Condor Posted July 18, 2011 Share #1 Posted July 18, 2011 It worth a look if you like to ride.... [ame=http://vimeo.com/22897515]How to Avoid Skinning Yourself Alive - Brittany Morrow on Vimeo[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor Posted July 18, 2011 Share #2 Posted July 18, 2011 ATGATT. All the gear all the time. I do ride well protected but when it gets really hot I am down to a vest. I just ride cautious. Great video. My brother-in-law was riding in sneakers and jeans. Not going fast but a car cut the corner and forced him down. He lost his leg due to all the flesh being scraped off. If he had been wearing boots he would have walked away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Canuck Posted July 18, 2011 Share #3 Posted July 18, 2011 Great video but maybe she should also be promoting not doing 120MPH as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wecruz Posted July 18, 2011 Share #4 Posted July 18, 2011 Great video but maybe she should also be promoting not doing 120MPH as well? My thoughts exactly......sliding 522 feet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongobobny Posted July 18, 2011 Share #5 Posted July 18, 2011 Yah!! She is VERY lucky to be alive! Anybody who has ever gone down knows it hurts and it's not pretty... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthandy Posted July 19, 2011 Share #6 Posted July 19, 2011 I was knocked off my RZ350 at Shannonville racetrack in 1990 while doing between 90 and 100 miles (not kilometers) per hour. I got up and walked away with a very ugly looking leather suit, a small chunk taken out of my helmet and a bit of a headache. I prefer not to think about what I would have looked like had I not been wearing full coverage gear. This young lady was extremely lucky. I have heard of riders dying from infections due to losing too much skin in a motorcycle accident at no more than 30 m.p.h. I prefer to let the cowhide and helmet material take the beating so that I can live to ride another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsonaventure Posted July 19, 2011 Share #7 Posted July 19, 2011 Sent this to my too cool to gear up buddy, who looks like he is going to a jimmy Buffet concert every time he rides. I keep telling him he is a statistic waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod Posted July 19, 2011 Share #8 Posted July 19, 2011 She has a good message I hope more people listen. Very pretty girl scared for life, such a shame. She is hope for the future. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hummingbird Posted July 19, 2011 Share #9 Posted July 19, 2011 Great video but maybe she should also be promoting not doing 120MPH as well? it seems that anybody that displays an enormous amount of stupidity and lives through it then becomes an advocate, not sure I'd want the entire world to see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brake Pad Posted July 19, 2011 Share #10 Posted July 19, 2011 Going down has slowed me down. 1984 Honda Goldwing V Deer..... Deer Won. I ride at 65. I've moved off the super slabs, on to the secondary roads. Only ride them, If there is no other way around:Venture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muaymendez1 Posted July 19, 2011 Share #11 Posted July 19, 2011 I saw this video a while back and fiended her on myspace. I like that shes become sort of an activist but as said before 120mph? I just went on a ride sunday witha guy I never met wearing a peanut shell. we rode into Pennsylvania where he preceeded to take off his helmet and ride like a nut. every down hill he would take his hands off the bars and I would slow way down. Its guy that have that It will never happen to me attutude that scare me. At least she was able to come out alive and try to teach others. This guy wont get a second chance at life. maybe he lived enough that he doesnt want a second chance.Thats fine with me just let me be aware of this so I could leave you to die alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJoe Posted July 19, 2011 Share #12 Posted July 19, 2011 I wear ATGATT but why in the hell don't they make it in lighter colors... your choices are Black, Black, Black oh yeah, then theres the neon colors... Green or yellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share #13 Posted July 19, 2011 it seems that anybody that displays an enormous amount of stupidity and lives through it then becomes an advocate, not sure I'd want the entire world to see Why not?? It sets an example, and just maybe it'll make you think... I'll give a thumbs up on this one. Out of stupidity and tragedy comes something worthwhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufftom4 Posted July 19, 2011 Share #14 Posted July 19, 2011 I live in Florida and it is hot so I ride in shorts and a t shirt, I had a bad accident on a bike years ago and the only thing that saved me was my helmet so when I see Harley guy's look at me and say how I can ride with shorts and they have no helmet on I just laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saddlebum Posted July 19, 2011 Share #15 Posted July 19, 2011 Great video but maybe she should also be promoting not doing 120MPH as well? Agreed but based on the video She was a passenger. Which leads to another question why the H do crotch rockets have passanger seats? IMHO this should not be allowed. It makes me shudder every time I see a pretty young teenage girl sitting perched on the fender wearing a halter top, hot pants and flip flop sandels. ATGATT. All