How many times have you been on the freeway and seen motorcycles racing around. You say to yourself; ‘those riders are going to get killed!’ It seems that’s just what happened to two young men from Tarrant County Thursday night.
Derek Smith of Bedford and Robert Bradley Wright of North Richland Hills were both 18 years old. Both graduated in May from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst. Their former principal says both were fine young men, well known and well liked in school.
Irving Police say they were riding their motorcycles on the southbound Highway 161overpass to westbound Highway 183 around 10:30pm Thursday. One of the riders hit the concrete wall on the curve. He was ejected and fell off the bridge. The second one hit the first motorcycle, was also ejected and thrown over the bridge. Police say they were going too fast.
Another rider who was out Thursday night took video of a pack of riders. His pictures show other riders doing tricks. He says the pack was part of an even larger group of riders that left a Grapevine restaurant where a radio station had staged a promotional event.
The rider who took the video tells me the two accident victims wove through his pack and sped ahead of the others. He says the pack eventually caught up to their motorcycles on the 161 bridge. He says the other riders did not see the victims and did not know what happened to them.
Friends gathered at the bridge Friday afternoon to post a memorial to the two young men. Very sad.
September 7, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I cannot tell you the number of time that I have been driving down the highway – only to have guys flying past in the FAST lane on ONE wheel of their motorcycle! We’ve seen some of these guys doing more than 70 mph on one wheel weaving in and out of traffic. I am sorry that these yound men lost their lives – however, actions such as these can easily cost the innocent lives of others on the road. What if they lose control and cause someone elses wife, husband and children to crash? These young motorcycle riders need to be educated on the responsibilities and dangers of the road and the danger they can pose to others. If this kind of thing continues to happen, then the age for receiving a motorcycle license should be raised.
For those of you with daughters…my husband and I recentlt saw a yound man speeding down the 820 on ONE WHEEL with a young girl hanging off the back of his bike! This is just terrifying and I have to wonder at the lack of common sense shown by these individuals.
September 11, 2008 at 11:56 am
Well you get what is coming when you act like that. This was no “accident”. Accidents happen when someone doesn’t expect it and you’re “behaving” yourself. This was pure recklessness and total disregard for their own life as well as others on the road as well. They took the risk when they rode like that.
September 11, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Sorry for the two young mens friends and families. They are the ones that loose in this one.
But I have to say,its not just young motorcycle riders that are a problem. Young people with no respect for them selves and the rest of the people on the road are the root of the problem.
This covers people texting or talking on the cell phone while driving, weaving in and out of traffic on a bike or in a car, and just plain not paying any attention to what is going on around them, because they don’t want to.
Motorcycles and cars are only as dangerous as the person operating them is. If you have an out of control person you have an out of control rider/ driver.
I rode dirt bikes from the time i was 6 or 7 years old until i was 18. Got my motorcycle license at 19 and only every had a small 250 cc on road off road bike because I knew with any more power i would have used it, and probably gotten hurt or killed. Or worse hurt or killed some one else. But I was taught to take responsibility for myself and my actions when I was young. Plus I crashed enough dirt bikes to know I was not bullet proof. So the spot bikes never entered into my life. I wore the 250 cc bike out in 4 years and never replaced it. I kept the motorcycle license right along.
17 years later I now have my first real street bike, its a cruiser not a sport bike. And I am glad to say I am not “a crazy rider” any more. It took me a long time to be sure the dare devil in me was under control. Some people still say its there, but it is in check most of the time.
It seems many younger people just play the game and assume it will never happen to them. But sadly they are wrong! It can happen to any one at any time. Going fast or not. Paying attention or not.
The key is every one needs to remember that we alone are responsible for all of our actions. And being out of control is fun, but it does not belong on the road!
Other people are on the road with you, and you never know what is up ahead on the road.
Its time to stop blaming the bikes and start placing the blame were it belongs.
Just my 2 cents.