From: howie@che.udel.edu (Ian Howie)
Subject: Re: Share your scare stories:Ever put the bike down two-up?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Delaware/Department of Chemical Engineering
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 22:24:00 GMT

In article <4915@gdls.UUCP>, parker@gdls.UUCP (The Dougster) writes...
>I've read lots o' high-side, low-side stories about solo riders.
>Has anyone ever had to lay it down with a passenger sitting behind
>you?

 I can't say that I've ever "laid a bike down" while going two-up (although
I have done it *once* or *twice* solo  8-) 8-) ) but I have been involved
in a pretty spectacular two-up wreck. It happened about five years ago...

 One of the guys I used to work with (Mark) and myself used to go target
shooting on the weekends. Around lunchtime on Friday, Mark asks me if I'd
be interested in going shooting that weekend. No problem says I, but I need
some ammo. He suggests I come by his place around 7:30 pm or so after I've
cashed my check and eaten. He also asks me if I would mind bringin' the cycle
and a spare helmet. No problem.

 I get Mark and head south on the cycle. This was a 1983 Suzuki GS1100L. I
got it as a leftover for $3000, and had had it almost two years at this point.
For those of you not familiar with this beast, it was an inline-four shafty
with air shocks at all four corners, two tone burgundy paint, burn-outs
on demand......  . I had managed to put about 20,000 miles on it at this
point with nary a dump at speed.

 Our route led us onto a dual lane highway heading east with a Harley for
company. We were using the staggered formation, with me in the front part of
the stagger in the right wheel track, in the slow lane. We approached an
intersection which had no traffic control our way (East-West), but stop
signs going the other way (North-South). 

 I saw three cars stopped on the south side of the intersection as we 
approached. I was checking my passenger, and the position of the Harley,
as we rode up. I got to that point where I was fairly close to the
intersection, the car at the stop sign made no indication of moving, and
I made one more check across the to the north side of the intersection.
BBBBZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT. Mistake numero uno.

 While I was observing the other side of the intersection, the first car
at the stop sign decides its time to pull out, and head across the intersection,
so as to head north across my lane of travel. This can make for a real bad
day, eh? When I look back in front of me, I get to see the side of a maroon
four door Dodge approaching at about 60 mph. I didn't even get to apply the
brakes, although I was definitely reaching for them, before piling into the
drivers side door just under the door handle. Estimated impact speed---60 mph. 
I lost conciousness at this point, so everything that follows has been
reconstructed from witnesses, etc.

 After I hit the side of the car, I went due north and landed in the area
between the east-west dual highway. I vaguely remember being pulled out of a
puddle of my own blood by the paramedics and being asked who I was and could I
move my arms and legs. They wanted to get my Arai Super Vent off.

 The car ended up in the weeds between the two highways, being pushed in an
easterly direction by the force of the impacts (yes, plural, I'll get to it..).

 The bike ended up about the same direction north as me, but a little further
to the east. 

 Mark, my passenger, went over me and the car, and landed on his head before
skidding approximately 150 feet down the road and across the grass before
piling into the weeds in the median between the dual lanes.

 The Harley (you thought I forgot about the Harley?) *ALSO* hit the car. He
burned in just in front of the front wheel, and then somersaulted the bike and
rider over the hood and into the grass. He wasn't wearing a helmet though....

 Now for the part you've been waiting for (the injuries).

 My lower jaw was broken in three places. One of my upper incisors had snapped
off and embedded itself into the lower jaw *behind* the teeth in the lower jaw.
I had a concussion that was described as severe. I broke the end off of the
right radius (one of the bones in your forearm), shattered the wrist bone at
the base of the right thumb, and almost amputated my hand with the force of
the impact. My right collar bone was shattered in two places, one about
half-way between chest and shoulder, and one at the attachment point in the
chest. My left ring finger was also broken (its now a size 13, while my right
ring finger is a 10) between the knuckle and first joint. Numerous lacerations
and a flailed chest made pretty sure I wasn't gonna be workin' out any time
soon.

 The woman driving the car was 69 and had a heart condition. She bit the end
off of her tongue, broke her jaw and most of the ribs on the left side. She
also managed to get her pelvis shattered with one of the bone shards rupturing
her spleen. Can you say internal bleeding? She had two major heart attacks
within the first 24 hours after the accident, and got to spend the next two
months in a coma. 

 Her mother (yes, her mother, it was kinda like two Smithsonian exhibits out
for a drive) who was 84 or 85, got a few broken ribs and was pretty well
shaken up.

 The guy on the Harley (with no helmet) was treated and released in two
hours with just scrapes and bruises. Seems the extra distance in the stagger
came in handy......

 Ah yes, now we get to Mark. I left him 'till last due to the, shall we say,
*sensitive* nature of his injuries. He had a major concussion and some amnesia
associated with the accident and the coupla' hours before hand. He had
a deep puncture wound on the inside of his right ankle, which we seem to think
matches up with the broken right mirror on the Suzuki, and the usual assortment
of scrapes at all the contact points from the long slide. Mark was a stylish
kinda' guy and liked to wear the button fly jeans with no underwear. His wife
didn't mind 'cause it meant less laundry. But, did you ever notice that little
rivet that sits in the crotch of those jeans? Seems it made a pretty big slash
across his *scrotum* to the tune of about 14 stitches. After they patched him
up in the emergency room and rolled him out in the hall, he kept lifting
up his hospital gown and exclaiming "look what they did to me!!!!". He denies
any knowledge of this event.....  .

 The womans car was totaled. It looked like a truck had hit it. The Suzuki
was totaled, but the insurance company was willing to fix it if they could
find another frame (they couldn't). The Harley needed a new front wheel.
Most importantly, no one died as a result of the injuries they received in
the accident.

 I got to spend a total of eight days in the hospital. During the first six,
I was in ICU for two days, then was put under so they could fix my jaw. I
went from Friday at lunch time to Wednesday at lunchtime with *no* food intake.
I broke my fast with two cups of apple juice, mmmmmm. I'm not sure they IV lines
and the two pints o' blood count 'cause I didn't get to taste 'em. I went back
a week later to get my wrist operated on and spent the other two days there.

 I was outa' work on disability for about six months, and had to put off
going back to school for one semester. I went through the therapy routine, and
now have pretty much all of my mobility back. If you didn't know I was in a 
wreck like this, you probably wouldn't be able to guess...... 

Later

Ian

*****************************************************************************
Ian Howie           "Life is too short to drink bad coffee........"
(302) 292-8598   
1990 FJ1200                                        howie@oscar.ccm.udel.edu     
*****************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles