Helmet Truths: If only he was wearing a helmet...

He's dead, Jim...

Son Dies in Motorcycle Accident
The story of the boy dying on the motorcycle is true. Here is the verbatim account from the newspaper on this death. Emphasis has been added by myself.

"A nineteen year old suspect fleeing from police on a stolen motorcycle, was traveling above 90 mph about 2:30 am on Route 3 near Gorst. He lost control of the motorcycle, a Ninja "sports bike", and collided with a concrete divider. The impact ripped both of his legs from his torso. He had been drinking earlier in the evening prior to the theft of the motorcycle. He was not licensed to operate a motorcycle.

The suspect later died of his injuries. He was not wearing a helmet."

Interestingly enough, the facts aren't even important to the reporter. The reader is left with the final thought that this felon was not wearing a helmet. A motorcyclist would see all the warning signs that caused this kid's death. What do you think caused the fatality?

Was it:

Excessive speed?

Unfamiliar motorcycle?

Adverse conditions (darkness)?

Unlisted adverse conditions (it was raining that night)?

Alcohol consumption?

Untrained rider?

Unlicensed rider?

Age of rider?

Or, as the mother said, Failure to wear a helmet?

Personally, this incident upset me a great deal. First, somebody's motorcycle was stolen, and it wasn't going to be recovered in one piece. Second, a newspaper summarized the accident by stating he died, and he wasn't wearing a helmet. Third, the mother will be against any motorcyclist until the day she dies.

Do I have anything else to be upset about? I guess I should be upset at the fact that a "young man" lost his life in a crash, but, ANY motorcyclist will tell you that the kid had it coming. The combination of alcohol and lack of experience with the motorcycle alone was enough to cause an accident. The additional factors of speed, road conditions, and lack of training were nails in the coffin. But I have no sympathy for the death of a felon. I just wish he would've taken a car.

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