MajBach
Well-known member
So after what could be described as a sh*t summer which included my father passing, missing four months of work and a few health issues of my own, I finally got caught up with things, packed my bike, and headed into the flow of traffic for a leisurely two weeks on Vancouver Island. Activities included the in-water classic boat show in Victoria, touring some of the lesser traveled spots on the S-W side of the island, looking for some property on the gulf islands I had previously scouted electronically and finally, a week on my boat amongst dolphins. Some douche-bag on a cell phone brought those plans to an abrupt halt several hours ago.
I was just north of the Malahat after passing several FJRs heading the other way into Victoria when I stopped for a red light. I noticed the Camry behind me to be a little slow on the brakes. One of those things you take notice of just enough to draw your attention to a little more thereafter when in a car, but enough to keep you vigilant when on the bike. At the green light, I intentionally put a lot of space between her and I just so I didnt have to worry about her through the next few lights and congestion. In retrospect, this may have been a mistake as now she had less reason to play close attention to me since the gap was that much greater. At the next red light less than a half mile away I came to a smooth stop; (by the way, in BC most intersections are preceded by a giant overhead warning billboard that starts to flash when you are approaching a green light that is about to change. Unless you are very close to this sign when it begins to flash or are on something with some get-up-and-go, you are almost certain to get a yellow or red light ahead. I approached such a precautionary sign with enough warning to realize I WOULD NOT be able to get through the next intersection). I looked into the mirror and noticed the same car approaching at a high rate of speed. I looked ahead to make sure the area was clear and was about to put it into gear to get out of the way when I heard the tires squeal.
I knew what was going to happen next.
I wondered instantly how hard this was going to be on my neck, especially with the heavy modular helmet I was wearing. The bike launched forward and I struggled to maintain the vertical. I can recall a left-right, left-right to the handle bars. Finally, I succumb to the imbalance and me and my FJ went down. I distinctly recalled thinking "I'm going to break my right leg when this this beast lands on it". But, to my surprise, the marriage of my face to the ground 'seemed' pretty gentle. I picked myself up and walked assertively towards the driver who had now exited her car. The blonde headed bimbo exclaimed " I'm sorry" (like that was going to change things) to which I cut her short and demanded "Were you texting?!!!".
She quickly denied the obvious charge and continued to walk towards me. Traffic was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see in both directions. All eyes trained on the two of us. People with cameras and iPhones held steadily a short distance from their eyes shaded with their free hand. I continued and walked past the young feline and peered into her car. There, on the driver's seat. lay an old flip phone. A-Ha! I walked over to the other side and grabbed the device. The driver stood in the intersection -dumbfounded- looking at me and not knowing what to do. A hundred other eyes trained on the two of us. I walked passed her a second time, identified myself as a Peace Officer and told her I was seizing her phone as evidence. She made no objections.
Several people who were uncharacteristically standing at the intersection to this Trans-Canada highway rushed me to ask if I was okay. I lost count of how many people asked if I needed an ambulance or stated they had called 911. There were four young men standing there too. Three were loading a crotch rocket that parked a mere 100 feet away on the shoulder and had broken down onto an awaiting pick-up truck. The other guy was a fireman. I have no idea why he was there but he had a two way radio and recognized the reflective vest I was wearing as being a police vest for traffic safety despite the fact that I had all the identifying marks taped over to conceal the identity; I only wore it for it's bright reflective yellow prominence.
I told everyone not to call an ambulance but someone did nevertheless. A waitress from the nearby restaurant sauntered over and exclaimed she saw the entire thing and called 911 and asked if I was hurt. Five people had their iPhone out and were taking pictures. Everyone asking me if I wanted their names as they saw the entire occurrence. We took a few pictures, picked up the bike and moved it to the shoulder and within moments two RCMP and one ambulance were on the scene. I handed the cop the other driver's phone, briefly described what happened before being force fed into the back of the ambulance.
What about my FJ'er?
Well, long story short (well less than really long. Hey, I'm sittin on my boat with Jack Daniels killin time and making use of this free internet connection). The driver, a 23 yr old lady that appeared to be on her way to work at a restaurant, was charged with the minimal charge. The Mountie could not find a time stamp on the phone that proved she was texting at the time. Regardless, he was not very sympathetic to her despite the fact he charged her with the minimum possible - following too close. If the insurance companies want to pursue it, they can get the phone records from the carrier. The sad thing for the driver - who was clearly a struggling student - was that she let her insurance slide, it expired yesterday and she hadn't renewed it. She was driving a POS 20 yr old Camry and had a state-of-the artifact phone. Clearly, doing it all on her own.
