Topic: Biker killed by lightning while riding (Read 3044 times)

SEULTRA · « **on:** June 22, 2006, 01:33:48 PM »

Think you're safe from lightning because you're riding on rubber?? Go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13471386/

:-/

spydglide · « **Reply #1 on:** June 22, 2006, 02:19:09 PM »

I found it of interest that the article stated that he was wearing a helmet. [smiley=confused5.gif] spyder

ultrafxr · « **Reply #2 on:** June 22, 2006, 02:30:41 PM »

Quote

I found it of interest that the article stated that he was wearing a helmet. [smiley=confused5.gif] spyder

Yup, me too. As if anything could protect you when you're struck by *&^%$#@ lightning. Give me a break.

Midnight Rider · « **Reply #3 on:** June 22, 2006, 02:58:56 PM »

Probably just the irony of it all...the guy was trying to be safe (no helmet laws in CO, right?), and despite it all, had the misfortune to literally be in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time. Ain't nothing going to insulate you from a bolt of lighting, on tires or not.

Must have been one hell of a bolt to have blasted a hole in the asphalt like that. I've been in a few afternoon thunderstorms in Colorado...on foot at 12,000 feet...above tree line...tallest thing around...I promise, you will make yourself small.

Hell of a way for the guy to go though...

SPIDERMAN · « **Reply #4 on:** June 22, 2006, 03:07:10 PM »

There's another link on the same site about a woman riding passenger on the back of a bike getting killed by a limb breaking off a birch tree and hitting her in the head.

The Great Biker in the sky is certainly getting creative with the way he calls people home these days.

Fired00d · « **Reply #5 on:** June 22, 2006, 03:45:09 PM »

You would think by media mentioning rider was wearing a helmet that the media is owned by the insurance industry. [smiley=nixweiss.gif] I do understand tha CO is a helmet free state, but id has no significance here. Doesn’t matter if he had a helmet on, was piss drunk, had just robbed a bank, or any other thing, bottom line he was struck by lightning it was a freak accident and a misfortune for this rider and his family.

[smiley=pumpkin.gif]
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
[smiley=fireman.gif]

SPIDERMAN · « **Reply #6 on:** June 22, 2006, 03:55:43 PM »

Gary,
When I crashed outside Toronto a year ago Tuesday, the cops asked the people treating me at the site if I had had a helmet on ; to which they said yes. I could see the cop standing there with a clipboard filing out the accident report as I lie waiting for the ambulance. I get wound up by these reports as well, but I suspect that newspaper reporters also have a checklist they use to detail accident reports. By the way, I never wore a helmet when I lived in Maine, but have had to these past 8 years in San Diego, and now I am not comfortable riding without one. My friends in Maine commented on it last year when I was there. I'm sold however, you should have seen the visor on the 1/2 helmet I had on in Canada. I would have been missing an eyebrow for sure, maybe worse. I hate to agree with anything the insurance companies say, but there's worse things can happen to you than having to wear a helmet.

Brian

Rebel · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2006, 04:44:41 PM »

Maybe if he had been wearing a chrome helmet, the lightning bolt would have reflected off and he would have been fine. [smiley=nixweiss.gif]

Hmmm? :-/

Later-
The "Rebel"

VaEagle · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2006, 05:52:31 PM »

We had a local BMW bike shop employee on his way home from work last year get struck on RT.58 in Virginia by lightning and he died. (Yes he was wearing a helmet too.)
It was a very small storm and except for the one victim it would not have been considered a severe storm front.
Last month they even had a charity ride to raise biker awareness to the dangers of lightning.

spydglide · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2006, 06:15:58 PM »

Quote

Probably just the irony of it all...the guy was trying to be safe (no helmet laws in CO, right?), and despite it all, had the misfortune to literally be in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time. Ain't nothing going to insulate you from a bolt of lighting, on tires or not.

Must have been one hell of a bolt to have blasted a hole in the asphalt like that. I've been in a few afternoon thunderstorms in Colorado...on foot at 12,000 feet...above tree line...[highlight]tallest thing around...I promise, you will make yourself small[/highlight].

Hell of a way for the guy to go though...

I don't know what to do in a thunderstorm (on a bike) as I'm usually in heavy traffic, can't see, people following too close, no where to pull off safely, and more worried about being run over than the lighting......but, I also don't understand why it hits what it hits.....I've been climbing around in the stainless steel rigging on my sailboat in the ocean trying to get fouled sails down w/ lighting striking the water all around the boat, the hair on my arms standing up, etc.....a 45' alum. mast being the highest point for many miles around....why didn't it strike me then?

