Six Months Later . . .

[DaFoole]

Diesel, sorry about the crash. Thanks for sharing your experience (awful though it may be). I can only say "there but for the grace of dOg...."
Not an LEO, but have had some really close calls and try to analyze each thereafter.
Reading these posts reminds me to keep doing so.
None of us can predict or plan for all situations and can only hope we can keep our shit together during the situation.
This often constitutes taking the better of two bad choices, as you did.
Very easy to sit back and find fault with others split second decisions...("I would have blah, blah, blah") which is ridiculous.
If you weren't there, STFU.

Heal fast and thanks for your service.

[Tim]

Hey Diesel, 15 year LEO vet here with 8 years as a moto-cop, hope you continue your recovery.

My very best wishes to you.

[OR400]

This thread is whats wrong with the interweb. I had to keep reading though. Diesel, my dad was a motocop for ten years and had two offs. No way am I going to list the situations here. He taught me to be a better rider and Im sure your successes and failures will make others better riders as well. Again Thank You for your service and patience.

[Scott_PDX]

Diesel,

Yikes - Sounds like a devastating crash. Glad you survived it, and I wish you the speediest of recoveries (Although at six months and counting, it's probably too late for that).

What's your prognosis? Are you able to walk, and/or will you be returning to duty and riding a Motorcycle?

Don't know much about LEO's - tend to avoid you guys ;) but I appreciate your service and sacrifices. Good luck.

-= Scott

[KingRat]

First of all, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Originally Posted by diesel1959

R1200RT-P... probably just hit fourth and was going about 55+

Originally Posted by Migolito

A department I work with a lot lost two motor COPs within 6 months ostensibly for the same reason. The driver 'didn't see' the motorcycle. That's very difficult to believe that they didn't see the bike as it is lite up pretty well.... I'm wondering what official studies, if any, exist as to the visibility of emergency lighting on bikes.

Never understood the lack of conspicuity markings over there.

[TrashCan]

Originally Posted by KingRat

First of all, best wishes for a speedy recovery.







Never understood the lack of conspicuity markings over there.

Maybe this will help you.

[Florida Lime]

I wanted to bring something up that was mentioned earlier - the helmet coming off.

Many years ago, I witnessed a crash at Bridgehampton when a friend crashed in T1/2 (125 mph turn at the time).
His full face helmet came off from the force of his impact with the ground, but where the helmet itself did not have an impact.
There was an investigation into the cause of the helmet coming off, wrong size, not fastened correctly, etc. , but it was determined that different helmets have different strap mounting locations relative to the wearer's head/chin/neck anatomy.

Just because a helmet seems to fit your HEAD, does not mean it fits YOU.

People going through tech inspection after that incident had to bring their helmet. The tech inspector would instruct the racer to put the helmet on, and fasten the strap, and the inspector would then try to rotate the helmet forward off the head. It takes quite a bit of force to do this right, and it can be a bit uncomfortable if it fits correctly.

I think they found a few cases where the helmet WAS able to be removed. Usually a different brand for that individual was the solution required.

Something to think about.

Diesel - I hope your recovery continues well !

[mr. matteeanne]

Originally Posted by Florida Lime

I wanted to bring something up that was mentioned earlier - the helmet coming off.

Many years ago, I witnessed a crash at Bridgehampton when a friend crashed in T1/2 (125 mph turn at the time).
His full face helmet came off from the force of his impact with the ground, but where the helmet itself did not have an impact.
There was an investigation into the cause of the helmet coming off, wrong size, not fastened correctly, etc. , but it was determined that different helmets have different strap mounting locations relative to the wearer's head/chin/neck anatomy.

Just because a helmet seems to fit your HEAD, does not mean it fits YOU.

People going through tech inspection after that incident had to bring their helmet. The tech inspector would instruct the racer to put the helmet on, and fasten the strap, and the inspector would then try to rotate the helmet forward off the head. It takes quite a bit of force to do this right, and it can be a bit uncomfortable if it fits correctly.

I think they found a few cases where the helmet WAS able to be removed. Usually a different brand for that individual was the solution required.

Something to think about.

Diesel - I hope your recovery continues well !

When I wrecked I went head first into the drivers door, if anything my helmet had never been so snug.

[Little Bike]

My Grandpa was one of the first CHP officers (back when they wore jodphurs!) He loved his job. He did have a devastating accident with head injuries, but recovered. I hope all goes well with your recovery and you're out doing what you want as soon as possible. Thank you for doing an important job!

[marine_mike]

Originally Posted by Florida Lime

I wanted to bring something up that was mentioned earlier - the helmet coming off.

