Stepping Up the Ladder of Risk, a Cautionary Tale

Everyone makes mistakes, but it's important to learn from them - this forum is for stories of things that went wrong, and what you learned from the experience
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LionLady
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Location: Lynchburg, VA

Stepping Up the Ladder of Risk, a Cautionary Tale

Postby LionLady » Sun Apr 10, 2016 1:06 am

My crash happened in 2004. But how it came to happen is valid, regardless...

As a motorcyclist, I've heard tell that the first few months after passing a basic motorcycle training course aren't the most dangerous for a new rider. The second part of the learning curve - once you begin to think you've got the hang of this motorcycling thing - is where a rider can get in big trouble fast. On a clear bright day in July of 2004, I sure did. It was by sheer luck of timing, not masterful skill, that I escaped severe injury. That, and the fact I was wearing full protective gear, bottom to top. Don’t be confused, I did not escape injury entirely, and my motorcycle was rather impressively damaged, though it was repaired. All in all things turned out about as well as they possibly could have, given the circumstances. But the whole scenario could have been avoided entirely if I’d used my head that day.
This is a caution to new riders. The crash happened in my second year of riding. Having gotten beyond my initial ‘still learning’ caution, I’d begun to feel that I was actually becoming somewhat proficient at riding a motorcycle.

In my second season of riding, I’d joined Women on Wheels (WOW), and the BMW Bikers of Metro-Washington (BMWBMW). My husband, Chaz and I had had great fun going on day trips together and riding with the local BMW motorcycle club. I loved the idea of going on a longer motorcycle trip with him, so I registered us for the 18th Annual WOW Ride In, held in Canaan Valley, WV. He rode his Suzuki SV650, me on my BMW f650CS. We stayed at Blackwater Falls Lodge, near Canaan Valley.
The Ride In was a great adventure. It was so thrilling to see so many women riders, and feel the camaraderie. We attended a seminar called Accident Scene Management http://www.accidentscene.net/index.html, which taught the importance of paying attention to where you are while riding – so you can direct help to you – as well as how to deal with an accident scene so as to not cause more problems or further injuries to anyone.
There were route sheets provided at the Ride In registration desk, with turn by turn directions for several different scenic ride loops. I picked up a ride sheet. As it happens, we were participating in our BMW club’s scavenger hunt/ride contest. That year, the theme was county seats. With recognition going to those who rode their motorcycles to the most county seats in the five state area encompassing Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. The ride sheet we picked up was a loop that travelled fairly close to Elkins, Buckhannon, Philipi and Parsons.
The day was gorgeous! Sun shining, not too hot. There was little traffic. The route followed some two lane curvy roads as well as some multi lane highways with fun sweeping curves. At Philipi, we had a late lunch before continuing on to Parsons for our last photo stop.

Step one: Over confidence.
Step two: Failure to be aware of road conditions/signage.
Step three: Failure to recognize fatigue.
Step four: Failure to think ahead, to plan for the "what if" that became "now what?"

It was a long, straight, easy, grade, and I got focused on pushing my bike up the hill from Parsons, WV, forgetting to think beyond what I could see. I was leading. I think I was just having too much fun, and feeling a bit smug at my accomplishements that day... I never saw the posted "20 mph" sign for the curve. I must have glanced at my speedometer as I whizzed past it. Next, I looked up to see one of those giant yellow arrow signs pointing the way to the right.

I eased off the throttle a little, turned my head, and began to lean into the curve. Then, my stomach clenched as I suddenly realized that this turn was far sharper than I'd anticipated, and I was going far faster than my nerves were comfortable with. I was going to run into the other lane. (My husband got to watch helplessly this all unfolded.)

As a relatively unseasoned rider, I then began doing what I'd learned in the BRC: "Straighten. Then brake." It might have worked. But, coming at me around the next curve, was an 18 wheeler. And he was over the centerline by two feet. The shiny metal grill looked as big as a garage door.

For an instant, I considered leaning harder, but discarded that. I didn't have the confidence to try it. And the consequences of failing would surely put me under the truck's wheels. It seemed that I had just enough room to cross in front of the truck to the opposite shoulder. But the shoulder was gravel, with a ditch beyond it. Beyond that, rose the steep, rocky mountainside. I chose the shoulder anyway...

I chose, and headed for the gravel and weeds on the outside of the turn. I was uncertain I could stop between getting across the truck's path and the side of the hill. In retrospect, I'm ashamed to admit that in my moment of panic, I probably "laid it down" intentionally. At the time, it seemed better to follow the bike into the hillside, not the other way around.

I slid across the lane, up the hill, my bike on my right leg. I remember the WHOOOSH of the truck's wheels by my head as I slid. I have no doubt that I disappeared from the trucker's line of sight; I was so close to the bumper of the truck.

Then I came to a stop. I lay still for a few breaths, waiting for my mental 'starriness' to dissipate from the impact of my helmet against the pavement. Then I did a quick self-assessment: It seemed that all my parts were still attached and essentially intact. There was hot pain in my right knee, but it didn't feel broken (I've broken bones before). Then I became aware of the sound of the big truck braking, stopping. And my husband's voice, “Are you okay!?!?”

