Bike Cop
Well-known member
Since it's early in the season, it was recommended to me that I post about MC crashes from the eyes of the first responders.
I have tried to write this in a generic way, but it may still be difficult to read. I apologize for that, it is not my intent to upset anyone. I'm not sure where it belongs, mods feel free to relocate.
I have had the misfortune of attending several collisions involving bikes, some of which were fatal. I don't want to post about any specific incident, out of respect for the family and friends of those involved, but I do want to provide some insight into the aftermath of the event.
A radio call is received describing a bike crash, and everyone's ears perk up. We know they are never good. For me, as an enthusiast, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We all respond to the scene and assess the scenario to initiate an appropriate level of response. Police arrive and block traffic to protect first responders and physical evidence. Fire services protects the police and paramedics by using their vehicles as roadblocks, cleaning up hazardous spills, extricating occupants where required, and anything else that is needed. They are the Swiss army knife of the first responder world. Paramedics provide early medical intervention and stabilize patients at the scene. Sometimes, they are able to determine that no further medical treatment is possible.
Ambulances leave with or without patients and continue on with their duties. MTO sends us blocker trucks to replace fire trucks. Police interview witnesses, and some gather physical evidence by way of scene mapping or photographs, evaluation of the marks on the roadway, as well as damage assessment of the involved vehicle(s). This is my job. I look at the physical evidence to determine what happened. I measure skid marks to calculate speed loss, measure crush damage to cars to determine energy loss, and look at a myriad of other indicators that will help paint the picture.
Regarding the witnesses, sometimes these statements are difficult to gather. One example is a woman who was just driving normally and had a bike suddenly appear in front of her, and an unavoidable collision ensued. In order to gather further detail, a pure version statement is taken, but follow up questions are necessary. During these follow up questions, the driver comes to realize that her vehicle may have just crushed the bike rider. The driver is very upset. She may not be able to continue the statement. She may not be able to leave the scene in her own vehicle. She may decide not to drive again. Her young kids were in the car, and are now being entertained by paramedics while I take the statement. I fought back tears because of the intense emotion. I told her that someone had driven over the bike and that it must have been her.
Fire services typically remains at the scene to assist with lighting, further extrication or disassembly of the vehicle to get to crash recorders, and to help body removal services. These are the guys that hold up a tarp to block the media from taking photos of things that nobody should see.
Once every piece of evidence is collected, vehicles are removed for further examination at a garage, roadway damage is repaired, and the highway gets reopened. Aside from some scratching on the road, or faint skid marks, the general public only knows that something happened by reading the news - which is not always accurate, and sometimes, not even close.
Society moves on and the event is quickly forgotten. Not so for the family and friends of those involved. And, as first responders, we carry the memories of the entire event with us. We try to remove ourselves from it, and block it out, but it doesn't always work. These effects are cumulative and I struggle with them from time to time. I cringe when the next call comes in.
Please don't flame on this one, just read it and take it for what it is - one person's experience. In a lot of the cases, the cause of the collision is due to rider error. It is what it is.
I have tried to write this in a generic way, but it may still be difficult to read. I apologize for that, it is not my intent to upset anyone. I'm not sure where it belongs, mods feel free to relocate.
I have had the misfortune of attending several collisions involving bikes, some of which were fatal. I don't want to post about any specific incident, out of respect for the family and friends of those involved, but I do want to provide some insight into the aftermath of the event.
A radio call is received describing a bike crash, and everyone's ears perk up. We know they are never good. For me, as an enthusiast, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We all respond to the scene and assess the scenario to initiate an appropriate level of response. Police arrive and block traffic to protect first responders and physical evidence. Fire services protects the police and paramedics by using their vehicles as roadblocks, cleaning up hazardous spills, extricating occupants where required, and anything else that is needed. They are the Swiss army knife of the first responder world. Paramedics provide early medical intervention and stabilize patients at the scene. Sometimes, they are able to determine that no further medical treatment is possible.
Ambulances leave with or without patients and continue on with their duties. MTO sends us blocker trucks to replace fire trucks. Police interview witnesses, and some gather physical evidence by way of scene mapping or photographs, evaluation of the marks on the roadway, as well as damage assessment of the involved vehicle(s). This is my job. I look at the physical evidence to determine what happened. I measure skid marks to calculate speed loss, measure crush damage to cars to determine energy loss, and look at a myriad of other indicators that will help paint the picture.
Regarding the witnesses, sometimes these statements are difficult to gather. One example is a woman who was just driving normally and had a bike suddenly appear in front of her, and an unavoidable collision ensued. In order to gather further detail, a pure version statement is taken, but follow up questions are necessary. During these follow up questions, the driver comes to realize that her vehicle may have just crushed the bike rider. The driver is very upset. She may not be able to continue the statement. She may not be able to leave the scene in her own vehicle. She may decide not to drive again. Her young kids were in the car, and are now being entertained by paramedics while I take the statement. I fought back tears because of the intense emotion. I told her that someone had driven over the bike and that it must have been her.
Fire services typically remains at the scene to assist with lighting, further extrication or disassembly of the vehicle to get to crash recorders, and to help body removal services. These are the guys that hold up a tarp to block the media from taking photos of things that nobody should see.
Once every piece of evidence is collected, vehicles are removed for further examination at a garage, roadway damage is repaired, and the highway gets reopened. Aside from some scratching on the road, or faint skid marks, the general public only knows that something happened by reading the news - which is not always accurate, and sometimes, not even close.
Society moves on and the event is quickly forgotten. Not so for the family and friends of those involved. And, as first responders, we carry the memories of the entire event with us. We try to remove ourselves from it, and block it out, but it doesn't always work. These effects are cumulative and I struggle with them from time to time. I cringe when the next call comes in.
Please don't flame on this one, just read it and take it for what it is - one person's experience. In a lot of the cases, the cause of the collision is due to rider error. It is what it is.
