PLACERVILLE . INFO

adognet at 8:17 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

OMG

I am ashamed to read some of these comments!

The fault was the driver of the SUV, not the bike. There is no excuse for careless driving, and that is what happened here.

Many drivers die every year when an oncoming vehicle turns in front of them - including riders with DOT helmets AND drivers of unsuspecting vehicles. The story reads that he did not have a DOT helmet on, but nowhere does it say that this has anything to do with the fatality. If you have seen many of these types of accidents, then you know how serious the damage can be, even with the presumptive advantage of a DOT helmet.

Arguments about the need for drivers of large vehicles to be extra vigilant of things around them when they roll over their own children is OK, but if it kills a Bikers, well that is not the offending drivers fault?
Come on! Do not blame the victim. Do not assume the helmet had ANYTHING to do with this.
No I have never ridden a bike on the road, because I fear drivers like the driver of this SUV!

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

thefastguy at 8:35 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

DRIVERS NEED TO PAY ATTENTION !

Everyone chooses to blame the motorcyclist for not wearing an approved helmet. They assume his headlight was not on. That he didn't have a five piece band announcing his arrival. I drive a large truck. From high up in the cab I see people every day in their SUV's reading, talking on the telephone, shaving, doing their hair, applying makeup, brushing their teeth, using lap top computers, drinking their Mocha while steering with their knee, and other things I'll leave to your imagination. I have yet to see a motorcyclist do any of these things. People are simply so wrapped up in their own little world, they don't care the least about anyone else. Cutting others off. Refusing to allow others to merge. If your'e stuck in traffic behind 1000 cars, does 1001 really make any difference? All I ask is patience. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Be aware of things around you. Use your mirrors and signals please!

2 out of 2 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

bobdevans at 9:11 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

Harry rest in peace. You were a good rider and a considerate and great husband to Sheila.

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

jill1272 at 2:03 PM PST Saturday, December 1, 2007 wrote:

Why?

"The motorcyclist was not wearing a state-approved helmet"

Why not?

So now he is dead. His family will mourn him, the driver whose error caused the accident will live with the guilt the rest of his/her live, anyone who saw it was traumatized, and all for what? So he would not look "silly" with a safe helmet on?

His death very well may have been prevented if he had been wearing a good helmet. Of course, now no one will ever know that and countless lives have been changed forever.

3 out of 8 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

myfalla at 4:32 PM PST Saturday, December 1, 2007 wrote:

Can't see motorcycles

Sometimes it's hard to see cars - they must be brighly colored or have headlights on at that time of day. If the SUV did not see the biker, it could be reasonable to assume that the biker did not have his headlight on, something that a motorcycle should have on day and night. This collision happened after 5:00 p.m., when it's already dark. Who's going to be able to see a bike in the dark? A motorcycle is just a bicycle with an engine. A bicycle has no chance against a huge mass of steel. Bikers expect special treatment on the road. If you ride with the cars, expect not to be seen. The fact that the victim was not wearing a helmet makes it even more dangerous. Harleys are stupid junk heaps. I bet the poor victim poured a lot of cash into that thing. As all the others, he felt immortal. It's too bad he had to lose his life. Harley Davidsons should be outlawed. They are noisy and serve only one purpose - to attempt to increase the size of the riders' "ahems"..... very unattractive.

1 out of 10 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

ExJAG at 11:58 PM PST Saturday, December 1, 2007 wrote:

I passed this accident. . .

. . . enroute to my child's basketball tournament in Modesto. We saw the ambulances and emergency lights, and approached the accident. We saw the destroyed motorcycle, and caught sight of the body just as the coroner was covering it. The kids in the car were very solemn. We knew from the wreckage it was a fatality. It is beyond belief why motorcycle riders ride on city streets at all - it may be fun and exciting to ride, but the consequences of error are almost always death. Their families are left to mourn. Innocent passersby are left with their stunned shock. We need to rid the roads of these hideous machines - which appear to bring out the absolute worst in their riders . . . until the worst happens.

2 out of 6 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

basavage at 1:28 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

This was the standard Motorcycle crash.

This exact accident kills about 50% of motorcyclists. Car drivers all have a great deal of trouble seeing motorcycles. I rode in L.A. from 1963 to 1975. It is possible to ride safely in heavy L.A. traffic but is not fun and it's very fatiguing for me.
I would pretend I was invisible. I'd use cars to block for me.
I took it as a challenge to be honest.
I'm 70 years old and I'm in favor of not having helmet laws. Us old people need more healthy young organ donors.

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

jamessouthworth at 2:49 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

headlights

Most motorcycles headlights stay on all the time Day or Night so dont blam the rider due to no lights it was a accedent that does happen i fill sorry for the family.thay dont need to here that it was there loved ones falt.

0 out of 0 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

slowej8 at 3:52 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

first it was the victims fault he was not wearing a dot/snell helmet.

regardless, it was the SUV's fault that he did not yield to the cycle. you all are assuming that he did not wear this, or have his headlights on, and that you should expect not to be seen. so he should expect to be hit with an suv that did not pay attention? how bout if it was a person on a bicycle? if it was a pedestrian? those are even harder to see.

its people like you with licenses that are so easy to obtain that are the bane of not only motorcyclists, but drivers alike, and all that share the road withyou. pay attention, stop deflecting blame.

its reasonable to say that the suv did not see the biker? and then you say harleys are stupid junk heaps? a harley is loud. if they did not see it, then they could have heard it, had they been paying attention.

the bias of these comments show, and i feel very sorry for the family of the victim, and those in the future because of inattentive drivers like yourselves

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

jerkka at 4:26 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

myfalla?

myfalla what are you talking about? 1-Most bikes automatically have head lights that come on. 2-We don't expect special treatment. 3-He / she was wearing a helmet, it just wasnt dot approved. 4-I see you are one to find someone to blame, so why not Harley. God forbid the suv might be at fault. 6-Your statements are so immature.

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No

bullcrap at 6:24 AM PST Sunday, December 2, 2007 wrote:

Blame the biker

Federal law mandates that headlights are always on. They physically cannot be turned off while the motorcycle is running.

The driver of the SUV was at fault: Purely and simply. It is called inattention and just being a piss-poor driver. It is beyond belief how many piss-poor drivers are on our streets. Visit Europe and see how many motorcycles drivers there are and how they actually get respect from car drivers. Of course, most countries in Europe actually require skill to get a driver's license, unlike the USA where a pulse will get you a driver's license. The motorcycle could just as easily been a child on a bicycle. Myfalla, you too can ride a motorcycle. Just go to Big5 and buy a pair of balls.

1 out of 1 people found this comment helpful.

Was this comment helpful? Yes | No