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View Full Version : Haven't been on in awhile - Got that Dreaded Phone Call!



coolpool
10-05-2012, 10:24 AM
"How soon can you be at the hospital?" Rewind 10 mins; I just got home from work after being detoured off the main highway due to what appeared to be a bad accident a 1/4 mile ahead. I told my wife about it and for some reason she said "that better not be Sam" (our 17 yr old son). After receiving the call we rushed to the hospital thinking he smashed up his truck. Turns out he and his friend decided to ride double on his friends new Ninja crotch rocket. Seems that the boys decided to go for a ride against both of us parents wishes due to the other boys inexperience (1 month on a street bike). The details are still under investigation but it appears that the bike hit the right rear corner of a stopped pick up at 55-60 mph. Both boys were air lifted to Edmonton 3 hours away. The driver flew 25' from the impact and ended up with 7 hours of surgery on a broken femur, broken thumb, partial paralysis on his left arm and some (hopefully) temporary brain damage. My son flew 65' and ended up under a parked F350 that they had to jack up to get him out. He had 3 hours of surgery on a broken femur. That's it except for minor bruising. Luckily both boys were wearing Snell helmets and Kevlar jackets. This could have turned out sooo much worse. We are home now but the other boy will be in rehab for up to 9 months. I seen a picture of the Ram 1500 4x4 that the boys hit and the right rear box is destroyed, the axle got shoved ahead 4" and the leaf spring folded up at the shackle! 6" more to the left and we would have been going to two funerals. Scrub this years moose season:cry:

atctim
10-05-2012, 10:31 AM
Horrible Terrible news. I'm glad to hear they are both "ok" so to speak. Inexperienced riders and sport bikes never are a good mix!

kb0nly
10-05-2012, 12:22 PM
Those crotch rockets are nothing but meat grinders, i can't count how many i have seen in accidents around here.

Thank god he was wearing a skull cap!!! Now tell him to keep to slower moving ATV's off the highway from now on.. LOL

fabiodriven
10-05-2012, 12:33 PM
Those crotch rockets are nothing but meat grinders, i can't count how many i have seen in accidents around here.

The bike doesn't do anything you don't tell it to, kind of the same way a trike doesn't do anything you don't tell it to.

Glad to hear everyone is still kicking CoolPool. I've had my fair share of close calls over the years in all walks of life, not just in vehicles. I can't say I've never put myself in danger, just lucky enough to have avoided most of the big hits.

MTS
10-05-2012, 01:24 PM
Oh man sorry to here that pete, best of wishes to a speedy recovery for your boy.

MRSOUND
10-05-2012, 01:37 PM
With 3 daughters I or my wife have gotten that phone call a few times. We were always lucky it was never nothing serious. Glad to hear you could at least bring him home. Hang in there! Thoughts and prayers your way.

oldskool83
10-05-2012, 02:16 PM
sucks about kids, sucks about the entire situation but the bike didnt have anything to do with it. parents letting kids buy sportbikes has everything to do with it. least they are all ok. last kid i knew on a sportbike decided he needed to race sum1...hes dead now. sportbikes are lame anyway once your over the age of 27.

kb0nly
10-05-2012, 04:03 PM
Sportbikes are killers, i don't care what anyone says. People think three wheelers are bad, those things are stone cold death machines. I know a lot of people will blame the driver or the parents that let the kid buy it, or buy it for them, etc. But the machines are truly death traps.

A buddy of mine that has been on two wheels his entire life got on one to take it for a spin, he wasn't do anything reckless with it, but when he got back he got off and he said no way will i ever do that again, and this is the guy that bungee jumps and sky dives with a snowboard. He said the power to weight ratio and handling on them makes them inherently skittish and dangerous. If he says it feels dangerous i believe him.

Glad to hear the kids are ok. And sounds like your son got off really lucky. The other boy got some head trauma you mentioned, did he crack his helmet? I saw that at an accident scene i rolled up on about four months ago, they survived with a concussion. Thats a lot of force to make that happen.

Howdy
10-05-2012, 04:26 PM
Sorry to hear about the accident, VERY grateful they are alive. Prayig for a quick and full recovery for the Kids.

