Those of us who live to ride and ride to live are well aware of the old saying;
“There are two types of motorcyclists: those who have gone down and those who will.”
We are all well aware of the risks of the open road and we have all had our share of tough situations. When the setting hits the shan, it’s those moments that remind us that no matter how careful we are, there is always some fool ready to ruin a good day. All we can hope for is that in a fraction of a second we are alert and react quickly. Often times, it is our attitude in that space in time that makes the difference.
Not long ago, during the coronavirus crisis, in sunny Southern California, Malibu to be specific, Neptune’s Net was offering ‘Take Out Only’ orders and there was a line of cars turning on Yerba Buena Road after each received your meals. The cars then lined up facing Yerba Buena at the stop sign on Pacific Coast Highway. Impatient drivers attempting to turn left and return to Santa Monica often retreated unsafely toward PCH.
One of those cars stopped in front of a motorcycle, and as you will probably guess, this story did not end well. The driver of the crowded van later told officers she did not see the motorcycle. That’s interesting because all the eyewitnesses saw the motorcycle and heard it too. It was a shiny bike with a lot of chrome and an experienced rider and his girlfriend in the back. They had logged more than 10,000 miles together in the last decade.
The driver, realizing his mistake, for some reason, froze and stopped instead of continuing the turn. The motorcyclist had nowhere to go. The bicyclist admitted to traveling 5-7 miles per hour over the posted speed and some might say he was partially at fault. You know what? It doesn’t matter, it is not yet legal to merge into traffic when another vehicle is approaching.
Now it’s hard to tell if the SUV driver was concerned about noisy passengers, wrapping up their lunch for a meal on the way back, texting, or had just farted in the brain. She was to blame. The motorcyclist had a grade three ankle sprain, a bit of a road rash, a concussion and injured both wrists. Needless to say, it won’t work for a while. His bike was almost wrecked, have you ever seen a grown man cry? Her friend will be fine, but they ended up taking her in an ambulance. Guess how much that costs?
Since Motorcycle Gentleman is a construction contractor who was still busy completing his pending work during the coronavirus pandemic, his financial losses will be substantial. His injuries will prevent him from working and, as mentioned, his beautiful and only bicycle was destroyed or close to it. You will need a new one or rebuild it entirely.
Fortunately, he is for life and he will not stop riding, and neither will his girl. Still, they need fair compensation for this accident. A serious accident with injuries caused by another unconscious left-turning driver who simply does not understand life on Earth.
