Badbob
08-01-2007, 11:00 PM
This happened right down the street from my house. I was out in the yard and noticed an unusual number of cars turning around at the end of my drive way and went to investigate. Two blocks away the road was blocked and there were blue lights all around. I walked down the side walk to see what was going on and there was a city bus sitting with its front wheel right on top of a Suzuki GSX1000R. Incredibly the rider was walking around. He had a large knot on his leg and his foot was injured.
His gear consisted of a t-shirt, baggy shorts, untied sneakers with no socks, no helmet, no gloves, and no eye protection.
My wife loves to talk to people and just got right in the middle of a group that consisted of the rider and some friends that had come to help and started asking questions. Here is what happened form what she gathered which is admittedly on sided. There is a 90 degree blind corner that they had just come around. Right after rounding the corner there is a street to the left that bus route follows. At the about the same time the bus began his turn the bike was already passing. The speed limit on this street is 30 mph. The entire street is a double yellow lined no passing zone. The bus had its hazard flashers on because there is all so a buss stop right at the intersection. Apparently the hazard flashers prevent the turn signal from working. This is how it works on my truck but a bus could be different. The rider beat on the side of the bus and yelled. When he did not get the drivers attention he jumped off the bike and the bus ran over the bike. The riders said the bus ran over his foot.
I'm not an expert but I'm going to attempt to analyze this a a little. This is my two cents worth your more than welcome to post your own. I ride this street everyday.
In my opinion the fault in this case falls almost completely with the rider. He was passing in a no passing zone immediately after coming around a blind corner following a city bus that takes both lanes to get around the corner. He was completely blind to on coming traffic at this point yet as soon as the bus was out of the way he hits the throttle and begins to pass a very hazardous unpredictable large vehicle that has its hazard lights flashing. The bus turns and down he goes. The bus driver clearly bears some responsibility just how much I'm not sure. I'm willing to bet the rider came around the corner right on the buses bumper where he could not possibly see him and then jumped in the left lane and twisted the throttle. I over herd him tell one of his friends that he had already hit third gear when the accident began to unfold. Do you think he was going any where near the speed limit? Forget the speed limit. Was his speed to fast for conditions? I think he was going well over the speed limit and disregarding that way to fast for conditions.
Could this have been avoided. Absolutely! To avoid this completely all the rider had to do was keep a safe following distance and wait a few seconds for the bus to get out of the way.
City buses are one of the most hazardous vehicles I see riding to work each day. They make crazy sudden moves al the time. They are huge and they really can't see you I have planed my commute to avoid them. If it happens that I can't avoid them I keep my distance and will almost never pass a bus and certainly will not pass one on a two lane street. When I follow a bus I stay way back where I can see the rear view mirrors and try position myself so I can see the driver in his left mirror so that if he looks he will see me.
This rider risk his life to get to the traffic light at the end of the street five seconds faster. Hopefully, he learned something but I'm betting he didn't.
I went back to the house to get my camera. I wanted a picture of the bud tire sitting on top of the bike. Unfortunately by the time I got back they had already lifted the bus and dragged the bike out. I was very surprised that it was not crushed more. Every piece of plastic was broken. Pieces were falling off as the rolled it away.
http://upload2.postimage.org/76014/20070801_Bus_vs_Motorcycle.jpg (http://upload2.postimage.org/76014/photo_hosting.html)
His gear consisted of a t-shirt, baggy shorts, untied sneakers with no socks, no helmet, no gloves, and no eye protection.
My wife loves to talk to people and just got right in the middle of a group that consisted of the rider and some friends that had come to help and started asking questions. Here is what happened form what she gathered which is admittedly on sided. There is a 90 degree blind corner that they had just come around. Right after rounding the corner there is a street to the left that bus route follows. At the about the same time the bus began his turn the bike was already passing. The speed limit on this street is 30 mph. The entire street is a double yellow lined no passing zone. The bus had its hazard flashers on because there is all so a buss stop right at the intersection. Apparently the hazard flashers prevent the turn signal from working. This is how it works on my truck but a bus could be different. The rider beat on the side of the bus and yelled. When he did not get the drivers attention he jumped off the bike and the bus ran over the bike. The riders said the bus ran over his foot.
I'm not an expert but I'm going to attempt to analyze this a a little. This is my two cents worth your more than welcome to post your own. I ride this street everyday.
In my opinion the fault in this case falls almost completely with the rider. He was passing in a no passing zone immediately after coming around a blind corner following a city bus that takes both lanes to get around the corner. He was completely blind to on coming traffic at this point yet as soon as the bus was out of the way he hits the throttle and begins to pass a very hazardous unpredictable large vehicle that has its hazard lights flashing. The bus turns and down he goes. The bus driver clearly bears some responsibility just how much I'm not sure. I'm willing to bet the rider came around the corner right on the buses bumper where he could not possibly see him and then jumped in the left lane and twisted the throttle. I over herd him tell one of his friends that he had already hit third gear when the accident began to unfold. Do you think he was going any where near the speed limit? Forget the speed limit. Was his speed to fast for conditions? I think he was going well over the speed limit and disregarding that way to fast for conditions.
Could this have been avoided. Absolutely! To avoid this completely all the rider had to do was keep a safe following distance and wait a few seconds for the bus to get out of the way.
City buses are one of the most hazardous vehicles I see riding to work each day. They make crazy sudden moves al the time. They are huge and they really can't see you I have planed my commute to avoid them. If it happens that I can't avoid them I keep my distance and will almost never pass a bus and certainly will not pass one on a two lane street. When I follow a bus I stay way back where I can see the rear view mirrors and try position myself so I can see the driver in his left mirror so that if he looks he will see me.
This rider risk his life to get to the traffic light at the end of the street five seconds faster. Hopefully, he learned something but I'm betting he didn't.
I went back to the house to get my camera. I wanted a picture of the bud tire sitting on top of the bike. Unfortunately by the time I got back they had already lifted the bus and dragged the bike out. I was very surprised that it was not crushed more. Every piece of plastic was broken. Pieces were falling off as the rolled it away.
http://upload2.postimage.org/76014/20070801_Bus_vs_Motorcycle.jpg (http://upload2.postimage.org/76014/photo_hosting.html)