Relief

[DanDare]

I have been very lucky in my life as I have been involved in only a couple of minor accidents and only seen the aftermath of a handful.

Tuesday I drove to my parents and saw a Police car and ambulance by the side of the road and a notorious dangerous crossroads.

As I passed, I saw a BMW GS minus its front wheel and everything from the tank backwards. There was debris scattered all over the place. The chap looked as he was being resusitated on the road. I felt a enormous sense of panic and guilt, I've never felt before. Is this normal? Was it cos it was a fellow biker or what?
I was cursing car drivers all night.

Anyway, it turns out he's all Ok and simply lost it and the bike slid into a telegraph pole. Hence the damage.

Just needed to get it off my chest. Is this cos its the first major accident I happen to witness just after?

[anna]

everyone acts and reacts to accidents in different ways I'm no expert in this but I would say that it is a perfectly normal reaction to a terrible situation.

[sharriso74]

It's never nice when you see an accident. I feel concern (for lack of a better word) be it a bike or a car in a nasty looking accident.

Worse one I saw was along the Embankment in London. Had been all cleared up but there was a very mangled looking bike under an HGV.

Just human nature to be shocked by these situations think if you didn't theres something wrong with you

[Anonymous]

Yup - its a perfectly normal reaction to this.

I remember a few years back i witnessed a guy being giving CPR after a collision with a car outside squires. He shortly afterwards passed away, and i remember the paramedics stopping CPR and then covering the body up.

It was a profound sense of shock, at knowing that this person, a dad, brother, son etc, had just died right there in front of me.

http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.php?t=8040&highlight=

I felt completely lost.

6 months later, i witnessed my friend, Colin Smith get killed on his GSXR1000 - it happened at 7pm, we were still at the scene at 11pm held there by the police to give statements and whilst they removed my mates body from under the taxi.

The feeling i got from that i cant describe. I felt numb, totally cold - didnt cry for about 2 hours, then it just hit me and i broke down. I walked away from the scene, about 1/4 mile up the road, and collapsed into the hedge row in tears.

http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=32349&highlight=

Its a terrible feeling, and i dont wish it upon anyone. Sadly, its an emotion we are all going to go through more than once in our lives.

[454697819]

its perfectly normal, only 2 weeks ago i passed a fatal bike accident where the casualty had been taken away but soc were there,

the bike was still in the middle of the road and the car was sat at the side of the road,

i was so angry even though i was driving at the time...

i wish i could have helped even to jsut do something but it was too late...

Keep safe

Alex

[setanta]

everyone acts and reacts to accidents in different ways I'm no expert in this but I would say that it is a perfectly normal reaction to a terrible situation.

Yeah I would have to agree, its his first time to see a "major" accident and it does give you the colly wobbles.

[thor]

Some very honest and brave words

Top post.

[tricky]

I think they call this survivor guilt (?)

I remember seeing a programme about it a few years ago, where they where talking to the suvivors of plane crashes.

With me its always worse with bikes, when I see a car wreck, its upsetting and I always say a little prayer that all involved are or will be ok.

When I see a bike down, it always seems more personal, like I knew rider even though I don't.

[TC3]

In my case i find it hard to feel anything for anyone i do not know personally who has been involved in an accident. What i do not get is why so many people automatically blame car drivers when they see a bike down in the road and yet do not know the facts of what happened. Accidents are a part of life and it is simple as that but like i said i only feel upset if friends or familly are involved. Just the way i am

[tinpants]

Not that I wish to blow my own trumpet but there are a number of EMT's and Paramedics on here that MAY be thinking "welcome to my world".



Is it distressing to attend RTC after RTC and having to scrape bikers off the road? Damn right it is. I've personally been to dozens of RTC's involving bikes (some even involving friends) and it never gets any easier. It helps to remind yourself that in the majority of cases there is very little pain involved. The patients brain just blocks it out.


Ride how you like, but remember to reap what you sow. Not always the case I know but if you ride like a tw@ you greatly reduce your chances of getting whacked.

[silent]

or indeed increase your chances of getting killed...

i feel like i want to help but often ill do more harm than good by distracting people from doing their jobs, other than if no one is there or no one experienced anyway...

Andy

[philipMac]

Ride how you like, but remember to reap what you sow. Not always the case I know but if you ride like a tw@ you greatly reduce your chances of getting whacked.

Yup. Might not be a bad thing to see once in a while.

I know I personally used to call my helmet my virtual reality visor. Because, what I see through it is not really real.
But, it is though. Once in a while, you will get knocked off or lose it on a bend or whatever. And this wakens you a little.
Seeing a big off like that is going to scare you.

Seeing something like GetYerKneeDown... well. I suppose that's a "rest of the lifer".

In Dublin a while back, I was running home to catch the last train. I car drove up the road past me, and away behind me. Then, imedeately behind me I thought a bomb had gone off.

I dropped to the ground (involuntarily), hunched up, and covered the back of my head. Then I sneaked a look under my arm, back towards the "bomb". What had happened was the car broke a red light, and a bus had milled him out of it.

I stood there, looking at the dude in the car. Then the people near him headed over to him. And, I felt hugely guilty for some reason.

It took a few days to get over the whole thing. I suppose its a trauma thing.
A mate saw someone dive in front of a NYC subway right in front of him. He also seemed to have a similar sort of reaction...

[Lissa]

I've seen several serious/fatal accidents..................and it never gets any easier to deal with. The first was just after I got into bikes, and I saw a good friend go under an artic. Needless to say he didn't survive. I've seen the aftermath of several crashes since then, and as my father was a firefighter, I've heard all the horror stories you could ever want to hear too.

It is only human to feel upset/distressed/guilty about witnessing things like that. After all, it is someones loved one, and there but for the Grace of God........

I think if you ever become inured to something like that, then you have lost a little bit of your humanity.

[GC-SV]

Apologies not to comment too long on this subject.
To me I feel it is more a link or connection with the biking community. We all see the potential dangers and all have our narrow misses, I guess.

If it was a motorist we would feel extremely saddened but a biking accident/incident seems to hit home all the more.

Just hope you get over it and do not dwell on it too much.

[philipMac]

I have been thinking about this for a while. (I had forgoten about that bus incident untill you mentioned the guilt thing...)

When you see the incident, there is going to be a big surge of emotion. Your heart jumps, your stomach drops away, and your eyes flood tons of information into your brain.

The thing is, maybe your brain just doesnt know what to do with all this sudden paniced surge of information and emotion. You dont know the guy. You have never seen him before. But, he is on a bike...
And, you start to think... that could have been me. I could be there, on the road, brown bread. And thank Christ its not me
So all this emotion, looking for somewhere to go in a way, just pours over into guilt.

Maybe? :?

[cosmiccharlie]

It's never nice when you see an accident. I feel concern (for lack of a better word) be it a bike or a car in a nasty looking accident.



Was reading this thread http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.php?t=33961 and thought , thank goodness i done mine last year, as part of the IOM TT course,

Hope i dont need to use it but it's a good skill to know