Sorry to read that; may he rest in peace.

For those of you who did not understand what I said such as (I've seen both sides of the situation)Yes I agree helmets can save lives, I do wear mine, but in this freak accident which had ocurred to my deceased friend the helmet did take his life. He was wearing a full face helmet properly fitted,when his bike slidd on lose gravel left on the roadway he too slidd across the pavement hitting the chin guard on the curb, this caused his head to hyper extend which inturn severed his wind pipe from his lung and pushed it into his heart he was traveling 7mph. My best friend was with him at the time, He is an EMT who tried to revive him. In his report he also stated the same as the medical examiner and police report the death was caused by the helmet, strange but true. He was a very good friend I miss him dearly.

Keithrg---Relax--There's no need to be so dramatic. Making car owners wear helmets or banning motorcycles completely has never even been a consideration. There is no arguing that the right gear will protect the rider. Your wish that these people died doing something they loved was well placed. The sad fact remains that in many of these cases that a helmet and the correct riding gear would make the difference between attending a funeral and next Saturday's ride.

Almost every time there is a report of a bicycle or motorcycle death - pregnant pause - an argument about helmets ensues.
It reminds me of cigarettes. Tongue-in-cheek, why not just get it over with and ban cigarettes? Why not just ban motorcycles? I will suggest a reason; the I-want-to-tell-you-how-to-live culture does not quite yet have the intestinal fortitude to come fully out of the hand-ringing closet.
But have no fear - the purveyors of ubiquitous manipulation never sleep. I wait with bated breath for the near future when we are mandated to wear helmets in cars; motorcycle and cigarettes are banned; and, the drinking age is raised to 30.
Since it was Sunday I suspect these two riders were out testing the better weather as opposed to commuting to work (little work left in Wisconsin anyway). I hope they died doing something they loved. I suspect dying doing something one loves invokes angst and consternation from the I-know-better hordes. I know that when I die I would hope it is doing something I love. Yes, rather than dying in a nursing home with apple sauce drooling down my chin; long past any hope of my family and friends still remembering me ever doing things I onced love to do.
I hope they are now with what ever higher spirit they brought with them in life.
Bob Keith
cooldadiomedia.com

Not that I disagree (and I'm a bit sorry to post it here but am glad there are no names posted) but why do people feel that wearing a helmet on a bike should be their choice?

We are required to wear a seat belt inside our cars, and if the helmet is their only means of protection shouldn't they be required?

A "killer helmet"? That's a tough one to buy. Even if there was such a thing, 99.99% of the time a helmet is going to save your live(not to mention your face) before it would take it. With the modern advances in riding gear, I still can't believe how many people I see riding with just sunglasses and a t-shirt. I guess either they're too cool for the gear or their skin must not mean much to them.......

Cause of death was the helmet?

I am curious about the details as that is certainly exceptional. Was the helmet defective? Did it catastrophically fail? Was it improperly sized or fitted? Something else? Was the manufacturer informed (if it was a materials failure) and/or held liable? That is unfortunate.

Ride safely everyone!

Spark; You are so right, Kudo's to you. Some riders aren't experienced enough and I have learned to ride defencive, always being aware of the enviroment around me at all times

Motorcycles are fun, but dangerous. More so because of the vulnerability you have from others not paying attention and the results of what can happen. I also believe there are way to many inexperienced motorcycle riders out there that don't have the skill to handle the bike. Especially the bigger bikes. Helmets also save lives. If my head hits the ground, I'd much rather have something surrounding it rather than making direct contact with the Earth. Racers where them and they survive unimaginable impacts because of them. Your odds are obviously better. That being said however, I think it should be your choice whether you wear one or not on the street. And sometimes, no matter what you do to protect yourself, the worst can still happen. There's always that chance, but such is life. Be safe and ride like everyone is going to pull out in front of you.

Speed is not always the factor in motorcycle accidents, and helmets don't always save lives. I can honestly say this, because I have been a motorcycle operator for over 35 years and I have seen both sides of the situation such as several ocassions, of near hits by drivers in cars that say they didn't see me.Seems more like the case of inatentive driving on their part!(how do you not see a 220 lb. man on a fullsize motorcycle)? Also needless to say I've been hit and drugged several feet by a drunken woman making an illegal left hand turn from the right lane in a car. A very good and close friend of mine lost his life in a very mild,and I mean mild accident (doing only 7 mph's)The cause of death was from the helmet,this was documented in the police report and was determined by the medical examiner.

Gotta love how we all assume human negligence was involved. Perhaps something in the bikes gave out (cars break down all of the time...)maybe a deer jumped out at the wrong time..? Just because they were on bikes doesn't mean nothing other than human error caused the wrecks. Enjoy every moment, hug your family and pets and think a prayer for those whose lives changed today because of this.

Everyone SLOW DOWN! People in cars and on bikes. I don't know how many times we have been going straight through an intersection with a green light and some moron thinks they can just pull out in front of us turning left. We came inches from someone coming down the Centerway Hill by Papa Johns. The person never even stopped, looked or anythign just kept on driving. People are RIDICULOUS! Not all bike riders are stunt riders, or don't wear helmets. Just everyone watch out for everyone.

I'm so sorry for these families. They are in my thoughts.

helmets?

slow down.......

*sigh*