I sat up slowly, and pulled off my helmet. I hollered back to my husband that I was okay. I turned, and could see him on the opposite shoulder, near his bike. He already had his cell phone out. The trucker, 60 ish in a plaid shirt, was huffing uphill toward me, shouting, and “Is he okay? Is he okay?! I’m sorry!” The man stopped in his tracks when I pulled off my helmet. Perhaps in relief. Maybe that I was a woman.

I will NEVER ever regret spending the big bucks on BMW gear. If I had been wearing jeans, or even "cheap" leather, I'm convinced that my right kneecap would have been ground to mush from sliding 50 feet beneath the bike, and I'd be sticking to hospital sheets in Elkins or another trauma center now. Not sure my Joe Rocket gear would have done half as well.

The CE armor in my BMW Airflow 2 jacket and 'zip off' Summer pants, saved my bones from serious damage. The damage: a hole the size of a plum in the right pant knee, and a melted stripe on the left ankle. My right jacket shoulder was scuffed with road grime and there is a tiny hole on the right elbow of the jacket - the only place I have actual 'rash' - but that was from the edge of an elbow pad.

Physically, my right knee looked like an over-stuffed bag of rocks within several hours, but X-rays showed nothing broken. It felt like someone very large and angry stomped on my right calf. I have a hyperextension hairline fracture in the hypoid bone of my left hand. Probably got my thumb hooked against the handgrip as I went down.

My bike will be ready for the road before I am, I'm pretty sure. I'm just grateful I can walk without much trouble.

For all the stuff I did wrong. I did do a few things right: I was wearing full gear from toes to fingers and nose. Hubby and I had kept track of where we were in relationship to the previous town and our speed and direction, so that emergency responders could find us quickly. We kept calm.

Two other riders crashed at the event, I heard. They ended up going home from the hospital. I was able to stay and hobble around for the rest of the event. The hosting WOW chapter took very good care of me. The corner is known to locals as "Wild Maggie." You can see it on googlemaps if you go to Parsons, WV then look just a bit east on 219/Seneca Trail. There's a hairpin curve that leads into a gentler curve. The truck was coming down the mountain too fast after the gentler curve. I also hear that most folks crash going down the mountain.
Last edited by LionLady on Sun Apr 17, 2016 6:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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VStar
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Location: Willoughby, OH

Re: Stepping Up the Ladder of Risk, a Cautionary Tale

Postby VStar » Sun Apr 10, 2016 10:41 am

Thanks for the report and analysis of your accident.

I had an "Oh Crap" moment early on when I started riding that taught me what 'ride your own ride' meant. I had been riding about 2 months, mostly by myself and with my Hubby and another friend. We traveled county roads, the 40 - 55mph ones and on weekends, when traffic was slower, I would bring up the rear in our threesome, I preferred it that way and the guys liked to talk at the stops, I would be concentrating on not stalling, not falling, not really paying attention to where were were.
Right here I will state that my Hubby is a decades long rider, was and is a wonderful mentor and coach, is very safety conscious, would not put him or me in a bad situation. Okay.

We were coming home from my longest day trip of about 90 miles, we had been riding for hours, 3 of us. I followed along, paying attention to what was in front of me, maintaining my gap behind Hubby, came to the sudden realization that I'm flying down this very tight , downhill curve, heading to the centerline, fixated on the gigantic SUV coming uphill and staring at the side of it that I was going to crash into. I had no tactical conversation in my head about an escape plan, no S.E.E. (should have been practicing that long before I was where I was), I just backed off the throttle, did a Linda Blair head turn, stayed in my lane, barely, got around that curve, and the next and the next. I made it home, tried not to replay that scene while I was still riding.

But, I did think about it a lot, A LOT. First, I wasn't scared, it happened too fast, I didn't have time to get in a panic, didn't get the shakes afterward, kept my mind focused on the ride home. Even today, I don't have any fear about it. Second, I don't and didn't blame my Hubby, he was not riding my bike, I was. I only made mention, off handedly, that I didn't like that road, it was too much for my skill level and let's not go there again. And we didn't, not for 3 or 4 years. I will give it a shoutout, Ohio Route 608, parts of it are very 'wowy', it goes through and alongside a ski resort, it has signs with special warnings to motorcyclists.

From that day, I knew I was stupid to blindly follow along, not being aware of my surroundings, not paying mind to those little yellow road signs that give information on the road ahead. My mind was only half on the ride, the other was thinking what to do about dinner, thinking about my shifter toe, it was sore, thinking about where we had been that day, thinking about things I should have not been thinking about. My job was to keep my head on the road and the bike until we were back in the barn. I don't expect my riding buddy to be responsible for my safety, that's all on me. I won't be forced to ride in a fashion that makes me uncomfortable. I don't suffer from over confidence, I underestimate my skill and abilities, I am very aware of my vulnerability on a bike, my mortality, too. Even now, I surprise myself that the incident didn't scare me but it is the moment that I credit with making me the competent rider I am, today.
I've been there before. Can I get there, again?

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