HuffieVA
10-05-2012, 04:47 PM
Really sorry to hear about anyone getting busted up, especially kids, hopefully they both make a full recovery and can one day look back at it as a learning experience as well as a tool to teach others to ride within their skill level.

atc007
10-05-2012, 08:39 PM
Sorry to hear this Pete. Hang in there. Thank goodness they did have helmets. My Son and his friend share driving to and from work{ Graveyard}. His friend hydroplaned Tuesday night. 55mph,out through the trees. Totalled the car.. But both dumbasses were not wearing their belts. I was livid. Probably in their little skulls,this just reinforced everything I've taught them was wrong... Neither one was banged up too bad. Don't ask me how!? At least they've got some tickets to show for it.Parenting is surely the toughest job we'll ever love. I hope he gets better quick. They heal good at that age!

just ben
10-06-2012, 12:04 AM
I have owned several sportbikes and although I agree with fabio that they don't do anything on their own(usually)but they are way too fast these days. a 600 now will outrun a decade old liter bike and now a liter bike is a 1300 or 1400. The biggest problem with them is the same thing that brought down trikes : they keep getting faster and they will sell them to whoever is paying. I wish the best for your son,Hopefully it is a lesson learned to him.

wisconsinite
10-06-2012, 12:10 AM
wow, they both got lucky. definitely wish both kids a speedy recovery.

Chazz of Blades
10-06-2012, 01:45 PM
I don't like to talk about it much, but I lost a very old(relatively) friend of mine a little while before I left this summer, 2AM in a curve he met a deer doing about 45mph. Came off the bike directly into a waiting tree trunk. Not saying it was his of the bike's fault, but him being a relatively fresh rider on a Ninja 500R wasn't a good combination to begin with.

I'm not a praying man myself, but I give you my and the boys my best wishes and hope for a speedy recovery, and an even quicker epiphany or two.

El Camexican
10-06-2012, 03:30 PM
So glad to hear that they are going to make it. God bless.

swampthang
10-07-2012, 12:45 PM
I will never own a motorcycle to drive on the rode. Seeing how people drive on the rodes its scary enough in my truck.

As for the bike being the problem, yes and no they can't hurt you unless you make a mistake but they are way too much machine for the average unexperienced riders. Kind of like why Honda didn't release the ATC 500r too much for the average Joe off the street that wants to impress people.

I was at a friends house back in High School one guy just got a 600 rocket and was so proud of it we all was visiting sense we hadnt seen him in a long time. Another guy wanted to go for a ride. They left the house and made it about 3 blocks and we heard a hell of a loud bang. We went down the rode to see what happened. And they had hit a truck going about 75mph that was turning. The kid on the back got a broken neck and many other broken bones the driver died. Hell of a reality check when your 17 and you see someone you know that you just talked too a few minutes ago laying dead in someones yard.

coolpool
10-07-2012, 01:01 PM
Sorry to hear this Pete. Hang in there. Thank goodness they did have helmets. My Son and his friend share driving to and from work{ Graveyard}. His friend hydroplaned Tuesday night. 55mph,out through the trees. Totalled the car.. But both dumbasses were not wearing their belts. I was livid. Probably in their little skulls,this just reinforced everything I've taught them was wrong... Neither one was banged up too bad. Don't ask me how!? At least they've got some tickets to show for it.Parenting is surely the toughest job we'll ever love. I hope he gets better quick. They heal good at that age!

Sorry to hear about your boys accident, Bill. Glad they're OK. Hopefully a lesson learned come from this.

fabiodriven
10-07-2012, 02:24 PM
Again CoolPool, I'm glad everyone is OK and I apologize for messing up your thread here. This needs to be said though.


Sportbikes are killers, i don't care what anyone says. People think three wheelers are bad, those things are stone cold death machines. I know a lot of people will blame the driver or the parents that let the kid buy it, or buy it for them, etc. But the machines are truly death traps.

A buddy of mine that has been on two wheels his entire life got on one to take it for a spin, he wasn't do anything reckless with it, but when he got back he got off and he said no way will i ever do that again, and this is the guy that bungee jumps and sky dives with a snowboard. He said the power to weight ratio and handling on them makes them inherently skittish and dangerous. If he says it feels dangerous i believe him.

