Almost got killed today....

During a panic situation, up to a certain point your rely on your instinct, your reflexes, and the skills you have acquired to bail you out. If you can stay relaxed and clear-headed, and do what you need to do, things usually turn out for the best.

I went past this point this morning and stared death directly in the eye.

On my road, out in the country, on the way home from work, flipping through the switchbacks. I floated into a blind left-hander, apexing near the center of my lane.....
Giant blue Mack dumptruck.....oncoming.....also apexing near the center of my lane.

No problem..front brakes..stand it up, adjust line... more... further over...
I was on the last foot or so of pavement and his grill was still heading straight at me.

That's when I thought..."This is it. I'm not going to make it out of this one."
I threw my left arm up over the side of my head, shut my eyes (yes), chopped throttle and pulled on my right grip, fighting for my last little bit of road before MACK punted me off the side of the mountain.

Then it was over. Somehow, we squeezed past each other. No contact. There could not have been more than a foot between us. I stayed on the pavement. Shook off the adrenaline and made it home.

It doesn't get much closer than that.  

Wow.  Some luck, and some skill...  Glad you kept in on two wheels...  It would have been easy to just stand it up and head off the road.  Should have kept your eyes open though.  

Was the truck actually in your lane?  

I've scared my self riding a few times...  Crazy how the adrenaline makes you shake afterwards...



Chris  

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Should have kept your eyes open though.  

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I want to go out in a blaze of glory and everything, but that doesn't mean I want to watch it.

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Was the truck actually in your lane?

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Neighbor or not i'd consider beating that guy retarded...we have a problem with that here in Arkansas...rednecks and their trucks *sigh*. Glad to see you're in one piece and able to write about it...  

Even though this 'person' is your neighbor, contact your

local county deputy and report this incident. If possible,

you, the deputy and your neighbor should have a long dis-

cussion. In a polite way of course.

So, you have met the Grim Reaper...

Have confidence in your-self, you now have proof that the

time and effort you spent in developing your riding skill-

set works. As an aside, don't allow that corner to 'spook'

you, ride through it as many times as it takes. When you

feel good with it, flip the Reaper off and piss on his

face.  

Glad you made it out alive.

About the adrenaline; too much of that stuff can actually make you sick to your stomach.  

Sorry Casey...  I must not have been paying attention when I asked if the truck was in you lane...  Now that I've re-read the post, I see it.

You certainly know your bike and road well, but this might help prevent another "near death" experience.

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_9910_motorcycle_blind_turns/index.html



Chris  

Thank you for sharing your adventure with us and your inner most emotions too. I'm certainly glad you lived to write about it. I hope you're not offended if I discuss your technique as it relates to my experiences.

Apexing well clear of the center line is a good place to start...although in my neck-of-the-woods the center of the lane is not for apexing because it is often sandy. And you were doing good until that final moment of panic when you shut your eyes. That last tug on the bars with your eyes closed may have saved your bacon. My issue is you believed you were about to impact the front of a Mack truck and your panic took over and prevented any rational escape action.

Panic is rarely of benefit and hard to avoid. Here's what helps me. The first step to panic is surprise. If you can get a handle on this one you are off to a good start. Intelligent and diligent consideration of your surroundings will help. No secrets here. Deer live in the country; cars come out of driveways; sand washs downhill; trucks swing wide in corners; etc. Perhaps you weren't expecting any issues in that corner because you've ridden through it a hundred times.

If you aren't surprised when an issue arises, you can go straight into action forming and executing a survival strategy without wasting precious moments. If you are totally focused on the job at hand, you'll be too busy to panic. Allow this old fart a little story.

Twenty years ago, how times flies when you are into your second half century, five of us were riding up to Laguna Seca from southern Cal. I was leading at speed on a tight one lane road when I discovered a band of sand two feet wide and extending completely across the road at the apex of a left hander. Surprisingly there was a four inch curb lining the outside of the corner and then the grassy ground sloped away and was sprinkled with oak trees. I flicked it in low to get all the road I could and then snapped it up straight to go through the sand. Then it was back onto the left side again just in time to miss the curb. Thankfully plan A was successful, but plan B was to try and use the curb as a berm and C was to make sure I missed the first tree if I went down the slope.

I know I have handled a close call well, when it is all over and I say "Wow! That was close!" And then the adrenalin hits.  

Some things are unavoidable.
Dumptrucks in your lane, leaving you a 3 foot wide strip of asphalt on which to maneuver your bike through a curve..unavoidable. I would not have been embarrassed to have gotten plowed by that truck. I didn't do anything wrong.

As far as shutting my eyes... OH F'N WELL. I was bracing for impact. I had done all I could do. I had reached the end of the rope and I still thought I was about to get hit. I only had my eyes shut for about a second. Making the curve with one hand on the grip, one over my head, and my eyes shut... can't explain it. Seat time, luck, and Jesus.
Or maybe I'm superhuman. Wouldn't that be cool?
The Force is strong with this one.

I have to giggle to myself when you guys give me that 20/20 hindsight. It's kind of like hitting a hole-in-one then having someone in your foursome say.."You dropped your shoulder a little...need to follow through more next time."
My gosh.