Picture Tells the Story That Police, Media Won't

[XLFD]

When it comes to a motorcycle accident, the police and media almost always seem to avoid telling what exactly happened in order to make a negative statement against the victim.  They may omit facts, they may make misleading statements, and/or they might fabricate a narrative.  They did at least two of those in relating a crash that happened last night, Tuesday, October 20th in the Grand Rapids area.  

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — Two people were seriously injured in a crash involving a motorcycle Tuesday night in Wyoming, police say.

It happened just before 8 p.m. eastbound on 28th Street SW near Byron Center Avenue SW.

The situation leading up to the crash is unknown at this time, but police say the motorcycle hit a car. There were two people on the motorcycle at the time and they both were seriously hurt, authorities say.

A story on the crash by Mlive added:  "Police closed 28th Street between Wyoming Avenue and Byron Center Avenue to investigate the collision, according to a Michigan Department of Transportation notice."  The WOOD article did include a picture they say was taken at the scene:

The police reported and WOOD related that the "motorcycle hit the car" without any other context, making the casual observer believe the fault for the incident was the biker's.  The picture speaks a thousand words and tells a different story than what is reported.

The trees in the background indicate that the incident didn't happen at the tree-less intersection of the two streets noted in the article, a closer reading sees the word 'near' used, the Mlive article informs us the accident happened between Wyoming and Byron Center Avenues, since 28th street was closed in that area.  The only tree concentration in that area going eastbound is in front of the Russ' Restaurant.  

Now that we've figured out the location of the incident, let's get more information from that picture as regards the collision.  The motorcycle's impact behind the wheel base of the car makes it unlikely that the two vehicles have been moved from where they collided.  

The motorcycle looks to be riding where it should be, eastward along the lane on 28th Street, but the car is crossing that lane coming out from Russ'.  The motorcycle would have the right-of-way on 50 mph speed limited 28th Street, the car would be violating that right of way rules by coming out of the Russ' driveway without stopping for the motorcycle.  

Police and media apologists for unlawful driving may claim that it is hard to see motorcycles after dark in an area where bike headlights could be mistaken for other lights and shadows might conceal them.  Motorcyclists, however, have the right to travel after dark and in this case, a less negligent car driver would have made sure there wasn't any traffic conflict before entering the roadway.  

The irresponsible and inattentive driver will pay for this accident only if their insurance won't cover the body damage they received from this crash, they will see no charges brought against their careless act.  The seriously hurt motorcyclists will not only have to deal with their injuries, but with the equally careless investigation by the police and equally careless reportage of the Grand Rapids media, which imply that their actions caused them to hit the car.

[Willy]

I almost always disagree with you on these motorcycle and bicycle accidents. It may be that the car pulled out in front of the cycle but in all my years of driving I have found that motorcycles as well as bicycles are hard to see and most do not help themselves by making themselves more visible. I myself have come close to hitting them because they are so hard to spot. I doubt the police are covering up any information on this incident. Here we have a black motorcycle at night speeding down a street at least 50 miles per hour. Does anyone doubt they are putting themselves at risk. I don't care if they have the right to be on the road but riding motorcycles and bikes on roads with 2 ton vehicles hurling by is just plain stupid. Most of the motorcycles and bikes I see do not follow traffic laws and drive in a careless manner. You are an exception because you have enough experience and knowledge to be considered almost a professional cyclist. I would say about 5% to 10% of riders can be considered capable of dealing with traffic, the rest are out there risking their lives.  Cyclists are participating in risky behavior. During the summer I am always amazed at how careless cyclist are especially on roads with bike lanes. They ride side by side in the lane leaving little room to maneuver, they hug the line separating the cars from the bike lane and cause cars to pass them in the apposing lane, they do not signal when turning or stopping. Very few have any strobe lighting to make them more visible or wear bright clothing. I always get a chuckle in the spring when those "cycle season, watch for us" signs come out. I say watch yourself and stop putting yourself in danger. I have owned and rode motorcycles, bicycles and off road vehicles all my life and can recognize reckless behavior when I see it.

