On March 17, 2015 two young women, Stacy C. Myers (27) and Jessica N. Fort (23), decided to go for an evening motorcycle ride in order to help let go of some stress as many will do in the coming warm months. They chose not to wear helmets as they “felt freer” without them. As they traveled together on Stacy’s motorcycle, it happened. A minivan turning left at an intersection pulled out in front of the motorcycle causing it to slam into the side of the van. The collision sent both women skidding and rolling several times across the pavement.
As a result one of the women, Stacy Myers, was taken by Lifeline helicopter to the hospital and both were listed in critical condition at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. Stacy was admitted to the Neuro Critical Unit, underwent brain surgery and was eventually placed in a medical induced coma due to the extreme pressure and swelling of her brain. Roughly one month ago, Stacy was moved to a long term care facility and remains in a coma. A “Go Fund Me” campaign was started for Stacy to help pay for her medical bills and provide for her six year old daughter as Stacy recovers from this horrific accident. If you would like to donate, please click the link above.
Jamie Hamilton, while waiting by her sister’s side, watching her fight for her life, wanted to messages out to both drivers and motorcycle riders.
- First, to motorcycle riders, wear your helmet.
- Second, to drivers, take an extra second to look both ways in the warmer months we have ahead of us so that this type of accident can be avoided.
Summer is here and motorcycle season has begun, so as Jamie advises, riders, put a helmet on and drivers, be a little more cautious so that these horrific accidents may be prevented. In order to help relay Jamie’s message we have prepared some information illustrating the importance of both.
Helmet Safety
Many motorcycle riders forego wearing a helmet because they feel it restricts their ability to fully appreciate riding the motorcycle. What they fail to fully understand, however, is just how much of an impact wearing a helmet may have in preventing head injuries. More than 80% of motorcycle crashes result in injury or death to the rider and motorcyclists are 16 times more likely, per mile driven, to die in a crash than an automobile driver. The leading cause of death to riders is head injuries, so what do helmets do to prevent these deaths and injuries? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tells us that it does a lot, below is a summary of their findings:
-Wearing a helmet reduces the rider’s risk of dying in an accident by 29%, almost 1/3
- Riders who don’t wear a helmet and are involved in an accident are 40% more likely to sustain a fatal head injury
- Helmets effectively prevent traumatic brain injuries 67% of the time
- Wearing a helmet is the single most critical factor in preventing or reducing head and neck injuries among motorcycle drivers and passengers
- In a 10 year time period 6,300 lives could have been saved if riders has been wearing their helmet.
As you can see, wearing a helmet is an essential safety precaution. A study done by the University of Southern California showed wearing a helmet is the “single most critical factor in preventing or reducing head and neck injuries among motorcycle drivers and passengers.” So next time you or a loved on decides to take a ride, put a helmet on.
Look Both Ways and Be Careful
By far the leading cause motorcycle-car accidents is the driver of a car not seeing a motorcycle rider coming when making a left-hand turn. Motorcycle-car accidents occurring when the driver of a car is turning left account for 42% of all motorcycle car accidents and leading cause of these accidents is the driver of the car not seeing the motorcycle. Many things contribute to this, but none more so than the size of a motorcycle. All too often drivers look quickly to see if they are clear to turn and pull out, not seeing the small motorcycle because they were looking for a larger vehicle. This common and often fatal mistake can be cured simply by drivers taking an extra second or two and double-checking before turning.
For more information, follow the source link below.
