Been awhile since Ive posted. After talking to my wife of 5 years regarding purchase of her first set of gear, I decided to share my story to emphasize the need for people to use personal protection equipment and even in doing so, discuss your wishes with your family. I owned an old Virago. I loved that bike and had put about 2500 miles on it in the time that I owned it, including a 350 mile round trip camping trip ridden two up. Previous to the accident i had had about 2.5 years of riding experience. I always wore a helmet, but when i got the Virago I switched to a Full face helmet and a ce approved armored jacket. Here’s what happened: On a nice evening in July my girlfriend/partner of 6 years and I decided to go on a ride to a town about 20 miles from ours for dinner. We were going to take the highway. It was about 65 degrees out, no wind, dry roads, and not a cloud in the sky. Perfect riding weather. So we put on our helmets, jackets, and got on the bike. I forgot my gloves, but figured it was a nice night and I was tired of being covered up on the bike, so i didn’t go back to get them. We left our house and were riding on a road in town that we frequented doing 45mph, which was the speed limit. I came up to a point in front of a minimall where the road curves slightly to the left when a yearling moose ran out from the right full speed and impacted the right side of our front wheel. There is a sharp incline from the parking lot of this mini mall to the road, so the yearling was flying up it to clear it, and came flying out from behind the telephone pole/ large bush on the side of the road, straight into the side of my bike. In hitting the front wheel, it turned the wheel sharply to the left, effectively stopping the front of my bike. We flipped 6 times and took six chunks of the road with us. My chest impacted the left handlebar and I was thrown hip first into the ground. It threw me so violently that the brake lever I was squeezing burned off my finger prints, and I lost consciousness from the g-forces. When I came to I was vibrating and heard a strange noise. I was sliding feet first down the road on my back for 50ft. I realized mid-slide what was going on and tucked to prevent any more damage to myself. When i stopped I took a second to make sure everything was there and then jumped up. I was in the oncoming lane of traffic. The bike was still moving. I ripped off my helmet and dialed 911 while running to my partner, she was in our lane laying on her side. I waved my helmet at the oncoming truck so he wouldn’t hit us and he just swerved full speed into the shoulder and kept going, didn’t even try to slow down. An SUV then stopped to assist us. I asked my partner if and what her dogs name was. She could move her fingers and toes. She said the front of her head and her lower back hurt. The paramedics showed up and pulled me away, she fell asleep and never woke death was exacerbated. She was flown to another hospital. I sat down and realized that my hip may be broken. I was taken to the hospital and left after receiving the call 3 hours later that she was brain-dead and it was hopeless. I got there about twenty minutes later and sat with her until the organ donation team that was scrambled arrived. She saved two lives, and helped improve the quality of life for countless others. I buried her 10 days later. The accident happened in town at 45mph in a place where moose have not been seen before. I was scanning and only saw it as it made impact, I reached for the brakes, grabbed them, and then was on the road. It happened in less than a second. My bike ripped the yearling’s leg off and it bled out at the site. I suffered abrasions and a hip contusion as well as a misaligned hip. My right hip shifted an inch and a half forward, independently of my left hip. We both had full face helmets and jackets, but we hit with the same force as falling off a 60ft building, so I realize how lucky I am. We had discussed the dangers of riding and what we wanted done with our bodies if something did happen. We were 23. I just hope that everyone out there will tell their family members if they want organ donation, if they want cremation or burial, if they want to be kept alive on a machine. And for god’s sake wear a helmet. My life was saved by my helmet and jacket. Both helmets are cracked all the way up the back. If i didn’t have my jacket, i would have no back or hip. I can reach the speeds of our accident on my wife’s scooter, so there is no reason why one shouldn’t wear a full face and a jacket on any size bike. It is dangerous. I still ride, and I always wear ppe. If I didn’t know what she wanted, I would never have closure. So tell your loved ones, otherwise they will suffer for the rest of their lives always wondering if they did right by you. And if you care about them, wear a helmet at least. No matter how much experience you have, accidents can still happen. This was a freak accident that was unavoidable. You can deploy all the tactics you want when you see an obstacle in front of you, but there isn’t much you can do when it comes from the side at speed. So have fun, but be safe.
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