Glad to hear the kids are ok. And sounds like your son got off really lucky. The other boy got some head trauma you mentioned, did he crack his helmet? I saw that at an accident scene i rolled up on about four months ago, they survived with a concussion. Thats a lot of force to make that happen.

I am not going to sully this thread any more than it already has been with BS, but you are speaking from a position of ignorance. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but many of us on here ride sport bikes and have been for years. If a person with the same mindset as you ever made it to a legislative position, your uneducated opinion could have a huge detrimental effect on that form of motorsports the same way somebody's uneducated opinion affected the sale of three wheelers.


Not saying it was his of the bike's fault, but him being a relatively fresh rider on a Ninja 500R wasn't a good combination to begin with.

A Ninja 500 is a beginners bike. It's for people who are just starting out.

rjs89ia
10-07-2012, 02:33 PM
glad to hear they made it through, i lost my uncle a year ago on the 1st due to a motorcycle accident. yesterday my dad had a heart attack thank god he's ok. october is beginning to be one of those months that a dread as the years go by.

bkm
10-07-2012, 05:56 PM
Sportbikes are killers, i don't care what anyone says. People think three wheelers are bad, those things are stone cold death machines. I know a lot of people will blame the driver or the parents that let the kid buy it, or buy it for them, etc. But the machines are truly death traps.
Says the guy on a website dedicated to outlawed machines famous for killing people who misused them. Your statement sounds eerily familiar only its reversed. I bet if you were to look at the numbers there are just as many people killed on cruisers as there are sport bikes and I bet most of them are due to inattentive drivers of 4 wheeled vehicles and not a result of the bike.

Strange thing happened the other day to me. I have this dangerous instrument called a pistol. I used it with common sense, followed all the safety rules, and obeyed the law and no one was hurt or killed. I was amazed at how that dang gun never jumped out of my hands and started killing and injuring others. I mean its amazing, I watched the news last night and saw a murder that was committed by an individual that used a gun. They lead me to believe that it was the guns fault.

Coolpool, I'm glad to hear that the boys will eventually be fine and I'm sure this is something that they will never do again. I hope for their speedy recovery.

El Camexican
10-07-2012, 09:58 PM
I've lost number of friends who died while on bikes of the past 28 years of street riding and even more who came close a few times myself included, but I don't recall any deaths or accidents that were caused by the bikes. They have keys, side stands, starter buttons, clutches and gear boxes. If you are smart enough to figure all that out you should be smart enough to operate the throttle and brakes in a mature manner and if not, it sure ain't the bikes fault. That said I do wish that the manufactures would get together and offer some sort of safety course with the first time purchase of a bike. Had that been done with trikes we might still be able to buy new ones.

swampthang
10-07-2012, 10:21 PM
That said I do wish that the manufactures would get together and offer some sort of safety course with the first time purchase of a bike. Had that been done with trikes we might still be able to buy new ones.

Not sure on other manufactures but I know if you buy a new Honda ATV they will pay you $100 to take there safety course. Not a bad deal in my book. My Dad took the course I was going too but I got sick and missed the cut off date:(

El Camexican
10-07-2012, 11:51 PM
Not sure on other manufactures but I know if you buy a new Honda ATV they will pay you $100 to take there safety course. Not a bad deal in my book. My Dad took the course I was going too but I got sick and missed the cut off date:(

That's great (the course, not that you were sick) My parents paid for a saftey course for me when I switched from dirt to pavment. While a lot of it was stuff I knew as a rider of 4 years at that point, there were some things I learned that I still think about when I ride today. The main one was how to ride at very low speeds, its a lot harder than going fast and can be applied to high speed riding as well. Once someone gets past the beginer stage as a rider I recommend reading Keith Code's books. They may be meant for racers and are written a little weird, but they contain a lot of info that can be applied to street riding.

Dirtcrasher
10-08-2012, 05:35 PM
If a had a sport bike, some of you would say "too bad about DC". But the truth would be "too bad what DC did; He'd still be here if he didn't do that"............

