DUI Fatal Crash: Astoria

Police arrested and charged a man with manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment, following a fatal crash between a pickup and a motorcycle.

The motorcylist was killed.

The operator of a 2006 Ford F150 pickup crossed the double solid yellow center lines on a blind curve and collided nearly head-on with a 1994 Honda 500 motorcycle. The motorcyclist was ejected and the pickup dragged the motorcycle until stopping along the side of the highway.

The operator of the pickup was 44 years old. He and his passenger, his 13-year old daughter, both wore safety restraints and were not injured.

The motorcylist was 35 years old and wore a protective helmet.

Lessons Learned

No protective equipment will prevent injury in a collision.

No degree of skill or training will prevent a drunk driver from swerving into your lane of traffic.

The crash happened at about 6 PM, a Sunday evening, during the Memorial Holiday weekend. This holiday weekend has the highest percentage of alcohol-involved fatalities of all major holidays in Oregon. More than 250 people have died in Oregon traffic crashes during the last 40 years over the Memorial Day holiday period. Since 1985, 54 percent of the fatalities were alcohol-related.

There is no indication that the motorcyclist lacked skill or experience. There is little that he could have done to avoid this crash. It is most probable that he owned none of the fault.

Reference Links

http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1002#news35652

http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2010-05/1002/35652/053010.fatal.hwy30mp94.2.JPG

Fatal Traffic Crash - Highway 101

Less than eight hours ago a man lost control of his motorcycle and slid underneath a pickup traveling in the opposite direction. He died at the scene.

The 55-year old rider from Seattle, Washington was southbound on a 2007 Harley Davidson, entering a sharp right curve. He lost control and slid into the northbound lane, smashing under a 2000 Toyota pickup. The 62-year old driver of the pickup tried to steer right to avoid the collision, coming to a stop straddling the fog line on the northbound shoulder of the highway. He suffered minor injury.

The motorcyclist was wearing a protective helmet.

Lessons Learned

Middle of the afternoon, no mention of weather conditions, no mention of traffic or road conditions...we are left with only two reasonable causes for this crash:

Distraction

Speed

Something caused the rider to take his eyes off his line of travel. Or he was traveling too fast for the curve.

First, the issue of distraction.

Surrounded by scenery, especially that of our beautiful coastline, riding our wonderful, twisty Highway 101, it's oh-so-easy to take your eyes off the road. On a motorcycle, it only takes a brief moment to crash if you're not looking where you want to go.

A motorcycle goes where your head is pointed and our eyes are looking. It's that simple, or at least it should be that simple in the way we ride. If we emphasize the need to always turn our head and look in the direction we want to go, our balance and sense of speed combining with our lean will work.

It's different when operating a car. A four-wheeled vehicle is inherently stable...there is no wind in our face to distract us...a car does not lean into the curves...we can usually get by with just our peripheral vision.

We have no such luxuries on a motorcycle.

Next, the issue of speed.

The ONLY way to take a curve at high speed is to lean...lean WAY over...lean so far your peg scrapes and you expect it to scrape, so you're not surprised when it scrapes and you lean more and accelerate even more.

Is that how you want to take that curve?

If you are not willing to scrape your peg, then DON"T SPEED!

I'm sorry for the all-caps, but not too sorry. A motorcycle can take a curve safely at a much faster speed than any four-wheeled vehicle, but the trade-off is the need for lean. Most weekend riders do not have the skill, and the trust, to lean deeply into a curve...me included.

Unless you're willing to train daily on a track, taking high-speed curves, you must back off on the speed.

It's OK to roll on the throttle in the middle of the curve...in fact, it's a good practice. The increased acceleration seems to help anchor the bike as it comes out of the turn and returns to a vertical stance.

But entering a curve at high speed gives you no room to accelerate reasonably...you're already at the maximum speed for that curve and you haven't even started to lean. It's much easier to enter at a reasonable, even slow speed, roll on the throttle, leaning into the center of the curve, and continue to accelerate out of the curve.

How do you know how fast to enter a curve?

The best rule of thumb is the yellow warning signs that precede a curve. They are usually posted at a very safe, slow speed. Usually I'm able to add ten miles per hour faster to my speed and still have complete control entering the curve. But I wouldn't recommend exceeding that warning limit by more than 10 MPH.

