Last Sunday, while riding across the Cherohala Skyway from Tellico Plains towrads Robbinsville, we encountered a white GSXR in the ditch. Plastics scattered about, forks sheared off, guardrail damaged, oil/ coolant spill across both lanes, and no rider in sight. There was a patch of brush packed down right over the guardrail where it was damaged, presumably the rider went over. We pulled over, ran back to the crash site and began calling for the downed rider, climbing down the embankment, praying that we wouldn't find one, in hopes that he was already saved. We found no rider. We picked up the bike , realizing then that it was cool to the touch, so not too recent, and as it was right at the edge of the road on inside of a turn (this is what initially startled me as I lead our group ride). We picked it up and leaned it against a sign further from the road's surface, so as not to freak out any more riders who came around the turn to see it laying right at the road's edge. We found it had Ontario plates and found an Ontario driver's licence in the mud with a Guelph rider's name on it. We picked up the licence with the intention of taking it to the CRoT to see if someone knew a group of other Ont riders who had a downed rider who lost his licence.
A half hr later we stopped at a gas station, and saw a Land Rover with Ont plates, towing a trailer, gassing up. I eavesdropped the two dudes talking about where to pick up the crashed GSXR. I asked if they had a Guelph buddy go down on the Skyway and they said yes. We gave them the licence for their buddy, who apparently had been airlifted to hospital, with broken bones and possible internal injuries.
The next time we rode the Skyway, we saw a cross built at the crash site.....We hope this is just in mouring of buddy's destroyed bike, and not a rider who succumbed to his injuries.
Can anyone update the status of the rider?
A half hr later we stopped at a gas station, and saw a Land Rover with Ont plates, towing a trailer, gassing up. I eavesdropped the two dudes talking about where to pick up the crashed GSXR. I asked if they had a Guelph buddy go down on the Skyway and they said yes. We gave them the licence for their buddy, who apparently had been airlifted to hospital, with broken bones and possible internal injuries.
The next time we rode the Skyway, we saw a cross built at the crash site.....We hope this is just in mouring of buddy's destroyed bike, and not a rider who succumbed to his injuries.
Can anyone update the status of the rider?
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