Oops....helmet law protester dies from head injury

Quote :

ONONDAGA, N.Y. (AP) — Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike's handlebars and hit his head on the pavement.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon in the town of Onondaga, in central New York near Syracuse.
State troopers tell The Post-Standard of Syracuse that 55-year-old Philip A. Contos of Parish, N.Y., was driving a 1983 Harley Davidson with a group of bikers who were protesting helmet laws by not wearing helmets.

Troopers say Contos hit his brakes and the motorcycle fishtailed. The bike spun out of control, and Contos toppled over the handlebars. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Troopers say Contos would have likely survived if he had been wearing a helmet.

I'm all for "let he/she who rides, decide".....but damn.......

Irony, or poetic justice?
Either way, I guess he had to lay 'er down.

Hmm, well, I was always told," If you got a 10 cent head, get a 10 cent helmet"

Not sure how anyone could ride a bike safely, at speed, in public, without some kinda face shield...never seem to hear that argument.

Anywho, glad I'm not to proud for my helmet.

I grew up in Michigan where wearing a helmet is a must. I just don't feel safe without some sort of hard shell lid to protect my noggin. Your head is the one part of your body you can't live without and a big flat spot on the side kinda screws up the looks.

Sad irony, but here in PA we just lost 2 guys due to (as expected) a drunk in a pickup truck:

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-bangor-motorcycle-follow-20110702,0,4532489.story

Quote :

By Samantha Marcus and Patrick Lester, OF THE MORNING CALL

11:37 a.m. EDT, July 3, 2011
The members of the Last Chance Motorcycle Club consider themselves a family, and one of their brothers had died.

Brought together by their battles with drug and alcohol addiction, they traveled from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to pay their respects.

Keith Michaelson and Michael Zadoyko, who could boast two decades of sobriety each, were traveling with a pack of seven on a windy part of Route 512 in Bangor when a pick-up truck heading in the opposite direction crossed into their lane. Michaelson and Zodoyka were killed in the fiery crash, said Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek, who ruled their deaths accidental.

Some of their friends were taken by ambulance from the scene, which was littered with charred and tangled motorcycle parts.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Saturday alcohol may have played a role in the crash.

Without being specific, Morganelli said information gathered at the scene leads police to believe alcohol may have been involved. No one has been charged in the accident, but Morganelli said several charges are likely to be filed against John P. Heaney III, the driver of the pickup.

He said he won't make a determination until after the long weekend.

In a news release Saturday, Bangor police said six were injured in the crash, but they did not release their names or conditions.

Sean McAvoy, a member of the club reached at Zadoyko's home Saturday, clarified that in addition to Zadoyko and Michaelson, four bikers were injured. They were hospitalized with broken bones, road rash and severe burns but are all expected to recover, he said.

They were all wearing proper safety gear, he added.

Michaelson, 52, of West Milford, N.J., was a real estate agent, and was married with two children. Zadoyko, 47, of Pompton Lakes, N.J., co-owned construction company Northeast Homeworks.

"He was an amazing and extremely loving father and husband," said Sarah Zadoyko, 24, one of his three children. Friday marked his youngest, Hannah's, 14th birthday.

"My father had been sober for about 18 years or so," she said. "It's extremely ironic."

Members of the men's extended Last Chance family gathered at Zadoyko's home Saturday evening to grieve, McAvoy said.

"We have a brotherhood and we take it very seriously," he said.

Morganelli confirmed Heaney, of New Jersey — his age and town were not released — had crossed the center line when he collided head on with the bikers. Bangor police refused Saturday to provide details of the crash but witnesses said Heaney's pick-up truck was eastbound when it struck the westbound motorcycles.

Lysek said Michaelson and Zadoyko died of multiple blunt force trauma.

"Everything is still under investigation," said Bangor officer Michael Hunsicker.

Motorcycles lay across the road Friday night along a stretch of Route 512 near the East Bangor border called Bill Scott Boulevard, with one flung onto the shoulder.

New Jersey tractor-trailer driver Mike Van Elswyk was heading home on Route 512 when traffic pulled to a halt shortly before 5. Fifteen cars ahead, he saw several motorcycles on fire in the middle of the road. Two men lay unmoving.

He jumped out of his cab with his fire extinguisher, but first responders waved him away.

The speed limit in that area is 45 mph, but yellow road signs recommend motorists travel at 35 mph in the area where the crash occurred.

A few people who live and work in that area described it as a dangerous roadway. One woman who has lived near 512 for more than 40 years said when she hears a siren, she assumes it's heading for Route 512.

Larry Hamm, who works at a paint store along Route 512, said locals know to be careful on that stretch.

"Anytime when you have those kind of fatalities, it's almost sickening, even if you don't know [the people involved]," said Hamm, who used to work on an ambulance crew. "It's unfortunate. It's really unfortunate."

