Hello all, as I read through the postings of this thread, a few people posted links to reports about this tragedy but apparently as time goes by these news links get taken down. Currently, the link posted in REPLY #34 by funewgy is the only one still active. Because I suspect that this link will also be taken down eventually, I cut and pasted it's article to this thread so that future readers here will be able to get the full context of everyone's comments.
Sorry but I'll have to break it up into sections because I'm not allowed to post more than 600 characters at a time.
The Saddletramps' fatal crash reconstructed
Interviews with survivors, witnesses and others tell the story behind the crash that killed four people and hurt five others
By Steve Schmidt
Friday, November 19, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.
Five people were killed and five others were seriously injured in a collision involving two cars and several motorcycles Saturday near Ocotillo. The driver accused of causing the crash left the scene.
Those who died:
Anna Corral Gonzalez, 31, Mexicali, Mexico. An attorney for the state of Baja California.
Amy Heath, 36, Alpine. A hairdresser and mother of two boys.
Lance Heath, 43, Alpine. A father and married to Amy. Worked for a demolitions company.
George “Bill” Miller, 57, Ramona. Ran an aluminum gutter business.
Tonya Trayer, 37, Lakeside. Helped raise three children, active with the 4-H.
Zipping down a desert highway on his black Harley, his motorcycle buddies at his back, John Lombardo suddenly heard a crash of metal on metal. Chunks of handlebar and engine shot into the air, and something punched a hole in his shin.
Even as he sped ahead, the mayhem behind him, he briefly closed his eyes.
It seemed like the only thing to do. The crash was so explosive that he didn’t think he would survive.
Less than a week after that multivehicle accident in Imperial County, the 55-year-old Lakeside man is using a cane while his leg heals. He’s among the fortunate.
Four people with ties to the Saddletramps motorcycle club in Lakeside died in the tragedy Saturday on state Route 98, along with a woman from Mexicali, Mexico. Five others were seriously injured; they remained hospitalized Thursday at UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest.
Two memorial services are planned for this weekend, and several fundraising events are in the works to help the affected families.
Interviews with survivors, witnesses and others tell the story of a day that started out so well for so many people, only to end on a flat, straight, two-lane road near the U.S.-Mexico border.
A Mexicali couple headed west that morning. They were planning a weekend getaway in San Diego.
A band of experienced motorcyclists — workaday folk with families and businesses — bore east. These Saddletramps were celebrating their 10th anniversary.
Now they’re a badly shaken brotherhood. “I’m having a hard time with this,” Lombardo said. “At night, it’s worse.”
Moments after the accident, Lombardo found himself down the road from the crash. He was in no condition to help his friends, not with his injured leg. So he stayed put.
In a way, he thought, it was better not to see his buddies that way, not with all the blood and severed limbs. Better to remember them as they once were.
Bikers’ destination: Yuma
At 9 a.m. that Saturday, a row of shiny Harleys had lined up on the gravel outside Carl Smith’s house in Alpine. Smith, 52, is president of the Saddletramps.
They had helmets, saddlebags and a plan: They would spend several hours threading through the eastern backcountry, avoiding the freeway as much as possible, and wind up at a casino near Yuma for the night.
There was Smith. His club nickname is “Coyote.”
There was George “Bill” Miller, 57, of Ramona, who ran a business called A-Built Aluminum Gutters. The others called him “Bigfoot” because he was stocky.
There was Tonya Trayer 37, and her husband, Wilson, 39. The Lakeside couple raised chickens, rabbits and other animals and were active with the 4-H. They had been married for 14 years and raised three children — Amanda, 21, Sierra, 15, and Wilson, 13.
There were the Heaths, Amy and Lance of Alpine. They just celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary and had two boys, 13-year-old Garrett and 14-year-old Wyatt. Amy, 36, was a hairdresser. Lance, 43, worked for a demolitions company. His nickname was “Demo.”
About 9:30 a.m., the Heaths and the rest of the group headed out — 21 people on a dozen motorcycles, with Smith leading the pack.
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Topic: 5 dead 5 hurt in SoCal crash with 7 cycles (Read 8390 times)