speedi
Pack Dog
I feel I need to share this experience with you as part of my healing process. To start with, I know better, but on Friday afternoon I jumped on our Demo 990 SMT to deliver it to a client for a demo.
My first mistake was not wearing all the gear. The wierd thing is each time I put my helmet, jacket and gloves on with my shorts and sneakers, I think to myself: " who are you kidding, its just a matter of time!"
Second mistake:
My mother used to say: "Assumptions are the mother of all ... well, umm ... mistakes!".
In my case, I assumed the truck was going straight... because he wasnt indicating.
Third mistake:
Impatience. Im on a bike, so ill jump to the front of the que...I see it all the time... in fact, I did it again today.
Biggest Lesson:
Sh.t happens, very quickly.
They say accidents happen within 2km from home when you are most relaxed. Well, mine happened with 250m from our shop.
Slight traffic jam, the usual - waiting for a large truck to turn into the service road from one of the side streets, so I slip past a few cars and start accelerating as I notice the traffic beginning to move. Relax and hook second gear as the truck I am about to pass is moving left as I ASSUME he has seen me coming past only to bounce of the very same truck as it turns hard right without indicating.
At this point, I need to make the point that I have crashed a lot during this years race season (DRESSED for the occassion), but NOTHING prepared me for the SUDDEN AND SOLID impact of first hitting the truck and then the tar without protective gear.
Without skipping a beat I bounced up off the tar, directing the aggression of my shock at the truck driver for not indicating. Needless to say, he didnt understand what I was on about...
In an instant I realised this guy does not need to care, he has size on his side. He will go home to his wife and kids tonight because he chose to drive a truck... and I almost didnt, becuase I chose to wear shorts, be impatient and make assumptions...
This thread is not about cages and their ignorance... this thread is about making riders aware that some accident (damage) are avoidable by taking a moment longer to make decisions, put on the correct gear(ATGATT), taking a second look becuase no-one else is going to for you. And all to sudden its too late.
I have blue paint stains from the BLUE truck on my helmet and nasty roasties on my legs from slidding down the tar. But my hands are fine cos I was wearing gloves. Today I am stiffer than yesterday , but tomorrow I hope to be more mobile again!
The bike crashed well besides cracked subframe and some skuff marks on the body work.
Alls well that ends well.
![N[]vA](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc70600d70a0afa40b682c3a695dc0?s=96){kind=avatar}