Luckly 4 of the injured survived because "They were all wearing proper safety gear" as it says above.

IMHO Helmet laws suck, but hey, if your stupid enough to ride without them, how else will the gene pool get cleansed?

BTW I'd see to the death penalty for the idiot who drove drunk here. Or at least cut off his hands so he never touches another drink again.

I'm 71 years old and have been riding since I was 18 without a helmet. I bought my first helmet 8 months ago when I got a bike in California. Colorado does not require a helmet and I have lived there for the past 37 years. I hate a helmet; riding in a helmet sucks. If I wanted safe I wouldn't have volunteered to go to war to fight for this country. If I wanted safe I wouldn't be riding a motorcycle. Safe sucks. I've never given a shit about safe in my whole life and I'm too old to start. I don't tell you what you can and can't do. I hate drunks. Every drunk driver should be shot I don't tell you you can't can't drink, smoke dope or fuck so don't tell me I have to wear a helmet .

Curious, mordical, you obviously have experience, so, how many accidents have you been in?...and how many accidents have you seen?
Have you ever seen accidents caused by debris in the face/head?
There must have been times you wished you had a helmet, even if for a moment?
I have little motorcycle experience, and can get a little paranoid and over think things as is.
I work/play hard and take my lumps as they come...but at 40 I seem to recall the ounce of prevention lesson more and more.
Full respect, just looking for some honest thoughts...

Coming from someone who was with the area fire dept for well over 6 years, I've seen (and had to work on) ppl involved in motorbike accidents. None of them were small bore enduros; mostly Harleys, and sportbikes. Some were VERY messy. I think there was only one instance where the helmet didn't save the guy...but then he was cut in half by the truck that hit him. The others, maybe 2 didn't have a scratch on the helmets. The others did. One was to the point that it cracked all the way around, from the left side to the right...full face...and impact was hard enuf to blow the guy's eardrums. Blood inside the helmet, bloodshot eyes. I think the worst ones out there are the skull caps the Harley riders wear. Those things are a complete joke. You might as well be wearing a pot on your head.

To be honest Mucker most of my riding has been off road, although I always used my bike to go to town 40 miles away. When I rode off road some times I like to gas it but mostly I rode in the forest about 10-15 miles from the nearest house and with no cell phone available, so I rode a moderate pace. When I ride or walk in the forest my joy is to see, hear and smell nature, and the critters that live there, so I ride at a pace that lets me look at the country a ride through. A helmet would be wall between me and the forest. My memory is on the way out, and the other day I actually got on the bike in san diego and rode about four blocks before I realized I didn't have a helmet on. Damm it sure felt good having my head out in the air. But you know stuff like this is a personal thing. I was the last guy on my block to get saftey binding on my skis. We just tied them on with a leather thong and I preferred it that way, but everyone said "it's not safe" . You can't argue that riding with I helmet is the safe thing to so.....it just feels like shit.

Sorry Mucker, didn't answer your question. I've been down a lot offroad, but those aren't accidents. Been down twice on the highway; both times deer....scraped up a little, no biggie. Worst accident I ever had was with a ewe sheep.....little shit blinded me on a dirt trail and knocked me off the bike at about 30mph. I was barley able to get it home about 10 miles away on a single track, but fucked up my knee pretty bad and had trouble walking for about six months. I've seen a lot of people with face wounds but I'd never be in the same class a SheWolf.

mordicai wrote:

I'm 71 years old and have been riding since I was 18 without a helmet. I bought my first helmet 8 months ago when I got a bike in California. Colorado does not require a helmet and I have lived there for the past 37 years. I hate a helmet; riding in a helmet sucks. If I wanted safe I wouldn't have volunteered to go to war to fight for this country. If I wanted safe I wouldn't be riding a motorcycle. Safe sucks. I've never given a shit about safe in my whole life and I'm too old to start. I don't tell you what you can and can't do. I hate drunks. Every drunk driver should be shot I don't tell you you can't can't drink, smoke dope or fuck so don't tell me I have to wear a helmet .

Ya know, that's the first sensible argument I ever heard for not wearing a helmet

I have no problems with people not wearing a helmet as long as they take responsibility for any and all injuries incurred. Me It just doesn't feel right. It is a personal choice. As long as the bikers don't bitch at me because I'm wearing one I won't bitch at them for their choice.

I don't have a problem with "choice" either.

What I hate is the bold face lying about how helmets are more dangerous, and impede vision and hearing........

Let those who ride decide, but don't lie about why.

Ahh come on Motokid, your not serious. You really believe that helmets don't impede seeing and hearing? Mind you that would not be a reason in it self for not wearing one, but my sense of whats going on around is far better with no helmet. Have you ridden much with no helmet?

