I can't get this out of my head so I'm posting this instead...
i had the scariest experience of my entire life yesterday too
background: my DH rides motorcycles, has since he was little...my school playground looks out onto the only highway into the downtown area and every day i'd be on the playground watching the kids and also keeping an ear out for motorcycles and i'd watch him ride out of town for his lunch hour at home, and then i'd watch for him to ride back into town for work again
yesterday i watched him ride out to lunch...after awhile i was looking for him to ride back, expecting him any minute to go past us...i went inside briefly to do other tasks (snack prep etc) and the staff outside immediately blew the whistle, lined the kids up and hustled them inside...the kids said there had been a motorcycle accident...i called DH's phone, no answer...
i didnt even think....i just ran out the doors, across the playground and out to the street...a black motorcycle similar to what DH rides lay strewn in pieces, cut in half from an impact with a car...the front of the car was wrecked...i looked around and didnt see anyone, i was freaking OUT not knowing who was involved...i asked a coworker "where is he?" and she pointed to the sidewalk near us...the motorcycle rider lay dead on the sidewalk, covered with a gray blanket...all i could see was his bare feet...and i looked to see if they were my husband's feet...only then did i know for sure that it was NOT my husband lying there
i was shaking so very badly....no one should EVER EVER have to look at a dead person's feet to know if it's their husband's....he was supposed to have ridden right through that area any minute....and if i had stayed on the playground and hadn't gone inside for snack prep, i would have seen the actual wreck and would have been one of the first responders attempting CPR although we now know that he died on impact
so very very sad...all of us were very shaken up by it...and ive never been so scared in my life as when i went running out there not knowing if it was my husband out there he called me shortly afterwards, and he had stayed home longer that day
My husband rides a motorcycle, too, and it always makes me nervous, especially when he goes on a long freeway drive. He does wear a full helmet, though. Does your husband do that? I'm not sure what the law is in Alaska....I'm in Michigan, where we used to have a helmet law, though it was recently eliminated. Now I've seen plenty of motorcyclists going 70+ miles an hour....with no helmets! Soooo dangerous.....
Last edited by mackinac19; 08-16-2012 at 09:35 AM.
alaskanlaughter - what a horrible scary event for you you're right, no person should have to look at someone's feet to see if they are someone they love lying there, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Prayers to that motorcyclist's family.
You haven't asked us our opinions on him continuing riding, so I won't give you my opinion on that.
As to wearing a helmet...if the wreck broke the motorcycle in half, and the front of the car was bashed in, it is not possible for a helmet to save someone. The blunt force trauma to the body would have been the lethal force, not a head injury.
alaskanlaughter - what a horrible scary event for you you're right, no person should have to look at someone's feet to see if they are someone they love lying there, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Prayers to that motorcyclist's family.
You haven't asked us our opinions on him continuing riding, so I won't give you my opinion on that.Of course he will continue to ride. He rides safe and takes all precautions. He always says "drive like no one sees you." I wouldn't ever tell him not to ride. That is something he has always loved and, although I naturally worry, I know that it is his life and his choices and I'm blessed to share whatever time we have together, whether it's cut short tomorrow or 40 years later.
As to wearing a helmet...if the wreck broke the motorcycle in half, and the front of the car was bashed in, it is not possible for a helmet to save someone. The blunt force trauma to the body would have been the lethal force, not a head injury.Yes his helmet did not save him. Reports later said that he was driving far over the speed limit and driving recklessly as well.
I'm so sad to hear the motorcyclist didn't survive the accident. Glad it wasn't your husband though.
I get really nervous when I see people riding irresponsibly on motorcycles around here. The car and truck drivers are not trustworthy enough for bikers to take that risk!
I wasn't sure what to say about his continuing riding, 'cause I didn't know at first how you felt about it My husband and I are both avid riders, I use my bike to commute 300 miles a week. When he had a fall almost 3 years ago, and had a brain bleed, I was ready to accept that he might not want to ride again. But he recovered and is right back at it.
I think it's wonderful that you are accepting and supportive of his love of motorcycling Do you like to ride with him?
It's always awful to read that the motorcyclist was possibly at fault, now the auto driver will have to carry the memory of the fatal crash.
alaskanlaughter, I'm so sorry you had to go through that and I'm so glad your husband is okay. I'm glad you went inside when you did.
It is time like these that really reinforce how precious and fragile life really is.
We were going through a financial crisis, when my husband's friend lost his wife in a freak accident. It really put everything back in perspective. We were in danger of losing our house and it seemed so important. Yeah, the things that REALLY matter in life are not bricks and mortar, but the people around you.
I loved how you put this "I know that it is his life and his choices and I'm blessed to share whatever time we have together, whether it's cut short tomorrow or 40 years later." I think that's an awesome attitude. My husband is getting ready to buy a motorcycle and I've heard it from everyone that I should "stop him." Uh... yeah, he's an adult capable of making decisions for himself.
Sturgis Rally just got over and we've had tons of motorcycle traffic the last few weeks. I live right in the middle of 2 major highways and one Interstate.
I drive (car) double careful, and look 2 or 3 times before pulling out. Sometimes they are hard to see.
My partner was always a motorcycle rider and I was part of a motorcycle crowd way back in the 60s so I share a love of it. However, as I lost many dear friends over the years I gradually became more wary of motorcycles.
Nonetheless, when I had some cash I bought her a new motorbike in 2001 and she used it for a couple of years going to work and back, mostly. Her route took her across some outstanding countryside in Yorkshire, England, and it started her day well and she loved it.
I am unsure what happened. She maintains it was just one day she realised how devastated I would be were she to have an accident and lose her life and, following that realisation, the bike just seemed too dangerous and each time she rode she lost confidence. It reached the point where she felt afraid to ride and she locked the bike in our shed and it remained there gathering dust for four years before we practically gave it away just to get rid of it.
She misses riding, it was a love of hers and I rue that for her even though I feel relieved. She says it is not that she would want a bike now, that it is an old love and she has great memories of it and the first bike she built etc.
I am so sorry you suffered this traumatic event. I can only imagine how desperate you must have felt and how difficult it is and will be for the next while. I know I would never have tried to stop my partner from riding but I am so very glad she reached that point on her own. Perhaps this will be the same for you.
Just getting this out of my head...
he called me shortly afterwards, and he had stayed home longer that day
what a horrible scary event for you 