Enter the curve at the recommended speed (10 MPH over is OK), and roll on the throttle, accelerating as you pass the deepest part of the curve and start to straighten out.

It's always possible to safely accelerate AFTER you've entered the curve...it's risky to try to de-celerate in the middle of a curve...it's deadly to enter a curve already going too fast.

Keep your eyes on the road and control your speed.

Double Fatal Traffic Crash

Friday, October 2, 2009

Two victims died when their motorcycle was struck by a sport utility vehicle (SUV) on Highway 97, north of Chiloquin.

The 63-year old driver of the SUV was northbound and attempted to pass a truck. Moving out to the left lane to pass, he crashed head-on into the southbound motorcycle. Both riders of the motorcycle were ejected and died at the scene.

The motorcycle operator was male, age 65...the passenger was male, age 49. Both were wearing helmets.

The driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries...his passenger was transported by air ambulance with serious injuries.

Source: http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1002#news29912

Image: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2009-10/1002/100209.fatalx2.hwy97mp226.1.jpg

Lessons Learned

Unforeseen and unpreventable.

I've critiqued motorcycle-related accidents before in this blog, and I usually can point out at least one defensive riding tactic that relates to the incident...but not this time.

From the news article it seems clear that the motorcyclists were blameless. A two-lane highway provides separation between opposing vehicle traffic only by painted lines and driver skill and attention...it wasn't sufficient for these two motorcyclists.

The riders could be faultlessly alert and skillful, yet be killed by an inattentive or impaired driver who crosses the centerline directly in front of them.

So, no lesson to learn?

I take from this tragedy a reminder of two things:

One, we are not ultimately in complete control of our lives.

Two, ride with the expectation that the oncoming traffic is unstable:

crazy

inebriated

angry

distracted

unskilled

ignorant

careless

reckless, or

criminal.

Motorcycles by design and definition are unable to compete on equal grounds with all other traffic, except bicyclists and pedestrians. We can decide to never ride a motorcycle, or we can take all reasonable precautions and ride skillfully and defensively...

...and take our chances.

Fatal motorcycle crash in Georgia

WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia reported a fatal motorcycle crash occuring October 1, at about 5:30 PM, the second motorcycle fatality there this week, and the fifth in the last five months.

A 57-year-old man was riding southbound on Liberty Expressway. As he neared the intersection with Antioch Road, a driver of a pickup truck pulled out in front of the motorcyclist. The intense collision between truck and motorcycle was severe enough to break the truck's drive shaft.

The motorcyclist was alive, still wearing his helmet, when the ambulance arrived, but he died about 20 minutes later.

The driver of the pickup stated that he entered the intersection just after another vehicle had turned in front of him, blocking his view of any oncoming traffic.

Read the article: http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11243364

Lessons Learned

Primary fault for the accident obviously goes to the driver of the pickup truck, but we must admit the motorcyclist neglected several essential defensive riding tactics.

Scan for potential hazards: look as far ahead as possible...identify hazards well before you get near them. The sequence of one car turning in front of a hidden second car, and the motorcyclist ramming into that second car, means the motorcyclist was not slowing for the first vehicle...he was counting on the road being clear after the first car made his turn...but it was not, and he didn't have time to avoid it.

Ride defensively...assume traffic is crazy and liable to act in unpredictable ways.

The fact that there had been at least one fatality every month for five months running probably meant little to the motorcyclist. Of all people, perhaps motorcyclists are most notorious for thinking "It'll never happen to me!"

Motorcycle Deaths Climb

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
September 30, 2009

Motor vehicle deaths dropped nearly 10 percent in 2008 compared with 2007, pushing down all transportation deaths, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday.

Highway fatalities, which dominate the toll, dropped to 37,261, from 41,259. But motorcycle deaths rose for the 11th year, to 5,290, and now account for one in seven motor vehicle deaths.

The report covers a year of record-high gasoline prices, and then recession, conditions that cut the number of miles traveled. But the rate of deaths per million miles also dropped sharply, by 7 percent, suggesting that driving got safer over all.

High gas prices may also have increased motorcycle miles. The number of miles traveled by motorcycles is uncertain, although the number of registrations is up. Many states have repealed helmet laws, which experts say has led to a higher death toll.

