03tlCHARCOL

iTrader: (3)

A state trooper rolled his car multiple times while chasing two reckless motorcyclists, one of whom returned to taunt the injured trooper trooper, officials said.
The incident happened on the northbound ramp from Interstate 5 to State Route 599 at approximately 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Cliff Pratt said the trooper was chasing a group of at least nine members of a south King County motorcycle group who were speeding dangerously and getting too close to cars. As the trooper tried to close in on the fastest biker, he told Pratt that two other bikers cut him off.
"Had he not slowed down and slammed on the brakes, he would have hit them," Pratt said. "At his speed that made him lose control."
The trooper's vehicle rolled several times, finally landing in a ditch alongside the ramp.
"It's infuriating when all we're trying to do is enforce the laws in the state of Washington and protect the public, said Pratt. "Obviously these motorcycles traveling at 100 miles per hour with no regard for the safety of anybody else is a huge problem for us in this area."
As he waited for help to arrive, one of the motorcyclists he'd been chasing returned to the scene, Pratt said. The motorcyclist parked across the street, approached the mangled patrol car on foot, then laughed and clapped at the injured and bleeding trooper before speeding off.
"Now you're talking about a state trooper who rolled his car several times. He's obviously injured, pinned inside his vehicles and you've got a couple of motorcyclists who really don't care whether this trooper lives or dies at this point, to the point where they think it's funny," Pratt said.
Investigators believe they have the motorcyclists' registration information, Pratt said, and they are searching for the two people. No description was available.
Passersby stopped to help and call 911, and the trooper was pulled out of his car by emergency crews and taken to Harborview Medical Center where he was treated for serious injuries, including a head injury. He was released early Wednesday morning.
He was identified as 46-year-old Brian Salyer of Spanaway. He is a 22-year veteran of the force

charliemike

While not all motorcyclists are like this, it seems that you can paint the sport bike owners with a pretty broad brush.

I don't see Harley guys going between me and another car at twice the speed limit.

I wouldn't mind at all if those things were banned permanently.

jim165

That was totally inhumane of that biker. I'm a motorcyclist and I absolutely do not condone that kind of behavior. I've been known to hoon in traffic occasionally, but if I get caught, you'd better believe I'm pulling over. I've gotten out of a couple of tickets out here in Texas just because I pulled over immediately...

SG81

iTrader: (1)

the cop slammed his brakes to avoid hitting the bikers who cut him off. F-that, if i was that cop, i would've hit them

fsttyms1

While not all are like this, it sets a bad name for even those that obey the laws. They need to fry these idiots if they catch them!

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

The trooper was screwed either way:

1) Hit the brakes, flip the car, he gets injured.

2) Hit the motorcyclists, now he gets possibly reprimanded and lawsuit is coming his way.

He probably chose the best action for him ultimately in that split second.

I hope they catch those SOBs.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

While I agree it's usually sport bikes, I see Harley guys driving like asses too.

Also, if we're going to ban motorcycles for dangerously weaving in and out of traffic and doing 100+ MPH, we have to ban cars as well, since I see more cars then motorcycles doing that... many of which have caused accidents as well. I love how motorcyclists get a bad wrap when stories like this come out... however, automobiles are just as guilty of the same infractions, but they're never perceived as a problem

charliemike

Where is the QC? There are a few key roads that I'm on where I see it all the time:

• Route 50 between Annapolis and DC (might as well be a time trial for most sport bikers)
• The Capital Beltway I-495
• I-95 between Baltimore and DC
• I-295 between Baltimore and DC

Maybe if we got rid of any sport bike over 250cc that would fix the problem

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Charlotte, NC. But I've seen it in NY, SC, GA, and FL as well. FL is actually the worst. Seems like it's more Harleys then sports bikes riding like that. SC is a close second...

Bikes will never be banned b/c cars commit the same infractions bikes do... it's just that the bikes get a bad wrap while the same incidents with cars get ignored. Plus, 99% of the riders out there are law abiding riders... so no point in putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work and crippling economies b/c of 1% of the bad riders. Plus, people like the asshole in the story are just assholes... doesn't matter if they're on a bike or driving their car...

You should go do some reading on the AMA website. Lots of good info for folks who are ignorant (or make ignorant statements) about motorcycles

charliemike

I think you're in the pro-motorcycle camp

By the way, the day you can get a third car between two others on the white lane dividing paint at twice the speed of the pair without wrecking any of them, I'll concede your point about the evils of the automobile

AMUA6

iTrader: (7)

Man that pisses me off just reading this post..

Juniorbean, are you an AMA member?

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

Wow, that is an asinine statement on so many levels.

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

Mmm, I wouldn't take it that far, however not all riders are out to cause problems...
This rider did however take it WAY to far...

charliemike

Because you ride a motorcycle?

