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Just witnessed death.
- Thread starter cromofo
- Start date
jellies_two
Member
Just for the sake of some stats and not emotions
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2010/08/brain-injuries-and-dutch-cyclist.html?m=1
The rate of brain injury (including but rarely death) for Dutch cyclists - sans helmet - that cycle every day is once per 90 lifetimes..
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2010/08/brain-injuries-and-dutch-cyclist.html?m=1
The rate of brain injury (including but rarely death) for Dutch cyclists - sans helmet - that cycle every day is once per 90 lifetimes..
Sorry you had to experience this, OP. Life can be rough.
As for this whole helmet debate, i'm dutch, so we simply don't wear helmets while cycling. Just the children do.
But before you get angry about this fact, realize we were born riding bicycles and this is the world's safest country to cycle in by far. Falling over while cycling to a dutchman is pretty much as weird a thought as falling over while walking.
But seriously, if you're going to do venture off the beaten path, racing, mountainbiking, cycling on/down hills or generally don't feel completely at ease on a bicycle, wear a damn helmet.
Especially in countries that don't have proper cycling infrastructure or motorists that don't know shit about handling cyclists on the roads.
As for this whole helmet debate, i'm dutch, so we simply don't wear helmets while cycling. Just the children do.
But before you get angry about this fact, realize we were born riding bicycles and this is the world's safest country to cycle in by far. Falling over while cycling to a dutchman is pretty much as weird a thought as falling over while walking.
But seriously, if you're going to do venture off the beaten path, racing, mountainbiking, cycling on/down hills or generally don't feel completely at ease on a bicycle, wear a damn helmet.
Especially in countries that don't have proper cycling infrastructure or motorists that don't know shit about handling cyclists on the roads.
MarkMclovin
Member
Talk to friends and family about it. Sharing will help.
I ride my bike on a walking path now and then and I don't wear a helmet with an excuse of the path being very flat and straight.
I'll get one now though.
I ride my bike on a walking path now and then and I don't wear a helmet with an excuse of the path being very flat and straight.
I'll get one now though.
Royce McCutcheon
Junior Member
A man, phone fart.
PjotrStroganov
Member
Because it is one of the few countries where cycling is actually save. It's flat and a majority of traffic is segregated from cycling lanes.
AlteredForms
Banned
You're a murder, who should have been apprehended!
Cool post, thanks. Riding a bike here in the Netherlands is soooo much better than anywhere else, it's insane.
Fallout-NL
Member
Uhm yeah, to be clear though, this applies ONLY to the Netherlands were the infrastructure for cyclists is simply incredible, motorist are used to cyclists and there is no elevation difference and therefore no risks like what happened to the man in the OP.
In all other countries, wear a damn helmet.
Also in the Netherlands by the way, when speeds do increase (on purpose built road bikes), almost everyone does wear a helmet.
EdwardTivrusky
Member
RIP and sorry you had to experience that, terrible thing to happen.
I cycle every day here in the UK and i always wear a lid. I feel naked without it and after a couple of grip-slips on wet, slimy roads or drivers being dicks i'm not about to chance it. Even though when i came off my bike and broke my jaw a helmet wouldn't have helped i still believe it's worth wearing a helmet when cycling. At least here in towns in the UK.
I cycle every day here in the UK and i always wear a lid. I feel naked without it and after a couple of grip-slips on wet, slimy roads or drivers being dicks i'm not about to chance it. Even though when i came off my bike and broke my jaw a helmet wouldn't have helped i still believe it's worth wearing a helmet when cycling. At least here in towns in the UK.
UtterlyPerplexed
Member
Hear, hear. Absolutely no reason at all to not take the necessary basic precautions even if it's not exactly illegal where you are to be without a helmet. RIP to the guy.
I'm sorry that you had to witness such a harrowing sight. I can sort of relate in that my 9-year old self on a beach promenade had witnessed a hit-and-run incident that left a biker crumpled and still in the middle of the road. He had a helmet, but the sheer force of that impact meant he had no chance. I did not find out that he had died until it was reported in a local newspaper. That image has been seared into my mind since.
I'm sorry that you had to witness such a harrowing sight. I can sort of relate in that my 9-year old self on a beach promenade had witnessed a hit-and-run incident that left a biker crumpled and still in the middle of the road. He had a helmet, but the sheer force of that impact meant he had no chance. I did not find out that he had died until it was reported in a local newspaper. That image has been seared into my mind since.
