ShayneJack Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Today I went on a ride that someone else had organized from a different forum. In all seven riders showed up, two 4th gens, a 5th gen, and four 6th gens. Knew three of them from previous rides but did not know the other three. At any rate, we all saddled up at 9:30am and headed up a mellow-twisty section of highway to our lunch destination. The ride organizer asked that I choose the riding order, so I went up to each of the riders I didn't know and asked how quickly they prefered to ride. One said medium, the other two said slow-back of the pack. Fine. We took off and the lead pack (3) pulled over at the summit to wait for the others. I get a call on my cell that theres been an accident at the bottom. So we head back, and find the accident scene within the first two miles of our original meetup location. Rider down. Save the gory details but this is not a sew-it-back-together and continue type of accident. By the time the lead pack made it down the hill he had already been taken via ambulance to the hospital (of which we are still trying to find which one...) Information gathering. CHP is on scene, about 6 units. From what I gathered, the rider who fell was 6th in order when we started. It appears that he passed #5 and #4 and then target-fixated on the next turn and managed to ride into the next turn and run wide into the guardrail. "Does anyone know his last name?" CHP was able to get this from his license I'm sure. "Does anyone know if he's married, what his wife's phone # is?" unknown "Has anyone ridden with him before? Know anything else about him?" unknown... Sadly I'm sure I'll be reporting back with his condition as soon as I know. (SEE BELOW) But it did manage to cause a major reality check for the rest of us. I've always organized rides with the new members riding towards the back. Stay in the order assigned. If for any reason you'd like to move up or back, do so VERY CAUTIOUSLY and ONLY WHEN SAFE. For best results, wait until the next rest stop, then make sure the riders in front and behind know of the change. EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION I'm not a salesman, I won't sell your personal information to the highest bidder, I won't google your personal information, I won't give it to the police and tell them I think you're a drug dealer. THE ONLY REASON I COLLECT EMERGENCY INFO FOR EVERYONE IS FOR INSTANCES LIKE THE ONE THAT OCCURED TODAY. There was no one to call. There was no way of asking him who to call. There was nothing we could do. But sit there and watch the motorcycle being loaded on the back of a tow-truck to be hauled away to who knows where... I personally wear a resQtag. I hope I'm not overstepping the boundaries by advertising this, but check their website at www.resqtag.com It's a small 2"x2" vinyl sheet that you write all your information on. Then fold it up, held in place by velcro, and attach it to a zipper on my jacket. There's also a sticker that goes just below my visor on my helmet that states "EMERGENCY INFO ON ZIPPER PULL". You get two of them for about $20. Then carry the same information in your wallet. I also made a picture (MS Paint) with my primary emergency contact's name and phone number and saved it to my cell-phone screen saver. If EMS finds my phone, just pressing any button displays the name and number. Write down two emergency contact information, their names, phone numbers, relationship. DO IT TODAY. We could have called someone right away. Instead the CHP will have to research his history via DMV to find any relatives, etc. LOCAL NEWSPAPER LINK LATEST UPDATES: 5/31 3:30pm Received voicemail from hidesertmlb, DEAN is in Arrowhead Medical Center. Michael mentioned it was difficult to obtain information without his full name or approximate age... Will update with his status as soon as I know. Thanks redneck7769 for stopping by Loma Linda to check if he was there. 5/31 9:45pm Just got off the phone with hidesertmlb, Dean is stable, in a neckbrace, arm in a splint, and leg stabilized. Looks like he will be ok. Most concerning to find out is that his only emergency contact had a disconnected phone. I hope for a full recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sorry to hear about the guy, and I think you've got some good points here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted May 31, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sh*t! Sorry to hear about that. I hope that this person will be ok. YOu're right, I've thought about doing that last year right before a long ride (4 days), and never did. I'll do it this week This is always overlooked but it would make a lot of people's lives easire. I also asked a medic last year about what I should do should I f**k up and end up loosing consciousness. He said exactly what you had put there, a person' name and number easy to reach and this should be placed in an easy to reach place. ppm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Peto Posted May 31, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2009 Good topic. I tend to push it more when riding with others as I am sure most of us do. I have ridden with at least 20 VFRD members. You know what? I don't know a single one of your last names (except Seebacher(sp?)) or your addresses or whom to contact... It sucks to think about, but we all know, in an instant any one of us can be incommunicado. Then everyone else is standing around looking at each other like a bunch of dopes. I have the cell phone "ICE" thing going, but I may add one of those zipper card things to my equipment... Hope the rider pulls through... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Boy that hits home!!! Sorry about the incident and hope the riders will be OK! I have been a very stronge advocate of Emergency Info and ID's every since Bruce(TEXASMAC) was killed while riding with me in Dec, 03. Ray and I are standing by our fellow VFRD members body and didn't really know a damn thing about him other than he's from Texas! :rolleyes: Not good! That is an extemely helpless feeling, I had ridden with him all day the day before and shared a room with him the night before. They (he & wife) were on a Holiday trip visiting family in Atlanta and this was a small side trip for just him to see/ride the Dragon! Hell I barely new his real name!!! :ph34r: Hence the name tags this year! I finally did remember that he charged a call to his wife from out hotel room the night before or there would have been little to figure out who to contact, so the Trooper went to the hotel and retrieved the info and contacted his wife with the aweful news! Ever