Two riders were killed yesterday in AZ on Highway 377 between Holbrook and Heber. Fortunately I was spared seeing the graphics. But what ensued certainly is cause for a moment of prayer for the individuals and their families for their loss.
I was on my way back from the Laughlin Run on Saturday and encountered a roadblock at Arizona Hwy 377. It had been blocked since noon after the accident happened. It took close to 5 hours for DOT to investigate and clear the scene. The young man from DOT at the roadblock said it would not be long before it opened again so I decided to wait. Shortly after, another rider from Missouri arrived heading for next week's HOG rally in Tucson and decided to wait.
The DOT worker said 2 riders were passing a vehicle on the uphill climb just before the Dry Lakes and hit a BMW head on just over the crest. The driver of the car was ok but the riders were killed instantly. I will avoid describing what the young man shared of the scene, but I can tell you, I could not stop thinking about it all day today.
The road had just been oiled a week earlier with signs on the side of the road indicating there were no "road marks". It was 15 miles before we would reach the scene and it had started to sprinkle lightly with strong crosswinds so we were not too excited about traveling the "oiled highway".
You could just barely see where the "old stripes" were beneath the new oil coating and it was even harder to define the passing zones. As I continued down the road, I started to wonder what happened. Certainly without road markings I found myself not wanting to pass a slower truck in front of us until I could be certain I had an unobstructed view for an “extended stretch”. (Not always easy on this road).
We slowed as we approached the crest, not knowing what to expect as we came over the top. There were small bits of debris still remaining on both sides of the road and skid marks on the road from other vehicles that were in the area when the accident occurred. There were no skid marks at the point of impact where a larger “portion” of one of the bikes remained after being burned. The remains of the riders had been removed earlier and the car that was involved passed us on a flatbed heading out from the highway entrance earlier. The front engine compartment was crushed up to the firewall but the windshield was intact. As I mentioned earlier the driver of the car was not injured seriously. I did not want to stop, but I will say there was a chill that ran down my arms realizing what had happened earlier.
Again, my thoughts and prayers expressed to the riders and their families of this horrible accident.
Too soon to be in any of the major news reports for a very small little known area of north of our White Mountain area. Not sure if they were from the area or from out of town heading for the HOG Rally.