the gear all the time. I do ride well protected but when it gets really hot I am down to a vest. I just ride cautious. Great video. My brother-in-law was riding in sneakers and jeans. Not going fast but a car cut the corner and forced him down. He lost his leg due to all the flesh being scraped off. If he had been wearing boots he would have walked away. All the gear all the time, so true. But I must confess rideing in town I am guilty of sometimes breaking that rule. I wear ATGATT but why in the hell don't they make it in lighter colors... your choices are Black, Black, Black oh yeah, then theres the neon colors... Green or yellow I have seen them in black and silver combo's and even blue and silver. Rocket wears a pair of denim jeans that contain some sort of abrasion resistant material. He claims you can drag him for miles and they wont rub through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phertwo Posted July 19, 2011 Share #16 Posted July 19, 2011 Though I tough it out and wear all the gear all the time, the hot weather seems to make people come to a compromise. This weekend I was out for a ride when a young guy on a cruiser passed me just wearing shorts and a half helmet - Shirtless! I couldn't believe it, especially because he was headed down a twisty road that was under construction, nothing but loose gravel and stone for a few miles. At least his hair will be protected if he goes down.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saddlebum Posted July 19, 2011 Share #17 Posted July 19, 2011 here are two more links re: safty equipment http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/03/motorcyclist-dies-helmet-protest_n_889427.html [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMXSsK7ZmtU]Motorcycle Rider Dies Protesting Helmets (From Head Injury) - YouTube[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stache Posted July 19, 2011 Share #18 Posted July 19, 2011 I'm impressed with the young woman's courage and attitude. Given how important body image and appearance has become, putting herself and her scars out there in the public eye has to have been emotionally difficult. Good for her, turning a horrifically life changing event into a positive way to help and protect others. And good for her for getting back on a bike! That had to be hard too. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rstacy Posted July 28, 2011 Share #19 Posted July 28, 2011 Here is more about her story http://www.rockthegear.org/index.php?/home/view/a_sturdy_foundation_built_on_passion_experience_willingness/ I am My Helmet - The Roadrash Queen Revisited It’s hard to look in the mirror and think that my scars are over five years old. I remember when I couldn’t imagine looking and feeling this way for the rest of my life. I no longer feel as if at any moment I might wake up from this terrible dream and be comfortable in my own skin once again. When I look in the mirror, I am reminded of my mistakes. When I touch the thick skin on my hands, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be alive. These scars have given my life purpose, and they do not come without a great responsibility. Earning them was the hard part, owning them has become my life’s work. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and the air was unseasonably warm for September in New Mexico. I was excited to be going on a ride through the Jemez Mountains on the back of my friend Shaun’s sport bike. Before we headed out that morning, I had shed my favorite cowboy hat in exchange for an ugly red helmet. I thought nothing of the fact that I had no other protection against the asphalt besides that hunk of foam and fiberglass. I figured that we couldn’t get into a wreck; it simply wouldn’t happen to me. I was nearly dead wrong. As most of us have been told, motorcycle helmets are made to withstand an otherwise deadly impact to the head. When helmets are designed, their main duty is to disperse the force from a single blow and then become otherwise obsolete. They are put through rigorous testing to ensure they perform this task with certainty. Helmets are rated according to their protective abilities and are manufactured by thousands of companies all over the world. They range in price from $35 to over $1000, and a popular saying suggests the price of your helmet is proportional to the value of your head. They are available at every dealership in the country, at specialty shops, and online. Chances are, if you ride a motorcycle, you own a helmet. However, not all riders choose to wear their helmet on every ride, regardless of the fact that helmets save the lives of over seven hundred motorcyclists in America a year. Shaun and I were going about 120mph when my helmet was put to the ultimate test. I hit the ground, and it was as if every breath I had ever taken rushed out of me in an instant. I could feel every inch of my body hitting the road; tumbling, sliding and grinding into the unforgiving surface. In my helmet, I fought to breathe as I gave into the force of the asphalt ripping at my flesh. In a matter of seconds, I had come to the conclusion that I was going to die. My eyes were closed as I finished tumbling down the highway. Later, the police would tell me I had slid over 522 feet. I laid there in the road alone for what seemed like an eternity. Every nerve ending in my body was on fire; tingling, scorching, stabbing and burning. I had not gone into shock, and the adrenaline had worn off almost instantly. Not being able to move was the worst of it. I