Most of the harley guys who advocate not wearing helmets say the only difference between wearing a helmet is an open or closed casket funeral.

I've read too many studies that show, statistically, that helmets will provide protection in a great number of minor crashes. Of course, a head on with a semi won't matter much. But most moto accidents are low speed drops & are the equivalent of falling 6-10' onto pavement. A helmet definitely protects in these cases. I've gone down a lot of times & felt the clunk of the rocks on my helmet. I've always been glad i had it on.

So i will wear a helmet, off or on road, but i don't advocate the state mandating things like this. Az has no helmet laws, & i'm sure there are higher fatalities from the motorcycle wrecks than in helmet law states. But at what point does the state decide what is safe? Every motorcyclist takes a higher risk than the cagers every time they go out on the road. Should the state decide motorcycles are unsafe & outlaw them? Will they advocate everyone driving hummers for greater personal protection? How about outlawing driving all together & make everyone ride the bus?

Skiers take risks, scuba divers, sky divers, firemen, police, military. Some of us live on the edge & know we're going to die someday. Most of us don't live on the edge & will also die. We certainly don't have to go looking for it, but living in terror of dying is not much of a life. We can stay huddled in a bomb shelter, and not take any risks, but death will still find us.

Anyway, i'm with mordicai on this one.. live & let live.

(Paul McCartney begins playing the james bond tune, live & let die)

I can see both sides of the helmet argument. Personally I don't agree with helmet laws, but even if I lived in a state without one, or when I end up traveling in a state without a helmet law, 99% of the time I wear a helmet. There are definitely days I'd like an open face for more airflow (shield up with sunglasses a lot of days this summer works so far) but then I start remembering my 40mph face down slide two winters ago. I also had my bell rung in an off-road crash last summer that made me not feel right till the next day.

But damn did it ever feel good scooting around Key West with the ocean/gulf breeze in my hair and the sun shining down. Wouldn't want to go much more than scooter speeds, wind noise gets awful above that.

Ride your own ride and worry less about what others wear and do.

I have a full-face, a three-quarter lid w/shield and a half-helmet. I threw away my old half-helmet last year as it was old, I had dropped it (a little damage) and felt I would just wear the 3/4 lid most of the time. In the nice summer weather even that sucked. I bought a new 1/2 helmet last week and love it. I don't get why people would say the 1/2 helmet impedes vision- my prescription glasses impede more than the helmet does. The 3/4 lid isn't too bad in that regard. The full-face is predictably claustrophobic but I only wear it in the winter below about 40*F or so. So I guess I gave up on ATGATT.

What no one has mentioned so far is the possibility of insurance company restrictions. I remember seeing an article in AMA news or in some bike mags about insurance companies cancelling health insurance policies over what they consider "risky behavior". They write in clauses in the policies where, if you violate them, say by riding, skydiving, etc., your policy becomes void. Being a family guy, if that came to pass where I work, it would force me to choose between protecting my family or riding. I'd have a few bikes to sell. Generally, the politicians are in bed with the insurance companies but the insurance companies can act on their own, too. They don't need legislation to effectively limit your right to ride. I see the personal rights angle to the helmet issue but I feel it's counterproductive for a bunch of cracked heads to call unwanted attention to our group of enthusiasts. We're small, have no clout and no one else is on our side. A small sacrifice, such as using even a minimal 1/2 helmet, to me is a small price to pay to continue riding "under the radar". Maybe this won't last either but we'll deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, irresponsible behavior may hasten our demise even if it is our "right", which it isn't. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe all states consider driving a "privilege" and not a right. Therefor, state governments can regulate us to death and there is little we can do about it unless we can somehow muster some support. Cracked heads and loud pipes won't do it.

mordicai wrote:

Ahh come on Motokid, your not serious. You really believe that helmets don't impede seeing and hearing? Mind you that would not be a reason in it self for not wearing one, but my sense of whats going on around is far better with no helmet. Have you ridden much with no helmet?

I'm with Motokid there. At any speed above bicycling, hearing is pretty useless as a sense on a motorcycle. Between the motor noise and the wind noise, what you're hearing is mostly the onset of tinitus material. I'd take the view through a shield over the squint-eyed vision of someone struggling to keep the bugs, dust, and other crap out of their eyeballs while trying to justify going hatless. There is a reason racers wear helmets and it's not just because it allows them to survive crashes. At 55mph, I'd put what I can see against what you see in almost any situation. On the bike, I wear earplugs always because I want to continue being alble to listen to music as long as possible. Most of the 63 year old bikers I know are functionally deaf.

