Jennifer Noel

(MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS)

Today’s post is unfortunately not going to be a fun one but a bit more on the personal and sobering side, since last night my evening took a heart wrenching and scary turn. If any of you are like me I never really understood the world of motorcycles until I found my significant other, who’s lifestyle is completely based around them.

That being said, I was at home last night around 5:00 PM when I got back from grocery shopping. My friend calls panicked because she is positive she has seen my boyfriend’s motorcycle wrecked near where he works. Quickly, I get into my car and drive to the scene, only to be horrified that, yes, it was his bike. Heart in my stomach, I drive to the hospital where his family is waiting and I go into see him. He is laying on a backboard in the bed, with a neck brace on, body, legs and feet scratched and bleeding in places. My heart sinks even further.

Apparently, another driver was trying to hurry to turn left off one of the in town highways before more traffic came. In their hurry they did not see that he was almost directly in front of them. Barely slowing down for the turn, the car hit directly into him causing the bike to slide and my boyfriend to complete three cartwheels in the air before landing on the ground.

Fortunately, my boyfriend was wearing a helmet, and thank God for that because otherwise he would probably not be here with me today. We spent five to six hours at the hospital before he was discharged, and he is now working on recovery.

So I leave you all with this– Drivers, PAY ATTENTION! Know that motorcycles are around and are very small, quick and hard to see. Don’t hurry yourself to the point that you can’t keep track of what’s going on around you, (that includes texting!). Hitting someone only takes a few seconds, but so does stopping to look! (You pick which you’d rather do…) Like I said before, I myself honestly didn’t think twice about motorcycles until I became part of and aware of the cyclist community; which is partly why I am posting about this so strongly. As a person who was not involved with cyclists all her life, I know how easy it is to forget about them and now I look around every corner and under every rock for them. Motorcyclists, also be aware of whats around you and never trust a driver. Most importantly, ALWAYS wear a helmet because you never know when it could save your life.

I just thank God for our miracle last night!

Jen