I witnessed a guy get killed...

[rudeguy]

It was almost 2 weeks ago and I'm still a bit weirded out. It was 7:45 in the morning and I had swung through McDonalds. I was running a bit behind since I had to drop my son off and fight the construction traffic to get to work. I pulled out of McD's and as soon as I came to a stop in the left turn lane I heard a big thud. No metal, no glass, just a thud. When I looked behind me I saw a bunch of metal that used to be a bike. I had seen the guy on the motorcycle when I was turning and made sure I had plenty of room before I pulled out. I guess the lady behind me didn't see him. She pulled directly in front of him and with him doing ~45, he had no chance. In the split second I was looking back, I could see him just landing on the far side of her car.

I guess somehow his helmet came off. Not sure if it was before or after he hit the ground. Needless to say, he died instantly.

Never seen anything like that before. Its been 9 days and I still don't know how to feel. I guess I feel bad because I didn't stop but by the time I was in a safe place to get out of my car, 3 or 4 other people had already gotten out of theirs and they were going towards the guy. Maybe its because it very easily could have been me that took out the guy. If I had been talking to my son or turning the radio station or....man. Just messed me up.

Anyways, ATOT code says pics so:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/07/motorcyclist_killed_in_crash_w.html

My car was basically where all the firemen are standing.

 

[thepd7]

rough man, get some counseling, kiss you kid, grab a cold beer. That's not an easy situation to get over on your own.

 

[guyver01]

Go In Peace knowing that the fact you were paying attention and obeying the law meant you are now not wracked with guilt over having taken a life.

 

[Jaiguru]

Why didn't you stay to at least help with the police report? I'm not trying to put any kind of blame on you but it seems like that would have been the right thing to do.

 

[gigahertz20]

That is why I will never ride a motorcycle, no protection from other people hitting you.

 

[Raduque]

Damn, that's crazy. My family and I witnessed a car falling off a freeway overpass at an intersection a couple months back. Woman driver overcorrected while trying to avoid something in the road and went over the retaining wall and landed on the passenger side, and on the hood of a truck it looked like. All involved were fine, thankfully.

 

[xSauronx]

Go In Peace knowing that the fact you were paying attention and obeying the law meant you are now not wracked with guilt over having taken a life.

this. sounds like the lady did what so many people do...a rolling stop assuming that the person in front of them just went means that they can go, too.

i live in a small town and so much of that happened at a nearby intersection that they made it a 4-way stop.

 

[mizzou]

Yeah motorcycles are dangerous, not in of themselves, but because you have no protection.

I'm not sure what good you would be to the police, from what you told ATOT it was basically a blur and you only know what you did, and you didn't get hit.

Although it sounds like the driver who hit him was being negligent? Wow that sucks, hope she is insured :O

 

[Soundmanred]

 

[Pliablemoose]

Riding a motorcycle means the rider has decided to assume a level of risk, that level of risk is higher than many are willing to admit.

Sorry you're having a hard time, but, know that it was in no way your fault, and that death is simply a part of life, without it, life has little meaning for us, treasure every day above ground my friend, hug your child(ren), kiss your parents, and loved ones, make a difference...

 

[rh71]

can't.trust.anybody.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

That is why I will never ride a motorcycle, no protection from other people hitting you.

I'm more worried about peoples knack for not even noticing a motorcycle exists and thus causing the accident. Seems like people are much less likely to spot a motorcycle in their path than cars.

 

[CZroe]

What kind of bike was it? Sport? Cruiser? Hard to tell in the pic.

Riding a motorcycle means the rider has decided to assume a level of risk, that level of risk is higher than many are willing to admit.

Sorry you're having a hard time, but, know that it was in no way your fault, and that death is simply a part of life, without it, life has little meaning for us, treasure every day above ground my friend, hug your child(ren), kiss your parents, and loved ones, make a difference...

But it's not like we all assume that risk just because we want to, even if we ultimately agree. I ride everywhere because it's all I can afford as my regular transportation. It's the same reason many more go on pedal bikes (even less safe mixing with traffic).

 

[rudeguy]

Yeah motorcycles are dangerous, not in of themselves, but because you have no protection.

I'm not sure what good you would be to the police, from what you told ATOT it was basically a blur and you only know what you did, and you didn't get hit.

