Back about a year ago I posted that my boss is a big Goldwing rider. He had a bad crash due to distracted riding a few years ago but bought a new one and got back on. 2 weeks ago on a long ride to Canada he got too close to the edge of the road, fell off, and lost it trying to get back on. He thinks when he slipped over the blacktop the rim of the rear wheel was broken and make the tire go flat. Anyway, he was thrown and had a broken collar bone, broken ribs, and punctured lung. They were so far from civilization cell phone didn't work, but one guy the group had a satellite phone.
The problem is bossman was the last of the group and the group had run far out ahead. They didn't stick together. He wasn't alone, one guy was back with him. He flew off to catch up with the group and lost control only a couple miles from the first crash. He went off and down a cliff. He's still in the hospital. He was hurt much worse than my boss.
It was only when the group realized they hadn't caught up that they went back to check. It took 2 hours for help to get there and they could only haul one. Since the other guy was worse, he got the first ride. Boss had to wait another 2 hours for the second trip.
The boss spent a couple days in care in Canada and was able to be back at work in a few days. The other guy had to fly back in an air ambulance. That was a $16,000 flight.
The boss' Wing is totalled. He's been lucky twice. His wife is drawing a line. He says he might get her to go for a trike or a Can-Am, but his days on a 2-wheeler are probably over. He didn't mention being over-tired or distracted but I'd bet one of them had something to do with it. They had gone something like 1000 miles over a few days before this. His bike was loaded with every gadget you can get including stereo and gps. There was a lot to take the rider's eyes off the road.
There are many lessons to learned from this. Riding in a group is safer but it has to stay together. No one in the group should get out of sight for very long. If you need to run for help, you do no good if you become a second victim. You still have to use the same care and sense you always should. Know your limits and pull over when you're getting tired. Driving a car when tired is plenty dangerous but bikes don't allow for much error. A car can hit a pothole or drift onto the shoulder without loosing control. You have to be sharper and clearer than when in a car.
The problem is bossman was the last of the group and the group had run far out ahead. They didn't stick together. He wasn't alone, one guy was back with him. He flew off to catch up with the group and lost control only a couple miles from the first crash. He went off and down a cliff. He's still in the hospital. He was hurt much worse than my boss.
It was only when the group realized they hadn't caught up that they went back to check. It took 2 hours for help to get there and they could only haul one. Since the other guy was worse, he got the first ride. Boss had to wait another 2 hours for the second trip.
The boss spent a couple days in care in Canada and was able to be back at work in a few days. The other guy had to fly back in an air ambulance. That was a $16,000 flight.
The boss' Wing is totalled. He's been lucky twice. His wife is drawing a line. He says he might get her to go for a trike or a Can-Am, but his days on a 2-wheeler are probably over. He didn't mention being over-tired or distracted but I'd bet one of them had something to do with it. They had gone something like 1000 miles over a few days before this. His bike was loaded with every gadget you can get including stereo and gps. There was a lot to take the rider's eyes off the road.
There are many lessons to learned from this. Riding in a group is safer but it has to stay together. No one in the group should get out of sight for very long. If you need to run for help, you do no good if you become a second victim. You still have to use the same care and sense you always should. Know your limits and pull over when you're getting tired. Driving a car when tired is plenty dangerous but bikes don't allow for much error. A car can hit a pothole or drift onto the shoulder without loosing control. You have to be sharper and clearer than when in a car.