Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear Helmets saves lives "even in the back yard"

In my 33 years of motorcycles I have been involved in two mishaps. Both while parked!!! About 15 years after taking my daughter for a ride I pulled off the road to the left. She got off. I shut down & put the kickstand down and started leaning to the left. Little did I know all clear space except where the kickstand was heading. Straight into a small hole about 3 inches wide and 3 inches deep. As I leaned over I reached the point of no return and had to bail off the bike to the left. There was a 3 foot embankment there and when I landed it was upside down on my head. I had a cheap open face helmet on and my body weight pushed the lower edge into my shoulder and completely separated it. It required surgery and 2 long pins going into my shoulder and out the collar bone.
Today as my wife and I pulled into the driveway I stopped & let her off the bike then I pulled up into the yard. She had on a Shoei fullface. She stepped over a rolled up tarp & tripped heading headlong into the yard. I have a young red maple tree with a 4 foot in diameter brick circle around it for decoration 2 brick high. She landed face first and "hard" into those bricks. Her face shield got a large pretty deep 4 inch gash in it now. She skinned her knee a little too. If she didn't still have her helmet on I'm sure that she would be in the hospital now. Or worse. Thank God. Someone must have been watching out for her today. Those are my two helmet stories. Both while being stopped. You would think that I would throw away my doo rag & wear that helmet all the time. I probable wear it 75% of the time but some of those really hot days 93 degrees. Well, you guys know.....

Jerry

Are you crazy posting this on the net??

If the politicians read it we'll be wearing helmets 24/7.

Hope your wife's ok...

I try to remember to take my helmet off before I even get off the bike. Even though it's an open face model, it limits my field of vision when walking, not to mention I keep smacking my head off the top rail on my garage door!!

Know what you mean, I'm always wacking my helmet on that silly manual release rope for the garage door opener.

I always wear a helmet. The first thing I do after planting my backside in the seat is put on my helmet. It's always full-face and always on my head when I ride. My skull, no matter what anyone says, is softer than the concrete/asphalt I ride on. There are way too many people out there paying too much attention to their cell phones or reading the frickin' morning newspaper while driving for me to chance not wearing a helmet. I do not doubt my own abilities, I have serious doubts about the abilities of those around me.

Hiya Jerry
Hope your wife is OK.

Always, always, always wear a lid on the bike.

Oh ... and never, ever leave rolled up tarps lying around ...

Ive always wondered why Sky divers wear helmets?????

ha i just laughed at the skydiver comment .... maybe it's so if they fall (chute open) when they hit thew ground? Or land in a tree?

either way I got a good laugh .. thanks for that one



Ben