wanted to pull my arm out from underneath me. I wanted to get off that hot road. I wanted the sun to stop shining so brightly on my bloody back. I wanted everything to just go away. But it didn’t go away. I wanted to die, but the people who came to my rescue wouldn’t let me give up. I had skinned myself alive and was still breathing by the grace of God, and that ugly red helmet. My road rash was so severe that my skin was not going to grow back on its own. I had lost too much surface area for the doctors to simply suture me together and send me home. After the blood loss had been controlled, the skin loss needed to be addressed. I was to receive full thickness skin grafts on over 50% of my body. In order to help my open wounds heal, the doctors had to cut off a thick layer of healthy skin from my legs and place it over my burns, stapling the new skin in place. This was the only way to “fix” me. It took the doctors two months, three blood transfusions, 31 dressing changes, and nine surgeries to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. When I was a little girl, my parents did a wonderful job of telling me that beauty comes from the inside. They were always reminding me of how smart I was and encouraging me that I could be anything I wanted to be. My peers did an even better job of convincing me otherwise. Throughout my childhood and adolescent years, I was told everyday that being overweight was the equivalent of being ugly, and being ugly was a social crime. I was an outcast when it came to my outward appearance, and although I never allowed myself to be defined by the views of others, I was greatly emotionally affected by their insults. My view of myself was that I would never be good enough because of the way I looked. I was capable and willing to make a difference in the world, but my personal growth was stunted because I was never accepted as a “full package.” Near the end of my hospital stay I realized that I was forever changed in many ways. I was devastated about my scarred skin, but also thankful to be alive every day. I knew that what I had gone through proved I had the strength to survive anything else thrown at me in the future. As long as I could walk, talk, and breathe, I was always happy to be on this earth and would never take the blessing of good health for granted again. I knew that my outward appearance was extremely altered, but not for the better. It took me a long to time to accept my new skin and relinquish the hopes that I might one day be considered beautiful to the rest of the world. I thought looking the way I did would further alienate me, but instead, it opened a door; riders began asking me about my scars and I had the opportunity to share my story with many people. Eight months after the day I skinned myself alive, I bought a new sport bike and a brand new, full head-to-toe coverage, set of gear. I learned some important things about myself in the months following my return to the sport that almost cost me my life. I learned how strong I really am, and that my parents weren’t lying to me when they said I could do anything I wanted. I learned that I never wanted to feel the way I did in the hospital again. I learned that my appearance was now a tool to encourage riders to choose to wear full gear. I learned that motorcycle safety was an attitude and a choice that I had to make every time I went riding. However, the most important thing I learned was that these lessons were not meant for me alone. I was meant to share what I had learned with the world. I wrote a full account of the accident and my experiences as a cautionary tale for riders. It was published online and embraced throughout the community, and began popping up on forums and websites in over 20 countries. I was invited to attend safety conferences and tell my story as a way to show riders what can happen and share information on how to help prevent it, and I brought that ugly red helmet as a tangible testimony. I was encouraged to do research on protective technologies and pursue a path of motorcycle safety education. I received a NAMS (National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety) grant to start a national non-profit web campaign for protective apparel awareness and education that became a household name for many riders. Three years after leaving the hospital, I became a certified RiderCoach for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation to teach new and experienced riders alike the importance of attitude, skill, protective gear, lifelong learning and awareness. I became the prodigal child of motorcycle safety education and protective apparel awareness. Leslie Haynsworth wrote, “You paste a sticker on your car meaning for that sticker to make a point to the world about an issue or an organization or a belief or a practice or a philosophy. You’re not speaking through your bumper sticker on behalf of yourself qua yourself but rather on behalf of a cause or an idea, or maybe a particular community. You mean for your statement to radiate outward, to call attention to the issues or concerns or accomplishments the bumper sticker addresses.” I did not choose the scars that now adorn my body, but they do represent a matter of dire importance to the motorcycle community. So, like a conscious bumper sticker placement, I will use my scars as a way to get a message to the people who I believe need it desperately. I will not hide my scars, nor be ashamed of them. I will wear them proudly in the hopes that they stir up as much attention