Many years ago, I witnessed a crash at Bridgehampton when a friend crashed in T1/2 (125 mph turn at the time).
His full face helmet came off from the force of his impact with the ground, but where the helmet itself did not have an impact.
There was an investigation into the cause of the helmet coming off, wrong size, not fastened correctly, etc. , but it was determined that different helmets have different strap mounting locations relative to the wearer's head/chin/neck anatomy.

Just because a helmet seems to fit your HEAD, does not mean it fits YOU.

People going through tech inspection after that incident had to bring their helmet. The tech inspector would instruct the racer to put the helmet on, and fasten the strap, and the inspector would then try to rotate the helmet forward off the head. It takes quite a bit of force to do this right, and it can be a bit uncomfortable if it fits correctly.

I think they found a few cases where the helmet WAS able to be removed. Usually a different brand for that individual was the solution required.

Something to think about.

Diesel - I hope your recovery continues well !

I never thought of the point you made here. I have a brand new full face waiting for me at home that I ordered (despite my girlfriend's advice against) I'll have to try the twist motion and see if to fits properly.

[haithabu]

While it is true that something can always be learned from any motorcycle accident, here are a few things which are also true:

1) The only way to be absolutely safe on a motorcycle is to not start it.

2) For each of us there is a potential perfect storm of circumstances which would make a crash inevitable, no matter what our riding style or skill level.

3) There are times when a working motorcycle patrolman can't exercise every defensive riding technique available to us leisure riders and at the same time do his job effectively. The lights and siren are supposed to mitigate that risk, but obviously it doesn't always work.

4) There is nothing like having actually eaten asphalt to teach a would-be adviser humility.

[Two Speed]

A speedy recovery Diesel.

Seems the armchair quarterbacks are forgetting you have a few more variables to process when deciding where you are going to take your 'out' that us civvies don't even need to consider.

Originally Posted by Migolito

The driver 'didn't see' the motorcycle. That's very difficult to believe that they didn't see the bike as it is lite up pretty well. However, clearly something is wrong (IMO) with the visibility of some of the emergency bikes visibility. The California Highway Patrol operates a massive number of bike and I've had them fly by me code 3 and I didn't see or hear them until they passed by...and I'm pretty sensitive to other bikes. I'm wondering what official studies, if any, exist as to the visibility of emergency lighting on bikes.

Originally Posted by KingRat

Never understood the lack of conspicuity markings over there.

For whatever reasons, in North America, the theme seems to favor stealth, not visibility to other motorists.
Couple that with a reliance on emergency lighting that is a bit to great in my opinion, which ties in with Migolitos observations. Locally, the motocops have a pair of strobes buried in the faring lights at the front, and a pair at the rear (and side). Some years the bikes have had terrible visibility even with strobes, seems they point to the ground rather than straight out, so catching sight of them when lighting conditions are not favorable is difficult at best. Depending on the position of the sun, all the lighting in the world is going to get washed out and it comes to being very diligant about what may be coming your way.

Alex.

[Migolito]

"For whatever reasons, in North America, the theme seems to favor stealth, not visibility to other motorists." Excellent way to state it. Can you imagine if our ambulances and firetrucks were proportionately lite up as the average motor.

[It'sNotTheBike]

[QUOTE=DaFoole;18655230
If you weren't there, STFU.
[/QUOTE]


Gee, the "STFU" would go for all of us except the OP then, wouldn't it now :-) ?

Perhaps what you really meant was that anyone who doesn't agree with you
should in your opinion "STFU". Good luck with that ... LOL !!!


Some of us have wondered out loud if anything could have been done
differently such that the end result would have been different. That's not "finding fault" with
the guy who crashed, it is looking for alternative answers which might help prevent a crash
in a similar situation. Professional accident investigators can tell you that accidents which
could not have been avoided are exceedingly rare. That is, or at least ought to be, incentive to
look very hard in order to try to find factors which could have been modified to produce a different end
result.

As for the bit about "having tasted asphalt" :

You don't have to crash to know that crashing is something best avoided. NTSB investigators
don't need to die in a plane crash to be able to analyze a crash, do they ? The idea
is to learn from someone else's mistakes in order to avoid getting first-hand experience
with similar mistakes, some forms of which by their nature are likely to be the very last event in the life
of the person who makes them.

If an attempt to wonder out loud about what could have been done differently is perceived as some sort of
insult, and the OP and other readers object to any such discussion, that dramatically reduces the possibility
that anything will be learned here. That's where this thread is now.

[It'sNotTheBike]

Originally Posted by Two Speed

Seems the armchair quarterbacks are forgetting you have a few more variables to process when deciding where you are going to take your 'out' that us civvies don't even need to consider. .

I'd really like to hear you explain how _not crashing_ is at a different priority level for a policeman
than it is for a "civilian".

I can hardly wait