No LidBen+LeftTurnIdiot=Hurt...
 

Roethlisberger Hurt in Motorcycle Crash
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Published: June 12, 2006
Filed at 5:44 p.m. ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash Monday in which he was not wearing a helmet.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital said before surgery.
The player's agent, Leigh Steinberg, described the injuries to The Associated Press and said he did not know if there was further damage.
''He was talking to me before he left for the operating room,'' Jones said. ''He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable.''
Roethlisberger's mother, Brenda, was crying as she arrived at the hospital.
Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team was ''encouraged by the early reports from the medical team'' at the hospital. ''I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery.''
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger was without a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa -- the company calls it the world's fastest bike for legal street riding -- and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown. A Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown, police said.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman, police said. They didn't immediately release her name and no charges were filed.
Witness Sandra Ford was waiting at a bus stop when she said she saw the motorcycle approach. Seconds later, she said she heard a crash, saw the motorcyclist in the air and ran toward the crash scene.
''He wasn't moving and I was afraid that he had died. ... He wasn't really speaking. He seemed dazed but he was resisting the effort to make him stay down,'' said Ford, who didn't realize the motorcyclist was Roethlisberger.
Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were leading the investigation, a standard practice when there is an accident with critical injuries.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl title in February at age 23. Training camp for next season begins at the end of July.
Several teammates, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Mike Logan, arrived at the emergency room.
Some fans also gathered at the hospital, including Juanita Clark, who sells Steelers paraphernalia.
''I just feel like he's a family member,'' said her daughter, Loretta Clark.
The NFL's standard player contract prohibits any activity involving ''significant risk of personal injury'' apart from football. But many prominent athletes ride motorcycles anyway, despite the risk and the possibility of losing salary.
In May 2005, Cowher warned Roethlisberger about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
Other athletes injured on motorcycles during their careers include basketball's Jason Williams, skiing's Hermann Maier and auto racing's Dario Franchitti.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's state law requiring helmets to be worn was repealed in September 2003.
''He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful,'' Roethlisberger said at the time. ''I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe.''
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: ''Ride it when you retire.''
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why would you ever ride without a lid or for that matter, any gear??? seen too many guys AND girls with bad skin graft. Not something that I ever want to deal with. :tsk:

:withstupi Like, I mean, DUH...

He's lucky he didn't get killed :tsk:

the guy is 24 and has a multi-million $$$ yearly income for playing a game and the dumass has to be prove he's "cool" by riding without a helmet.... i guess the old saying that money can't buy maturity is proven right again.

What a moron.

Sorry Pittsburg fans but if he keeps it up, natural selection will take its course.. :tsk:

Motorcycles are just plain DANGEROUS! (Eventhough Im shopping for a 1000 this summer) As far as the helmet goes, most serious accidents results in death no matter if your wearing a helmet or not. When your head hits any opstacle at a fast pace, spinal injuries are of main concern. As a previous medic in the AF, it is much easier to maintain spinal traction without a helmet than with. Even still, I would only ride with. Hell...the way I drive I probably should wear a helmet when riding the X!

motorcycles are not dangerous. What's dangerous are the idiot cagers around us and of course, the idiot riders who do not know their limits.

Kellen Winslow's kid, Jason Williams (former Duke Point Guard) now Ben...stay off the effin' bikes until you retire, ya maroons!

JV

:iagree:

Simplistic, but bascially true, imo.

I must admit to having done a lot of miles sans helmet during our coast to coast to coast rides; but, the far western states are pretty empty of cars and some cruising where only one's skills or, an occas. pronghorn or wandering beef cow were the enemy, allowed for one's choice in non-traffic situs. Most of the time I had it on: reduces dehydration, cooler, eye protection, UV protection and I could listen to tunes and the truckers in my helmet speakers.

I'm sorta on the side of let the states decide, but cruising in traffic on your 'Busa, lidless, may be "cool", but the drivers simply do not see us, or care when they do.

