As I thought about what he must have gone through, I also thought it could have been so much less severe had he made a better choice.
The helmet law in Pennsylvania was repealed back in 2004 after being on the books for 35 years. At that time I couldn't understand why it was changed. I still don't understand it. When we see bikers without helmets we refer to them as "heroes." (We are being sarcastic)
You may feel better without a helmet, you may see and hear better without a helmet, but it is truly ludicrous not to wear one. I personally will not get on anyone's bike without my helmet. Neither will my husband. We value what few brains we have left to risk scrambling them any further than what they already are.
Ben received a broken jaw and nose, perhaps a small price to pay for not wearing a helmet. (He hit the windshield of the car that hit him first and then bounced his head off the pavement.) He could have been, and may be, a lot worse off. The final analysis is not in yet. Whether he plays football again remains to be seen also.
By opting not to wear a helmet, he made a bad choice. People...he's only 24 years old! Was it worth the risk? I totally think not.
I pray for his complete healing and I also pray he makes better choices in the future as a result of what happened to him. I can only hope, if he chooses to continue riding during his career, that he will wear a helmet.
7 comments:
Wonderfully said!
And I say 'ditto' for seat belts. I've always worn them, even put them in cars that came out without them.
I landed on a woman's hood. I don't know if I hit her windshield or not. I WAS wearing my helmet. She ran her stop sign at a major El Paso street (way back in my other life).
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Just heard on the news from Gary Kubiak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kubiak
that the Houston Texans aren't allowed to ride motorcycles. That is a part of the players' contracts.
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being a huge steeler fan the first i heard of his accident i was horrified. now i am pissed off. he was asked last year to please be careful and wear a helmet. he felt he was invincable, i pray he recovers and returns to football and more importantly he wears a helmet the next time he gets on his bike. shit he wears a helmet for a living what is the difference!!!
JIM ~ Sorry, I refuse to wear seatbelts. I once had an accident while driving a soft-top Jeep that overturned and had I been wearing seatbelts I would not be typing this now.
1 PLUS ~ Yes, I sure hope so too. It should be in all their contracts not to do such foolish things. It was from your post that I first learned about his accident, btw.
You are a fool if you do not weaar a skull lid. My God, can you imagine how his parents must feel? I broke my jaw when I was 16 being "stupid" on a bike. Learned my lesson, hope Ben learned his. God bless him in his recovery.
Excellent post on a sad topic. You're so right about "choices."
Hopefully this young man will recover fully and will be able to pursue his passion.
(thank you so much for stopping by the Outpost and leaving a kind comment; greatly appreciated!)
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