for over 18 years (I'm 26). I just thought Ii was bullet proof. Now I'm a bit smarter. Learn the basics, gain experience, Ride a pace you feel safe with. It's your life, do it as you see fit. And wear your gear! If I hadn't, I'd be trying to sweet talk St. Peter that I was really a good girl...
As usual, you want pictures. So...
Sorry, for showing os little but they say that there wasn't much left of the bike behind the tank and the forks.