Pretty sure he's saying witnessing death is not nice to say the least.
TatteredHat
Member
Even as a Dutchman I wouldn't be riding a bike without a helmet in other countries that don't have their infrastructure so specifically tailored towards biker safety. That, plus the fact that the country is basically completely flat makes biking here an anomaly.
Really sucks about what happened to the guy, seems like such a banal thing.
Really sucks about what happened to the guy, seems like such a banal thing.
I've witnessed death a few times and its never pleasant. The one that really sticks with me happened in downtown Toronto 2 years ago. A man jumped from a building in the financial district (one of the shorter ones - approx. 15 floors) and landed head first in the middle of the road.
Without getting too gory in this thread... let's just say it wasn't pleasant. People were utterly speechless but the thankfully an ambulance was able to arrive within minutes and threw a blanket over him. It was a Monday morning and he was dressed in a suit.
It's amazing how much of this happens without people realizing since it isn't reported much.
Without getting too gory in this thread... let's just say it wasn't pleasant. People were utterly speechless but the thankfully an ambulance was able to arrive within minutes and threw a blanket over him. It was a Monday morning and he was dressed in a suit.
It's amazing how much of this happens without people realizing since it isn't reported much.
cromofo
Member
Looking at now, I don't blame the guy for not wearing a helmet. The hotel he was staying at was on that sloped road an it takes less than 20 seconds to roll down to the road and the beach. No more than 80 feet. There's next to no vehicle traffic on that road.
Just learned that he was 54 and was there with his family. Not as young as I thought, still tragic nonetheless.
I think he panicked or something. Really unlucky.
Just learned that he was 54 and was there with his family. Not as young as I thought, still tragic nonetheless.
I think he panicked or something. Really unlucky.
Royce McCutcheon
Junior Member
I've done nothing wrong! It's the sex pills that get em. Lots of young women and old men at my job, they gotta keep up.
RedNalgene
Member
I ride my bike most days (NYC) and wear a helmet no matter what. I've had far too many close calls, have gotten doored twice, and my buddy got clipped by a car driving way to close to him. It's just not worth taking the chance.
Darklor01
Might need to stop sniffing glue
I'm sorry you had to experience that. Prayers to the biker's family and I hope you can get back to a clear state of mind. Things like this might affect your sleep and health. You may wish to seek to talk with a professional to help you deal with what you witnessed in a healthy way.
TheStruggler
Report me for trolling ND/TLoU2 threads
its weird I have seen some fucked up things in my life through life but also growing up. When I was in junior high the beheading video was a hot topic so i watched it, that fucked me up for a week I felt ill, however as I get older and see more shit on the internet with shootings and death in a violent way I feel myself more desensitised to it, I feel remorse for the person and the people around however I no longer have a sick feeling in my gut. Its more of an oh well type thing now. Not sure if that is good or bad?
I ride a bike. I haven't had a MAJOR spill in some time. But every now and then, I'll have to brake for a kid, or a rabbit or a tree root, and even at slow speed, with feet clipped into pedals, I could tip over at a long lazy arc with enough force to kill me should my head collide with anything except the inside of a helmet.
And every now and then a car does something astonishingly stupid, or doesn't see me at all.
These things kill cyclists every single day on Earth without fail.
Wear your fucking helmets.
I doubt anyone will bother protesting helmets in this thread, but just know there's plenty of them out there grumbling about freedom all the way until they rip their income away from their grieving family.
Wear. Your. Fucking. Helmets.
EDIT: Dutch anti-helmet Gaf, don't bother. You're wrong and physics work the same in Holland as they do everywhere else. Draag uw fucking helmen.
talkingood
Member
Talk to someone, not just online. I had recurring nightmares for months, occasionally even a year or so afterwards.
I witnessed a car crash on Canada Day 2005 where a drunk driver and his friend went through the front windshield into the highway ditch. Driver was crushed under the front of the car and I couldn't do anything but watch his final moments while he stammered incoherently. His friend wasn't moving.
The driver's girlfriend got out, but had broken both her legs and was stumbling around like a newborn giraffe. She was screaming at the dying driver for being an idiot.
The worst was there were kids in the backseat. The really young little girl, maybe 3 years of age, got out unscathed and was crying for her mom (who wasn't there). Another girl probably 5 or 6 had been disemboweled sitting in the carseat in the back. She was just hanging there upside down, but we couldn't get to her. She wasn't communicating at all, it was terrifying.
