My tattooer fell of his Motorcycle NO HELMET :(

JonathanD · #1 07-03-2008, 08:14 AM

About 2 weeks ago I went and got a tattoo. YAY.
He messed up something and I was angry adn wanted to go ask him to fix it nicely.

I heard that day that he had been riding home with his girlfriend on the back of his bike. The kickstand was down, so he reached down to pull it up. He saw he was too close to the curb and tried to correct. The kickstand was still down and it caught on the ground. His head hit the curb...they were going 20MPH.

His brain turned 90 degrees in his head, his ears were bleeding. Its not looking good for him. He can't focus his eyes or communicate in any way. No hand squeezing on command. He is disoriented and violent(frontal lob damage has that effect.)

I use this to make a point. The more often a point is made the more likley it is to sink in...

Wear you ******* helmets every mother ******* time you get on you mother ******* bike if you care about the people in your life, if you care about your own life, an if you don;t want to be mentally retarder or dead for the rest of your life.

If you want to be a vegetable, ride without a helmet.

moomoocajoo · #2 07-03-2008, 08:21 AM

Damn.

:/

jazzy grille · #3 07-03-2008, 08:23 AM

I agree.. Wear a damn helmet people.

Poor guy.

gonzorob · #4 07-03-2008, 08:24 AM

You know, it really is a personal preference as to whether these guys ride with or without a helmet. I don't think its very smart to ride without one mind you. I mean if these guys want to all be organ donors thats more than fine with me.

Big Joe · #5 07-03-2008, 08:36 AM

Actually, a helmet won't help in most cases of motorcycle accidents. It might keep you alive but not in a state you'd want to be "kept" alive in. While a helmet will keep your head intact, it won't stop your brain from rattling around inside your skull getting stabbed/sheared from the base of your skull and smashed against the internal walls of your skull.

I'm sorry to hear about your tattoo artist.

Techmonkey · #6 07-03-2008, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Joe

Actually, a helmet won't help in most cases of motorcycle accidents. It might keep you alive but not in a state you'd want to be "kept" alive in. While a helmet will keep your head intact, it won't stop your brain from rattling around inside your skull getting stabbed/sheared from the base of your skull and smashed against the internal walls of your skull.

I'm sorry to hear about your tattoo artist.

surely it'd act a little bit like a crumple zone? the brain jiggling force would be a result of the change in impulse... and seeing as impulse is dictated by applied force multiplied by time applied for, I would have thought the helmet would at least have bought a few milliseconds of extra resistive force, so the change in impulse would be less dramatic, so the brain would be a little less jiggled?

granted, we'd only be talking a little bit... but the brain is pretty sensitive, and a little bit less could have serious positive effects

edit: sorry to hear about your artist, tragic shame =\

Barfly · #7 07-03-2008, 09:18 AM

"His brain turned 90 degrees in his head,"

OISH!

moomoocajoo · #8 07-03-2008, 09:18 AM

Helmets DO help. Maybe they won't save you completely but they do reduce the force from an impact and will save your head some trauma.

Big Joe · #9 07-03-2008, 09:53 AM

Basically it's like this:

No helmet = Very little chance of walking away without serious injury or worse. Even at a low rate of speed, you can get killed or have permanent injury.

Helmet = More chance of not dying and slightly less chance of serious and permanent injury. You can still get very serious brain injuries with even the best helmet on. The higher your rate of speed, the higher your risk of very serious injury regardless of a helmet. Having a helmet on actually increases your chances of serious spinal cord injury which can lead to paralysis or death. A C1 fracture will put you in the same boat as the late Christopher Reeves.

There are factors besides helmet/no helmet that factor in too: Alcohol consumption, years experience riding, riding habits/styles, etc.

Are you safer in a helmet? Yes. How much? Not a whole heck of lot when you weigh all the risks. I'm not saying give up your helmets or get off your bikes. I'm just saying be careful out there but know a helmet isn't always the answer you expect. Saving your life can sometimes ruin your life too. Persistant vegetative states aren't a good way to be (not that you will know the difference if you're in one).

