Lafayette motorcyclists protest to raise awareness

It's not over. A personal injury attorney would be more than happy to sue that trucker and his company for all their worth, and it would be an easy, slam-dunk win in a courtroom.

The trucker should do jail time.

Bikers are only worth $130 these days? You'll find out differently in court...

I am glad he got a ticket and is not being charged with any more. I am so tired of mopeds and motorcycles complaining everytime one is in an accident. The way some of them drive it is amazing they are not in more accidents. People don't realize that yes, we may see you, but we cannot determine how or where you are going. This was a tragic accident and I am so sorry for both of the families and hope they can find peace and move on.

I go through that intersection quite a bit. Since the truck driver never saw him, I speculate the bike came up through the turn lane and got in front of him. It is sad for both parties involved and a trajic accident. If the truck driver had seen him and forgot, I am sure once he noticed the problem, he would have stopped immediatly and not pulled over to the shoulder. I have no problems with bikes, but they have to rememeber that cars or trucks don't see them as well.

BTW Harry, keep your injury lawyers in NY unless you think that bikers can haul America's needs!

rayne wrote:

I am glad he got a ticket and is not being charged with any more. I am so tired of mopeds and motorcycles complaining everytime one is in an accident. The way some of them drive it is amazing they are not in more accidents. People don't realize that yes, we may see you, but we cannot determine how or where you are going. This was a tragic accident and I am so sorry for both of the families and hope they can find peace and move on.

Intrestingly enough, the same things you say about motorcycles can be said about cars and semis. As a biker, and a the driver of a large pickup truck, I can tell you that I see cars and minivans do the dumbest things while driving. And yes, some motorcyclists, as well as semi drivers do some pretty stupid things too.

I feel no pity for the biker who goes into a corner too fast and loses it, just as I feel nothing for the idiot who loses control of their vehicle and crashes, regardless of road conditions. But for someone to be sitting at a stop light and have the guy who stopped behind him run him down just because he didn't take off fast enough when the light turned green? THAT I take issue with.

There are at least 5 different felonies and several misdemeanors that this trucker could have been charged with. Why he was not charged, we may never know. However, I can almost guarantee that had he run over a motorcycle cop, or maybe a small car with a baby or child in the back seat, he would have had the book thrown at him.

As for mopeds, there are two types of riders. Children, and drunks who have lost their drivers license. Neither of which belongs on any road that is busier than the average side street in any neighborhood. So I never feel sorry for anybody on a moped who gets hit on a busy road. They shouldn't be there in the first place, and therefore deserve it.

Dave wrote:

I go through that intersection quite a bit. Since the truck driver never saw him, I speculate the bike came up through the turn lane and got in front of him. It is sad for both parties involved and a trajic accident. If the truck driver had seen him and forgot, I am sure once he noticed the problem, he would have stopped immediatly and not pulled over to the shoulder. I have no problems with bikes, but they have to rememeber that cars or trucks don't see them as well.

Sorry Dave, but I don't buy the "didn't see him" defense, ever.

#1, as a driver of any vehicle, but especially a professional truck driver, you are required to be aware of your surroundings at all times. And since the bike was at the light waiting for it to turn green when the truck stopped behind him, the driver had to have seen the motorcyclist.

#2, I personally used to know an idiot who was in an "accident", and told the cops that he never saw the other vehicle. And this was before there was such a thing as cell phones. He managed to t-bone a bright yellow school bus in broad daylight, hitting it dead center.

So I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that whole "I didn't see him" crap. That has just become the standard excuse that people use to make themselves feel better and look a little less stupid.

And finally,a note to the individual(s) who organized this impromptu protest.

I wish you would have put some more planning into this. While I applaud your thoughts and efforts, if you had given some notice, I know myself, and several people that I work with who also ride, would have loved to have been a part of the demonstration. Thank you though, for bring attention to all of us who ride in Lafayette. And thanks to all those who got to participate.

Dave wrote:

BTW Harry, keep your injury lawyers in NY unless you think that bikers can haul America's needs!

Don't worry, Dave, I'm sure there are competent personal injury lawyers in Indiana. You seem to imply that truckers are above the law with your response. You and the truck driver are about to learn otherwise.

By the way, the closest I came to being killed was by a 16-year old girl from Indiana, who came over to Kentucky, pulled out in front of me while I was doing 55 mph on 4-lane divided highway. I didn't need a personal injury lawyer because I swerved hard, and she ran into the side of my car, instead of me t-boning her car and killing both of us.

Have a nice day.

The driver should be black-balled, and forced to find another vocation. His assets (home, 401K, personal vehicles) should be siezed and liquidated to pay reparations to the rider's family.

It's really too bad the driver can't be executed for his carelessness.

although I am not in agreement with you, I understand your point. However I knew Brad for a very brief time but long enogh to know that he is not one of those idiots you speak of nor am I. Brad was just a guy who was riding and enjoying his 19th birthday so don't lump all of us into the idiot category. Also if your referring to the stunt riders I am friends with quite a few and you will find that most only stunt in safe places (parking lots generally) so please don't put all the bikers in the same category If you dont ride then you dont know and at that point you need to just stay out of it. If it was someone in your family or someone you cared about would you feel diferrent

rayne wrote:

I am glad he got a ticket and is not being charged with any more. I am so tired of mopeds and motorcycles complaining everytime one is in an accident. The way some of them drive it is amazing they are not in more accidents. People don't realize that yes, we may see you, but we cannot determine how or where you are going. This was a tragic accident and I am so sorry for both of the families and hope they can find peace and move on.