The highway death toll in 2008 was the lowest since 1961.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/us/30highway.html?_r=1

Lessons Learned

Motorcycle deaths: one in every seven fatal highway accidents.

Even accounting for high gas prices, the rate of automobile deaths per miles driven has dropped...driving cars has gotten safer while motorcycle deaths have climbed.

Motorcyclists have a right to operate their vehicle in the way they deem best, right? They have a right to ride without a helmet, without a jacket, without chaps, right? We have the right to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph, right? I don't think so.

Public opinion, formed by newspaper headlines and third-person experiences, may well erode our rights to the point where motorcycling will be regulated out of existence.

I can easily foresee taxes levied on motorcycle-related purchases "to pay for excessive accident rates". I can foresee sky-high insurance rates "for statistically risky behavior". I can foresee signs along our favorite twisty highways: "No Motorcycles Allowed".

We motorcyclists must begin to "police" ourselves before we are regulated out of existence by public opinion. This requires each of us to model exemplary motorcycling skills:

well-maintained equipment

adherance to traffic laws

defensive riding habits

community support and outreach.

Every motorcycle death and every motorcycle-related accident becomes evidence that motorcycles are only appropriate for extreme sports and daring risk-takers.

If we can lower our death and accident rate, we not only will return home after each ride to our families and friends, but we will be showing our community that motorcycling is a great recreational activity.

Two Fatal Motorcycle Crashes

Highway 199, near Grants Pass, Oregon - 09/25/09

A 51 year old man died Friday afternoon after his motorcycle crashed on Highway 199 approximately 16 miles north of Grants Pass.

On September 25, 2009 at approximately 2:20 p.m., a 2005 Honda motorcycle operated by HARREL EUGENE NEAL, age 51 from Eagle Point, Oregon was traveling southbound on Highway 199 when it left the roadway. The motorcycle drove onto the shoulder of the highway striking a guardrail. NEAL was thrown from the motorcycle, which came to a rest in the highway.

An ambulance crew, which happened to be in the area, arrived on scene within minutes of the crash. NEAL, who had been wearing a helmet, died at the scene of the crash.

Highway 20 near Bend, Oregon - 09/25/09

On September 25, 2009 at approximately 12:30AM, a 2008 Ducati motorcycle operated by MICHAEL WILLIAM CLEARY, age 61, was driving eastbound on Highway 20 near milepost 28. According to Sergeant Eric Brown of the Bend Area Command, as the motorcycle was eastbound it failed to negotiate a left hand curve and drove off onto the south shoulder of the roadway. The motorcycle struck a fog marker and CLEARY, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the vehicle. He died at the scene of the crash.

The crash is still under investigation, but it appears speed may have been a contributing factor.

Lessons Learned

Two crashes, with similar situations, same day. What similarities can we observe? One might be the time of day. The crash on Highway 199 happened in mid-afternoon...the one on Highway 20 just after midnight. Sleepiness could have been a factor in both. As a new rider I did not expect to ever feel sleepy on a motorcycle...fresh air rushing past, the thrill of balance and speed, the tremendous views around me and the need for alertness...one would think it would be easy to stay awake.

I was wrong. It's incredibly easy to relax and enjoy the ride. A full stomach after lunch, or late at night, can be a set up for sleepiness on the road.

Both crashes had nothing to do with other traffic. A very common attitude among motorcyclists borders almost on scorn, even hate, for "cagers", operators of automobiles. Many riders assume the dangers of motorcycles is wholly from other traffic, especially the four-wheeled variety. But much of the blame, or responsibility lies with our own skills and alertness. I alone am responsible for choosing my path, and speed, through a curve. I alone am responsible for scanning for hazards and watching the road.

Both riders wore helmets. I am fervent about wearing a helmet. I will NEVER ride without one. But it's not magic, and I would be very hard put to say anti-helmet riders are wrong when they say that in some instances, a helmet can CAUSE more injury than if it were not worn. A crash is chaotic and wrenching...the physical forces of inertia and mass, inside and outside the body can be more than enough to overwhelm any protective gear I might be wearing.