Hope he's ok...but, pretty dumb decision. A full face lid would have reduced those facial injuries considerably, imo. And, he wears a top level helmet when he works...
BR,mD

And people wonder why we call 'em "donorcycles." What an idiot. But I guess when you're young the feeling of invincibility is all encompassing and completely overshadows common sense. :tsk:

like a quote from money talks "GUNS DONT KILL PEOPLE, STUPID MOTHER F*CK3R$ WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE" bikes dont kill people stupid idiots on bikes kill themselves. But every time a biker goes between the lanes next to me I do have a sudden urge to smack him/her because not only are you putting yourself in danger you are also putting me in the situation where if i g-d forbid dont see you, you become roadkill.

:iagree: I hope to get myself a sport bike eventually and have some fun, but not at the expense of safety.

We're in the middle of Laconia Bike Week here in NH.. If you haven't heard of it, its a huge gathering of motorcycles of all kinds. The roads around here are swarming with them, and I have to say they're mostly driving like idiots. On the 93 yesterday, about 6 of them on crotch rockets were passing cars in between lanes.. They weave in and out of traffic.. I've seen a few passing cars in a double-yellow zone.. Most of the riders I see are either not wearing a helmet, a leather jacket, or both. It's only Tuesday and already 5 deaths have been blamed on Bike Week. It's not all "idiot cagers" causing the problems... They're driving like maniacs.

forget that, a few months back i'm driving down a local hwy here in NYC (belt pkwy for those from around here) and about 5 rejects pull up infront and take up 3 lanes obviously you cant pass them, next thing i know about 15-20 more of them pull up and start doing wheelies front stands etc... this is in a middle of a highway on a weekend when people have better things to do, now had it not been for consequences i would have gone to town and ran every one of them down because thats abnoxious, stupid and dangerous not only to them but as i said to me as well dont blame the drivers on their deaths, when you pull stunts like that you deserve to get hurt. you want to do stunts and tricks there are race tracks for that highway is not the place to do it. just my 2cents

and why is that? Lane splitting is perfectly legal in almost all states. You should be paying attention at all times before changing/moving in out of lanes. If you don't it's YOUR BAD.

A 325 pound linebacker doesn't even hold a candle to a 3250 pound Chrysler New Yorker. Call it a hunch, I bet Big Ben wouldn't take the field without a helmet.

Not sure what he was thinking, other than perhaps the combo of testosterone, youthful indifference and that immortality complex we all go through between the ages of 13 and 25. I guess if anyone could have the swagger, he could.

Brain buckets may "impede your freedom" a little, but if you're not bright enough to think past the next game (or the next ride) and protect your assets, then you take your own chances and live with the consequences.

Mike

My darling bride (the native of Pittsburgh) and I are still just shaking our heads in shame and disbelief.

He was sooooo close to being a brain donor.

The initial facts of the "left turn driver" have quickly faded from
the media...yeah, he was stupid to be riding in traffic w/out a
lid. But, I wonder why the ol'lady who pulled the left turn falls
off the radar so quickly.

Other than idiots driving off a mtn road by themselves, most of the
troubles involve another car doing something untoward.

I see it every day. So many assume the bad things will never happen to them, for some reason. Unfortunately, people like me have to go out and say, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I have some bad news." :mad:

The story I heard was that the old lady was taken into protective custody and identity was not disclosed because of the fear of reprisals by die-hard Steeler fans.

A broken nose is easy enough to recover from and so is a broken nose - but combined, it has to be tough for Big Ben to recover. How do you get in football shape when you can't breath, can't eat, and probably can't do much anything physical for a couple of months?

BTW - he was ranked 20th in passing. Do the Steelers really need him that badly to get back to the Super Bowl? It was a good thing that Troy Polamalu wasn't on that bike.

LOL.. how many noses does Big Ben have??? LOL:rofl:

I agree, though i did not know lane splitting is legal but my main issue isnt switching lanes or turning its more of the fact that some will try to squeeze in where ever possible and even if they arent road kill they can tap my X and scratch it thats just unacceptable. I'd personally love to get a bike but my "need for speed" would get me hurt i dont know how you guys do it