Almost Killed

Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
It was a beautiful fall day, the day I would have died Sunny, calm winds and puffy clouds. Yardsales going on.

I am writing to you guys from the second half of my life, or my other life , or the life I almost never got. I don't know. I haven't procesed what just happened and I don't want to either. I'm fine, my bike is fine. But for the grace of God and good luck you'd never know why I dissapeared. 30 minutes ago...how I was killed, smeared onto the highway in a mass of blood and broken motorcycle parts. It didn't happen by inches, millisecons - luck and grace. As if i had just been paid back for every good thing I ever did in one lump. It was like this -

I took the old Suzuki up to my neighborhood gas station for a drink. Its only 1/4 mile but its across a busy 4 lane intersection with overstressed drivers barreling though .I put the gas in, reset the Odo and puttered back out to the light to cross back. I was and always am a bit impatient at this light. Its a long slow one with turning lanes and delays between each red and green.It got to be 150 feet wide in both directions. I wait at the light, push in the choke, look at the tach, notice the idle speed is a little high. There was a small car ahead of me waiting to pull out and turn left on the highway, and I was going to follow but go straight across. Green light.

Highway traffic stops.The car ahead of me goes.. I look left and right.. ...the cars coming the other way start to pull out. I am looking to see if they are turning across or going. I release the clutch and start to go. From my left peripheral vision a red van comes flying into the intersection at 60 mph right into my path. Reflexes take over and I stop the bike. The van blows through the space between me and the car that went..where I would have been in a half a second. I feel the wind from him inches off my front tire. I am stopped .. I am fine... in shock. The realization of what almost happened flashes in my mind. Certain Death. A 60 mph T Bone.

As I stand there shocked a car coming the other way rolls up next to me and through the open window the drive says the first words I hear instead of being dead. Instead of blackness and pain and my wife and kids all crying at my funeral I get to hear this guy say - " YOU ARE ONE LUCKY SON OF A BITCH!" I say nothing. He pulls to the shoulder and stares at me. The red van pulls to the shoulder and stops. The van driver waits for me to do something I guess, call the cops or beat his ass. But I do nothing. I take a breath and start to shake a little . He is a Mexican guy in a Red Dodge Caravan. Every car is now stopped , 20 cars or so waiting staring, people in the gas station staring. The witnesses.

I look left. A pedestrian 10 feet away on the sidewalk says " Good thing you saw him!" I nod. He isn't moving . He is in shock too. Adrenaline and shock are coming hard to me. I realize my light is still green. Everyone is waiting. I let out the clutch and ride 2 blocks home in shock.

My wife puts the bike away for me. The bikes are away, the garage is closed lights off locked. I am shaking as I type this . I was a second away from certain death. I do not know if I will ever ride again. Maybe Probably. But different.

This is another life. I AM one lucky son of a bitch. Instead of being put in a body bag right now I am sitting at home. My wife will be back home soon. My son has his first college football game to go to today, 350 miles away. He plays Tuba in the band. I am thankful it will be a great day for him instead of a terrible day. I will see him in 2 weeks at the UConn game. I will go to a BBQ this afternoon and no one will know how thankful and happy to be standing on my own feet I am....happy to be in front of them instead of annihilated on the road, a bad story and tears, and memories and questions....I won't tell them how thankful I am to be there.

I can tell you because you ride.

I AM ONE LUCKY SON OF A BITCH


Watch the fucking intersections guys. If there is one open lane , you never know if a car could come barreling though,
 
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C

clydeturbeaux

Scooter
Thank you Sal

Your very well written account of what just happened triggered the mini adrenaline rush we all get when we have been spared a gruesome death.
Luck? Grace of God? Guardian angels? Karma? Call it what you like, but the important thing is you're still here with us and have been granted a priceless gift- the gift of life.
I believe everything happens for a reason and your close call has served as a reminder to us all just how fragile and temporary life is. This precious gift we all take for granted and enjoy can be taken away at any time.
With this in mind, we are all reminded to extend that hug to our spouses, spend that time with our children and never pass up the opportunity to do good or help someone.
The driver of the van most likely had a life-changing experience as well and was no doubt left shaken considering what almost happened.
He may very well consider paying much closer attention to the speed limits, traffic control signals and most importantly motorcycles.
With a little luck, he is on a van forum right now sharing his story with others.
Your incident has the potential to save several lives and create an awareness among other riders and drivers which probably needed to be refreshed.
I thank you for taking the time to remind us all that we are but a heartbeat from crossing over.
Take some time to process this and hopefully ride again when you feel the time is right.
 
9

9mmMike

Scooter
Glad you are OK Sal.

This is a great reminder for all of us that those lights do not actually stop the cars any more than those yellow lines keep them in their own lane.

Thanks very much for writing this. You may have saved lives just by sharing this experience with us.
 
