kid killed in front of my parents house: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Aug. 8, 2008 9:01 a.m. nderwater New Reader

After going to the gym yesterday evening, my wife and I headed to my parents house (nearby) to pick up our daughter, who they were watching. We couldn't get near the house - the entire road was filled with cruisers and roped off with police tape...

My dad was in his garage when he heard a skid followed by a thump - he figured someone hit a tree, and went up the driveway to see what happened. That's when he saw the scooter, broken in half by the accident, with smaller pieces scattered all over the road. My dad and two witnesses on the scene called 911 and tried to resuscitate the fifteen year old kid who had been riding it, but no luck. He died on the scene.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cobb/stories/2008/08/08/cobb_teen_killed_wr...

When I was in middle school, I was at the lake one day when two kids nearby drowned, but I didn't see it happen. It was still an awful event to be present at. But watching a young kid die in your arms? My dad was pretty flat about it when I talked to him last night, but I can't even imagine what's he's feeling right now.
Aug. 8, 2008 9:23 a.m. ignorant SuperDork

wow... I once was on the scene of a bad industrial accident. I wasn't there right away, but right afterwards. A forklift driver was not wearing his seatbelt, stopped to pick up a busted slip sheet off the top of a pallet. To do so he leaned out very far from the fork lift cage. When he did so his foot must have slipped and smashed the gas pedal as the lift shot forward pinning his head between the lift cage and pallet racking. this all happened in a freezer warehouse. Noone came along to help until 10 minutes after the accident. I'll never forget the maintenance guy who gave him mouth to mouth, an ex marine with action in 1st gulf, crying like a baby after the event. They dragged the guy out of the freezer, gave him mouth to mouth but he was dead. Dead before he hit the floor. Neck snapped. 32 years old, 3 small girls at home. As plant engineering I had to help with everything and pull the tape off of the camera system. I've never seen a man that blue before... bad times..
Aug. 8, 2008 11:34 a.m. Woodyhfd HalfDork

Unfortunately, I see a lot of death in my line of work. My fire department also handles all medical emergencies in the city, so we're usually the first on scene when someone dials 911. Ninety five percent of the time, it's an elderly person who goes down at home or in a nursing home. We see two to five of these per week. Oddly enough, you do kind of get used to it, as you get the sense that their life has run its course. Also, spending all of that time in a nursing home, you begin to understand that it's not a great way to finish out your life.

When it's a kid or young adult, though, (actually, anyone under 60) it tends to stay with you a lot longer. I have seen a disturbing number of dead or dying college freshmen; in cars, struck by cars or at the bottom of a high balcony. Sometimes, you actually get angry at them, even though you only met them after their accident. It's weird.

You don't get used to that.
Aug. 8, 2008 12:23 p.m. nderwater New Reader

My dad said he could just imagine the conversation the kid must have had with his parents, convincing them to let them buy a moped. It kind of makes me sick to my stomach to picture what those parents must be saying to themselves now.
Aug. 8, 2008 1:58 p.m. 93gsxturbo New Reader

With the recent influx of mopeds and the complete lack of training most operators have, its only a matter of time to see this sort of thing become commonplace. Wait till some senator's kid (or elderly parent) gets greased on a moped, then you will see them legislated against.
Aug. 8, 2008 2:08 p.m. GlennS HalfDork

any idea if the kid had a helmet on? There is a kid thats been riding one around my neighborhood with no protective gear and he looks like hes about 14.
Aug. 8, 2008 2:10 p.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

I guess the comments about training are true.

However, I feel that as engergy prices (namely oil) go up...we will see streets that are much more bike-friendly (bicycle, moped, motorcycle, etc).

I have no idea what the cause of the topic accident was, though...

I sincerely hope it doesn't go as 93gsxturbo says and goes the opposite way with more awareness by the general driving public, more bikes, more safety, and fewer Humcalades.

Clem
Aug. 8, 2008 4:38 p.m. Type Q Reader

When I was in college, I walking to campus one day and watched while a van, stopped at a stop sign. Then proceeded to pull forward and drive right into a kid riding his Honda Spree to class knocking him off the bike and onto the side of the road infront of me. Thankfully injuries were limited to bruises and road rash. The kid on the scooter had right of way and and obeying the traffics rules. I stuck around long enough to make sure the police that showed up knew that the van was at fault.

