Monday, March 27, 2017

What could go wrong ...

Riding can be dangerous, here's some grim old archives from various clubs:

The KSRC Putty BBQ
http://www.ksrc-au.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20485

 Riding south on the Putty, having just left Broke (with full tanks of fuel, as mentioned). Rider #2 overtakes Rider #1 on a short straight. Rider #2 hits the guard-rail on a right-hander, and both bike and rider bounce off, hitting Rider #1. Rider #3 dodges the still-moving wreckage. Rider #4 doesn't. The wreckage ends up in the centre of the lane, just around a sharp right-hander. Rider #5 plows into the wreckage from behind, under heavy brakes and ends up under a lot of tangled bikes. Rider #6 dodges the wreckage. Rider #7 also hits the wreckage, and ends up going over the guard rail and down a ditch. Rider #8 pulls up just before the wreckage (thanks to the quick-thinking Rider #3 running back and waving people down, to avoid more people plowing into it). All other riders pull up safely, well before the wreckage.
Everyone helps pull people out of the wreckage, which has caught alight.

Things I learned from this:
In group ride situations, do not get bunched up closely when you hit the twisties and the pace increases. Jumping hard on the back brake is both instinctive and dangerous - I try to practice emergency braking every now and then to try to prepare for the next time shit happens in front of me.
Do more track days - gotta get quicker reactions (well, that's one excuse). Try to only ride with people who are insured. Some of my riding friends were much better friends than I had realised until that day. And the biggest thing I learned - Sometimes a small error, the sort of thing you'd get away with any other time, can occasionally have huge (and out-of-proportion to the mistake) consequences. - Cath

.oOo.


MSTCV Fatal Crash
http://www.melbsportsbike.net.au/Magazine/2006/Feb2006/thom.html

Paul gave the talk, I volunteered for the rear rider, and we were away down the Princess Freeway to Pakenham. Then the usual back roads through Nar Nar Goon, Tynong, Garfield, Bunyip and Longwarry. So far so good. We crossed the Princess Freeway and began to head for Jindivick and the ‘good’ roads. As I rounded a sweeping right-hander, bikes where everywhere and people waving franticly to slow down! I stopped and parked the bike noticing a rider laying on the edge of the road with a very damaged YZF1000 not far away. It was Peter Parissis!

After making our statements to the police, a few of us tried to make sense of the crash. It would appear that Peter has run wide on the right hand bend and gone into the earthen drain. He then continued along the drain at speed until hitting a driveway crossover which launched him and the bike quite high into the air.  The pair then landed heavily onto the road!

Sunday 15th January 2006
Thompson Dam via Moe
Paul Southwell leading
10 am Berwick
12 bikes, 12 people, 33 deg.
Peter Parissis sustained life threatening injuries after crashing on the way to Jindivick. Peter was air lifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency and later admitted to Critical Care. He is on life-support with the prognosis grim. Members have received follow up email. See Guest Book for latest information. Peter's bike was removed to Warragul and sustained serious damage. The ride was abandoned.

Life support was removed a week later and he died peacefully on Thu 26th. Funeral details soon.

.oOo.

Grrrl crash

Apparently I'd ridden halfway through the spur, (a little way past the picnic ground) but the last thing I remember is riding along a section that straightened out a little between corners, heading towards a left hand bend. I remember increasing speed along the straight, and slowing again and dropping gears for the corner. I was upright, happy and moving forwards.Then I woke up dazed and confused in hospital, and very annoyed about the uncomfortable tubes down my throat!!

~ I had broken five vertebrae, from T6 to T10. Apart from the broken vertebrae, the actual spinal cord was damaged at T6. So I'm paralysed from that level down. (Just below the bra-line).

~ I also had a collapsed lung, 

.oOo.




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