I told the cop I was going to try and see if the bike was drive-able when he asked me if I needed a tow truck and/or a ride. I put her on the center stand and started her up, stick her into third gear and released the clutch. Yup, there was a flat spot on the rim. Duh. I guess I should have expected that. I was in denial. Why does this always happen to me on Day 1 of my vacation (last year - hit a buck doin' a buck-10)? The sound emanating from the shaft drive indicated all was not well inside either.
"Okay. You can call a tow truck. Can you give me a lift to my Aunt's up the road?"
Intersection cleared, statements taken, paramedics satisfied, bike loaded onto tow truck, the incident resolved and a big sincere hug to the blonde bimbo who was now crying inconsolably as she was starting to realize the magnitude of her situation. I had a nice lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, reserved a rental car and am now sitting on my boat watching the moon rise and getting tipsier by the minute. Oh yea, my ass hurts like the dickens. I went to the hospital a couple of hours later because I was starting to feel the pain my adrenaline had obviously masked at the scene. Turns out I have a fractured tail bone.
But here's my reason for posting this tome. Way back when - let's see, 1984 when I took my motorcycle safety course at Conestoga college in Ontario, I can recall being instructed to do shoulder checks when coming to a stop. Just like when changing lanes, after coming to a stop, you took a glance across both shoulders to assess what was happening behind you. I did this, perhaps for a week after successfully completing the course, even though I thought it seemed gay, readointless. Today, I learned why. Had I performed a shoulder check after coming to a stop (instead of a mere glance in the mirror), I would have seen easily the car behind me was moving too fast and may have reacted in time to get myself out of harm's way.
Incidentally, the weekend I took this motorcycle course so many years ago, we were fortunate enough to have the "Chief" and "Supreme" instructors from the Canada Safety Council instructing the course, and, I was the first person to ever score perfect on both the theory and the practical examination. So much so, I was offered - at the ripe old age of 17, a scholarship by the Canada Safety Council to take a motorcycle instructors course at Fanshawe College in London. Despite that accolade which I turned down, I consider myself at best -and after driving with so many of you at NAFO, an average driver.
I can't recall why I included that detail; Jack must be making making an influence.
Okay, something I DO want to mention and and the reason is my recollection of the accident today. Hotrod Zilla will be able to appreciate this and perhaps apply it to everyday work.
Moments before I was struck from behind today, I was fully aware of what was about to happen. I can recall thinking: "This is going to hurt my neck...bad". Then the THUD! I recall struggling to maintain the vertical of the bike, zig-zagging back and forth before ultimately losing it and falling down. I thought for sure I would suffer a broken right leg as at this speed, frame sliders weren;t going to help.
Well, many minutes after the accident and somewhat more composed, i was speaking with several of the observers, including the one who caught it on film. i stated how i though I was going to manage to keep the bike up when one of the guys described what he saw. It seemed to conflict with what I remembered only a few brief minutes earlier. They all told me (and backed it up with photo evidence) that when I got hit, the bike did a wheelie and it was clear I was grasping tight at the bars - flipping the front wheel back and forth. But ultimately, my inertia couldn't match the acceleration of the FJ and I did a back flip over the back seat and cargo. I finally came to apparent mid- air rest four feet above the ground sans anything under me and landed flat on my "butt-tocks". The bike now continuing on several feet beyond. This observation seemed consistent with the fact that in the pictures, there was no passenger helmet left strapped onto my luggage because I apparently took it out with me in the V of my legs.
What's more - and this really blew me away, I was positive the bike landed on the right side because I can remember specifically thinking my right leg was going to feel the weight. But, it wasn;t until I saw the picture I took with my own camera hours later that i realized the bike fell on the left side! Wow! Memories are a tricky thing.
Anyway, that wraps it up for me. I feel better now throwing this down on paper to my fellow FJ owners and am now ready to pass out.... errrr, for bed. Don't forget to keep an eye on those drivers behind you, not just in front. I now have to decide where to have the bike taken for repairs. Barb: any suggestions for a good dealer on the island? Don;t say the dealer just north of Courtenay, I don;t care for them. You were spot on about the boat upholstery.