A lawsuit will NOT bring the biker back. Most likely the truck driver does not have a 401K. I do not think that truck drivers are over and beyond the law.I am just pointing out, if the driver had seen the bike, then forgot about him while sitting at the red light, why we he had pulled over to the shoulder before stopping ? There is something fishy about the whole thing. It is a shame that this and the Cass county bus accident happened. Not long after the Cass county accident, the media was billing it as a bus that got slammed by 2 dump trucks. They soon forgot about the moped that initiated the whole thing. Everyone, including bikers to truck drivers have to be aware of the other vehicles around them. There are plenty of bad drivers, no matter what they are driving.

I have no problem with motercycles. The riders of them have to realize though that they are harder to see and have absolutly no protection if hit by a car. I am sure the truck driver did not do this deliberatly but it happened. I don't believe there are such things as accidents. Had the truck driver been paying more attention it would not have happened....but it did. It is extremly sad for the young man who was killed and his family is in my prayers. He, however, chose to ride the motorcycle. What happened was horific and I am sure the truckdriver will pay for it the rest of his life with the memories of what he did. I believe you can take everything from that man and it will never be enough for what he did. He will punish himself more than any of you could by taking everything he has. The fact of the matter is that there are motorcycles and mopeds out there. We need to be more aware of them. Mopeds should be banned from everyroad except those with posted speed limits of 25 mph.

This is just insanity.. More and more motorcyclists are being killed and all these people unaware of their sorroundings while driving are getting away with this crime.

Charge the people for being negligent. I suppose I can kill my lazy ass neighbour by running him over and I will only get a $130.00 fine. Hmm, now that I think about it...

George Padilla
Calgary, AB
Canada

No one in any vehicle wants to run over their lazy neighbor no matter what they drive. But the fact is a car going 25mph can be seen long before a moped going 25mph, and a moped can come to a stop much faster than a car. Not everyone uses their mirrors before making a snap decision. It is their decision to ride a two wheeler, all drivers have to be aware of the sorroundings.I have nothing against bikers, the main reason I do not ride is because of other drivers and DEER !

Absolutely the semi driver was guilty of negligence. He was stopped behind a motorcycle, had he been paying attention, that young man would be alive. But he was in a hurry, and a young man is gone.

It's called accountability. Remember that when you elect your prosecutor next time..........if the truck driver was paying attention, he would not have killed the man.........

Dave, from Brook, IN..........apparently your take on the bus accident in Cass County is slanted.

The mo-ped was not the instigator of that accident. the truck was going too fast for that road. The mo-ped had his turn signal on and was legally on that road. He did not pull out in front of anyone or anything. He was totally not at fault because he was stopped to turn.LEGALLY..........credit your idiot mack truck driver, a former (retired?)police officer for not being in control of his vehicle and leaving no room to slow down or stop for a vehicle in front of him..........as well as the second truck following too closely he had no time to swerve.

That accident, those children.........all the fault of those truck drivers. If there is a God, those men see that every day and every night and see their mistakes and hopefully altered their irresponsible driving habits.

Sorry, I should have realized that a driver of a moped that lost his license to a DUI would be a much better driver that a former police officer and professional driver. And yes, those men will spend the rest of their lives seeing what happpened. Once again, my point is all drivers, no matter if you have 2 or 18 wheels have to be aware of the sorroundings. And just because it was a legal turn did not make it a safe turn.

Awareness is important. Thank you for taking the time to care and help others to remember.

ah, gee, Dave from Rensselaer..........so what makes you think he was a professional driver? Did he have any special training other than his police training?

And what makes him above the law anyway? in fact, his training should have kept him on his toes for things like this.

While you, and others, seem to like to constantly bring up the mo-ped driver's past, maybe we should bring up Dixson and Magers past as well.

Both drivers were in the wrong for traveling too fast on that road, for not being in control of their vehicle, for not being aware of the road and people in that road..........

That accident could have been avoided had both men been paying attention.

Same as with this semi driver..........be aware at all times of vehicles on the road, no matter the size.......and trying to focus on one man's past driving record to deflect attention from your own fault..........is wrong.......

or should we assume that if you had a ticket before, that anything happening on the same road you are on will naturally be your fault??????

the mo-ped was deemed NOT at fault........no blood samples taken because he was legally on that road and did not pop out in front of that truck.

end of rant.........have a good day........

Verita, I did not ever read or hear in the reports that the trucks were speeding. They could have had a safe distance between them until the front one braked for the moped. And yes, even a retired policeman would have to have a CDL license to operate a truck like that.(for whatever that is worth) and being from IN would have had to pass a test.The only reason I pointed out the moped driver having had a DUI is that you assume ALL the blame on the truck drivers which is what happens way too often,it was an accident, and a very trajic one. Unless you know they were speeding, and idiots, then you shouldn't pass judgement on the truckdrivers. End of my rant also, only a few have gotten my point which was that all have to be aware of your surroundings, or is it easier to get hit and file a lawsuit ? Lets just end this rant, and be safe on the roads.