Crashes Reported in the Media

[gely]

This thread is depressing.  How about the two bikers that got arrested on Sundays ride in the EdenPrairie/Edina on the SSB ride?

[pkpk]

Is that dude actually being handcuffed??  What boneheaded thing did he do to draw that sort of attention?

Yes, crashes and injuries or fatals are depressing.  Try not to be one of them.

[beedawg]

How about the two bikers that got arrested on Sundays ride in the EdenPrairie/Edina on the SSB ride?

What's the SSB ride?

[aschendel]

Simply Sport Bikes / MNSBR kick off ride.  honestly I wish I could have ridden along.  judge me if you must. 

here's is the police scanner audio of part of it.  totally worth the listen.  also, the two were doing wheelies near the back (i believe) of their part of the group.

http://soundcloud.com/mnpoliceclipsonfacebook/mn-state-patrol-pursuit-with

a.s.

[flyinlow]

I suspect they had "issues" with the cops after they were pulled over or possibly they had some outstanding warrants or something.

[Hope2Ride]

They were doing wheelies which caught the cops attention. The reason they were treated like this is they refused to pull over. Listen to the audio, the cops had been following them with lights and sirens on, the riders even acknowledged the cops but kept going even increasing speed. I think that's when things really started going downhill. And we still don't know if they had warrants or something else to make matters worse.

Besides this pullover there were multiple accidents on that ride. A couple bikes collided when one rear-ended another aomewhere around 212. And apparently some girl on a cruiser went down. It was stated that she appeared to be riding outside her ability.

Then there was this one.... the guy's helmet flew off his head even, I don't know how he is doing but here's a video from another forum of the scene.

Kick off ride crash site

There has been a lot of threads and discussions all over the oher forums and FB about this ride. I wasn't there but I'm hearing the same things over and over by many riders. The group was large and they had problems keeping everyone together on busy roads (go figure) and someone posted who was in the back that riders were going 120-130mph to keep up with the group at some points (he said he even was up to 160 at one point himself). The group kept getting seperated due to traffic and sounds like a fair amount of riders just left the ride due to being seperated and not wanting to ride like idiots to keep up. I'm sure there were some positives as well but that's not what everyone wants to talk about. Anyways, that's the word on the streets, or well the internet 

[pkpk]

Thanks.  I found some of those forums you speak.  Sounds like a scary sort of event to me, but I am only getting points of view from people who are complaining about it.  It sounds like this is sort of a mass group ride, am I wrong?

I'm curious if Simply Sport Bikes could be sued from promoting something like this.  If I'm the owner of SSB, I would promote a Slimey Crud type event where there is a start point and and end point and riders are on their own in between.   

[Tim...]

Please get rid of this SSB nonsense from this thread

[pkpk]

I'm not against discussing the merits or downfalls of highly visible (to public) events that create inevitable incidents (discussion on various websites is still "reported in media"). 

Maybe it raises awareness to participating in events that lead to problems.  Maybe there are qualities to this type of event, and some simple changes could make it work right (and those in charge might be reading this forum.)

I don't want it to degrade into a pissing match involving various groups of riders though. 

[Hope2Ride]

Please get rid of this SSB nonsense from this thread

There were a few riders who went down on this ride. Is this not a crash thread? I think the reason it's been discussed so much is the organization of the ride and did it contribute to people going down. People were riding outside thier abilities to keep up. Of course that's the individual's fault, not SSB, but it's bringing a lot of nagative attention to them now.

Also like pkpk said, this could be a learning experience about large group rides. I could make a list of problems with quotes from people who went on the ride. If I were SSB I would certainly be paying attention to what's been stated so next time it can be a more positive outcome. I'm not trying to "smear" anyone's image. This doesn't make me like them anymore or anyless, just simply something to learn from.

[pkpk]

http://www.startribune.com/local/157489335.html


An unusually deadly year so far for motorcycle riders

    Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
    Updated: June 6, 2012 - 10:48 AM

An unusually high number of motorcycle deaths on Minnesota roads so far this year has authorities cautioning riders and others who drive that they need to share the road.

There have been 13 deaths of motorcycle riders so far this year in the state, the Department of Public Safety said Wednesday. That compares to five at this time in 2011.

