Someone threw a rock (and hit me) on Hwy 9 today (Warning - blood)

The full thread with photos is on Bay Area Riders Forum. I'm ok, I'm
just going to be
very sore tomorrow on my right side. I've crossposted this to ba.m-f
as well, I think it's
important the locals know what's going on in their back yard.

http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=169482

This happened to me, Moike... today, July 4th, a little before Noon.

(begin)
Ok, what I'm about to post right now is pretty fucked up, and
there are some nasty pictures attached. So consider yourself
forewarned. Also any spelling or grammatical errors will have
to be forgiven, I have vicodin in my system at the moment.

Today (July 4th) at just before Noon I was headed up Hwy 9
northbound just past the 236 Junction with some of my fellow
Vampires. I was riding my Ducati Monster, with Dillan on his
CBR behind me, Eric behind him on his Gix thou, Tim on the RSV
two stroke, and Barrett on the Triumph.

I'd just turned in to the fast lefthand sweeper with the gated
dirt driveway on the right where the CHP/Rangers like to park.
I glided through that, motored down the long flat open straight,
and then downshifted for the moderate blind righthand kink. I
slid through that, stood it up for the short straight before the
next righthand kink, gassed it, and then set my line for the
next turn. I rolled in, got on the gas, and started to exit
the righthander when I caught a split second image of a rock
about the size of my fist come flying out from the brush on the
shoulder of the road.

The rock impacted me in the bicep on my right arm with enough
force to rip my hand clean off the bar and throw it aroud behind
me like I was trying to touch the back of my left shoulder.
It twisted my upper torso violently to the right, and when it
did I saw someone or something up on the hillside.

I got my right hand back on the grip as quickly as it came off,
grabbed my upper right arm with my left hand, gave it a couple
quick shakes to see if there was any obvious crunch of broken
bones. There was no newly created joint from what I could tell.

Holding my upper right arm steady with my left hand I quickly
started braking and doing clutchless downshifts, keeping my focus
and looking at a perfect spot to pull over on the left hand side
of the road. Making sure it was clear to do so I pulled across
the double yellow and brought the bike to a stop on the shoulder.

Dillan had stopped about 50 yards further up the road at this
point and I started yelling that someone had thrown a rock
at me. I told him to call 911 and request CHP. Barret, Tim,
and Eric had got parked and over to me at this point. I asked
Eric to run down to where I got hit and see if he could see
anybody up on the trails on that side of the road.

I couldn't tell if my arm was broke, but every major joint in my
right arm... wrist, elbow, my already fucked up twice and surgically
rebuilt shoulder, started yelling at me and making their presence
known. I didn't pull my leathers off, and there were no puncture
or tear marks where the rock had hit me, but it was pretty obvious
I was bleeding under my leathers since it was oozing through the
kevlar panel a bit.

Eric didn't find anybody, but he did note that the hiking trail
ran right along Hwy 9 there, it gave a perfect vantage point up
the straightaway before the turn, and there were at least two
obvious avenues of escape to houses.

Officer Crouch showed up, as did a Ranger. I explained to them what
had happened, and they took notes. The FD and EMTs arrived just a
few minutes later and I stripped out of the upper part of my
Helimot 1pc for them. I had what looked like a bullet hole in my
right bicep surrounded by chunks of my own flesh and it was
bleeding pretty good. They washed it out patched me up, and did
the basic shock tests (do you know who you are? What year is it?)

The Ranger and Officer Crouch found the rock, which was a square bit
of slate about 3 inches by 3 inches by 2 inches... and had quite
a bit of heft to it. All the edges were very square, and sharp.

Info was taken, numbers were exchanged, I crawled back into my
bloody leathers and myself and the rest of the Vamps finished our
ride to Alice's to get some lunch. **** it if I was going to let
some jackass with a rock ruin my ride. (Stupid idea on retrospect
since I was bleeding much worse than I thought I was)

Given where on that section of Hwy 9 this rock hit me, and the
angle at which the rock was traveling when it impacted me, and
the movement I saw on the side of the road... It's pretty
obvious it was thrown by someone. I ride a loud Ducati, and I have
a Day-Glo Orange helmet. And I was the first bike in the group.
There's no cliff right there for it to bounce down, there's
excellent cover, and the vantage point allows a good view of Hwy
9 in either direction.

- If it had got me in the throat, or in the goggles I'd be dead.

- If I didn't ride with my body loose, or hold my grips like
they're uncooked eggs, or had not maintained my focus and
allowed myself to become a passenger instead of a pilot after
the rock impacted me... I'd have probably crashed and been really
injured or killed.

- If I didn't wear real honest to god leathers, with kevlar
panels, I might have lost my arm. Or at a minimum, been
lacerated real bad.

I wouldn't doubt if this is a copycat of the highwire act in the
Los Gatos hills not too long ago. I've been hearing stories about
incidents like this on Highway 9 for decades now... Tree branches
dragged out into the road, gravel, coolant, oil obviously poured in
the corners, rocks and other things thrown at motorcyclists,
I never thought I'd get to experience this particular brand of
disregard for human life firsthand. Especally given that I owned a
home in Boulder Creek for nearly 6 years, and got to know quite
a few of the mountain folk on a first name basis.

Sarah and I got back from the ER tonight at around 6:30. I had to get
stitched, X-Rays, a tetnus shot (which I hate), and the wound scrubbed
out (which it turns out is about a 1/2 inch deep). The ER on 4th of
July weekend is a lovely place.

Keep your eyes peeled my brothers, someone is out to do us real harm.

-Mike-
(end)

 

Fuckin' ow, Moike. Heal up.

