🚀 go-pugleaf

joelga@pebble.org (Joel Garry) wrote:
>On Sat, 11 Jul 1998 21:36:26 GMT, Marc <Gumbyy@ticnet.com> wrote:
>>joelga@pebble.org (Joel Garry) wrote:
>>>On 9 Jul 1998 16:50:58 -0500, Craig A. Johnston <caj@urth.autarch.com> wrote:

>>>>Reckless driving and speeding fines could be weighted by the
>>>>vehicle's mass -- how are you going to hurt someone in an
>>>>automobile on a motorcycle?  Not easily.  Too bad for those
>>>>idiots in SUVs who drive too fast for their pathetic, wallowing
>>>>vehicles and tailgate other drivers...

>>>Actually, this does happen.  Motorcycle t-bones car, motorcyclist launches
>>>over car and isn't hurt too bad, motorcycle punches through door/window
>>>and kills car occupant.

>>"Does" or "could?"   The only accident where the driver of a car was
>>killed that I know of, the driver of the motorcycle was also killed.
>>I knew a number of people killed on motorcycles by hitting cars, but
>>none of those accidents resulted in damage to the driver of the car
>>from the initial impact.

>Remember, there's more to an accident than just mass differentials.  Sharp
>broken metal versus soft squishy organ meat, for one...

>It did happen recently, but in the brief search I just did I couldn't find it.
>Here's one that was close:

>Motorcyclist is critically injured 

>19-Apr-1996 Friday 

>Kearny Mesa -- A motorcyclist suffered critical injuries yesterday when he
>slammed into the side of a sedan stopped across his lane of traffic. 

>At the same time, Celina Francisco, 64, of Point Loma, pulled her Hyundai
>across the westbound lanes and stopped to wait for eastbound traffic to
>clear. The motorcycle hit her side of the car. 

>Ittner suffered major injuries and was reported on life-support at an area
>hospital. Francisco was hospitalized with a broken pelvis. Her two
>passengers suffered minor injuries, police said. 

The statement was "Actually, this does happen.  Motorcycle t-bones
car, motorcyclist launches over car and isn't hurt too bad, motorcycle
punches through door/window and kills car occupant."

All the occupants lived and the motorcyclist suffered "critical
injurues."  I know that you said "close," but if everyone were to have
equally more severe injuries, then the motorcyclist would be dead
before anyone else.

And to be insensitive, is doesn't take much for an old person to break
a pelvis.  A simple fall does it to many every winter.

I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I've never heard of a
motorcyclist living after killing someone in a car (excepting
secondary collisions, like a bike bumping a car and the car smashing
into a tree), and I pay attention to that sort of thing because I
ride.

Marc
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