About a month and a half ago, a crash involving a car and a motorcycle left the rider dead after he was thrown from his motorcycle. Jim Young of the Saratoga Fire Department got the call. Of those, about 80 percent are sport bikes. Rarely do we go out on calls involving the Harley guys. They just go a lot slower.
Speed is a factor, blind curves are a factor, other cars are a factor.
We see everything from fractures to fatalities. Sometimes we get a call, go up there and don't find anyone. They just crash, brush themselves off, get back on and ride away. Young speculates that there is about one wreck per 100 riders who take on the hill, but that most of the crashes aren't serious. Most riders are careful to wear the proper protective gear, and they walk away from the majority of crashes.