Way back in the 60's, I rode and raced without a helmet for a couple of years. I didn't know anyone who even owned a helmet in western Kansas. When I moved to Texas, helmets were the law. I bought a cheap helmet and the rest was history (http://www.motorbyte.com/mmm/pages/geezer/geezer45.htm). After one education episode, I have been helmeted ever since.

Obviously, off road, it's your choice and being a geezer too I respect your right to remove yourself from the Social Security payroll. Some days the arthritis in my hips almost convinces me to leave the helmet at home. Not yet, though.

TBird1 wrote:

. . . I don't get why people would say the 1/2 helmet impedes vision- my prescription glasses impede more than the helmet does. . . .
What no one has mentioned so far is the possibility of insurance company restrictions. I remember seeing an article in AMA news or in some bike mags about insurance companies cancelling health insurance policies over what they consider "risky behavior". They write in clauses in the policies where, if you violate them, say by riding, skydiving, etc., your policy becomes void. Being a family guy, if that came to pass where I work, it would force me to choose between protecting my family or riding. I'd have a few bikes to sell. Generally, the politicians are in bed with the insurance companies but the insurance companies can act on their own, too. They don't need legislation to effectively limit your right to ride. I see the personal rights angle to the helmet issue but I feel it's counterproductive for a bunch of cracked heads to call unwanted attention to our group of enthusiasts. We're small, have no clout and no one else is on our side. A . . ..

I don't think that was the argument against the 1/2 helmet. Those lids don't do much for you in a crash. Many/most crashes include a faceplant and that hat won't help with the lost nose, chin, and all that face rash. They don't stay on well in a crash, either.

We're, unfortunately, not all that insignificant, either. We're 12-14% of highway fatalities every year. We're not even in the territory of 0.1% of the traffic or miles driven, so we're going to get plenty of deserved attention, sooner or later.

There is only one argument, that is "stuff yer helmet and don't tell me what I can and can't do", I can understand that
But no one will ever convince me I am safer without a helmet, that's like saying knee pads impair your movement so you shouldn't wear them or headlights just mess up your night vision so we shouldn't have them either, oh and loud pipes don't save lives, they are made to piss people off like wearing your pants around your ass with your underpants pulled up

I don't even question it, I wear a helmet and a jacket and at the very least Kevlar jeans and I wear boots too

I have used every one of them so far and aside from the Kevlar jeans every one has kept me from some kind of injury or at least reduced it's severity

You can ride with no helmet, but I ain't and I don't know anyone who rides without one

http://cassons.com.au/CAS_Headline.asp?content=3

i would never get on a bike without a helmet, even if it wasnt law in australia. it is also law here that the helmet must be within 5 years of its manufacture date, but that isnt well known. i have a number of customers that would be safer with a plastic bucket on their head.

If you're riding off taxpayer-paid for roads, then it is none of the government's business whether you wear a helmet or not.

There is no right to ride or drive on highways, it is a privilege granted by society - thus, driver's licenses, insurance requirements, and helmet laws.

On the other hand, I don't like the idea of government telling you you have to be intelligent and wear a helmet for your own protection, or a riding jacket, or whatever. If you want to engage in risky behavior that increases the likelihood a cop will have to tell your parents their kid is dead, or your family gets to see you and look after you as a vegetable the rest of your life, then that should be your business, between you and your family.

However, if the system is such that even one dime of taxpayer money would be spent looking after you the rest of your life, extensive treatment, etc if you were injured where a helmet would have prevented it or minimized the injury, then those same taxpayers have a right to tell you that you have to wear a helmet.

On the flip side, I suppose having "helmet optional" laws allows Darwinism to clean the gene pool a little bit.

I like this part in the referenced article:

"I was riding westbound on 1-20 near Weatherford, TX at what eyewitnesses later said was about 140mph on my CBR600RR when the accident happened". The subject goes on further to thank Arai for making a good helmet. * rolls eyes *

On thing that stands out in my mind (albeit feeble at times) is not "if", "that" or "What kind" you put a helmet on because if you put "Shit for brains"in one it'll never be able to save you.

Obviously we all calculate risk somewhat differently and look at risk avoidance and mitigation differently doing different things.

One thing we can't calculate is an accident, because by definition it is an "unforeseeable event". If you look at the example above, you really can't call that an accident (Well you can, but most "reasonable man" qualified people would not).

I could have died a thousand deaths bicycling, skiing, snowboarding and never once (Ever) considered wearing a helmet (until most recently and I do wear one snowboarding now only because I'm really good at head-first pile-drivers in the trees) ...but will I EVER get on a M/C without one ? Never (almost) * . I'm neither that good, or lucky .

Having no less than three concussions with one on, will you (*) rarely see me go much further than a two-up few hundred yard, cocktail in hand, first-gear, "Sunset ride" in the desert. .....which agreeably may constitute "shit for brains" and NO helmet ! Consider the source. * chuckle *