| Author | Message | ||
     Ourdee |
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| Fresnobuell |
Wow. That seems improbable with an "Accident". Was this done on purpose? | ||
| Ebutch |
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  | ||
| Torquehd |
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/seven-marines- killed/ Most of the headlines I could find on this say something like "7 marines killed after motorcycles collide with pickup" Sounds like the truck not only collided with, but plowed right through them . Backwards of what the headlines state. I would say the headlines are misleading. I hate constantly having to assume there's a hidden agenda behind reporting. But they make it awful hard to see it any other way. I hope I'm wrong and it was just an accident. Not that that really makes it any better. Hats off to the Marines lost, and to their families and loved ones. | ||
| Ebutch |
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| Crusty |
This is the club that was run into: https://www.jarheads-mc.com/ | ||
| Aesquire |
There have been bad mass casualties when a car hit a cluster of bicycles in a race. The bicyclists were inevitably bunched up in a pack for purposes of drafting & positioning for break aways and energy conservation. I don't know if any case where the cage driver wasn't 100% at fault, even if there was a failure in traffic control. You just have to be speeding & not paying attention to hit that obvious a target. And, yes, I'm the first one to warn/complain about invisibility. But a mass of brightly colored bicycles & riders? Likewise, a MC pack riding? Far too soon & too little information to make an informed judgment, but... Damn. And no word on injured? My prayers to the loved ones. Bicycle vs. Motorcycle crash dynamics puzzle me. Peddlers are basically naked except for foam, one hit half helmets. Amazingly good at the job, designed for pavement impact & curb hits, as long as it's not the exact same spot. Other than that? Spandex? Tissue paper. Bikers deal with higher speeds, and even a half helmet, DOT rated, is decent protection as long as the big hit in on the lid, not the exposed face etc. I'm a witness on that count, even though I'm a full face advocate. ( including modular ) I've been first on scene where I have zero doubt the half lid saved the rider. Seen the scar on it. Better than nothing by far. Didn't keep her leg from being broken. Even full race leathers are at best joint armor holders and skid resistance. We expect some road rash in a fall and slide, even so. I normally use fabric armored gear, & jeans, which is better for road rash than spandex, a bit, but not any better for blunt trauma outside the padding. Ditto a good leather jacket, good for a fall, but nothing including movie fantasy King Arthur steel armor is real protection against a Ram 2500. In a chaotic crash the mass of the bike can be a flail injuring the rider, way above any practical armor protection. I'll assume jeans, t shirts and leather vests or jackets, ( only club I know that does race leathers is a local black gay MC, and that's a fashion statement. Not mocking them! They ride, they look good, and if I never get an invite to a beer because of skin or preference, that's fine. ) ( I met the oddest people delivering mail. The Jokers are kinda normal. Bar, loud music, dancing, & bikes. ) I know I'm getting all technical in my head to avoid the emotional impact. So I'll conclude with, wear some safety gear, keep your eyes open, leave an escape path, ( don't bunch up too tight ) and make your prayers for the families & injured as you see fit. Bless you all. | ||
| Rick_a |
Just the other day I was being told of a struck motorcyclist that was being resuscitated on the side of the road locally. I've never heard of someone with that kind of blunt trauma coming back. There are some nice riding roads around here. There's always an odd mix of angry rednecks and road hogging bicyclists. | ||
| Crusty |
From another forum: This is not official, but the latest word on the investigation is they think the truck veered into the other lane. He jerked it back and lost control of the trailer. The trailer jackknifed across the highway hitting the bikers. | ||
| Crusty |
Here's a link to the TV news report from Channel 4 in Boston: https://boston.cbslocal.com/video/4110387-7-dead-a fter-pickup-truck-and-trailer-hits-motorcycles-in- randolph-nh/ | ||
| 86129squids |
That is just a giant dose of suck. Prayers up for those Jarheads. Sic Semper Fidelis. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Less than two states away and the local news was woefully inadequate, didn’t even know the club. The picture above pretty much explains it all, there was no reaction time. I see one bike in back on it’s stand, hopefully that rider was able to give a report. | ||
| Blake |
Anyone thinking what I'm thinking, texting while driving? If so, he should face life in prison. A 23 year old and his life now over along with those of seven others, because of some useless vapid text. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Whoah, Blake. How do you know it was a text? It could have been any host of social media apps. Ironic that classes of drivers who are on their phones THE MOST during driving at those same people who are the worst drivers. People just don't get the fact that the eyes and concentration must be devoted to driving the vehicle. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Not to mention that was a big, heavy trailer, even when empty. Once he headed the wrong way that thing just wanted to keep going straight, truck or no truck. Not something to drive with your mind on cruise control. | ||
| Uncle |
I heard there was a Go fund me for the people involved that was approaching $200,000 | ||