Texas94fs

Texas94fs

Hooligan
Deep breath mate, don't live your new life overly cautious because of this, instead make sure to get out and live it, get the most out of it you can. Glad you're still with us, cheers mate.
 
mark66

mark66

TT Racer
What can I say.....I've been close to that but luckily not that close. I can't stand those 4 lane intersections and luckily I very rarely find myself at one. Very nicely put into words. We all need to remind ourselves every time we ride to do everything in our power to even the odds and make it home safe.
 
FoothillRyder

FoothillRyder

Two Stroke
Similar story, although not all that recent. I was riding home during the evening commute on my Aprilia Falco, taking advantage of the HOV lane. Lots of traffic in the other three lanes, and I have car ahead of me and one behind, keeping a respectful distance. We're doing 65-70mph. I'm always a little leery in this area, as there's a short concrete barrier between the lane I'm in the HOV lane on the other side. Always vigilant...

I see the sudden brake lights ahead in the 'normal' lanes, and quickly notice one car that isn't slowing like those ahead - and he's in the lane adjacent to the lane I'm in. The Honda just in front of the driver not paying attention is hard on the binders, starting to slide a bit when the car behind makes contact. The Honda begins to rotate - and head across the lane in front of me....

Must have been my instincts that quickly went two gears down and went to WFO, I don't remember doing it. I moved over toward that concrete barrier, the Honda now halfway across my lane and still coming. I made it through that tiny gap by what must have been millimeters. I glanced in my mirrors and saw the Honda slam into the concrete, then the car that had been behind me T-boned the Honda. I grabbed the binders to keep from hitting the car ahead of me, and shakily continued my ride home. I probably should have stopped; but was unable to do it.

I turned on the news. Four dead. Three in the Honda and the driver of the car behind me.

I shook for hours, and went out to give my Falco some love.

Speed - in this case - didn't kill me.
 
koifarm

koifarm

Hooligan
Jesus H. Christ Sal, what a story.....so glad you are still with us man, that was a close freaking call....thanks for sharing that with us. Kinda sets the "refresh" button in your life when you come that close....
 
S

Savantjk

Street Tracker
I was riding with a group last night and one of my buddies went down and slid into a gravel pit.. it's been a while since my accident and i've gotten more lax with riding.. seeing that last night and reading this today has awakened the caution that should be there all the time. Glad you're ok man.
 
S

strokerlmt

Moderator
Sal you are a great writer. I am just glad you are ok.......
Didn't want to but in and thx for telling everyone again "the assholes out there don't see us".
Last week I was getting back into Cambria from Ragged Point and I was at the light on HWY ONE. It can be long and it just went red. So I put the kick stand down and was looking at the new position on the crank case breather bent over and I look in my bar end mirror and an SUV is blazing down on me. I rotate around and look at this fucking woman on the phone and raise my hand in the air. She looks startled and slows realll fast and stops a few feet back.....no close call. I get off the bike and walk up to the window which she rolls down and says" sorry I didn't see you". I am a very polite person and really don't loose it very often but I shouted through the helmet...."stay off the fucking phone idiot and maybe you could see the road ahead of you". Then I went back to the bike ....let the green left go red for another cycle.
LMT
 
D9

D9

Vendor
Took us with you... f*cking scariest of scary places to be. Glad you're
ok and thanks for the well writ account of what almost happened.
 
W

wiseanhyzer

Two Stroke
Sal, glad you're alright man. I've had a similar incident where someone else's negligence almost cost me my life. Even thought I've had 100 great rides (or more) to each scary incident it makes you question why you're out there on a bike. To think that you'll never see your wife, kids, family, dog, etc again because some stupid fuck wasn't paying attention makes you sick to your stomach.

Anyway, glad you're here to tell about it. Safe journeys everyone.
 
S

simpson

TT Racer
Sal-

Glad you are ok. Thanks for bringing us "inside\ your helmet" with your writing.

I am happy that you are still around to write about it.

Also, I am happy that you didn't pay the ultimate price for the brain fart of the guy driving the red van.

I don't think they are out to kill us intentionally, I just think they know not what they do.

-simpson
 
Sal Paradise

Sal Paradise

Hooligan
Thank you guys . It does help to write this out and read your responses. I love motorcycles and I am pretty sure I will ride again but at this point right now the questions are bigger than I have answers for. I am not sure I can trust myself to stay away from the big highways and intersections 100% or to always see around corners. Eventually the love of riding will overtake fear or judgment. By the way I had an open face helmet on and I think it gave me the peripheral vision to see that van. I was really lucky that I had my A game yesterday and wasn't spacing out at all.

Ever since the hurricane and floods people have been driving like angry zombies around here. There are so many roads closed and people are reaching their breaking point. Even if I was in a car, if I pulled out that guy would have cleaned my clock and probably killed me. On the bike I am sure it would be definitely. Maybe in a weird way, the open view from the bike and open helmet saved my life. I don't know.

Perhaps if I was all on my own in the world I would get over this quicker but I have 3 kids and a wife and they need me here. So I am going to let it be a while and hope I can come up with an answer that lets me make peace with this.
 
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