as controversial bumper stickers can. My scars do not define me, but they do allow me to take a public stance on an issue I care for deeply. I hope to achieve a lifetime of following the path of motorcycle safety education. It is a constant process that continues to mold me into who I want to be. I now have the desire to work for an international gear manufacturer and on the highest level at the MSF. My entire life is dedicated to helping others never have to experience what I did five years ago. I know receiving my horrific scars actually makes me best suited for my role as a passionate motorcycle safety educator. I am now thankful for the way I look because it empowers me much more than blending into the crowd. I never would have thought that looking different could earn me credibility, respect and opportunity. My scars radiate a message of tragedy, survival, and triumph that cannot be ignored. I keep that ugly red helmet on a shelf in my garage where I can see it every time I get ready to go for a ride. Once upon a time, it was available to anyone who was interested in purchasing an ugly red helmet, but when put to the test, it did exactly what it was made to do: save my life. Now it is beaten and broken, but it serves a greater purpose, and that is to share a message with everyone who sees it. I suppose I have become like my helmet, and although battered and scarred, it is hard to ignore my outward appearance and the message that comes along with it. I carry around a story of caution and wisdom and share it with everyone I meet, and will continue to share it for the rest of my life. I have been perfectly molded and adorned to serve a purpose, and when put to the test, I will do exactly what I am made to do: save someone’s life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddog170 Posted July 29, 2011 Share #20 Posted July 29, 2011 I am guilty of becoming very lax when it is as hot out as it has been. Like today I did not even grab my helmet when I went to work. I will not say it is ok by any means. This young woman is an example of how not to ride. Her story is powerful and her message clear. Drive smart and wear the gear. I love to ride, and love to live to ride again. I do not have a riding jacket, just an old leather coat. I have some good jeans that have Kevlar in them (leftover from working in a factory wear my job required them) and I always wear boots and gloves. As already stated she is very lucky, but maybe she is alive to spread the message of AGATT. And she is also very courageous showing publicly her scars and her story. A lot of people would only do so if there was an immediate benefit for themselves. My hat is off to her, and my helmet is on. Shaun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYred Posted July 29, 2011 Share #21 Posted July 29, 2011 I have been rethinking my riding attire as I get older...Does anybody know of a site that makes mesh jackets and such for the "larger" shall we say riders??? I googled and got pages and pages of stuff...Alot to wade through... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAWildKat Posted July 29, 2011 Share #22 Posted July 29, 2011 I've seen jackets on sites for 5X and 6X, like leatherup and such, try amazon too. I wear 3X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geep Posted July 29, 2011 Share #23 Posted July 29, 2011 I have been rethinking my riding attire as I get older...Does anybody know of a site that makes mesh jackets and such for the "larger" shall we say riders??? I googled and got pages and pages of stuff...Alot to wade through... I have two mesh jackets, one a Yamaha Star cruiser style, the other a Fieldsheer sport bike style, the FieldSheer one has decent armor but bulky, the other not so much...I won't ride in just a tee shirt for a lot of different reasons but one reason is the hair on my arms just drives me nuts in the wind...the tingling. Being too warm is dangerous too but you can safely manage that with breaks, proper clothing, etc mind you I don't ride in the high temp/humidity states so........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYred Posted July 29, 2011 Share #24 Posted July 29, 2011 Thanks...Will check out the yamaha one...Closer to actually feel it...Doubt have my size in stock though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warriorhoneybee Posted July 29, 2011 Share #25 Posted July 29, 2011 i also am guilty of not wearing my riding gear all the time which is crazy after seeing my youngest son go down behind me on hwy 9. he had his jacket,gloves and helment on but just jeans and tennis shoes . guess were his damnage came from??? thats right,his knees and the top of his feet. if he would have had on his boots and riding pants he would have been fine. it is hotter than the third circle of hell out there but i guess i could stand to sweat a little bit and loose weight. just dont want to get to hot were i pass out and than wreck the bike and get killed but damn it i had on my gear. i think like anything else you have to use your head for something other than putting a helment on it. drink pleanty of fluids and take breaks more often. i wear mesh which i've read on here is the wrong thing to do because the wind dries you out and makes you hotter. all i know is one time i got so hot i thought i was gonna pass out and took the gear off,drank some water and road on and was fine so i dont know about the wind heating you up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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