JasonB
10-09-2012, 10:26 AM
sorry to hear man! Count your blessings it wasnt worse. My brother has an R1 and I cant tell you how upset I was to hear he even bought one, let alone rides it when its nice outside

coolpool
11-03-2012, 06:20 PM
Update: Went in to Edmonton for a "routine" check-up. The surgeon says that he needs to go for emergency surgery for infection immediately! WTF? Back to the hospital again for another unexpected stay. While they were in there cleaning out the wound, they ended up replacing the plate and re-aligned the femur. Back to square one. A week goes by and a intense pain sets in. Turns out to be internal bleeding in the muscle. Being on blood thinners already, this needs to be reversed fast before surgery. Plasma bag number 4 contains something that makes my son break out in massive hives all over. Me and the wife can't believe this shiite is happening, poor guy. Back into surgery to stop the bleeding; so far so good. The good news is the blood clot in the lung is gone. So our routine check up equalled two weeks more in the hospital. This little adventure has cost approx $5K in hotels and food so far. No trike toys in my future, lol.

whyzee
11-04-2012, 07:31 AM
Prayers for a speedy recovery for your son !

midsouthtrikes
11-04-2012, 06:04 PM
Hope and pray all goes well for all of you!!!! I had an accident on Sept. 8 2012 on my cr500, after 3 weeks in the hospital, 5 weeks with an external fixator on my leg, and still no feeling in part of leg - I am so ready to be normal again. I know how much stress this puts on the family and friends. They say things happen for a reason, just think positive. I myself get very depressed sometimes and need help thinking positive. Had a friend stop by and help me into his car to just drive me around a few hours - wow that made me forget about my injuries and feel normal for a little bit. Just today, the wife and kids and I went out to the shed to start some of the bikes. I rode slowly for the first time since Sept 8 - hold your heads high and keep praying. All my doctors, family and friends say bikes are dangerous... I hate to hear that. Doctor told me after my first 5 hour surgery that I will never ride again, I told him he is crazy riding is part of my life. We both have a long road to recovery but stay strong and God bless!

El Camexican
11-04-2012, 07:50 PM
Hang in there, I hope it all gets better soon.

atc007
11-04-2012, 11:02 PM
So sorry to hear this Pete. Hang in there and stay strong. Wish I could do more for ya..

atc350xer
11-04-2012, 11:51 PM
Praying for you and your family Pete.

atc007
11-17-2012, 09:03 PM
How are things going Pete?

coolpool
11-17-2012, 11:45 PM
How are things going Pete?

Hi Bill ;-) Actually we're heading to Edmonton tomorrow for two appts on Monday. We'll have to see but things SEEM OK. We're packing for a week just in case. Don't need any more surprises like last time. I'll keep you posted.

dustrunner
11-20-2012, 09:04 AM
best of luck to the boys... accidents do happen= believe me i know....

coolpool
11-20-2012, 04:51 PM
Update! My boy is on his way to recovery. Should start weight bearing in another month. Finally got some x-ray pics. Still trying to get the before pics, yuck.

whyzee
11-20-2012, 05:41 PM
OUCH! !!!!!
Glad to hear he is doing better.
Happy Thanksgiving!

MRSOUND
11-20-2012, 05:50 PM
Finally some good news!

Honda250RinNC
02-06-2013, 05:11 PM
how is everything goin pete? any updates

coolpool
02-06-2013, 08:28 PM
how is everything goin pete? any updates

Update? Absolutely guys and thanks for asking! Physio is going well. He can bend to 90 degrees now with the help of a ratcheting brace. Still using two crutches mostly but can go with one and even none for short periods. He's trying to get me to install a brace on the fork of the US90 so he can ride. Mama veto'd that one, lol. On another note, the insurance company has been kissing our butts. Looks like they don't want to get sued!

Honda250RinNC
02-06-2013, 09:37 PM
well thats REALLY good to hear! tell the kid i said take it slow ive screwed my leg up bad before. and i got back on a bike to soon and i still regret it now. and its been a few years...it has never been the same. hes close to my age too so i know how bad the urge to ride and every thing can be(or skate or bmx or what ever it is that you like to do!) hindsight is always 20/20 so if anyone can learn from my screw up its not worth taking on stuff to fast. it really isnt!