Seven of the 13 this year came in May, the department said.

"Nearly half of all motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle," said Bill Shaffer, program coordinator for the department's motorcycle safety center. "The most common factors attributed to other drivers are inattention and failure to yield the right-of-way."

This week, the safety center is initiating a campaign to encourage motorists to look twice for motorcyclists, featuring a new TV spot, which dramatically illustrates the life-threatening consequences that can occur when drivers are unaware of motorcyclists.

The campaign also revives the iconic bumper sticker "Start Seeing Motorcyclists" -- developed by the safety center in 1985 -- which will run on the sides of buses and on billboards in the Twin Cities area, Duluth and Rochester.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

[pkpk]

This one just came in and clearly isn't complete.

All available information for
incident number 12403774.

    Incident Number:    12403774    Incident Date/Time:    6/6/2012 9:27:00 PM
    MSP District:    2400    Incident Contact:    MSP PIO LT. ERIC ROESKE 651.201.7146
    Number of Individuals:    2       
    Number of Vehicles:    2    
                   
    Location:    EB 694 I AT LABORE RD    Road Type:    CONCRETE
    Milepost:    NONE RECORDED    Road Condition:    NOT RECORDED
    County:    RAMSEY    Number of Lanes:    NOT RECORDED
    Crash Type:    OTHER    Divided/Undivided:    DIVIDED ROADWAY
    Incident Classification:    FATAL    Hazardous Material:    NOT PRESENT
                   
    Assisting Agencies:
       
    RAMSEY COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE
                   
     Person 1:    MEALEY, JAMES C , 61 , OF WHITE BEAR LAKE MN , DRIVER OF VEH 2 , Phys. Cond. : NOT DOCUMENTED
     Person 2:    Info Release Date and Time: Thu Jun 7 12:00:00 CDT 2012
     

    Vehicle 1:
       2001   KAWK SPORT BIKE 

    Vehicle 2:
       2004   GMC ENVOY 
     
          
    IncidentDescription:    DESCRIPTION NOT RECORDED
            
    Information Complete:    INFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE   
    Last Updated:    6/6/2012 10:11:06 PM
         

[aschendel]

This is the incomplete one above:

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/07/news/motorcyclist-killed/

Motorcyclist struck by SUV on I-694 dies
by Tim Nelson, Minnesota Public Radio
June 7, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. — An accident in Vadnais Heights killed a motorcyclist overnight, adding to what state authorities say is a spike in the death toll among riders this year.

The Minnesota State Patrol says that a rider on a Kawasaki sport bike was headed east on Interstate 694 near Labore Road when the motorcycle hit a piece of tire tread on the freeway. The rider was thrown from the motorcycle and then hit by an SUV, killing the rider.

The rider hasn't been identified, pending notification of next of kin.

The accident marks the 14th motorcyclist death on Minnesota roads in 2012. State officials said Wednesday that number compares to just five fatalities last year. They attribute the spike this year in part to a warm winter that had riders out on the road in March -- and in early fatal accidents.

The Department of Public Safety is urging drivers to seek more training and for other motorists to keep a watchful eye out for motorcycles.

[RCKT GRL]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – An SUV struck and killed a motorcyclist Wednesday night in Ramsey County after the motorcyclist hit debris and was launched from the bike, authorities said.

State Patrol records show the incident happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. on eastbound Interstate 694 near the intersection of Labore Road.

The incident involved a GMC Envoy and a sport bike.

A 61-year-old White Bear Lake man was driving the Envoy; he suffered no apparent injuries. No details are available on the motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist was heading east on Interstate 694 when the bike struck a tire retread in the road, the State Patrol said. The rider was launched from the bike and then struck by the Envoy. The victim has not been named, but authorities say it’s a 22-year-old woman from White Bear Lake. Authorities said she was not wearing a helmet.

The State Patrol and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office are investigating. More details will be released Thursday.

[pkpk]

Hitting a retread on a congested highway is one of my bigger fears.  I wish retreading was outlawed but I know there are fiscal reasons for the practice.   I wonder why they seem to come apart often as you can usually find one every mile on 494 (or it seems.) 

Anyone here know anything about retread tires and how the law applies?