since I have handed out emergency info tags that attach to your helmet at every event I've orgainized , except this last one for some reason, but I did have everyone's contact info from their registration so we would Never be caught out like that again! You should know/have or talk about emergency info for everyone you ride with and should carry that info on you at all times just in case! Better to talk about this before an incident! Thax BR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer michaelf3 Posted May 31, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sorry to hear that Shayne. If I wasn't up till 3:30am this morning I would definitely have been on the ride. I know on rides you and I put up we always ask for contact info. Can't say enough all the points you stressed. I hope Dean isn't hurt too badly and wish for a speedy recovery. I maybe paranoid but this is the reason I won't ride alone in the twisties. I want to make sure I get help as soon as possible and not risk it by chance if something were to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VolsFan Posted May 31, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2009 Good topic.I tend to push it more when riding with others as I am sure most of us do. I have ridden with at least 20 VFRD members. You know what? I don't know a single one of your last names (except Seebacher(sp?)) or your addresses or whom to contact... It sucks to think about, but we all know, in an instant any one of us can be incommunicado. Then everyone else is standing around looking at each other like a bunch of dopes. I have the cell phone "ICE" thing going, but I may add one of those zipper card things to my equipment... Hope the rider pulls through... Putting a contact number on you cell phone with "ICE" (in case of emergency) is a no brainer!! The numbers saved on my phone is simple....ICE Home and ICE Cell. If you don't have and "ICE" number saved to you contact numbers, please do it now!!! As LEO, I have had to use those numbers to contact...well, you can understand!!! GO VOLS!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ryanme17 Posted May 31, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted May 31, 2009 Boy that hits home!!! Sorry about the incident and hope the riders will be OK!I have been a very stronge advocate of Emergency Info and ID's every since Bruce(TEXASMAC) was killed while riding with me in Dec, 03. Ray and I are standing by our fellow VFRD members body and didn't really know a damn thing about him other than he's from Texas! :rolleyes: Not good! That is an extemely helpless feeling, I had ridden with him all day the day before and shared a room with him the night before. They (he & wife) were on a Holiday trip visiting family in Atlanta and this was a small side trip for just him to see/ride the Dragon! Hell I barely new his real name!!! :ph34r: Hence the name tags this year! I finally did remember that he charged a call to his wife from out hotel room the night before or there would have been little to figure out who to contact, so the Trooper went to the hotel and retrieved the info and contacted his wife with the aweful news! Ever since I have handed out emergency info tags that attach to your helmet at every event I've orgainized , except this last one for some reason, but I did have everyone's contact info from their registration so we would Never be caught out like that again! You should know/have or talk about emergency info for everyone you ride with and should carry that info on you at all times just in case! Better to talk about this before an incident! Thax BR Where do I get some of those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB-Oz Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sorry to hear about the rider in your group that went down. I have an ICE entry in my phone, and on the group rides I organise i gather and the distribute a spreadsheet contain all riders mobile numbers and their partner's contact, for that "just in case" episode. Some call me mother hen for doing this but the alternative is not a good one to contemplate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShayneJack Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Granted, the ICE method on your cell phone is a GREAT IDEA! But STILL write the information down for your wallet, or resqtag, give it to the group organizer, etc. Quite a few of the mountain areas I travel to have little to no cell phone range. Heck, one of the mountains has a 40 mile stretch with ZERO BARS! Nope, I can't hear you now. But have a back up plan. If your cellphone is disabled (ie. wet, smashed, dead battery, so forth) then you're back to square one. 1. CELL PHONE - save under contact ICE - HOME and ICE - CELL. Try posting a picture to your phone to save as a screen saver that has this same information. 2. WALLET - take a post-it and write your emergency contact information (I like two people), then secure it to the back of your driver's license. 3. JACKET/HELMET INFO - as Bailey mentioned, post the info in a place that will be QUICKLY seen by EMS. Sticker on the helmet, resQtag on zipper pull, dog tags (I would stay away from the digital dog tags, or at least check with EMS in your area if they are able to download your data on scene.) 4. LIST OF EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO - when in a group, make sure there is two copies of a ride roster sheet. Two emergency contacts with phone numbers. Make sure lead rider has one, and sweeper (tail) rider has one. If you prefer not to give out this info fine, just make sure you have it on your person so it is accessable. I know this is a difficult topic to converse about. But after experiencing the CONSEQUENCES of not having this information this morning it made me think to post this up in hopes of avoiding anyone having the same experience. And if you KNOW you have this information with you, pull it out and check it. When was the last time you did that? Are these people still your contacts? Have their phone numbers changed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 For those who have AeroStitch suits there is a medical information packet available. It would attach to any 4" long velcro loop strip. LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NorthernVFRDave Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 ICE info is great, but the other thing everyone should have is direct contact info for the other people they are riding with. This came up at T-mac this year with me. Went out alone on Friday after following some one else back to the Hotel with a sick bike. At the time it never even clued in to me to