This crash video of a Sydney rider hitting a van that suddenly appears out of a line of slow-moving traffic is similar to the recent double motorcycle crash in Melbourne in the video below.
(Fast forward the top crash video to the two-minute mark.)
It is a timely lesson to both riders and other motorists in heavy traffic to never assume the road is clear.
For riders, a gap in the long line of slow-moving traffic to their right represents a possibility that a vehicle may emerge.
For drivers, a gap in a long line of traffic is not an open invitation to boldly accelerate through.
In both cases, the riders are not speeding or doing anything wrong. However, a good dose of scepticism about driver behaviour is advisable.
In the Sydney case, the rider was not badly injured, but his Kawasaki ZX-14 is a write-off.
The riders in the Melbourne crash video not only wrote off their bikes, but are still in hospital almost six weeks later … and still police investigations are ongoing and no charges laid against the female driver, 23, who failed to give way.
The injured riders are Steve Caruana, 42, on a Yamaha R1 and Marc Logan, 37, on a Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Steve and MarcSteve suffered leg injuries and lost a testicle. Marc is also still unable to walk with one leg in plaster and the other with a rod inserted. His right hand is now in a splint after an operation on his knuckles. Their bikes were written off.
Their bikes in better times“l believe that the driver should be charged and also should be made to take some type of driving course,” Steve says.
“The way she just pulled out was just insane and also could have killed two innocent people.”
Victoria Police say they will contact us as soon as the investigation is completed.
Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party candidate at the last election, Judith Kuerschner, doesn’t hold out much hope of the driver being charged.
JudithJudith was riding behind her husband when he was killed by a driver turning in front of him without indicating. The driver was never charged.
“Considering the woman who killed my motorcycle-riding husband admitted to not even looking before making a right hand turn was never charged with even so much as a traffic fine, I doubt even video footage and social media outrage will have much impact here,” Judith says.
Husband Mick and Judith on their wedding day“I hope I am wrong, but experience has proven the hard lesson to the contrary when it comes to the skills of investigators regarding motorcycle crashes.
“Since the recommendation made a number of years ago (I believe by the Motorcycle Council of ACT) to have motorcycle crash experts assist police investigations where motorcycles are involved has never been enacted, motorcyclists will always be at a disadvantage during an investigation of an incident between a car and a motorcycle.”
Anyone with any information about the incident can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential online report.