Motorcyclist dies in collision with truck | The Columbus Dispatch

wjp wrote:

I am a new owner of a motorcycle and I wear my helmet whenever I ride. I also will not get on my bike when I have been drinking. That being said, all the precautions in the world on my part won't stop the careless idiots from pulling out in front of bikes. The headline reads "motorcyclist dies in collision with truck". This doesn't even come close to reflecting what happened. It should read, "truck pulls out in front of motorcycle, kills rider". Let's stop being in such a hurry and actually STOP at intersections and look both ways before pulling out.

It should read, " This is what happens when you don't use common sense in everyday obstacles." If the motorcyclist wasn't a "nube" that shouldn't have been driving after dark, per his permit orders, wasn't going so damn fast, and was exercising caution, maybe he wouldn't be dead. Don't believe me? Check out the article.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/2009102...

Apparently he was not wearing, but even if he had been wearing one, it probably did NOT matter. The Newark Advocate article mentions that he died of "extreme" (they changed this to "fatal") abdominal injuries. Yes, helmets can save lives, but they won't be much of help for preventing abdominal injuries, especially extreme ones.

RIP to Mr. Stidham.

First of all, let me say that I feel for all of his family that he left behind and that I am so sorry for your loss. Let us leave the trash talk for another day and show some sympathy for the family, if you cannot stop from unleashing your venom, just try to think before you speak. Kindness can go a long way to the path of forgiveness and healing.

Passerby wrote:

Apparently he was not wearing, but even if he had been wearing one, it probably did NOT matter. The Newark Advocate article mentions that he died of "extreme" (they changed this to "fatal") abdominal injuries. Yes, helmets can save lives, but they won't be much of help for preventing abdominal injuries, especially extreme ones.
RIP to Mr. Stidham.

Very true. I was not refering to the helmet. I was refering to the lack of sensible speeds. Though, that being said, I do believe it to be a little dumb for car, truck, van, and suv drivers to HAVE to wear a seatbelt and motorcyclist not HAVE to wear a helmet. But, both can save lives. My point in writting this is that if you are completely unprotected, as you are on a bike with no helmet, you should exercise caution. If you don't, it's like holding the barrel of a gun up to your head when you know the person holding the trigger could shoot you and saying, "shoot me." It's stupid. The only thing about this that is more arrogant is people complaining that it was the truck drivers fault just because he was in a truck and not on a bike. It's discriminatory.

Siena wrote:

<quoted text>
It should read, " This is what happens when you don't use common sense in everyday obstacles." If the motorcyclist wasn't a "nube" that shouldn't have been driving after dark, per his permit orders, wasn't going so damn fast, and was exercising caution, maybe he wouldn't be dead. Don't believe me? Check out the article.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/2009102...

I have to say that I was unaware of the circumstances of the crash because of the lack of details in the article. Though I don't know if lack of experience is the culprit (friends of mine keep getting their temps renewed multiple times) I am sure recklessness and stupidity are. Although in my experience I have had people do rolling stops and pull out in front of me it is clear that is not the case here. Looks like the headline was more accurate than I thought. RIP Mr. Stidham

Tandy wrote:

<quoted text>
I am appalled by your lack of respect for human life. Wait until one day when you are reading about your loved ones in a newspaper forum. I hope you realize how little of a person you are to be so callously disrespectful of Randy and his loved ones. I truly feel sorry for you Dirk. I am sorry that you have such emptiness in your life that you must trash others to feel any sense of respect for yourself.
Randy was many things… but an idiot he was not. He will be loved and sadly missed by our family and his friends despite your ignorant remarks.

None of my loved ones are stupid enough to do what he did. End of story. It's too bad his lack of responsibility left so many other in pain for the rest of their lives.

Rainbow wrote:

First of all, let me say that I feel for all of his family that he left behind and that I am so sorry for your loss. Let us leave the trash talk for another day and show some sympathy for the family, if you cannot stop from unleashing your venom, just try to think before you speak. Kindness can go a long way to the path of forgiveness and healing.

Again, this is very true. I'm not exactly trying to trash talk Mr. Stidham. I just don't think that his death should be in vain. People should learn from his mistake.

That being said, thinking back to what I saw Wednesday night after the crash, I do find a few discrepincies in the reports. If you drive down 21st St., as I do almost everyday, you can still see the oil on the road. It's exactly where his bike was. The bike was about 3/4 wedged under the back bumper of the pickup and both vehicles were straddeling the line seperating the "suicide lane" and the far left southbound lane. I'm still trying to figure out how that could be if both vehicles were attempting to travel North.

wjp wrote:

<quoted text>
I have to say that I was unaware of the circumstances of the crash because of the lack of details in the article. Though I don't know if lack of experience is the culprit (friends of mine keep getting their temps renewed multiple times) I am sure recklessness and stupidity are. Although in my experience I have had people do rolling stops and pull out in front of me it is clear that is not the case here. Looks like the headline was more accurate than I thought. RIP Mr. Stidham

Thank you for admitting your mistake. It's more than most on the net do.

“Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction.”- Albert Einstein

"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
-Walter Lippmann

OK I didn't know Randy as well as I wished but I worked with him both at his former job and the one he was working with me as a contractor. He was a giving funny guy who loved his kids more than most I know. We would go out and he talked of his love for his wife and how he missed her.. He was blowing off steam because the job we are doing how is REALLY stressful. I miss him a great deal and my heart goes out to his family.. He was no were near looking to kill himself.

would you make the same comments if it was your father, brother, or son

hey idiots what if it was your father, brother, or son

yes, I'd still call him an idiot if he was my father, brother, or son.

Dirk wrote:

yes, I'd still call him an idiot if he was my father, brother, or son.

now we know who is a real idiot

someone else wrote:

hey idiots what if it was your father, brother, or son

I'm not exactly sure who you are reffering to as "idiots". However, if it's me, I'm sorry you feel this way. And to answer the question, considering that my brother and my husband are both avid bikers, if I ever caught them riding this carelessly, yes, I would call them out on it to try to get them to be more cautious so that the same fate doesn't befall them. And, I would venture to say that anyone who doesn't try to sway the destructive behavior of a loved one needs to re-examine their own description of love.

Still Alive - Like you, I have been riding for many years, 39 to be exact. I also assume someone will pull out in front of me or cut me off if there are two or more lanes. I do everything I can to keep myself out of situations where people can do something stupid that can put my life in danger. I love riding and will never give it up antil I die or my body won't let me anymore. I accept the risks, but at the same time minimize them. These crotch rockert riders feel the need for speed and don't have the skills for a bike with that much power. then they ride irresponsibly and this is the result. I pray for him and his family. I just wish other people who ride so recklessly would learn from other's mistakes.