The ONLY self-protection that can be relied upon consistently is my own alertness and skill. My choices for protection start even before I turn the key. Two of the absolute essentials that I check every day:

Tires: air pressure

Wheels: tap spokes lightly with wrench, looking for any that sound "dead" or broken

A more thorough inspection is often necessary. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation endorses a "T-CLOCK" inspection:



http://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/T-CLOCSInspectionChecklist.pdf

Four killed in three separate motorcycle crashes

Story Created: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:09 AM MDT
By KBCI Web Staff (http://www.2news.tv/news/local/59335897.html)

BOISE - Monday was a deadly day on Idaho roads and highways throughout the state for motorcyclists.

Four people were killed, including two from Boise, in three separate crashes.

The first crash, Idaho State Police says, occurred on Highway 55 near Banks. Police say Richard Schroeder, 63, of Halfway, Ore., was traveling southbound when he failed to negotiate a left curve and was ejected from his motorcycle. The man, who was wearing a helmet, ended up down a 30-foot embankment and into the Payette River.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities also responded to motorcycle crash near the Idaho, Oregon border. They say Eric Shink, 40, of Kennewick, Wash., was headed eastbound on Interstate 84 when he struck a guard rail and was ejected from his motorcycle.

Shink, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol and speed are believed to have been factors in the crash.

The third crash, Idaho State Police says, occurred about 18 miles from Stanley on Highway 75. Officials say an Idaho Transportation Department employee was doing routine maintenance on the highway when he saw two people and a motorcycle on the bank of the Salmon River.

Authorities say Ronald and Sharon Weber, of Boise were riding a motorcycle when for unknown reasons, they drifted off the right shoulder and down a 90-foot embankment. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash.

Lessons Learned

Motorcycles are inherently dangerous.

I know that's a controversial over-simplification, especially coming from an enthusiastic motorcyclist, but it's a fact we have to face. A motorcyclist simply cannot make a mistake.

Automobiles allow a generous leeway for mistakes. The operator is surrounded by steel and buffered with restraints and air pillows.

A motorcyclist is surrounded by environment and free of any restraints.

The motorcyclists who were ejected from his motorcycle would not have gained any protection if they had managed to stay astride their rides...being ejected from a motorcycle means little during a crash. Wearing a helmet does little good when the wearer ends up at the bottom of a 30-foot embankment and into a river.

What mistakes were made?

Failure to negotiate a curve means excessive speed and inattention.

Striking a guard rail means excessive speed and inattention...probably due to alcohol in this instance.

It's more difficult to identify a cause for the couple who drifted off the road and down an embankment. Riding two up requires extra attention...center of balance changes make steering more difficult. Falling asleep is a real danger on big bikes...they are so much more comfortable and smooth running. The operator may have experienced a medical emergency...heart attack? It could have been as innocent as spying a deer on the side of the road, causing a distraction, allowing the bike to drift onto the shoulder of the road, and riding two up could make it difficult to correct.

Riding a motorcycle requires a commitment to skill and attention, far more than that required to operate an automobile.

Motorcycle Operator Dies from Injuries Sustained

Update: Motorcycle Operator Dies from Injuries Sustained in Monday Crash - Belt Line Road north of Eugene (Photos) - 09/16/09



A Springfield-area motorcyclist seriously injured Monday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on Belt Line Road north of Eugene died early Wednesday morning at an area hospital.

TIMOTHY RUSSELL TULL, age 21, from Springfield was operating a 1997 Yamaha motorcycle September 14, 2009 at approximately 4:10 p.m. eastbound on Belt Line Road near milepost 6. As TULL approached a disabled car on the inside shoulder partially blocking the left lane, he reportedly lost control of his motorcycle and laid it down on the pavement.

During the crash, TULL's protective helmet came off his head and he suffered serious head injuries. He was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend where he died September 16th about 2:30 a.m.

OSP troopers from the Springfield Area Command office are continuing the investigation. Speed may have been a contributing factor in this crash. Eugene Fire Department and ODOT assisted at the scene.

Photograph Source: Oregon State Police
http://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=1002#news29443

Lesson Learned

Target Fixation: keep eyes on the road ahead...you go where your eyes are looking.

Protective Gear: Unsecured helmet? Several times I've traveled more than a block down the road and suddenly realized I'd forgotten to connect my chin straps. Perhaps the rider was wearing an old, or borrowed helmet, or one of the wrong size.

Speed: may have been a factor. Speeding reduces the time you have to make corrections or identify hazards.