| Fresnobuell |
that's a concept a 33 or 43 year old driver would probably (hopefully) understand. A 23 year old's mind can't deal with being offline for so long, so out comes the phone. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1000, Blake. My 30 minute commute to West Knoxville indicates there are WAY too many idiots on their phones. They get the horn every time I see them. Just like the opioid pusher big pharmas who've cost us thousands of lives, I believe the cel phone companies should be liable for not designing the devices to force stop and shut down when in a moving car. There has to be a solution. Thankfully, the Tennessee legislature finally did something smart and as of July 1, banned hand held cel use when driving, hands free excepted. | ||
| Crusty |
Here is the fundraising event for the victims and families (not set up by me). Mods, please sticky! https://www.gofundme.com/jarheads-mc-victims-and-f amilies-support | ||
| Crusty |
The latest news: https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-biker-crash-susp ect-had-174351266.html | ||
| Airbozo |
"Thankfully, the Tennessee legislature finally did something smart and as of July 1, banned hand held cel use when driving, hands free excepted." This means nothing and has done absolutely ZERO in California to stop idiots in vehicles from using their phones while driving. The fine should be just like drunk driving and cost you over $10k in penalties and fines by the time you are done with the legal system. It should also be an immediate suspension of your license. I had an argument with a guy the other day that was holding up traffic while he checked his texts, making dozens of cars miss the light. He was bothered that I even said anything and was pissed I compared him to a drunk driver even after I pointed out that studies have show this to be true. "Well why are you assuming I'm going to kill someone or have an accident? I still pay attention." Tell that to the line of cars you just made miss the light. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
A couple years ago I was behind a twenty something girl without tinted windows so I was able to see her clearly. We are in 5:00pm stop and go traffic and merging from one freeway to another. It's probably the worst interchange in all of the Fresno area and definitely a "keep your eyes on the road and foot covering the brakes situation." Well this bright spark decides to look down at her phone and get a jolly good laugh at something just as the car in front of her begins to stop. She looked up just in time to see her front end smash into the back of the car in front of her. I couldn't believe it. If there's one time to put down the phone and drive, it's at that time of day at that interchange....and this moron decides looking at her phone is more important. Unbelievable. It truly is an epidemic and something definitely needs to be done. It's also one on the main reasons turn signal use has plummeted recently as well. Can't use your turn signal with the wheel in one hand and the phone in the other.... | ||
| 86129squids |
+1000, AirBnb. At least since the fact that the law will be live in July, the media will be covering it... until the latest bad news trumps that story. Fine IIRC is only $200... I agree it should be at least $500. For those in other states that have already passed such legislation, what are the fines and how has it affected behavior? Sure hope the LEO's stay busy with that one. TDOT sometimes takes submissions for the digital billboards... I might have to work up some new ones. "Using your cell phone while driving? Tennessee thanks you for your $200 fine." I'll have to study how long the message could be. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
LEOs don't enforce it so what does it matter what the laws says. | ||
| Dwardo |
I think cars with touch screens to control all of the various features are just as bad. There is no tactile feedback from a flat screen as there is with a knob or a button. There is no way to use those things without taking your eyes off the road. It's just a bad idea. I am not too sure I will ever buy a late-model car again. | ||
| Airbozo |
First offense is $150, second is $250, with NO POINTS on your DMV record. Shameful. I think I've told this story here before, but during my commute home on my S3T a couple of years ago a CHP motorcycle cop came up behind me as I was lane splitting (yes I move slowly when I split), so I found the first opportunity to move behind a car and let him by. Traffic was stop and go and he pulled in beside me, looked and said: "Can you jump back in front of me? I was using you as a shield so the drivers can't see me coming. I'm trying to catch phone users and people not wearing seatbelts. I jumped back in front of him and watched him tag a few cars and speak into his mic a couple of times(I also pointed out 2 texters). A couple of miles up the road there were more CHP officers pulling the tagged cars out of traffic giving them tickets. | ||
| Sifo |
Illinois requires hands free calling and no calls allowed in school and roadwork zones. Between school and work zones, a legal phone call is hard to do. Seldom enforced though. Driving the school bus it was normal to see parents picking up/dropping off, cell phone in hand. Michigan seems to have not addressed the issue at all. | ||
| Court |
Love the lane splitting story . .. | ||
| 86129squids |
Airbozo, You're my hero. After all the original song's beauty, I'll sing that as "the wind beneath my cheeks". Sorry about that. But, THANKS, man, Wish you could track down that MC LEO and build a story. So Fa King cool. | ||
| 86129squids |
If you've told that story before here on BW, must've been a while back. Id've remembered that, my friend.  |