My contrast to that that was my experience in Japan. There you see everyone from teenagers to housewives to mailmen to buddest monks riding scooters and small displacement motorcycles and drivers somehow manage to see them and not hit them. If I ever decided to do a lot of riding on public roads, I don't think I'll do in in the states.
Aug. 8, 2008 7:18 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

as an ex-truck driver, I have had a couple of people die in my hands.. I will never forget the feeling of any of them dying. Each was different, yet the same.
Aug. 8, 2008 10:14 p.m. 93gsxturbo New Reader

I get a kick out of the idiots on their mopeds and small displacement bikes on the freeway trying to keep up with traffic. I can not believe how many people I see on mopeds these days cruising at 35 mph on the highway. They are just asking for it.
Aug. 9, 2008 12:01 a.m. nderwater New Reader

the rider was wearing a helmet, but the van which hit him was probably doing 40 or so (limit is 35 on the road, but nobody does it). sounds like he was new to riding, so likely new to the moped. there was a vigil at that intersection for much of the day today, but my family didn't go.
Aug. 9, 2008 1:03 p.m. midknight New Reader

Sometimes I feel like the guy in the hitchiker's trilogy, who is a rain god but has no idea because it's always raining around him. For someone not in the health field I seem to be in the vicinity of a lot of deaths. Witnessed two plane crashes, Lots of accidents (usually right after they happen so the bodies are still in the cars), saw a guy get shot in the head in Jamaica, and countless non-fatal but serious crashes. I've never had an accident (knock on formica), so maybe it's safe to ride with me, but not near me? Spooks me out sometimes.
Aug. 9, 2008 1:04 p.m. midknight New Reader

Oh, and I happen to live on a corner where cars go off the road a couple times a month.
Aug. 9, 2008 1:05 p.m. midknight New Reader

Oh, and I happen to live on a corner where cars go off the road a couple times a month.
Aug. 9, 2008 1:56 p.m. beaulieu New Reader

I think a month or 2 ago someone here asked about buying on to go to work....

Well this is what I feared, its not how good of a rider you are , its the other guys not expecting you on the road ,

then you get the moped riders all in black clothes :(

Even running the back streets does not help if the drivers are not expecting you,,,,,

I have a small hill in front of my house, with a 4 way stop sign at the bottom , 90% of the skateboarders and bikes blow thru the stop , amazing they do not get run over , but sadly it will happen someday...
Aug. 11, 2008 9:02 a.m. WilD Reader

I have seen a lot of small scooters out there in traffic in the last month. All of the riders wearing very little protective gear, I think I've only seen one person wearing a helmet. I didn't realize it was even legal to ride one of those without a helmet, it seems like asking for a head injury. Doubly so in suburban traffic.
Aug. 11, 2008 9:45 a.m. gunner None

What I don't get is that people don't see them on the road. it seems to me if people aren't going to see a moped, motorcycle or bicycle, they arent going to see pedestrians either. I have never failed to see any of the above. consequently I have never hit any of them either. I think its just an excuse used that sounds better than the real reason, which I think is they thought the moped, motorcycle or bicycle would stop or move over because they had a bigger vehicle.
Aug. 14, 2008 11:10 a.m. SoloSonett New Reader

gunner wrote:

What I don't get is that people don't see them on the road. it seems to me if people aren't going to see a moped, motorcycle or bicycle, they arent going to see pedestrians either. I have never failed to see any of the above. consequently I have never hit any of them either. I think its just an excuse used that sounds better than the real reason, which I think is they thought the moped, motorcycle or bicycle would stop or move over because they had a bigger vehicle.

It's a matter of perspective. Sure one Sees a scooter just like a semi but the scooter being a smaller object LOOKS like it is moving slower. And judging speed and distance are the killer.

Scooter? Enough power to get one in trouble and not enough to get your butt out of it. Or get any respect from drivers in SUVs.

Ask OSU president Gordon Gee, who just lost his son-in-law to a helmetless scooter crash. As his daughter recovers from the broken bones.