I found out later when a cop called to follow up on my report I filed that the little girl somehow survived and would likely recover completely. I was so relieved.
I have no idea how people can be paramedics or firefighters. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
I witnessed a car crash on Canada Day 2005 where a drunk driver and his friend went through the front windshield into the highway ditch. Driver was crushed under the front of the car and I couldn't do anything but watch his final moments while he stammered incoherently. His friend wasn't moving.
The driver's girlfriend got out, but had broken both her legs and was stumbling around like a newborn giraffe. She was screaming at the dying driver for being an idiot.
The worst was there were kids in the backseat. The really young little girl, maybe 3 years of age, got out unscathed and was crying for her mom (who wasn't there). Another girl probably 5 or 6 had been disemboweled sitting in the carseat in the back. She was just hanging there upside down, but we couldn't get to her. She wasn't communicating at all, it was terrifying.
I found out later when a cop called to follow up on my report I filed that the little girl somehow survived and would likely recover completely. I was so relieved.
I have no idea how people can be paramedics or firefighters. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
astroturfing
Member
i work in the ER and i never wear a helmet while cycling to work, can't fit my headphones under one so yeah.. not proud of it but ehh, i go extra safely and pretty slow. during winter it's kinda sketchy though, with all the ice.
sorry you had to see that OP.
sorry you had to see that OP.
Again, you're at the mercy of other people. Do yourself a favor. On your next long ride to work, count how many people you see texting and driving. Every single one of those people is a potential lightning strike.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
It's not mandatory here in Québec.
Laws by province here :
http://www.cycle-helmets.com/canada_helmets.html
Sounds like laws don't change much. It's more about the cycling culture.
Ack. That is my worst nightmare as a cyclist. I don't wear a helmet (yeah, yeah) because my city is pretty bike-friendly and I'm very prudent, but no amount of prudence or care can save you from being door'ed, and... yeah, I've actually considered buying a helmet recently because as bike-friendly as my city is, it's become more stressful than in previous years, I find. Mostly because of increasing construction, more potholes than ever, and the recent bike sharing programs means more cyclists in the cycling lanes (a lot of them are painfully slow too, hate 'em >_>) and it's just generally more stress.
Squirrel Killer
Member
If you're over 21, there's no requirement to wear one in 26 other states.
The argument (not sure how right it is) is that while helmets reduce the severity of head injuries, they increase the likelihood of an accident by reducing a rider's environmental awareness and encouraging more dangerous riding.
Horrific. Sorry OP.
I was reliving the death of an ex's mother the other day. There's something extra uncanny when it's someone you know well and you're there when they fade from view. You watch them become a machine that's breaking and then you watch that machine's gears stop turning. The body becomes a rigid shell that looks just like them.
Christ.
I was reliving the death of an ex's mother the other day. There's something extra uncanny when it's someone you know well and you're there when they fade from view. You watch them become a machine that's breaking and then you watch that machine's gears stop turning. The body becomes a rigid shell that looks just like them.
Christ.
Markitron
Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
A couple of years back I saw some kid (about 13) just step out onto a busy road and get hit by a car. I will never forget the sound of him landing. There were loads of people there so I didn't stick around, but I was almost certain he was gone.
Thing is I have been seeing kids do that for years in that exact spot and many others. They just dare cars to stop or try to run in between them. Really felt for the driver as she did nothing wrong and will have this on her mind for the rest of her life. Bound to shatter your driving confidence.
Thing is I have been seeing kids do that for years in that exact spot and many others. They just dare cars to stop or try to run in between them. Really felt for the driver as she did nothing wrong and will have this on her mind for the rest of her life. Bound to shatter your driving confidence.
Eh, not in New Jersey. With the population density and the amount of cars with distracted drivers on the road here, not wearing a helmet is tantamount to having a death wish.
Fuck me
The bolded is staright up vaxxer levels of dangerous falsehood. I know you're not standing up for its veracity but it's actually dangerous to even repeat that stuff.
http://www.helmets.org/negativs.htm
When laws are related to actuarial lobbying and data then you can bet your statistical ass there's smoke and fire.
I guess most countries and cities don't have bike infrastructure anywhere near as good as NL, so you're much more likely to be cycling in traffic and across car junctions and dodgy kerbs.
Helmet safety is mainly about protecting yourself from idiot car drivers. Nowhere near as much of an issue in places with loads of lanes etc.