I do 25,000 miles a year in my car. I have seen shit that would turn you white and I've seen it A LOT.

charliemike

I'm sure we could have this same argument about bicyclists in the city and no one is going to ban them. That problem stems from essentially the same problem. People can be self-absorbed idiots.

I have no problem with people who own a motorcycle and act like a responsible adult when they're out riding. I can see the attraction in riding one.

But there is a real problem with sport bikes and sticking our heads in the sand is not going to make it go away.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Wow that's fucking terrible. I hope that one biker gets caught.

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

No....because it is an uninformed, opinionated statement from someone who is obviously scared of motorcycles...or more specifically, sportbikes.


Good for you.
I've been riding for 20+ years, both on street and track; and I've seen my share of wrecks as well as idiots doing stupid things on machines that have two wheels and four. Doesn't matter what the machine is, there will always be some moron driving them dangerously.

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

You could make that arguement about any operator operating any machine.

There is as much a problem with sportbikes as there is with modded out Honda Civics (and Acuras) racing around the streets. It's not the machine that needs to be banned, it's the operator that needs training & education.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Well of course I am. I ride and drive. BTW, I have seen many videos of drunk drivers or people running from cops in automobiles either trying to create a lane by squeezing between two cars, or forcing their way into the space by wrecking one of the cars. Also, in certain states lane splitting is actually legal under certain circumstances. Of course lane splitting at 100mph is not... but under certain conditions in certain areas, it is a legal maneuver...


I am. Signed up before I even got my first bike


Most stats I can find online show approximately 6,567,197 registered motorcycles in the US... and that is of 2003-2004 or so (meaning it's even higher now). So, for argument's sake... let's use that number. So, 1% of that would be 65,671 registered motorcycles. So not only am I going to take it "that far"... I am going to take it further and say that there's no way there are 65,671 riders on the road like this guy. The number (and percentage) of assholes like this is likely well below 1%...




That said... the guys from this article need to be found, taken out back, and beaten...
.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

He came back to taunt the officer?

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

Correct, however I was talking about the percentage of riders that go weaving in and out of traffic, well above the speed limit...Would you agree thats more than 1% of riders?

The guy in the article is a piece of shit that has no regard for human life...I guess we were just not on the same page.

dallison

asshats

Rick_TL-S

We just had a similar story in Dallas with bikers running from Plano PD. PD got so fed up, they got rid of one car meet & are now looking for just a few people to make as examples for everyone else.

As someone said, not all bikers are like this, but it's getting to a point where the idiots look like they're starting to outweigh the good guys.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

No, and that was my point. IMO there's no way that, on average, ~66,000+ riders weave in and out of traffic well above the speed limit on a regular basis.

stogie1020

I am going to get a patch made up that says "0.001%"

1%-ers can kiss my ass.


Charliemike, lemme guess, you got 'wronged' by a sportbike sometime and have now selected them as the target of your rage? Nice.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Statistically it's no where near that point. 99% to 1% isn't even close. However, the media sensationalizes anything with motorcycles... so the general public likely would agree with your statement thanks to news coverage.

A drunk driver slams into a toll booth and flies through the air and it's no big deal... just another car accident/drunk/distracted driver. A motorcyclist does something stupid and not only is it national headlines, but then people come out of the woodwork claiming motorcycles are dangerous and should be banned and almost everyone who rides is a hooligan... etc.

Difference is.. if a motorcycle plows through that toll booth the rider is likely dead. When a car does it... it has 3500 or so more pounds behind it and it can kill multiple people. Now, which one is really more dangerous? At 40mph, would you rather be hit by a fragile 400 pound motorcycle, or a 4000 pound lethal weapon? Seems to me like the car is ultimately more dangerous...

endo022

iTrader: (1)

There's two instances of asshatteries in this thread.

First instance is the two douches that taunted the cops
- if it's even true...I kind of find it hard to believe that two riders going 100mph, running away from the trooper will see the trooper's car roll over, then come back against traffic to taunt him. It might be more of the trooper in his concussed state and shocked state that got him confused. In the picture, it shows other riders stopping and helping him out. I wonder if he's got things confused in his mind of what really happened...especially with the taunting.

The 2nd instance is charliemike generalizing the rest of the biker community with his uninformed opinion. I've seen plenty of asshat riders on harleys...they're not limited to sports bike. And of asshat drivers in general (whether it's 2, 3 or 4 wheels).

neuronbob

I hope those bikers are caught, then placed in a car and rolled over multiple times. Coming back to taunt the cop was just awful, not even helping him. F***tards.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I drive 40k a year and you'd be surprised what I see on a daily basis. Should we ban soccer moms from driving because they are preoccupied with what is going on in the back seat more then the road?

