Try again.

[CINDERS]

This is my 5th attempt at this,

On the 6th Nov things in our lives took a rather sharp turn on just how tenuous our grasp with life is here on the planet.
I had originally organised a m/cycle run for the 29/30 Oct but the pub we were staying at was booked so I changed the run to the 5/6 Nov (1st what if).
One of our riders had forgotten her medication her friend she stayed with sourced one of her spares (same medication) rather than the lady ride back home and not attend the run. (2nd what if)

We had the run enjoyed great laughs and meal at the pub staying the night the next morning we were up at 05:30 about and hour earlier than usual and left the hotel at 07:00(3rd what if) as normally we leave at around 08:00.
Normally we all travel together but this lady and friend went North whilst we went West along the way they stopped at York to view some vintage bikes (4th what if).
We got home safely and were watching the news when up pops a motor cycle accident on the Roe highway the news chopper shots detailed the bike. (reality set in)

I knew the route the lady would be on to get to her home I identified her bike by the trellis frame a trait of Ducati's Monster type bike. (Route checked with Google earth)
I had twigged before most of the others apart from her family that it was her involved in the accident, as I rang her good friend with my concerns.
A few hours later I was contacted with the news she did not make it, 47 married two daughters she was a considerably experienced road and track racer.

The police had decided to do a u-turn at those lights which was a t-junction the car she hit propped although the impact showed that the rider almost cleared the rear of the car.
So many questions in my head and all of our group how to be sharing lotsa laughs and soaking up miles of tar then reality just like a broken tape gone!

The funeral was held in Bunbury and 400 ppl were in attendance my wife and I both laid our single yellow roses on her coffin it was pretty emotional stuff.
As 4 days before we buried another friend shooter into the furnace.
Don't know but the what if's are really hurtin'.

Information

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[Aragorn243]

Always hard when you lose a friend, especially unexpectedly.

[Low & Slow]

Hard. Very sorry to hear of this.
How many of those of us who ride bikes have had several gnat's whisker escapes? Lost a couple of friends that way. It's a fine line out there on the road, let alone the rest. God bless.

[old tanker]

Sad news when a rider goes down.

[RASelkirk]

Wow, that's hitting too close to home.
Prayers for her fam!

Russ

[dman69]

Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend - 47 is way too young, thoughts go out to her family.

[Surpmil]

My father worked for a time in the Probate Department and used to say that the two leading killers of young men in these parts were motorbikes and logging in that order. Logging killed 30-40 a year IIRC.

Can think of several riders, one dead on a rock face, one into the side of a van and wrecked for life, one dismembered by a road sign...

Am going to be a wet blanket here: when you have dependants risky activities are not entirely responsible. No insurance policy is going to fill the gap at the table.

Your friend's daughters lives are now blighted by the loss of their mother, her grandchildren will never know her nor she them. Every family joy in the next forty odd years will be dampened by the thought on all minds: "if only ________ were here..."

I catch myself pulling out of a certain T junction sometimes and thinking afterwards: how carefully did you really look? You would have seen a car or a motorbike by the headlights, but a cyclist blasting down that hill, often with no helmet or light...?

Something for us all to bear in mind?

And in case it needs saying, though sympathy from this distance isn't worth much and "closure" never fully comes for such tragedies, God help all concerned to find some peace. "Ask and you shall receive."

[CINDERS]

Those of us that have ridden or still ride face a common enemy visual acuteness I call it as more often than not the car driver or truckie does not take that extra fraction of time to ensure there are no other vehicular traffic they will impact with.
They do not train drivers to look for the bike headlight on or not we are small and move fast and its very hard to figure out just how far away a motor cycle is in relation to ones vehicle when pulling out into the stream of traffic.
I get past cars as quick as I can for to often I have seen riders sit in the blind spot of a car and nearly get taken out when the car moves over lanes I blame the bike rider for being a dumb *** sitting there your never going to win when tangling with a car.

Like allot here have lost mates had them maimed but allot in the group are asking was it really necessary the police to do a u-bolt at that intersection when they have an airwing to chase stolen vehicles.
We will never get answers, we will never stop struggling against inattentive car drivers the best we can hope for is that drivers focus on looking out for us and not make a hood ornament out of us.
As I know just how banged up you get when a car pulls out on you leaving you the only option of throwing the Z900 away to stop her T-boning us.
Thankfully I don't remember the impact which was around 35mph, a few things I do remember was the back brake locking up then being spat down on my Rt side, being jammed under the left side of the car my helmet still on my head jammed under the diff.
I wriggled out the bitumen started to burn me (Summertime)where it had ground off a considerable amount of flesh from my Rt arm, my back and Rt knee yes I was not wearing any gear save for a helmet-T-shirt-Jeans-sneakers.
I told the woman driver if I could have got up what I was going to do to her as she went straight through a stop sign, I then remembered my fiancée who was my pillion, where was she? then blackness. I woke up in E.D with her screaming as they had just told her one of my eyes was fully dilated and not reacting to light!
The rest is history yes we do play a dangerous game and I am lucky to have survived all we ask is give us a chance, I wont forget Michelle nor her family all we can do is hope the good lord takes care of her after such a horrific way to go.
I appreciate all this group here does and stands for, the support is well received.
Thank you one and all.

[browningautorifle]

I have seen riders sit in the blind spot of a car

Many do that, not just bikes.

[mrclark303]

This is my 5th attempt at this,

On the 6th Nov things in our lives took a rather sharp turn on just how tenuous our grasp with life is here on the planet.
I had originally organised a m/cycle run for the 29/30 Oct but the pub we were staying at was booked so I changed the run to the 5/6 Nov (1st what if).
One of our riders had forgotten her medication her friend she stayed with sourced one of her spares (same medication) rather than the lady ride back home and not attend the run. (2nd what if)

We had the run enjoyed great laughs and meal at the pub staying the night the next morning we were up at 05:30 about and hour earlier than usual and left the hotel at 07:00(3rd what if) as normally we leave at around 08:00.
Normally we all travel together but this lady and friend went North whilst we went West along the way they stopped at York to view some vintage bikes (4th what if).
We got home safely and were watching the news when up pops a motor cycle accident on the Roe highway the news chopper shots detailed the bike. (reality set in)

I knew the route the lady would be on to get to her home I identified her bike by the trellis frame a trait of Ducati's Monster type bike. (Route checked with Google earth)
I had twigged before most of the others apart from her family that it was her involved in the accident, as I rang her good friend with my concerns.
A few hours later I was contacted with the news she did not make it, 47 married two daughters she was a considerably experienced road and track racer.

The police had decided to do a u-turn at those lights which was a t-junction the car she hit propped although the impact showed that the rider almost cleared the rear of the car.
So many questions in my head and all of our group how to be sharing lotsa laughs and soaking up miles of tar then reality just like a broken tape gone!

The funeral was held in Bunbury and 400 ppl were in attendance my wife and I both laid our single yellow roses on her coffin it was pretty emotional stuff.
As 4 days before we buried another friend shooter into the furnace.
Don't know but the what if's are really hurtin'.

So sorry to hear that Ron, it's always felt keener and sharper at this time of year with Christmas approaching.

Even at my age of 54, I find I can sit and think of so many people I've lost dear to me over the last 10 years, friends and family.