More Marines Get Hurt

[B_Wayne]

So if you have seen the sticky of "US Marine Dies...not from Combat "
(http://www.suzuki-bikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7001), you know that I am a Marine stationed in DC. We had a Marine meet his untimely demise because he bought a GSXR 750 and went out riding (without taking the MSF) with only two weeks riding experience. It turned out that he hit a pot hole and grabbed his front brakes at the same time...flipped over and broke his neck. We have since had two more injuries to riders at my unit alone. One Marine was the friend of someone who was buying a bike from another Marine. Neither the buyer or his friend had ever been on a bike before, and friend got on the bike and wrecked into the back of a truck. He had to be airlifted from the scene with two ruptured knee caps. He and I share the same physical therapist now (ankle injury that has kept me off the bike for over 2 months now)and he most likely wont be walking anytime soon. That happened about a month and a half ago. Last night while I contemplated riding my bike I got word from the Duty that someone had been involved in a bike accident. Turns out it is a gym buddy (you know...the guy you only see in the gym and nowhere else) who I had seen the night prior. He had been in trouble and was on barracks restriction and had finally gotten out on his bike the night prior and was out tearing the streets up again on Sunday. Apparently not only did he total the bike, but he suffered massive head trauma as a result of his FREAKIN HELMET FLYIN OFF! I see this to mean 1 of 2 things. 1)He didnt have the helmet buckled, or 2)he was going way to fast and broke the strap with the initial impact, the helmet flew off and then he hit the ground. Either way, we now have two more Marines hurt, one who may never walk again and another who's condition is still unknown at this point.

The moral of the story is wear your gear, ride safe and be careful. The last thing that anyone wants is to hear that a friend of theirs was in an accident, especially one that could have been easily avoided.



Comments welcome...

[MagnumForce]

The mishaps you have described are tragic, but avoidable if some common sense was used. Does your base host MSF courses? At McConnell AFB, as well as other AF locations, we are required to complete the MSF course before our bikes are permitted on base. We have also seen our share of motorcycle fatalities, I believe about three in a 1-2 month period. The one that stuck to my mind the most was a Senior Master Sergeant that died in a motorcycle accident. He was just a few days from his retirement ceremony. These folks represent lost coworkers, friends, and family members and it's those left behind who suffer. An aggressive motorcycle safety program was set up soon after. Everyone, regardless of riding status, is educated in the hazards of motorcycle operations and what one can do to eliminate or mitigate these hazards. If this is indeed a trend in your unit/base, I hope your chain of command attacks this problem aggressively before more Marines are lost. These losses are tragic, and unnecessary.

[stp1971]

Best wishes and hopefully speedy recovery to your friends,,,, Godspeed, Fair Seas and Following winds on their recovery. I hate to hear that,, I remember alot of accidents with military riders when I was in. I guess they get that invinceable(sp) feeling about them and nothing can happen to them.

Good advice and it is quite a reality check to hear some of the country's toughest can get hurt just as easy. WEAR THE GEAR!!!!! Even if it is just a helmet, gloves, and some sort of riding jacket!!!!!

[B_Wayne]

Originally Posted by kskruiser

The mishaps you have described are tragic, but avoidable if some common sense was used. Does your base host MSF courses? At McConnell AFB, as well as other AF locations, we are required to complete the MSF course before our bikes are permitted on base. We have also seen our share of motorcycle fatalities, I believe about three in a 1-2 month period. The one that stuck to my mind the most was a Senior Master Sergeant that died in a motorcycle accident. He was just a few days from his retirement ceremony. These folks represent lost coworkers, friends, and family members and it's those left behind who suffer. An aggressive motorcycle safety program was set up soon after. Everyone, regardless of riding status, is educated in the hazards of motorcycle operations and what one can do to eliminate or mitigate these hazards. If this is indeed a trend in your unit/base, I hope your chain of command attacks this problem aggressively before more Marines are lost. These losses are tragic, and unnecessary.

Being that we are such a small base, we dont host our own MSF, though we are able to go to Bolling Air Force Base and do it there. Everyone is required to take the course, though it wasnt strictly enforced back before that Marine got killed. Since then there has been a crack down, but obviously the system isnt perfect. As with any branch of the service (I'm assuming mostly at this point) the actions of the few dictate the policy for the many...so with three people getting hurt, the remainder of us are left to punish with overly-harsh rules and regulations. I guess whatever it takes to make sure Marines stop hurting/killing themselves.

[MagnumForce]

Originally Posted by B_Wayne

As with any branch of the service (I'm assuming mostly at this point) the actions of the few dictate the policy for the many...so with three people getting hurt, the remainder of us are left to punish with overly-harsh rules and regulations.

I know what you mean. While I was taking the MSF BRC, an instructor told me about an incident involving a few riders from Yokota AB, Japan. It seem they were squidding around the train tracks off base and got caught up in a mishap (can't remember exact details). Because no one fessed up, the Wing (Base) commander prohibited all other GI's from riding on the installation until this issue was resolved. I believe there is a rider in these forums that is stationed there. Hopefully he can clarify this.

[stp1971]

You don't even know the half of it,,, when I served in the Navy there was a strict rule from the Sixth Fleet Commander that "NO" Navy personel were to ride any motorized scooters, mopeds, motorcyles, etc. If caught they were subject to the UCMJ and would immediately go see the old man. This rule was in effect for all the countries surrounding the whole Mediterranean Ocean, Spain, and anywhere that Sixth Fleet was in command.

[themeatmanlandry]

Bad ju-ju . . . real bad ju-ju.

[tlwisner]

Torque is not the best training video for motorcyclists....

I hate hearing about stuff like this, but it keeps coming. So often it involves a guy who has never ridden before and a supersport racing replica bike.

[stp1971]

Just like I had posted before when I first signed onto this forum there was this guy at this "Learn to Ride" course I took. He couldn't even ride the 250 cc cruisers they had out there and he was talking that he had bought a 'Busa,, don't know the cc's, but he said it was the top dawg out there and all his buddies had bikes like that or 'Busas themselves. He said he wasn't going to look like a chump out there with a small bike so he had them ride the bike or they deleivered it to his house if I remember right.

Boy kept dropping the 250cc bike,,hmmmmm,,,mmmmm,,mmmm,mmmmmm....wonder if he survived to ride or not????

[LayinLo]

Sorry to hear about this. I hope they will make a timely recovery.

[NWEng]

Originally Posted by kskruiser

I know what you mean. While I was taking the MSF BRC, an instructor told me about an incident involving a few riders from Yokota AB, Japan. It seem they were squidding around the train tracks off base and got caught up in a mishap (can't remember exact details). Because no one fessed up, the Wing (Base) commander prohibited all other GI's from riding on the installation until this issue was resolved. I believe there is a rider in these forums that is stationed there. Hopefully he can clarify this.

Grump's the man you're looking for.

[Clint]

What a shame for the sport of motorcycling.

[Scourge]

Too much confidence. Marines are supposed to be confident of their abilities on the battle field, but that doesn't translate into the urban jungle that is motorcycling.