Life is precious, riders, please be careful out there!

Today I witnessed a serious motorcycle accident. We had just pulled into our driveway when a car drove off the highway onto the shoulder opposite and in front of us. It appeared the driver simply wanted faster traffic to pass, but then the driver attempted a U-turn across the highway in the middle of a curve. This is a dangerous curve and I said to Mrs. Hummer, "what the fuck"! In barely two seconds a motorcycle slammed into the side of the Ford Focus and the rider was down in the center of the highway. I thought sure the rider was a goner from a broken neck.

I didn't have my phone but my cousin heard the crash from inside his cabin and came out so I shouted to him to call 911. On the busy highway someone stopped to render aid. As the victim was laying in the middle of the road I saw the biggest threat to everyone was high speed traffic coming down through the curve so I went to stop and divert traffic. Allenspark Fire arrived in about 12 minutes, Boulder County Sheriff in about 16, and CSP in about 45 minutes. [Similar to self defense situations, it's comes down to rendering aid when possible and mop up after the incident.]


The rider hit the driver side rear door square on. Unlike so many motorcyclists here she wasn't speeding, which likely saved her life. Why she didn't swerve around the car we'll never know but she probably had no more than one to two seconds to decide. She was lucky because if she had hit the pillar between the front and rear door the outcome could have been much worse. And if she had hit the front driver side door which is more reinforced, well, both the rider and car driver might have been more seriously injured.

A split second and a few inches can make the difference between life or death. And life is so fragile.

I was surprised the find the rider was a young female, ~30. A male companion was a few minutes behind. As EMT's were treating her for possible neck and spinal injury, she was moving her arms and taking selfies of her neck collar. Whew! Off to the hospital by ambulance. We hope she'll be okay. This was a pretty traumatic experience for those of us who heard and saw it all happen.

We live off a mountain highway on a wide 180 degree curve where traffic descends into the curve, often at high speed. It's posted at 40 mph but many, especially motorcyclists rip through at 45-70 mph. Beyond the curve there's a brief straight stretch where some rip on to 120+ mph, then they hit another curve. There are multiple hidden driveways and side roads along this stretch of highway. There's been dramatically increased traffic here over the past few years so the risk is growing. Motorcycle/auto accidents now dominate fire department emergency responses in the area.



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This was the third serious motorcycle accident I've seen (besides my own close calls). The first I witnessed was a fatal in Denver where the rider failed to make a curve, hit a curb and flew head first into a metal light pole. The second was on the mountain highway by our driveway entrance in the exact same place as happened today. Two guys on Harley's with heavily loaded trailers going on their first day epic camping trip rode too fast through the curve. I saw the crash and the rider was seriously injured. In this same highway curve I have heard and come upon four auto crashes, and now two motorcycle crashes. It's likely there have been others.


Go safe out there, my friends. Life altering events can happen in one to two seconds.

Crazy. Appreciate the message.

I am impressed with the Honda as compared to the focus. Practically looks like "it'll buff out". Glad the rider will probably be mostly okay, and the prior accident pattern is concerning.

Newer 1100 rebel. Frames i bet fked. Doesn't look like vehicles from same accident, I bet she had just braked hard and made it down to like 25 or so for it all to be that mild.


Left out hopefully the driver being charged with all kinds of stuff. Careless/ drunk drivers have come closer to getting me than any situation with violent people at work.


Just this morning some chode in a dodge pulling a huge gooseneck trailer for work lost some looked like metal 2 foot scaffolding. Dim morning, didn't see it until right as I hit it. Working on pulling over just up by berthoud less than a 1/4 mile to reach the exit, see the dude futzing with the load which looked like it had been cobbled together in plastic sheeting and straps that had opened up.

Another gouge in my jaguar sacrificial plastic lip fortunately seems to be it, will see if i have any leaks later today. State patrol seemed uninterested and useless as usual even though you could find the debris and match it to the 30 other pieces they had awkwardly secured. Shame, crap like that is why I've started wanting to ride less.

Idiots be damned

But that's not a Focus

I got hit while sitting at a red light, waiting for it to turn. The driver of the truck that got me just wasn't paying attention. I came out of it with two broken wrists, but had that gone slightly different I wouldn't be here. I can't imagine an accident at any sort of speed, our bodies just aren't made for that.