It's not likely the asshole will be found... }: (

 

Good reason to break out the S&W 50 cal. revolver for a little target
practice in the surrounding foilage. It might make enough noise to cause
them concern for their next rock throwing excursion.

However, you stopping and calling the cops might slow them down....for a
while.

Schools out. Maybe it shouldn't be.

Glad you got stitched up.

B~

 

I'll be fine... I'm a Vampire, you can't kill what's already dead.

The bad news is that apparently I'm not delusional, as some crazy on
the side of Highway 9 took a pot shot at a motorcyclist with a pellet
gun just a few days prior to my incident. I was forwarded this link
from South Bay Riders...

http://www.southbayriders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29777

Other very recent disturbing things that have happened to motorcyclists

but not been reported have been e-mailed to me as well. There seems
to be an obvious pattern within the last two weeks here, but I'm the
only
one who's bothered to make a stink to the CHP/PD about it when it
happened.

-Mike-

 

Damn...some treehuggers resenting their "wilderness experience" being
shattered by the scream of a Duck in full go mode?
I'm glad you were able to stay in control. Wish there was a way to find
the idiot that did that...attempted murder, at least!

--
--
Spidergraham
Chaplain, ARSCC



"Comparing Scientology to a motorcycle gang is a gross, unpardonable
insult to bikers everywhere. Even at our worst, we are never as bad as
Scientology."
-ex-member, Thunderclouds motorcycle "club"

 

And see, that's the crazy thing... I lived in Boulder Creek for nearly
six
years. Highway 9 was my daily commute. I learned to respect Highway 9
during that time and the people who have to live on it, and I always
tend to
run reserved... -Especally- on the weekends and holidays when I know
the
idiots are out in force.

The part of 9 where I got pegged, I'd say I was going through there
well
under the Monday Morning Dry w/Good Visibility 4 Wheeled Vehicle
Commute pace. I was the lead bike in a group of 5, therefore it was my
responsibility to set the tone for the ride. And we had one rider in
the group
who was mellow, so I had my pace tailored to his riding style.

Maybe if I'd been running my normal pace, my attacker would not even
got
a chance to cock their arm back before I'd have zipped by...

Or maybe I'd be learning to sign my name left handed, eat with a hook,
and
investing in velcro shoes.

Regardless, I swear by Helimot's leathers. The kevlar panels in the
suit were
the difference between a bad puncture wound and life as an amputee. I
shook
Helmut's hand this AM when I took my suit to get inspected for damage,
with
my bad arm, and thanked him for making such a quality product.

-Mike-

 

I suggest that the gratuitous swipe at treehuggers is really
totally uncalled for.

I don't know if you recall the recent Loma Prieta clotheslining
incident, but the folks responsible, (currently awaiting trial on
assault charges) were hardly treehuggers. More like good ol
mountain folk.

I lived in Boulder Creek for ten years or so, my first bet would
be bored teenagers. Treehuggers would be a ways down on the
list, but in any case there's no evidence of any kind to say who
did it.

 

You've got some sap on your shirt.

 

Oh, shut the **** up...

-whr-

 

Glad to hear you're recovering. I'll warn my new tenant -- he's a
motorcyclist, too.

Well, that sucks, too. Hear that, folks? When idiots do wrong out
there, notify the cops. Otherwise someone else with a lesser problem
will get whatever service is going.

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

Well since you asked so nicely asshole....

 

What's the matter, you think we have too many trees and not enough
people?

Al Moore
DoD 734

 

May they die of a painful testicular or ovarian cancer at a young age. Karma
should be a bitch. This is criminal sh*t. I can't believe some people are so
seriously fucked up that they feel entitled to do something like this
somehow believing they're acting out a worthy cause in their little sick
f*cked up minds.

Me, I'd take that rock, kick it up their ass, tear it out of through their
mouth, and then slam it into their craniums until their brains ooze out
their earholes, not quite willing to wait for justice and cancer to set in.

What a cowardly lowlife.

....pablo

 

Damn...some treehuggers resenting their "wilderness experience" being

Huh? What are you fuckin' stupid? Do you have a reading comprehension
problem? If you can't follow a simple thread like that, perhaps you've
fallen off your bike too often: wear a helmet, idiot...

-whr-

 

Fuggem; they're assholes, anyway.



Geoff

 

Wow...this from a guy who Bowdlerizes "shit" and "****" with
asterisks. (You overlooked a "****," by the way.)

Reminds me of the way movies get "PG" ratings for language and
violence, but "R" ratings for somebody being slipped the snot
sausage. And yet, which one does the recipient enjoy more?



Geoff
DoD 996

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that to hurl a missile
at a moving vehicle, or from one, constitutes felony assault in CA.

 

You know all of the mentioned "treehuggers" well enough to make such an
assertation? Perhaps you spend too much time in the forest?

 

Thus explaining the lack of interest in following up by the CHP. I won't
soon forget the dolt who interviewed me after getting knocked senseless
by a deer up on the Shoreline Hwy:\
"So ..you hit the deer , right?"
'No, the deer hit me'
"Oh so you hit the deer, right?"
'Please write this down exactly as I say..The deer hit me'
"are you sure?"

and so on/making every effort to get me to admit some fault for getting
run in to.
Pathetic.
Good luck, Mike.
Heal fast.
Jim

 

It's probably not a good idea to shot into bushes that you can't see
into, especially if you don't know what the guy looks like who threw the
rock ... or what the old lady looks like who's sitting out on her front
porch enjoying her quiet Sunday morning.

And if you can some manage to survive such a rock and still see the
thrower well enough to identify him, you might as well just let the
police accidentally let him fall down some stairs.