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Rider Down! A Bad Situation
While riding up Ralston Ave. in Belmont, CA, this morning (8/26 at about 9:10) I passed a red and silver TT600 wrecked in the oncoming lane across a planter-type median. I flipped a u-turn to help the person out. It was an ugly place to be stuck at, as it was a two lane road on a downhill slope just out of a blind sweeping turn that people usually go way to fast down. There were no emergency lanes or shoulders to pull onto.
The rider was a younger guy (maybe 19-21) and was pretty shaken up. He was talking on his phone to what sounded like a tow company, but his bike was upright with the front tire against the curb and the rest blocking the lane (no emergency lane/shoulder). I asked if he was alright and he responded with a simple, "'yea." As the guy subconsciously walked around picking up bits of broken fairing, I informed him that we had better lift his bike into the median before we both are killed, as cars were coming out of that turn going 50 mph and the only person paying attention to that was me, who was waving my hands alerting people. Just as I was going to start moving the bike I heard sirens and two bike cops pulled up behind us. By that time I was late to an appointment and informed the cops I was not involved and had to go (as to avert any kind of police chase.)
The guy looked to have some road rash on his stomach, and the bike was pretty banged up. The skid marks went from the inside lane to the outside where he hit a tall curb and then landed in that lane. He said the front end was jammed to the left, but for all I know he just had the ignition locked?
There are three points I'm trying to make in this story:
1. The guy was only wearing a helmet, gloves, and a jacket--no motorcycle pants or boots. Although he appeared to be alright, who knows the extent of his damage? Wear the proper gear, as we can go down at any moment and sweating a lot is much better than not having sweat glands. Those who think full gear doesn't look cool are trying way too hard for that 'biker image." Those who think full gear is uncomfortable should buy the top of the line luxury car that even has a toilet built into the seat.
2. Keep your head after a wreck. [Edit: this is assuming you are not deep enough into shock that you are physically incapable of keeping your senses about you.]Wrecking is the least of your worries when you walk out of it, but getting hit by a car afterwards is a valid ticket to the morgue. The bike can wait, the cars can wait, so take your time, get to a safe spot, and collect yourself before doing anything else.
3. Why out of the 100 cars that passed by not one of them stopped to block traffic to protect us is beyond me. If any vehicle--whether it be a car, bicycle, motorcycle, or even a horse--is stuck in a dangerous spot, use a large object like your car to protect them.
I hope the guy made it out alright and walks away without any long term damage.
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