Originally published in BikerTrash, 1999.
Biker Down!
It has been said that there are two types of bikers; those who have been in a wreck and those who are going to be!
As a group we realize that there is a certain amount of truth to this but we don't quite accept that it may not always be "the other guy".
This is probably good, otherwise we might be so consumed by fear that we would either stop riding or be so scared that we wouldn't enjoy it.
The phrase "Live to Ride, Ride to Live" has a lot of meaning for us. We ride because we love to ride. We accept the risk.
We exercise a prudent – not obsessive amount of safety awareness – and then go out and enjoy the freedom which we only find on the back of a bike.
When an accident does occur the rest of our biker community usually finds out in an amazingly short period of time. We don't use a formal notification roster – we just get the word out because we care about each other and we want to help in any way we can.
Unfortunately, most of us don't have a clue about how we can really help. We call the injured and offer our sympathies and we offer to "do anything we can", the injured express their gratitude for the thought and, too often, that's the end of it. No one is to blame. Bikers are, by nature, an independent breed. We may be injured and we may need help but we still want to be independent and we don't want to feel like we are inconveniencing our friends.
What's the answer.
Offer your help.
If the injured does not tell you specific ways to help then get a small team of friends together and plan. Get one person who is close to the injured to serve as the liaison (they probably need rest more that they need visitors)
Remember "treated and released" does not mean that the person is well. They may be in a lot of pain and may find that the simplest chores are overwhelming. Where people need help in a time like this is not in the glamorous stuff – they need help with the basics of day-to-day life.
Have your team go over a list of basic necessities: The answers will be different for each case, your liaison person can visit the home and decide what can be done.
Don't over visit and tire out the injured.
Remember the idea behind this:
Come.
Help.
Leave.