I would also appreciate input from everyone on specific areas I should request they make sure are inspected as a result of a rear end collision.
Okay, signing off. I'm tired and I need another frozen bag of peas for me arse. Hope you enjoyed the read .
I was just north of the Malahat after passing several FJRs heading the other way into Victoria when I stopped for a red light. I noticed the Camry behind me to be a little slow on the brakes. One of those things you take notice of just enough to draw your attention to a little more thereafter when in a car, but enough to keep you vigilant when on the bike. At the green light, I intentionally put a lot of space between her and I just so I didnt have to worry about her through the next few lights and congestion. In retrospect, this may have been a mistake as now she had less reason to play close attention to me since the gap was that much greater. At the next red light less than a half mile away I came to a smooth stop; (by the way, in BC most intersections are preceded by a giant overhead warning billboard that starts to flash when you are approaching a green light that is about to change. Unless you are very close to this sign when it begins to flash or are on something with some get-up-and-go, you are almost certain to get a yellow or red light ahead. I approached such a precautionary sign with enough warning to realize I WOULD NOT be able to get through the next intersection). I looked into the mirror and noticed the same car approaching at a high rate of speed. I looked ahead to make sure the area was clear and was about to put it into gear to get out of the way when I heard the tires squeal.
I knew what was going to happen next.
I wondered instantly how hard this was going to be on my neck, especially with the heavy modular helmet I was wearing. The bike launched forward and I struggled to maintain the vertical. I can recall a left-right, left-right to the handle bars. Finally, I succumb to the imbalance and me and my FJ went down. I distinctly recalled thinking "I'm going to break my right leg when this this beast lands on it". But, to my surprise, the marriage of my face to the ground 'seemed' pretty gentle. I picked myself up and walked assertively towards the driver who had now exited her car. The blonde headed bimbo exclaimed " I'm sorry" (like that was going to change things) to which I cut her short and demanded "Were you texting?!!!".
She quickly denied the obvious charge and continued to walk towards me. Traffic was bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see in both directions. All eyes trained on the two of us. People with cameras and iPhones held steadily a short distance from their eyes shaded with their free hand. I continued and walked past the young feline and peered into her car. There, on the driver's seat. lay an old flip phone. A-Ha! I walked over to the other side and grabbed the device. The driver stood in the intersection -dumbfounded- looking at me and not knowing what to do. A hundred other eyes trained on the two of us. I walked passed her a second time, identified myself as a Peace Officer and told her I was seizing her phone as evidence. She made no objections.
Several people who were uncharacteristically standing at the intersection to this Trans-Canada highway rushed me to ask if I was okay. I lost count of how many people asked if I needed an ambulance or stated they had called 911. There were four young men standing there too. Three were loading a crotch rocket that parked a mere 100 feet away on the shoulder and had broken down onto an awaiting pick-up truck. The other guy was a fireman. I have no idea why he was there but he had a two way radio and recognized the reflective vest I was wearing as being a police vest for traffic safety despite the fact that I had all the identifying marks taped over to conceal the identity; I only wore it for it's bright reflective yellow prominence.
I told everyone not to call an ambulance but someone did nevertheless. A waitress from the nearby restaurant sauntered over and exclaimed she saw the entire thing and called 911 and asked if I was hurt. Five people had their iPhone out and were taking pictures. Everyone asking me if I wanted their names as they saw the entire occurrence. We took a few pictures, picked up the bike and moved it to the shoulder and within moments two RCMP and one ambulance were on the scene. I handed the cop the other driver's phone, briefly described what happened before being force fed into the back of the ambulance.
What about my FJ'er?
Well, long story short (well less than really long. Hey, I'm sittin on my boat with Jack Daniels killin time and making use of this free internet connection). The driver, a 23 yr old lady that appeared to be on her way to work at a restaurant, was charged with the minimal charge. The Mountie could not find a time stamp on the phone that proved she was texting at the time. Regardless, he was not very sympathetic to her despite the fact he charged her with the minimum possible - following too close. If the insurance companies want to pursue it, they can get the phone records from the carrier. The sad thing for the driver - who was clearly a struggling student - was that she let her insurance slide, it expired yesterday and she hadn't renewed it. She was driving a POS 20 yr old Camry and had a state-of-the artifact phone. Clearly, doing it all on her own.