The fact youre generalizing the motorcycling community as reckless beings that constantly weave in and out of cars at 100+ is absolutely ludicrous, and it makes you look like an idiot.

With that said, I have been on the Beltway numerous times and Ive seen a fair share of bikers doing 100+. But, have you ever noticed the amount of cars that are doing the same thing? I sure as hell have. Do we ban them too?

Now, I am absolutely not standing up for what that "biker" did. I hope he gets caught. Sadly I dont think there is anything in the law books for taunting, but I sure as hell hope he pays.

fsttyms1

I average 50k a year, sometimes up to 100k. I see more cars doing stupid shit than i do motorcyclists. Not to mention cars are far more dangerous of a weapon than a motorcycle

This!


Maybe we should ban cell phones in general because too many people use them while driving. Or maybe get rid of the automobile so we can all use cell phones because that is the generalization you are applying to ALL motorcyclists with sport bikes.

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

I am so glad the officer wasn't killed... I rode for years with the last bike being a 900RR, so I was a crotch rocket guy, but we never did anything this stupid... I think car and motorcycle drivers / riders in general are just getting more crazy and reckless... and the lack of respect for life, for the property of others is at an all time high... really sad...

ANC297

iTrader: (2)

I'm not trying to start anything by any means, but I dont understand how you don't see what I'm trying to say...
I do not own a motorcycle, nor do I ride on a regular basis, but I have rode numerous times before....Its not a matter of taking sides for me...However, I understand how easy it is to get up to speed and maneuver through traffic on a bike, I dont know about you guys but its quite tempting.
But lets say you are at a motorcycle meet and 100 bikers show up...
How are you gonna tell me that out of those 100 riders, only 1 of them speeds through traffic, in and out of lanes on a regular basis...I am gonna continue to dis-agree with that statement, but thats just me.


Its not drivers/riders, but I'd say its more of this particular generation.

Rick_TL-S

Whether it's in the news or not, these morons jumping on bikes seems to be rising.

Maybe not where you live, but after the past couple weeks, most of the riders in DFW have recently gotten a bad name for more than just a few riders doing the same shit these people did, i.e. running from police. As I said, 1 county is now looking to make examples out of any rider they can & some of the local meets are already kicking bikes away from their GTGs so they can't be affiliated.

I'm in no way saying all bikers are bad at all. Just saying it's sad that bad bikers (at least in this area) are actually starting to make such a negative impact.

d-townhakuzo

^Rick's right. On the tollway near my house, I have had 7 bikers, all at different times and different days, going between 2 cars that are side by side and going roughly 75mph, while the bike is doing around 100 and is trying to pop a wheelie. As some said though, you don't have Harley riders (such as my dad) weaving in and out of cars on the highway. If only the idiots that hop on the street bikes could act civilized...

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

good point... gen X... X-tra krazy...

teranfon

I agree with you Rick. It's very easy to generalize and claim that a particular motor vehicle demographic is more reckless than another. And it's even more ludicrous to claim that a particular operator of specific style of motor vehicle is more foolhardy than another. For every reckless motorcycle rider I know, I know many, many more that are careful and obey the rules of the road. And these dangerous riders are on all styles of motorcycles.

I suppose it's easy to single out motorcycle riders, but I've yet to hear how automobile operators acting irresponsibly aren't a danger to others as well (including the danger they pose to motorcyclists). The idiot driving his sportscar at high speed in and out of traffic. The young lady texting behind the wheel. The superhero in the lifted 4x4 riding someone's ass because he thinks the car in front is going to slow. And the average driver who is often in a waking doze, not aware of anything around him.

The only difference between one type of moron driving or riding a motor vehicle is the perception of the other.


Terry

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Terry...I love these examples... we need to start a "what craziness did you see on the road while driving today" thread... it would never end...

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Plenty of idiot Harley riders here in LA.

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Can't wait for these a$$holes to be caught and dragged off to jail.

:ibpicsofsaida$$holes:

majin ssj eric

While I certainly do not condone the actions of these bikers I have to question the merits of the chase as well. Considering that none of the bikers wrecked but the cop chasing them did, which is more dangerous? Some dudes on bikes going fast on a highway or or the cop charging through traffic trying to chase them down for said speeding? Sometimes they need to just let things slide rather than putting more lives at risk for an unnecessary chase.

I could argue that what most cops are actually trying to do is generate revenue for their county/city/state. Why is it considered so reckless to ride a bike at 100mph but perfectly safe to do so at 80mph? I certainly don't know the circumstances of this incident and all we have to go on is the word of an obviously biased and quite angry police officer. For all we know it was just a case of one cop chasing down some speeders and losing control of his car.

For the record, it is sick that they came back to mock the officer. I certainly would have tried to help him even if it ended up getting me arrested....