Re: For the folks that were in Quartsite
Reply #1 –
Oh, man! That's scary stuff. My son had a crotch-rocket (Honda) for a few years and told me a story that made him think hard about long trips on a motorcycle...
He was in the Cascade Mtns. west of Yakima, WA and riding a twisty road when he felt the urge to stop. (I suspect that urge happens a lot to crotch-rocket riders.) Anyway, as his story goes, where he stopped was just before what would have been a wicked right-hand curve with short sight distance due to trees. As he was standing there contemplating getting back on the bike, another rider hit that curve coming towards him (it would have been a wicked left-hand curve for him) and didn't make the turn.
Lots of crashing and sounds of mayhem and then silence. My son followed the extensive debris trail and found the rider back in the trees unconscious. No cell phone signal either. He didn't move him but in a few minutes the guy came to but couldn't get up. My son told him to stay still and he'd get help. The rider, oddly enough, tried to talk him out of getting help. Anyway, back on the road he flagged down another person and they got help to him.
But what impressed him about this incident was that there was no sign whatsoever of the crash from the road. If he had not been there to witness the other rider missing that curve no one would have ever known. The debris trail didn't start for 30 or 40 yards due to the bike being airborne early in the incident.
Sold his crotch-rocket shortly thereafter and bought a pretty sporty coupe with a back seat for the new baby.
I've also witnessed vehicles leaving the highway with no trace. I suspect it happens more often than we'd like to think.
Hope your friend is ok.
Craig