It hit my brother while he was in his garage....came into the house via tree roots knocking him unconscious resulting in nerve damage. What to do on a scooter?

I don't know but I feel that the cages are a greater hazard that the lighting bolt to my health. Now watch, I'll get crispy before the summer's over! [smiley=dead.gif] har! [smiley=2vrolijk_09.gif] spyder

Pap · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2006, 07:11:56 PM »

I don't have any ideas about getting out of lightnings way but I remember an old saying "If you were born to die from hanging, you'll never drown." Maybe same applys to lightning.

SEULTRA · « **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2006, 07:46:40 PM »

Hey Hubbard.... ever raced lightning with Ol' Maudie?

[smiley=nixweiss.gif]

arcticdude · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2006, 07:01:53 PM »

The problem is the HELMETS!!!! Look, both of the riders struck by lightning were wearing helmets!! [smiley=huepfenjump3.gif] [smiley=huepfenlol2.gif]

Just goes to show you that a helmet gets you struck by lightning and kills you! We were in CC when this rider got hit. Fortunately for the group, lightning stayed away from us. As an aside, one of the links to the original story indicated Michgan did not repeal their helmet law.

amigo Jorge · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2006, 08:47:46 AM »

Quote

I don't have any ideas about getting out of lightnings way but I remember an old saying "If you were born to die from hanging, you'll never drown." Maybe same applys to lightning.

That's right Pap...when is your turn.......is your turn...wherever you are and whatever you do.. [smiley=nervous.gif]

RJ749 · « **Reply #14 on:** June 25, 2006, 10:37:44 AM »

Quote

[highlight]We were in CC when this rider got hit. Fortunately for the group, lightning stayed away from us.[/highlight] As an aside, one of the links to the original story indicated Michgan did not repeal their helmet law.

There was one hell of a stike that same day, right in front of us, when we were leaving Mt Evans that we saw after Bret and Nikki had to go back with the keys. Nowhere to go though, if you were trying to avoid it you only had trees all around the wouldn't have been any place to be either so I guess you just keep ridin' [smiley=nixweiss.gif]

Twolanerider · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2006, 11:23:04 AM »

Quote

The problem is the HELMETS!!!! Look, both of the riders struck by lightning were wearing helmets!!

Both riders were also wearing clothes. So it's not just the helmets. Obviously this suggests that everyone ride naked !

Twolanerider · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2006, 11:26:15 AM »

Quote

There was one hell of a stike that same day, right in front of us, when we were leaving Mt Evans that we saw after Bret and Nikki had to go back with the keys. Nowhere to go though, if you were trying to avoid it you only had trees all around the wouldn't have been any place to be either so I guess you just keep ridin' [smiley=nixweiss.gif]

WFP and his lovely wife and I saw a couple of big bolts relatively close just before we were visited by a few minutes of hail 90 minutes or so after leaving Mt. Evans. Personally I'd have let the lightning bounce around all day long if it somehow meant the hail stayed home.

Crawdaddy · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2006, 11:27:58 AM »

You might have something there. I have never heard of a naked rider getting hit by lightning.

spydglide · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2006, 02:28:10 PM »

Quote

WFP and his lovely wife and I saw a couple of big bolts relatively close just before we were visited by a few minutes of hail 90 minutes or so after leaving Mt. Evans. Personally I'd have let the lightning bounce around all day long if it somehow meant the hail stayed home.

Hurts, doesn't it? Did your bike receive any damage? [smiley=nixweiss.gif] spyder

Twolanerider · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2006, 02:48:05 PM »

Quote

Hurts, doesn't it? Did your bike receive any damage? [smiley=nixweiss.gif] spyder

Nah, none of it was big stuff. The only real problem was that some dipstick (and I won't mention names to avoid embarassing anyone) actually got caught in that hail storm and another brief one the next day without a helmet on. Divots man, divots.

MYCVO · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2006, 07:50:30 PM »

wouldn't have mattered about nothing.. it was his time.. he went out riding and there are a lot of other ways to go that are way worst! God rest brother!

Steve_G · « **Reply #21 on:** July 07, 2006, 04:47:44 PM »

When you are riding in a storm and there's lightning, sometimes all you can do is pray. But, like Bobby Hill (from King of the Hill) says, "Prayer usually doesn't work".

-Steve

Author Topic: Biker killed by lightning while riding (Read 3044 times)

SPIDERMAN

SPIDERMAN