**Vorago** · #10 07-03-2008, 09:58 AM

Just wondering, bikeracers like Rossi (Moto GP) obviously wear a helmet but also wear some kind of harness that protects their neck and upper back. Isn't such a harness available to (for?) the general public?

Philbiker · #11 07-03-2008, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Joe

Actually, a helmet won't help in most cases of motorcycle accidents. It might keep you alive but not in a state you'd want to be "kept" alive in. While a helmet will keep your head intact, it won't stop your brain from rattling around inside your skull getting stabbed/sheared from the base of your skull and smashed against the internal walls of your skull.

This is incorrect.

Since they were travelling at only 20mph this is also a lesson on why to wear a helmet when on your bicycle.

69nites · #12 07-03-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorago

Just wondering, bikeracers like Rossi (Moto GP) obviously wear a helmet but also wear some kind of harness that protects their neck and upper back. Isn't such a harness available to (for?) the general public?

yes. leathers and armor are available to the public. If you wear underarmor it really doesn't even feel that hot in the leathers unless you're sitting in traffic.

a helmet will help a LOT. not just for impacts either. Helmets slide heads catch. just like leathers. a helmet and leathers are the difference between you sliding down the highway and you flipping violently and getting turned into hamburger.

moomoocajoo · #13 07-03-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorago

Just wondering, bikeracers like Rossi (Moto GP) obviously wear a helmet but also wear some kind of harness that protects their neck and upper back. Isn't such a harness available to (for?) the general public?

I think that has a lot to do with aerodynamics as well.

**Vorago** · #14 07-03-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moomoocajoo

I think that has a lot to do with aerodynamics as well.

Dunno, I've seen a lot of these crashes on tv and they usually fall either on their side or they make a flip and land on their back. The harness seems to protect the neck and back since they usually walk away. I don't think they'd walk away from a 2/3 meter drop on concrete if the harness was only there for areodynamical reasons.

Big Joe · #15 07-03-2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philbiker

This is incorrect.

Since they were travelling at only 20mph this is also a lesson on why to wear a helmet when on your bicycle.

You're correct.

as little as 5 mph difference in either direction might have made a difference in visible effects (ears bleeding vs. not bleeding vs open head injury) but probably not in the overall effect on his ability to function afterwards.

And in his case, a helmet would have likely made a big difference. In other cases maybe not so much but Iwll agree that you are more likely better having the right safety accessories on (including a helmet) than not. Being able to control your fall (to some degree) also plays a roll and that falls under years experience, IMO.

Everybody be careful out there and take every chance and precaution to protect yourself... If only that was enough.

jomahu · #16 07-03-2008, 10:22 AM

egad, that sux.

is there a proper (for lack of a better term) way to fall off a moto?

Big Joe · #17 07-03-2008, 10:23 AM

BTW, any word on how his g/f is?

69nites · #18 07-03-2008, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jomahu

egad, that sux.

is there a proper (for lack of a better term) way to fall off a moto?

yes. you want to be wear leathers+boots+helmet and fall so you're sliding on your back and try to avoid catching in a way that you would start flipping violently. the next best is your stomach.

ohh yeah and try to land on ANYTHING but your head.

Steve Clark · #19 07-03-2008, 10:50 AM

My neighbour suffered a head injury when riding his bike (pedal). A car door was opened in front of him and over he went. He has made a remarkable recovery but is still tormented by his lack of functionality. The burden on the family has been huge as they wade through the hours of paperwork to get compensation from insurance. He's taken a turn for the worse lately and has attempted suicide twice. Wear a helmet! If you jump out of a second story window onto your back deck you'd bet traveling between 20-25km/h. You wouldn't do that without a helmet.

bradjonesbass · #20 07-03-2008, 10:51 AM

If you're going down, let it go down. Usually when you panic and try to correct, you overcorrect and make matters really bad - sort of like when your car slides on ice. If you relax and go down, you're more likely to walk away with scrapes and bruises. If you overcorrect and go completely out of control you're more likely to hit your head HARD. Wear protective gear and learn when and how to fall.