A good friend went down.

[SweaterDude]

My dad called me up the other day, nothing special there, and his voice was shaking. I was about to ask why he sounded frustrated, when he said "Rick was hit riding to work two days ago." "WHAT" "Yeah I'm down at the dealership talking to Ron (another good friend of ours) and he's telling me that rick was rear-end by somebody texting at about 40mph."

apparently he's OK. Broken ribs, really bruised up, and shaken but other than that... he's good.
Rick is one of the best people/riders/fathers/husbands out there. He's our go to guy around town, as far as info on new bikes, or old ones. Heck he sold me my bike, and my dad has purchased 3 from him. His bike was destroyed, a 1992 TDM850 (He and my dad bought the last 2 unsold ones in the US). He still has his Tenere but wont be able to ride for a few months.

He's alive because he was ATGATT. Too bad they weren't paying attention to see his lime green jacket.

 

[Lefty]

Sorry to hear about your friend, hope he heals up quickly.

Texting drivers should have their phones inserted into an unpopular body cavity, maybe then they might get a clue....:Flip:

 

[Erci]

Oh man, so sorry to hear it. Hope he recovers quickly and fully.

 

[Nelly]

i wish Rick a speedy recovery and suitable sized insurance cheque from the ******* who hit him.
Neil

 

[PhotoAl]

Sorry to hear about him, hope he heals up quickly.

Thanks for posting - a good reminder for me. I try and watch my mirrors to see who is coming up behind but too many times not paying careful enough attention.

 

[Botch]

WHEN will this damn country ban handheld use while driving?!?!?

Best Wishes for your friend!

 

[Motogiro]

Sorry to hear about your friend, hope he heals up quickly.

Texting drivers should have their phones inserted into an unpopular body cavity, maybe then they might get a clue....:Flip:

Actually John that is very popular body cavity and that's why they all have the matching first name! :spank:

Sweaterdude,
Hope you friend heals fast...

 

[FinalImpact]

That stuff terrifies me. Sorry to hear about your friend! I almost hate riding in town as at any point I can gaze about and catch someone distracted!

Hope He's Back 100% Soon! Our thoughts are with him!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Red Wazp]

Sending positive Mojo your way. Good people like you who care will make his recovery a bit easier. ATGATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lytehouse]

WHEN will this damn country ban handheld use while driving?!?!?

Best Wishes for your friend!

Even if they do, I do not believe that will keep people from using them.....and how could they enforce that? Not that I don't agree with you mind ya....but I don't see it happening.
And +1 with Kenny, if I found out a driver was texting or on the phone in a crash, I think I'd sue the snot out of them.


And along with everyone else, I hope your friend has a speedy recovery.

 

[TheRabbi]

Speedy recovery to him! As gloomy as it sounds, I'm pretty much just waiting for the day someone on a cell phone hits me. I can only hope I'm in my car on that day, but seriously it's only a matter of time. I can't even begin to describe how many close calls I get A DAY because of someone either on a phone call or texting.

 

[mxgolf]

A speedy recovery and a whole bunch of cash from the idiot who rearended them. That's my worst fear is getting rearended. ATGATT is the only way to go.

 

[bluremi]

Best wishes for a quick recovery for your friend.


On a side note, even if text messaging is banned it will not stop people doing it. Look at DUI laws, for example.

Your best defense is a good offense: whenever you are stopped keep an eye on your mirrors until a car is stopped safely behind you to act as a buffer. If there's cars in front of you, filter up a few places so you are clear of any distracted rear-enders.

 

[marke14]

Please give my regards to your family friend. That sucks to hear, but I am glad that he will have a change to recover (and ride again).

I agree about people who do other things while driving. Here in L.A., I see it EVERY TIME I DRIVE. Even the shortest walk, bike ride, or drive, constantly people seem like they are doing every god damn thing except PAYING ATTENTION TO DRIVING while they are driving. 99% of the time, they are PLAYING WITH THEIR CELL PHONE - texting, "LOL-ing on Facebook", etc. - just not watching what the F*** they are doing with their vehicle.

:Flip: people who text/Tweet/Facebook/chat/play with their phone while operating a vehicle :Flip:

 

[Cloggy]

Really sorry to hear about your friend, especially that he was hit by a texting cager :banghead:
I hope he gets well soon, our thoughts go out to him.

 

[FIZZER6]

WHEN will this damn country ban handheld use while driving?!?!?

Best Wishes for your friend!

It's banned in Washington DC and the State of Maryland. Virginia is soon to follow. Texting is already illegal in Virginia. No amount of regulation is going to stop texting and driving until they require every vehicle to be fitted with cellular jamming devices.

Playing on your phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated...but at least drunk drivers usually have their eyes on the road!

If it were up to me anyone causing a traffic accident while texting should receive a felony endangerment charge and jail time if the accident resulted in injuries, negligent voluntary manslaughter if it resulted in a fatality.

Everyone knows full well that texting while driving is stupid but I see people doing it all the time...they all get a horn blast when I see them doing it.

OP: I wish your buddy a speedy recovery!

 

[dpaul007]

Hoping for the best!!

I really hope the person who hit him doesn't get away with a slap on the wrist.

 

[nixter]

WHEN will this damn country ban handheld use while driving?!?!?

Best Wishes for your friend!

Sorry to hear about your friend, I hope he gets better.

I applauded the day they banned "hands on" phone use in BC. Now I've come to realize it simply made the situation worse. Instead of holding their phones up at eye level to text, they hold them in their laps so as not to be seen by the cops. The amount of drivers I see every day staring at their laps while driving is silly. I don't mean to start a discussion about it but just wanted to comment that a simple ban is not the solution.

 

[Lefty]

WHEN will this damn country ban handheld use while driving?!?!?

Best Wishes for your friend!

It's illegal here in California but until the LEO's begin to aggressively enforce the law and there's a stiff enough punitive consequence such as a $2000 fine and loss of license for a year or more, it's a "paper tiger" law.

P.S. @ Sweaterdude, how's your friend doing?