Monday, May 30, 2011

Waxahachie Motorcyclist Thankful for Good Samaritan

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Biker Kyle Webb saved by a stranger
What happened to Texas motorcyclist, Kyle Webb, last Thursday (May 26) could have been a lot worse, according to doctors, had the charity of a complete stranger, Stewart King, been lacking. Had King not been in the right place at the right time, Webb may not have lived to tell the story.

King was driving his 18-wheeler home at about 11pm on I-35 South in Waxahachie when he saw 28-year-old Webb lose control, and his motorcycle flip as he exited mile marker 405. King, who, as a truck driver, prides himself on paying particularly close attention to the road, rushed to Webb's side, lifting the bike off him.

Webb was rushed to Parkland Hospital's trauma unit, where he was later told that, had much more time elapsed, he might not have been saved due to serious blood loss. Webb's right foot had to be amputated, but said he know it could have been worse. King noted that there were other cars ahead of his 18-wheeler that did not stop.

As a North Texas motorcycle accident attorney, it gives me a sense of pride to hear stories of such southern hospitality and charity, and makes me grateful to be a Texan. As a personal injury lawyer it is my job to prosecute the negligence of the irresponsible, so I am glad when I hear stories of such selflessness. Both Kyle and his wife Ashley are thankful for the stranger that stopped to help. I am grateful as well.

Monday, May 23, 2011

How Motorcycle Riders Can Maintain Traction to Avoid Skids and Slides

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Traction is a concern anytime you are on a motorcycle. Some part of your mind should be addressing it whenever you ride. It is a primary issue when you are braking or cornering, a moderate concern while you are accelerating, and still of a little interest when you are riding straight at a steady speed. It can even be an issue when you stop and put your foot down.

Actually, it isn't traction you are thinking about. Your mind is worrying about all those things that can eliminate traction—water, oil, coolant, diesel fuel, gasoline, sand, dirt, plasticized sealants, ice and tree sap, to name a few.

Your first line of detection is normally your eyes, but sometimes slippery stuff can be deceiving. Occasionally an oil slick looks like a tar patch. Sand can look like a slightly different pavement composition. Diesel fuel or coolant can appear as just a slight, nearly invisible sheen on the road.

Shade can hide a slippery hazard or actually create it. After a dewy night in our local mountains, the road sometimes stays wet and glazed until the sun reaches it. However, during the winter months, the low sun may never dry off some corners, and even in the afternoon riding into a shaded corner can produce a slick surprise. If it gets cold enough after the sun goes down, that leftover moisture can freeze. (Using one of those key-chain thermometers as a zipper pull on your jacket can provide information about whether temperatures are near freezing.) Even on a warm, dry day, a shaded corner can be hazardous, especially if you are coming from bright sun. The shade can hide sand or dirt, and I have seen more than one rider crash in a dark dusty corner.

Experience can help you learn the signs of slick surprises, but there are things you can do to help. For one thing, avoid polarized glasses, which can hide the shine of something slippery. Use your nose to smell spilled fuel, coolant and oil. (If you don't know what coolant, oil and diesel fuel smell like, you should learn.) If you smell any of these things, you slow down and move away from the part of the road you suspect to be contaminated. Many times they are not visible.

Where Does the Goo Go?


Lubricants and other automotive fluids are normally the slickest stuff you'll encounter on the road. Cars and trucks are the usual source of spilled fluids, though they used to leak a lot more. We were always advised to avoid the center of the road, where the oil usually fell, especially in heavy traffic areas and major intersections. That's still good advice, especially when it's wet. Heavy traffic areas that are covered and protected from the elements—tunnels and toll booths, for example—are almost always slippery when it rains. The rain doesn't fall directly on the road surface to wash the oil away but instead drops off the wet vehicles that pass through, giving you that super-slick oil-on-water mixture. The curving tunnel at the west end of U.S. Interstate 10 where it becomes Pacific Coast Highway, which adds an off-camber turn to the equation, is a classic and scary example. Most riders will eventually encounter a toll booth on a rainy day, and if they don't remember how slick they can be, they probably will when they put their foot down or at least when they accelerate away.

In corners, fuel or oil is likely to get thrown to the outside, so if you smell or suspect a spill, you can usually avoid it by staying to the inside. Staying to the inside also gives you more room to straighten up without running out of lane. On the other hand, moving to the outside as you enter a corner and staying there until you can see all the way through the turn allows you to look farther down the road and gives you more time and distance to adjust for any potential hazards. This latter approach is the one usually recommended, and if you enter the corner with some speed margin to allow you to tighten your line if needed, it gives you the most options.