I told the cop I was going to try and see if the bike was drive-able when he asked me if I needed a tow truck and/or a ride. I put her on the center stand and started her up, stick her into third gear and released the clutch. Yup, there was a flat spot on the rim. Duh. I guess I should have expected that. I was in denial. Why does this always happen to me on Day 1 of my vacation (last year - hit a buck doin' a buck-10)? The sound emanating from the shaft drive indicated all was not well inside either.
"Okay. You can call a tow truck. Can you give me a lift to my Aunt's up the road?"
Intersection cleared, statements taken, paramedics satisfied, bike loaded onto tow truck, the incident resolved and a big sincere hug to the blonde bimbo who was now crying inconsolably as she was starting to realize the magnitude of her situation. I had a nice lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, reserved a rental car and am now sitting on my boat watching the moon rise and getting tipsier by the minute. Oh yea, my ass hurts like the dickens. I went to the hospital a couple of hours later because I was starting to feel the pain my adrenaline had obviously masked at the scene. Turns out I have a fractured tail bone.
But here's my reason for posting this tome. Way back when - let's see, 1984 when I took my motorcycle safety course at Conestoga college in Ontario, I can recall being instructed to do shoulder checks when coming to a stop. Just like when changing lanes, after coming to a stop, you took a glance across both shoulders to assess what was happening behind you. I did this, perhaps for a week after successfully completing the course, even though I thought it seemed gay, read
ointless. Today, I learned why. Had I performed a shoulder check after coming to a stop (instead of a mere glance in the mirror), I would have seen easily the car behind me was moving too fast and may have reacted in time to get myself out of harm's way.Incidentally, the weekend I took this motorcycle course so many years ago, we were fortunate enough to have the "Chief" and "Supreme" instructors from the Canada Safety Council instructing the course, and, I was the first person to ever score perfect on both the theory and the practical examination. So much so, I was offered - at the ripe old age of 17, a scholarship by the Canada Safety Council to take a motorcycle instructors course at Fanshawe College in London. Despite that accolade which I turned down, I consider myself at best -and after driving with so many of you at NAFO, an average driver.
I can't recall why I included that detail; Jack must be making making an influence.
Okay, something I DO want to mention and and the reason is my recollection of the accident today. Hotrod Zilla will be able to appreciate this and perhaps apply it to everyday work.
Moments before I was struck from behind today, I was fully aware of what was about to happen. I can recall thinking: "This is going to hurt my neck...bad". Then the THUD! I recall struggling to maintain the vertical of the bike, zig-zagging back and forth before ultimately losing it and falling down. I thought for sure I would suffer a broken right leg as at this speed, frame sliders weren;t going to help.
Well, many minutes after the accident and somewhat more composed, i was speaking with several of the observers, including the one who caught it on film. i stated how i though I was going to manage to keep the bike up when one of the guys described what he saw. It seemed to conflict with what I remembered only a few brief minutes earlier. They all told me (and backed it up with photo evidence) that when I got hit, the bike did a wheelie and it was clear I was grasping tight at the bars - flipping the front wheel back and forth. But ultimately, my inertia couldn't match the acceleration of the FJ and I did a back flip over the back seat and cargo. I finally came to apparent mid- air rest four feet above the ground sans anything under me and landed flat on my "butt-tocks". The bike now continuing on several feet beyond. This observation seemed consistent with the fact that in the pictures, there was no passenger helmet left strapped onto my luggage because I apparently took it out with me in the V of my legs.
What's more - and this really blew me away, I was positive the bike landed on the right side because I can remember specifically thinking my right leg was going to feel the weight. But, it wasn;t until I saw the picture I took with my own camera hours later that i realized the bike fell on the left side! Wow! Memories are a tricky thing.
Anyway, that wraps it up for me. I feel better now throwing this down on paper to my fellow FJ owners and am now ready to pass out.... errrr, for bed. Don't forget to keep an eye on those drivers behind you, not just in front. I now have to decide where to have the bike taken for repairs. Barb: any suggestions for a good dealer on the island? Don;t say the dealer just north of Courtenay, I don;t care for them. You were spot on about the boat upholstery.
I would also appreciate input from everyone on specific areas I should request they make sure are inspected as a result of a rear end collision.
Okay, signing off. I'm tired and I need another frozen bag of peas for me arse. Hope you enjoyed the read .
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