Yeah generally it's a very safe thing to do, absolutely, but you always want to add that extra insurance.
Sorry to hear this OP. it's difficult to process these things.
I've worked in healthcare for years and it's definitely odd. There was one time I saw a doctor rolling a body down a hallway so haphazardly I thought it was a dummy. One foot off gurney, sheet not even covering fully. But dummies don't have hair.
It's very surreal to see death even as much as I do. Do your best to process it, but you can't let it get to you too much.
I've worked in healthcare for years and it's definitely odd. There was one time I saw a doctor rolling a body down a hallway so haphazardly I thought it was a dummy. One foot off gurney, sheet not even covering fully. But dummies don't have hair.
It's very surreal to see death even as much as I do. Do your best to process it, but you can't let it get to you too much.
Holland is one of the best and safest places to cycle. But you still lose more than 130-150 lives per year to cycling accidents. That's slightly higher than the overall transit percentage. And it should if anything be slightly lower. A significant proportion of those people would have been saved by helmets. And the only reasons against Dutch wearing helmets appear to be convenience and fashion. I've yet to hear one that held water about anything else. Where is the harm in reducing that statistic further?
Awful to see OP. Just like that, a split second and a life snuffed out. Terrifying really that we're all just one freak moment from death.
I always wear a helmet. Got knocked off my bike by a car a couple of years ago commuting to work, helmet saved my life or at least saved me from vastly more serious injury. It was all broken, dented, big crack right through it. Always wear a helmet on a bicycle guys!
I always wear a helmet. Got knocked off my bike by a car a couple of years ago commuting to work, helmet saved my life or at least saved me from vastly more serious injury. It was all broken, dented, big crack right through it. Always wear a helmet on a bicycle guys!
Widdle Puppy
Banned
This is why I always wear a helmet on my motorcycle. I'll never understand why people will ride without one.
All the other gear gone may not be the wisest choice but at least you'll live another day if you wear the minimum of a helmet.
All the other gear gone may not be the wisest choice but at least you'll live another day if you wear the minimum of a helmet.
Er, it's not mandatory most anywhere.
Widdle Puppy
Banned
Heartbreaking to lose someone like that. Dont even get to say goodbye or anything.
Emerson
May contain jokes =>
I've witnessed death in enough forms that it has long ago lost most of its emotional punch. But I can very clearly remember my first few times as a student standing in the corner of a trauma bay watching as somebody died, and how deeply it affected me. There's no question I'd be a more emotionally healthy person if that never became normal.
Sorry you had to witness that.
Sorry you had to witness that.
For any 'dangerous' cycling activity, we don helmets. But at this point the infrastructure is so safe and people feel just as confident on two wheels than on their two legs, that the inconvenience of the helmet simply becomes more than it's supposedly added margin of safety.
And like the article said, statistically i'd have to cycle daily for nearly 8000 years to experience one single event of me falling on my head. And in those cases helmets do not mean i'm saved. Lots of people who wear helmets still suffer from brain damage.
So yeah, we should, but realistically we never will. And if you were born here you'd do the same.
Widdle Puppy
Banned
You may have a key to becoming much more emotionally healthy than you were before witnessing it. The fact of the matter is we are all at the mercy of fate. We hate to think about it and realize what it means because it is terrifying. We would rather tell ourselves lies that it won't happen to us, not like that. The truth is no one knows what the future holds. Accepting that and processing that life can end at any moment I think is the key to true liberation. It is very hard to practice though and accept fate.
IggyChooChoo
Member
I've known some emergency doctors and EMTs, and anecdotally, they were not wired like normal people. That's not a criticism, just an observation. They arrive in situations of insane, intense violence and pain and their first thought is "Interesting. How can I fix this most efficiently and effectively?" Obviously this is an incredibly valuable way to be to fulfill that role in society. But kind of freakish as well.
DukeLongfellow
Member
Yeah, they really don't care. The only time they will write you a ticket for not wearing a helmet is if you do something more idiotic (and usually dangerous) right in front of them.
I mean, that's how it is in Zagreb. I can imagine Dalmatia (assuming you aren't further north) is even more relaxed in that regard.
Sorry you had to witness that OP.
Dri se momak.
hockeypuck
Member
Helmet-less laws are great. Organ donation rates are higher in those states. It's actually been studied.
andythinkpad
Member
Can you post a google map link? I can not imagine what kind of slope are you talking about.