So yes, be careful. You may be an excellent rider, it's all those other jackasses that aren't paying attention.

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Originally Posted by 00tec

Idiots be damned

But that's not a Focus

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Thanks, I think a deputy mentioned the name, or I misremembered. I appears to be an Escape.

When looking at the Honda I also thought, "that'll buff right out". It looked like the forks took the brunt of the impact. We didn't see any obvious damage to the frame.

A high school.friend of mine died on a bike back in the mid 90's. Him and a group of friends were riding and he went off the road around a corner. He was up and walking and talking after the crash but rode the ambulance to the hospital to get checked out anyway. That's when the swelling in his head began and he passed a few hours later.

Came home from riding my dirt bike on the street to read this thread.

People doing U-turns from the shoulder is always bad news, even on a straight road. All the traffic you need to see is directly in your blind spot in that situation.

The GF was infront of a truck that ran over a peddle bike the other day. These words of wisdom extend to cyclists too.

It doesn't take much speed to get seriously hurt either. Though it wasn't a motorcycle, my cousin was riding home on a golf cart with her husband from a neighborhood gathering this past Friday night in Wake County, NC. She went to turn towards her husband to talk and fell out backwards, landed on her head and snapped her neck. She died on Saturday afternoon when life support was stopped due to no brain activity in a MRI. She was in perfect health, 41 years old, a Doctor of Optometry and had 2 kids 9 and 7. So if all that can happen at 10-15 mph in a golf cart, take all precautions possible on a motorcycle.

I'm VERY glad the motorcyclist is going to be okay. A lot of us here ride and are aware of the dangers. A great friend of mine once said, "I ride my motorcycle as if everyone else on the road is trying to kill me". However; at the end of the day, you can constantly be aware of your surroundings and some jackass can still get you into a collision. I was in one bad motorcycle accident and I am thankful I only ended up with a broken collar bone. Bike was totaled, but I walked away. We all know there are douchebag motorcyclists out there who drive like morons and they certainly don't represent us all. Those I believe are the small percentage of riders (who are young and think they are invincible).

For those of you who ride, I pray you always keep the "rubber side" down and continue to enjoy riding. [harley]

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Originally Posted by JTP80

It doesn't take much speed to get seriously hurt either. Though it wasn't a motorcycle, my cousin was riding home on a golf cart with her husband from a neighborhood gathering this past Friday night in Wake County, NC. She went to turn towards her husband to talk and fell out backwards, landed on her head and snapped her neck. She died on Saturday afternoon when life support was stopped due to no brain activity in a MRI. She was in perfect health, 41 years old, a Doctor of Optometry and had 2 kids 9 and 7. So if all that can happen at 10-15 mph in a golf cart, take all precautions possible on a motorcycle.

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Same reason why tasers police are supposed to be careful about if the person is elevated, in a full run, and when possible the surface they are on etc.

Here's an update to continue the 'be careful out there' theme. This afternoon the husband of the injured rider was surveying the scene and met me in my driveway He needed to put together a better understanding of what happened.

Talking with him was a relief for all of us who personally heard or saw the impact to know more of the outcome, .

First, the young woman motorcyclist is doing okay but hurting. After the Saturday crash she was released from the hospital on Monday. She had a concussion, a broken rib and a partially collapsed lung. Thankfully, no apparent spinal damage but that can show up later in life. She's on pain meds and maybe $30K in hospital bills later will have some time in recovery.

My impression is that they are careful, conservative riders. But bicyclists and motorcyclists are so very vulnerable in impacts with vehicles many, many times their mass. There are so many poor drivers, careless drivers out there. Looking to kill you whether they realize it or not.

I also feel bad for the young woman who made the poor decision to U-turn at that location. She injured and could have killed another with that maneuver. And she could have been injured or killed as well. Now she suffers the legal and financial consequences.

Be careful out there, life goes on for those of us who survive.

That's the bitch about making the decision to ride or not to ride.

The general public is too stupid to pay attention to other motorists, let alone anyone on two wheels. It is a dangerous endeavor to exercise the handlebars.