OK - Now this just pisses me off!

[MightyDuc Racing]

Stupid Texans...that cop probably lost his girlfried (I mean his cousin) to a guy that rode a motorcycle in high school or something.  Stupid answer by an official spokesman to a terrible situation.  Condolences to the family. :(

[MightyDuc Racing]

By the way...was he wearing a helmet?  We keep losing riders to simple crashes down here in Florida because they aren't wearing helmets.

[StumpysWife]

According to the article...'"Although McGuire was wearing a helmet, the force of the impact was fatal, Foster said."'

[MightyDuc Racing]

Thanks..didn't go back and re-read it.  I hate to hear about motorcycle-car accidents.  We have far too many here with all of the old people we have driving.

[rick]

Here's what I sent to Lubbock online:

Dear Lubbock Online,

Your article at http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/041403/upd_075-8739.shtml was posted on various motorcycle forums and I felt a strong need to respond to it.

According to the article, Elix McGuire collided with a vehicle the turned in front of him too quickly for him to come to a safe stop or to take evasive maneuvers. Police Captain Foster does not state that Elix was speeding, driving unsafely or otherwise doing anything wrong but, somehow, because he was riding a motorcycle the reader is left with the impression that the accident is Elix's fault. I find this symptomatic of a much larger and more serious attitude that society is developing motorcyclists and motorcycling in general.

According to the infamous HURT report, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents and, in multiple vehicle accidents which constitute three-fourths of motorcycle collisions, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcyclists right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of the time.

The HURT report is quite clear in it's findings which can be very simply summarized by saying that the most dangerous thing about riding a motorcycle is cars and their drivers failure to safely share the road. Your article is just another example of this. Elix McGuire is dead because motorists aren't sharing the road with motorcyclists.

Would you be willing to write an article that portrays our perspective on sharing the road???

I commute one hundred and thirty miles everyday on my motorcycle. On average, I have two near-death experiences a day. The cause of this is always a car driving carelessly and is a danger that every motorcyclist faces every single time they strap on their helmet. Yet, no media attention is ever brought to this.

I humbly ask that you write an article that increases our safety and general awareness that cars are sharing the road with us too.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Regards,
Rick Cramer
Santa Cruz, CA

I'll have to dream up something for the Police department now.

[Dawn]

Oooo Ooooo...

Rick - you are good!

Dawn   ;D

[spyderchick]

I'll have to dream up something for the Police department now.

That's some powerful "dreamin". I love statistics. I just don't want to be one of 'em.

[duc995@aol.com]

Some more info that kind of changes the spin on this:From KJTV Fox 34:
Mr. Wxxxxx...I have received numerous letters from motorcycle enthusiasts about the death of Elix. We are heartbroken about this tragic accident because Elix was a super employee and just a great person to be around. But...Elix rode that motorcycle in a very dangerous manner. I am especially dejected because the Friday before the accident, I talked to him about slowing down. This was after witnessing him pop a wheelie down a heavily traveled thoroughfare during rush hour. My exact words to him..."Elix...please ride that thing more responsibly because I don't want to have to tell your family you got killed doing something stupid." I didn't get that job Monday...but I did visit with his family and they are devastated. I went to the accident scene...saw the skid marks...Elix was indeed riding that motorcycle at a high rate of speed. Captain Foster doesn't owe anyone an apology. Elix thought he was bullet proof. He loved to ride fast and took chances. That choice killed him. Best Regards...Jeff Klotzman, News Director, FOX 34 News @ Nine.

[Dawn]

OK,

Where is this information?  Is it posted on the net somewhere.  I tried looking up the Fox 34 site, but it would not come up.  

Let me know so it can be shared with others.

Thanks!

Dawn   :)

[Baltobuell]

 Funksouljon, I normally hate cops, 99% I have met are power freaks. But that was a great letter. Thank you for staying a normal thinking human while working a tuff job.

[Super Dave]

Some more info that kind of changes the spin on this:From KJTV Fox 34:
Mr. Wxxxxx...I have received numerous letters from motorcycle enthusiasts about the death of Elix...

Even then, that doesn't change the facts...

If the rider wasn't speeding or riding at the time of incident in a manner that was illegal or wreckless, justice must prevail.

If a person is raped, but charges are not filed agains the attacker because the victim has been known to have other sexual partners....  do we not charge the attacker?

The law is not about road side justice.  It is about actions of people during an incident and the rule of law.  If you fail to yield the right of way to another vehicle...what more is there?