Posted On August 10, 2022
Those of us who live to rise and rise to live are well aware of the old adage;
“There are two types of motorcyclists, those who have gone down and those who want to.”
We are all well aware of the risks of the open road and we all have part of the close call. When the fit hits, it’s those moments that remind us that no matter how careful we are, there are always some morons out there ready to ruin a good day. All we can hope for is that in a split second we are alert and react quickly. Often, it’s our attitude to spacetime that makes all the difference.
Not long ago during our Coronavirus Crisis in Sunny Southern California, Malibu to be specific – Neptune Net was offering ‘To Go’ orders and there was a line of cars turning onto Yerba Buena Road after each of them received their food. The cars then lined up face down Yerba Buena at a stop sign on the Pacific Coast Highway. Impatient drivers trying to turn left and return to Santa Monica often make unsafe tows to PCH.
One of the cars stops in front of a motorcycle, and as you might expect, the story doesn’t end well. The driver of the packed SUV later told officers he had not seen the motorcycle. It was interesting because all the eyewitnesses saw the motorcycle, and heard it too. It was a bright shiny bike with lots of chrome and an experienced rider and his girlfriend on the back. They have logged more than 10,000 miles together over the last decade.
The driver who realized his mistake for some reason froze and stopped instead of continuing the turn. Motorcyclists have nowhere to go. The rider admitted to traveling 5 to 7 miles per hour over the posted speed and some might say he was partly at fault. You know what? No problem, it’s still not legal to get out of traffic when another vehicle is approaching.
Now it’s hard to tell whether the SUV driver was preoccupied with rowdy passengers, repackaging his lunch to eat on the return journey, texting, or just farting brains. He’s guilty. The motorcyclist suffered a grade three ankle injury, a slight rash on the road, a concussion, and injured both wrists. Needless to say, he won’t be working for a while. The bike is almost finished, have you ever seen a grown man cry? His girlfriend would be fine, but they ended up taking him away in an ambulance. Guess how much it costs?
Since the motorcyclist is a construction contractor who happens to be busy completing his backlog of work during the coronavirus pandemic, the financial loss will be substantial. His injuries will prevent him from working and as mentioned, his beautiful unique bike has worn out or is close to him. He will need a new one or rebuild it completely.
Luckily, he’s a lifer and won’t stop riding, and neither will his girlfriend. However, they need to be fairly compensated for this accident. A serious accident with injuries caused by another left-turning driver who doesn’t understand life on Earth.
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