Although it sounds like the driver who hit him was being negligent? Wow that sucks, hope she is insured :O

yeah...wouldn't have been much to tell the cops. Its not like it would take that much figuring out. I didn't actually see the impact but as soon as I saw the wreckage I knew exactly what had happened. Plus this is a very busy street, so there were plenty of witnesses.

The lady that hit him said she just didn't see him. The sun was coming up from his direction and I don't recall seeing his light on. I am stupid careful when turning onto that street. Simply because one half second of not paying attention can have bad results like this.

Its just messed up. 21 year old kid probably on his way to work...older lady and her wheelchair bound husband starting their day after eating breakfast....a completely normal and boring morning until one stupid mistake.

I've never dealt well with death and this was just way too close for comfort.

 

[Imp]

The lady that hit him said she just didn't see him. The sun was coming up from his direction and I don't recall seeing his light on. I am stupid careful when turning onto that street. Simply because one half second of not paying attention can have bad results like this.

Sorry, but that's a retarded excuse. If you can't see, get some sunglasses, move your body/head, or sun visor or use your damn hand to make sure nothing's coming. YOU saw, why didn't she?

It's extra annoying because I occasionally get honked at by retards behind me who can't see jackshit what I see, yet assume it's perfectly safe for me to go.


I haven't seen anything like that before, but if you're still feeling "off" about it, talk to people about it in person.

 

[lxskllr]

I saw my boss Tbone a kid on a dirt bike. I was following his vehicle, and this kid flew out of a subdivision road right in front of my boss. We were going about 45mph on a rural highway. The kid got "lucky". My boss was driving compact pickup, so it hit him low, and flipped him up in the air. I thought he was surely dead. He ended up in a ditch on the other side of the road in about 1' of cold water. I went to check him out. He asked me to get him out of the ditch, but I didn't want to handle him. I figured it was best left to the pros to prevent any possible back damage. I directed traffic until the medics got there. He broke both of his legs, and I think he had some back issues too. What I think happened is he got on the bike without knowing how to control it. He just opened the throttle, and went.

Anyway, the real point is I saw that kid getting thrown in the air for a couple years after that happened. It doesn't leave quickly....

 

[rudeguy]

What kind of bike was it? Sport? Cruiser? Hard to tell in the pic.

Buell.

And I wasn't making excuses for the lady. She was 100% at fault. I'm just sad that her one lapse in concentration caused her to take someone's life. There is no way that she was trying to make it before the bike, she just didn't see him. How many times have we all started to take off when at the last second we saw a car that seemed to come out of nowhere and had to jam on the brakes?

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

rough man, get some counseling, kiss you kid, grab a cold beer. That's not an easy situation to get over on your own.

What's so traumatizing about seeing someone die in in front of you? It's part of live, it comes and go. No worries.

 

[Ronstang]

I was sitting at a Whataburger one night about 2AM with some friends getting some food after a night of drinking. I look up and see a guy crossing the divided highway in the dark and draw my friends' attention to this guy and then say "that idiot is going to get hit by a car" and within seconds a car plowed into him at about 60 mph.

 

[Locut0s]

Sorry to hear that man. Hope you get over it. I've never witnessed anything like this myself but I can imagine it would leave a mental scare if I did. I have enough mental issues as it is. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Locut0s]

What's so traumatizing about seeing someone die in in front of you? It's part of live, it comes and go. No worries.

Ok I guess my sarc meter is broken but if you really mean this you are either an idiot, cold hearted, or "battle hardened".

 

[TridenT]

Shit happens.

I'd not get upset over it unless I was the person though. :/

 

[jackace]

Yeah I would really enjoy a motorcycle myself, but too many people are just terrible drivers who don't pay attention to what they are doing.

OP I feel for you on watching someone die, and hope you get over it. It just takes time to get your head around the situation.

My situation isn't exactly like yours but it's similar. I was working with my father and grandfather last month out on my grandfathers farm. My father and I walked around the other end of the barn, to grab some stuff, when we came back (5-10 minutes later) we found my grandfather on the ground not breathing and no pulse. There was nothing we could do to revive him and he died. It was kind of hard to deal with at first, but I have come to terms with it now. The hardest thing for me was dealing with the fact that not 10 minutes before he died I was talking to him and everything seemed normal.

 

[Jadow]

People who ride motorcycles = stupid

period.

Darwin wins in the end

 

[Meghan54]

What's so traumatizing about seeing someone die in in front of you? It's part of live, it comes and go. No worries.

Says someone who probably has never experienced it first hand.