[AQUAMAN]

That MLIVE pic. didn't show anything except the top of a police cruiser with the lights on top going. I'd sure like to hear the motorcyclists story on the accident before I decide on the fault, and also the car driver, plus, more pics. or a sketch of the accident too. The pic. above appears strange that the bike hit the front of the car t-boned in, like the car turned out in front of the bike, but, I could be wrong.

[XLFD]

The WOOD link shows a picture of the accident, the Mlive pic is just a file photo.  Knowing more would be great, but sometimes the police aren't that knowledgeable about accidents until they've done a bit of investigating and reporters usually hit them up early in the process. 

An update has come out earlier today praising the quick thinking of an off-duty police officer who witnessed the crash and applied a tourniquet to the rider's severely damaged leg.  "It also says:  " The crash happened around 8 p.m. when the eastbound motorcycle was struck by a car leaving a parking lot on the south side of the street. The driver did not see the motorcycle, police said."  

Not seeing a lawfully-riding motorcyclist should merit a criminal charge against the driver, but police rarely write a citation for a civil infraction.

[XLFD]

Willy, in this particular case, I have to admit that riding a motorcycle down 28th Street in GR after dark is not where you want to be if your objective is to live a long life.  All those business driveways are potential deathtraps for bikers going by having to worry about not being seen by those turning onto the street, or turning into the driveways from the other side.  That being admitted, drivers need to do a better job of stopping at a stop sign (or driveway exit) and then looking left-right, left right, to check on traffic before proceeding (see training video below).  

It's made many times more unsafe to travel by motorcycle if you forgive motorists for causing accidents and blame the biker when it's obviously the motorist's fault.  It is not against the law to travel after dark on a motorcycle with proper lights, but you share the mindset of cops and reporters who declare this behavior too dangerous and talk down the victim in your account because of bias even when all they were doing was lawful and proper.  Some people have their motorcycle as their sole form of transportation, it should be safe for them to ride in any public thoroughfare, and receive justice when their right to the road is taken by a negligent driver.

[AQUAMAN]

For at least 20 years, motorcycles have headlights that automatically turn on when the bike is started and running, day or night, so there is no excuse for not seeing it after dark. Also, most motorists for at least the last 5-10 years do not come to a full stop at stop signs, some run red lights too all the time. Most drivers are in way too much of a hurry nowadays, and don't factor in safety at all anymore. That was great that the off-duty officer stopped and applied a tournaquet to help too.

[Willy]

Click on links below for information

The Facts Don’t Lie: Motorcycles Really are Dangerous

How Dangerous are Motorcycles, Really?

[XLFD]

Walking and riding on or near the road should not be so dangerous and the reason it is in certain areas for bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians (BMPs) is due in large part to the lack of the three 'E's:  Engineering, Enforcement, and Education.

Engineering issues came up in several local accidents, the recent fatal bicycle accident near Stiles Road and the tricycle accident of Richard Swiger last year were due largely to a poorly engineered highway, the fatal pedestrian accident in front of the hospital two years ago was likely due to an inconsistent timer on the pedestrian lights.  These issues could be corrected.

Enforcement issues come up whenever a BMP is seriously injured or killed due to the careless actions of a motorist, and nothing happens to the driver.  This happens all too often, and fosters motorist negligence.  It also rears its head when a BMP or motorist is acting in an unsafe and unlawful manner and ignored by police more interested in checking motorists license plates to see whether they are insured or not.

Education has been overlooked for a long time.  I recall 30-40 years ago we had some nice PSAs regularly coming on TV showing what happens when you pass a bicyclist going up a hill and encounter another car coming over the hill.  Driver's training is not enough and many of the lessons are forgotten over time, so education should be ongoing.  Honestly reporting accidents where the victim(s) are vulnerable users of the road and the offering up of 'lessons' in the report on how future crashes of that type could be avoided would be very useful.  Instead we get 'biker hits car'-- and, of course, no charges issued.

Bad lessons that increase dangers that people accept when they walk or ride.