What do you do if you see a strip of oil in a corner you will have to cross? Slow down and tighten your arc before you reach it and cross it as upright as possible with no brakes and the throttle in neutral. The oil will stay on your tires for a few rotations, so continue with caution, avoiding hard turns or braking. Of course, unless you have encountered one of those oil traps someone deliberately dumped in the middle of a corner (increasingly common in Southern California), the line of fuel or oil is likely to simply follow the bend of the corner all the way through. You will have to decide whether to ride inside or outside of it. In a right-hand bend, staying inside is usually the best idea, especially if you can see it goes all the way through the corner. In a left-hander, staying clear of the line of spilled fluid might place you too close to the oncoming lane, so you'll have to decide if there is enough room to stay safely inside of it. In any event, the best approach is to slow down so your need for traction is reduced and you can straighten up to cross the slick as needed.

Slippery Subject


Lots of things land on roads and make them slippery, and some things are there permanently—manhole covers, metal bridge gratings, paint, railroad tracks, cattle guards and those plasticized sealants some road-maintenance agencies use to seal cracks. They offer little traction when dry and almost none when wet—and many of these metal items are the first places where ice forms on wet, cold days.

While some of these metal components could probably be designed to provide better traction, those plasticized crack sealants are clearly the work of some motorcycle-hating devil. While most tar strips are slightly slippery, the newer composites offer all the traction of the inside of an alligator's nose. Sometimes you can avoid them, but other times they spread over a corner and seem to cover more surface than the regular pavement. The only thing to do in that case, especially when it's wet, is slow down and call or write the local road department.

"Go soothingly on the greasy mud, for therein lies the skid demon." That remark has been attributed to everything from Asian road signs and motorcycle manuals to Mark Twain. Whoever said it, it is good advice for motorcyclists who think the demon may be lying in wait. Slow down, straighten up and don't accelerate or brake any more than you absolutely have to, and he'll probably let you go.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Cole Legal Group Promotes “Sharing the Road” with Motorcycles By Joining Efforts with State and Federal Partners

May Proclaimed Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.

share the road, txdot, nhtsa, share the road with motorcycles, national highway traffic safety administration, biker awareness month [Dallas, Tx] – Motorcyclist fatalities have steadily increased over the past decade. In fact, there was a 2 percent increase in fatalities from 5,174 in 2007, to 5,290 in 2008.

That’s why The Cole Legal Group announced today that it is joining with other federal, State and local highway safety, law enforcement, and motorcycle organizations in proclaiming May as “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.”  All motorists and other road users are reminded to safely “share the road” with motorcycles and to be extra alert to help keep motorcyclists safe.  Motorcyclists are reminded to make themselves visible to other motorists.  All road users are reminded to never drive, walk or bicycle while distracted.

“As the weather improves, more and more motorcyclists are hitting the roads,” said local biker friendly lawyer, David Cole. “And with that in mind, pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers of all vehicles, including SUVs, passenger cars or trucks, need to be extra attentive and make sure you ‘share the road.’  A motorcycle is one of the smallest vehicles on our roads, often hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot. Everyone needs to aggressively look for them.”

It’s crucial that motorists and bicyclists always make visual checks for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections.  Pedestrians should also scan for motorcyclists who might be hidden by other traffic.

“Motorcyclists have responsibilities, too,” Cole said. “They should follow the rules of the road, be alert to other drivers, never ride while impaired or distracted, and always wear a Department of Transportation-compliant helmet and other protective gear.”

Cole said that a motorcyclist is much more vulnerable than a passenger vehicle occupant in the event of a crash.  He said that research  from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in traffic crashes.

David Cole offered several tips for drivers to help keep motorcyclists safe on our roadways:
  • Remember, the motorcycle is a vehicle with all of the rights and privileges of any other motor vehicle on the roadway.  Always allow a motorcyclist the full lane width—never try to share a lane;
  • Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections;
  • Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic;
  • Don’t be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle – motorcycle signals are often not self-canceling and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed;
  • Allow more following distance, three or four seconds, when behind a motorcycle so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. And don’t tailgate. In dry conditions, motorcycles can stop more quickly than cars.
  • Never drive while distracted. 

Davide Cole said motorcyclists can increase their safety by:
  • Avoiding riding in poor weather conditions;
  • Wearing brightly colored protective gear and a DOT-compliant helmet;
  • Using turn signals for every turn or lane change, even if the rider thinks no one will see it;
  • Combining hand signals and turn signals to draw more attention to themselves;
  • Using reflective tape and stickers to increase conspicuity; and
  • Positioning themselves in the lane where they will be most visible to other drivers.
  • Never driving while impaired. 

Our message to all drivers and motorcyclists is: make this the first year in recent years when motorcycle fatalities do not increase. Help to share in the responsibility and do your part by safely “sharing the road.”  

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