The Importance of Wearing a Helmet
Semi Truck and Scooter Crash in Springfield Missouri
I certainly don’t know all the facts, and I always caution anyone from reaching firm opinions about crashes before they do have all the facts, but this one merits discussion: 1 dead, 1 arrested after Saturday moped crash
First, there is absolutely no excuse for going faster than the vehicle immediately in front of you; rear-enders are no brainers !
Second, we don’t have information about the truck driver; there is a good chance that the scooter cut in front of the truck, as the scooter driver was reported to be drunk, and that’s never good, no matter what happens.
Third, whatever 2 wheel vehicle you are on, the passenger almost always gets hurt worse than the driver, and being rear ended, the passenger has no protection, especially if they don’t wear a helmet.
Finally, many of my clients hate to wear helmets, yet the data is clear: helmets provide more protection than not wearing one. Very recently, a new client was forced off the road on his motorcycle, and he now says he will never ride without a helmet, ever, since his “skid lid” saved his life. His helmeted head bounced and scraped along the pavement quite a way before he came to a stop, suffering a significant *closed* head injury from the impacts causing serious concussion to his brain, *but*, without a helmet, he would most certainly have suffered extensive and life threatening *open* head wounds, a broken skull, extensive internal brain bleeding, surgery, and possible death.
The helmet saved his life. Would a helmet have saved this young, 54 year old lady’s life? I don’t know, do to personal medical privacy laws we likely will never know for sure.
But, we do know, she is now gone, her family and friends will miss her, and she never got the chance to reduce her injuries or save her life by riding without a helmet.
Be safe; protect your head; it’s the only part of your body you can’t live without, and it can’t be replaced.
Story Update:
Story information provided by KOLR 10 on Ozarksfirst.com:
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A 49-year-old Springfield man is dead after a moped versus truck accident on Mo. 125 at Route YY Thursday morning.
According to a crash report, Eugene E. Hill, 49, of Springfield, was driving a moped westbound when he failed to stop at a stop sign.
Hill pulled into the path of a southbound Ford F150. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the truck was uninjured and tested for alcohol, as per Missouri law.
This is Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop D’s 41st fatal crash for 2014.
http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/d/story/car-moped-crash-kills-one/11098/b-oTcTTCpEmTt_FqYYXoWw