Police say motorcyclist hit by loose tire

[catamount]

11:20 AM, May. 31, 2011

CHESTER — Police in the Vermont town of Chester say a motorcyclist was airlifted to the hospital after he was hit by a tire that came off a vehicle traveling the other way on Route 103.

Chester police say the motorcyclist and the driver of the other car were both driving the speed limit Sunday when the left from tire of the car came off and hit the driver of the motorcycle.

The rider was taken to Springfield Hospital where a helicopter ambulance was waiting to take him to the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.

The condition of the driver was not available.

Police did not release the names of the people involved in the crash.

Police are trying to determine what caused the tire to come off the car.

[korndogg]

Youch.
Definitely on the list of things you wouldn't expect to have to keep an eye out for.

[NobodySpecific]

Also saw this story, pretty much equally scary http://www.clickorlando.com/traffic/...85/detail.html

It's shit like this that scares me a lot more than a low side while riding.

[wylee]

I believe that's exactly what happened to Slyder's friend in Canaan awhile back. (Wheel came off a vehicle going the opposite direction)

[toocrazy2yoo]

Ah, shit, another..little too close to home, Lynn:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43235313

Careful out there, peeps..

[DucDave]

happened at Indy 500 too....that's got to be embarrasing...

[fjrrider RI]

ooch must be put under the heading - shit happens - thats when u know your number was up.
At highway speed with two objects colliding from opposite directions the speed is equal to the two speeds added together so 60+60 that tire was heading for the biker at 120mph.
My question is there time to avoid this if you see it comming? Any physics professors available?

[NobodySpecific]

ooch must be put under the heading - shit happens - thats when u know your number was up.
At highway speed with two objects colliding from opposite directions the speed is equal to the two speeds added together so 60+60 that tire was heading for the biker at 120mph.
My question is there time to avoid this if you see it comming? Any physics professors available?

If it is travelling across your path of travel, you want to aim for where the tire WAS, as that is least likely spot for the tire to be next. If it is coming right at you, it is likely you might not even see it. If you can see it, just hope that you are aware of an open spot and aim for it as quickly as you can. In either case you are probably fucked though.

[korndogg]

added together so 60+60 that tire was heading for the biker at 120mph.
My question is there time to avoid this if you see it comming? Any physics professors available?

I agree, the two objects would have been approaching eachother at 100-120mph, which would be 146-176 feet per second.

Take a wild guess at how far away you would have spotted it and you have a good idea of possible reaction time before impact.

[Slyder]

I believe that's exactly what happened to Slyder's friend in Canaan awhile back. (Wheel came off a vehicle going the opposite direction)

Good memory.

And in the end, the bikers lawyer gets all the settlement money, the biker gets a shit ton of medical bills and no way to buy another bike.

It's a lose lose situation. Not good.

[fjrrider RI]

just need to burn more incense to please the gods if you wanna miss an object at that speed comming directly at you. My last riding mentor who recently passed away after a lifetime on bikes and teaching the squids class told me "stand up on the pegs if you can't avoid and jump". Saved my life when I hit a downed deer carcass after a curve at 75mph on the highway. The bike made a perfect 2' high by 50' jump and came down fine. But that deer was not moving at 60mph against me. The one before that I had to seperate from the bike but that is another story. Gives me an idea for a thread 'bike war stories"

[sveesix]

I cannot even imagine seeing that coming at me on the highway. I guess instinct would take over, and honestly, I do not know what I would do, if anything.

[7UPyours]

had a similar thing happen to me on route 18, rear left wheel came off a truck traveling in the opposite direction and started to pick up speed while heading towards me, I sped up and car behind me started to brake really hard, tire went between us into bushes, very close call.

[pk4882]

A friend of mine is a blaster, shooting tons of rock every day. He told me that "A fly rock coming in horizontally, straight at you, is the one your brain doesn't pick up." In other words, thats the one that will take your head off while you are wondering what it is.

Something travelling toward you at enough angle will register quickly and possibly give you a few micro-seconds of action time. But for some reason, if there isn't enough angle, your brain doesn't register it as a possible threat.

I think this phenomena probably applies here. You see the missile, but your brain doesn't process it. Might also explain why MLB guys can consistently connect with a 90mph pitch, but beanballs get through!

PK

[catch2otwo]

My dads friend died in a situation like this a few years back. A semi driving the opposite direction on 128 lost a wheel that came across the median and hit his pickup. When your numbers up its up.

[rbrais]

ooch must be put under the heading - shit happens - thats when u know your number was up.
At highway speed with two objects colliding from opposite directions the speed is equal to the two speeds added together so 60+60 that tire was heading for the biker at 120mph.
My question is there time to avoid this if you see it comming? Any physics professors available?

Well, not really. It depends on a lot of factors. We figured it out in physics one day. It has everything to do with the difference in the two speeds and the weight of the objects colliding, crumple zones, etc.

For example, two identical cars traveling at 60 mph hitting head-on would be slightly less of an impact than hitting a concrete wall at 60 mph, because both cars have crumple zones and are able to bounce back. The force of one car cancels out the force of the other, making it as if you were hitting a stationary object at 60 mph.

If one vehicle is heavier or traveling faster than the other, that vehicle receives less of an impact. So, if car hits a bike head-on, both traveling at 60 mph, the impact to the car would be like hitting a stationary object at like 25 mph and the bike at like 95 mph. Then you have to factor in the rate of decent for the rider (coming off the bike, hitting the windshield, rolling over the roof, etc.) Lots of variables, but you do not double the speed to determine the impact of the crash.







Think I mis-read the question. You do add the speeds together to get the speed of impact, but not the force of impact.

[korndogg]

Think I mis-read the question. You do add the speeds together to get the speed of impact, but not the force of impact.

Right. He was talking about speed/reaction time. Not force of impact.