hey guys, i'm posting this story from another mc forum in order to stress not only ATGATT but the need to have and share important info with your riding buddy(s). this just happened over the weekend:
In my failed attempt to organize a Vstrom group ride previously scheduled for today, after much initial interest but no one confirming (all too familiar) I decided to take a ride anyway. Fellow South Texas rider Aharbi from Austin (an inmate on this site) agreed to meet me in Medina TX and that we would ride the infamous "Three Twisted Sisters" (a 100 mile twisty Hill Country loop consisting of Hwy's 335, 336, and 337) which begins and ends in Leaky TX.
I had never ridden or even met Aharbi prior to this morning, only conversed a few times via posts and PMs on this website. Anyway, we met as planned in Medina and talked for about 15 minutes before beginning our ride together. We rode the 40 miles into Leaky with me in the lead. I didn't know Aharbi's comfort level or ability so after "testing" the pace up and down for a few miles I settled in right at the posted speed limits and Aherbe was never more than a few bike lengths back in my mirrors and showed to be a solid and capable rider.
After a burger in Leaky, we headed out Hwy 337 to begin our loop ride. Right away the road gets very twisty with multiple back-to-back 90 degree hair-pin, blind cliff-side turns with posted speeds between 10 to 20 MPH. This is a very narrow road with 2-way traffic so when a car is approaching from the opposite direction you cant see it until you're in the middle of one of the many turns. And because of the sharpness and quantity of turns, it's really tough to be proactive and look ahead because your focus is directed at the turn you're navigating. All that said, leaned over in one of the turns as a car comes whizzing by 3 feet away from the opposite direction can be somewhat startling.
I lead us through the first few turns and came to a small stretch of straight road where I checked my mirrors and Aharbi wasn't there. I slowed to a crawl, then pulled to the side of the road and waited about a minute but he didn't appear. We had only gone about 2 miles so I knew something was wrong. I turned back up the road and two corners later I found him laying in the middle of the road with his bike on its side......
I ran over and found him conscience but very startled and shaken up. A few other bikes soon stopped and began directing traffic (mostly other bikes) around us. Eventually he was able to sit up and confirm nothing was broken and that he could move all his parts. He was wearing ATGATT which I think probably saved his life. We got his helmet off and helped him to the side of the road, still dazed and very confused, not able to remember what happened or even where he was at. It was a tough situation.......
About 15 minutes later the Sheriff and then the Ambulance arrived. The Paramedics checked him over and confirmed no bones appeared to be broken but they were concerned with his dizziness and dementia. We checked his helmet and found multiple deep scratches and gouges. He was wearing a full face HJC. The Paramedics decided to take him into Uvalde which was the closest hospital, 40 miles away.
Aharbi's Wee was mashed bad. The front wheel was shattered and the forks are bent back to the left side of the frame. The front of the bike is toast and I'm sure the frame is tweaked as well. Its probably a total. I decided to stay behind to wait for the wrecker and accompany his bike back to the tow lot in Leaky. I'm not a doctor so there was nothing I could do for him at the hospital, so I tried to put myself in his shoes and think what I would want someone to do for me given the situation. After the wreck Aharbi couldn't even remember where he was so I felt like he would probably later appreciate that his bike was confirmed to be in safe keeping.
While waiting with the Sheriff we concluded that based on the pavement gouges it appears that while in the apex of the left-hand turn Aharbi made an abrupt right-hand correction which stood the bike up and sent him head on into the guard rail...... Good thing the guard rail was there because the other side was a 50+ foot drop off........ I confirmed to the Sheriff that we were not speeding (entered the corner at approx. 20 MPH) and he agreed that an on-coming car most likely startled him and caused him to veer to the right and into the guard rail. There were no skid marks found and no flat spots on either tire, so it appears he hit while still under throttle....... Per the Sheriff, they are called out for motorcycle accidents on the Three Sisters at least 2 or 3 times each weekend during the summer. And about half of them result in fatalities. This was one of the more well known turns for accidents.
While we were waiting for the tow truck, the Sheriff got a call on his radio stating that while in transit to the hospital, Aharbi had gone to a "Code 1". The Sheriff explained that this meant he had gone critical...... ***? This just seemed to be a routine concussion 10 minutes ago? The Sheriff stated that unfortunately it's common because once the adrenaline wears off the real injuries come to the surface.
So I ditched the plan to stay with his bike and decided to make a bee line for Uvalde. The Sheriff was a super guy and gave me his card, stating he would make sure Aharbi's motorcycle was secure. I made it the 40 miles to the hospital in 25 minutes.
When I arrived Aharbi was in bad shape and fading in and out of unconsciousness. They had already done X-rays and CT scans and found swelling on his brain and fluid in his right lung. Uvalde is a little country hospital so they called in Life Flight and helicoptered him to San Antonio.
Ok, here's where it gets interesting. First the Sheriff, then the Paramedics, then the hospital, all asked me loads of typically routine questions;
What's his name? Aharbi
What's his real name? I dunno
How old is he? I dunno
Where does he live? Ummm, somewhere North of Austin
Where exactly? I dunno
Is he married? I think so
What's her name? I dunno
What's her phone number? I dunno
How can we contact his family? I dunno
OK sir, you're not very much help. Are you being serious? What do you mean you just met him over the Internet? All this sounds pretty crazy sir.
Due to the head trauma while out on the highway and in the hospital, Aharbi couldn't recall much at all. He remembered he had his cell phone in his jacket, but couldn't remember his pass code so we were unable to unlock his phone to find any phone numbers. He couldn't remember if he had any allergies or prior medical conditions. He couldn't remember much personal info at all. Eventually he recalled his home phone number, which I called but got an answering machine. I had no choice but to leave "one of those messages" that he had been in an accident, was in the hospital in San Antonio, and to please call me. This was 2:00 this afternoon and it's now 10:00 and I have received no call. I hope to God the hospital was able to locate his wife.
Not sure of Aharbi's status at this time. I did confirm that he made it to the ICU at SAMMC hospital in San Antonio, but because I'm not blood they won't tell me anything more. I'm gonna try again tomorrow and also try and contact his wife.
Lessons Learned
1- ATGATT. As it implies, always, all the time.......Period
2- Don't skimp. Buy the best gear you can afford. If you have to, borrow the money to buy the best gear. How much is your life worth?
3- Wear a quality helmet. I don't know much about HJC, other than I think they are among the lower priced helmets. Was it good enough to prevent further injury? Apparently. Would a higher priced helmet (Shoei, Arai, etc) have prevented the injury he did receive? Maybe, but who knows really. I'm not knocking HJC I just don't know much about them.
4- When you ride with someone you don't know, first things first, exchange basic information. I'm not saying a complete medical or personal history, but basic info like spouses cell phones, home phone, where the **** they live, their real freakin names, etc.
Sorry for the long post, but I figured this story needed to be told.
Say a prayer tonight for Aharbi. God will know his real name........
www.theicedevice.com
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