have some one else's number incase something happened to me. Well after being gone for 5 hours having a heck of a good ride and getting new tires I got back to the hotel around 7pm Friday night to find out the local Sheriff was called to check if any riders had gone down, because a few people where worried about me. It did cross my mind to call the hotel and leave a message but like Kevin was saying, we know everyone by a screen name and maybe a first name, but to even get a last name and remember it. But I guess I could have called and just had that very nice young lady at the front desk and had her just pass a message on to some one and hopefully it would have got passed to the right person. Hind sight is 20/20 right? :blush: So from now on, I'll make sure I've got a number for at least one person I'm riding with, incase I get separated again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer alwaysaware Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 Just an idea, I don't even know if its possible. How about creating an emergency contact info form and attaching it to your member info when you first sign up to join VFRD. Make where the CEO, Mods and Volunteers only have access to the info. In the event of an emergency, the info can be accessed and those loved ones can be contacted. Just an idea. :fing02: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gradus Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 There's a motorcycle apparel website that give free stickers for your helmet. It's a little plastic sleeve that sticks to the back of your helmet with a folded piece of paper with contact info, blood type, etc. I have one on my helmet. I think these are the same ones that Bailey has handed out in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Sorry to hear about the downed rider. Sounds like he got pretty banged up, but glad he'll be OK. Lots of good ideas here. :fing02: Personally, I usually wear a wristband Road ID (www.roadid.com) when riding away from my home area, and it's always in my jacket no matter what. I also have a necklace/dogtag type for cycling and other exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Spike Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 There's a motorcycle apparel website that give free stickers for your helmet. It's a little plastic sleeve that sticks to the back of your helmet with a folded piece of paper with contact info, blood type, etc. I have one on my helmet. I think these are the same ones that Bailey has handed out in the past. Same thing that I have on each helmet. They used to be free, but now they are $1.99 or free with any purchase. http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/product.asp?Item=MICS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Macs06VFR Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 All great ideas. I have a contact list on laminated 3x5 cards in every one of my bags. I put one in with my insurance/registration info too. Also use the medical dog tag. I hope no one ever has to use either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted June 1, 2009 Forum CEO Share Posted June 1, 2009 I spent some of the forum money on an rsvp events system here on vfrd, if you are planning a group ride ask me and I will provide you with a sign up area for members to provide you that important information. I used it recently on the kansas meet and it shows up on the homepage for added visibility for your events. It is customizable and it already has an area for emergency contact info. I still need to tweek it a bit but its a suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 1, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 1, 2009 Whoa....6666 posts for HS. :fing02: Good suggestion though. :fing02: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer HiDesertMLB Posted June 2, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thanks for the reminder regarding emergency contact information. I have since ordered a ResQTag, to replace the ziploc-bag version in my jacket pocket. As shayne stated, the who's and where's were definitely met with question marks as we wondered where Dean was headed off to. Contact information in plain view could have avoided this. Despite retrospect, being proactive in getting contact info that's accessible will help immensely in the event it is required. BTW: The AeroStitch is such a sweet riding suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Boy that hits home!!! Sorry about the incident and hope the riders will be OK!I have been a very strong advocate of Emergency Info and ID's BR Where do I get some of those? I order mine through Whitehorse Press, similar to the others shown here for helmet mount, but the Whitehorse Press one's say " DANGER DO NOT REMOVE HELMET: MAY CAUSE PARALYSIS" EMS-MEDICAL DATA LOCATION I handed out a few hundred of these over 5 years of TexasMac meets. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jayazusa Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 This post really makes you think I am out there alone 90% of my riding. I have been looking at various options a CoWorker uses the Road ID (RoadID.com) Very simmalar to a dog tag but more info. Anyone using something simalar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I did the ICE cellph/photo for my "wallpaper" thing this morning. Came out great. I also wrote the same info on a Post-It note and stuck/taped it to the back of my driver's licence. Hope it's never needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShayneJack Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 I did the ICE cellph/photo for my "wallpaper" thing this morning. Came out great. Awesome! I like the fact that all it takes is for someone to press any button and WHAMMO! the info is right on the screen. ICE is a great thing to put in your contacts as well, but figured if it's posted on the "wallpaper/screensaver" it might save just a few seconds that lord knows I just might need! Mine looks like this... names changed to protect the innocent of course... sample Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest atvrcr500 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 There is a new digital dog tag out now. It is call UTAG. I have introduced it to my safety office on the base and they are looking at issuing it to all the motorcycle riders on base. It is very easy to use just plug it into a USB port and it bring all your information up in several different langages. http://www.flyncycle.com/ Keep the rubber side down. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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