On my so-called chilled out journey home this evening, I was overtaken by a party of four motorcyclists. About a mile later I approached a bend and spotted the rear end of one of the trailing party of bikes poking out of a hedge in a ditch off the verge, rider still attached.
One of those moments.
I pulled over and approached the stricken rider - his three mates unaware of his predicament had carried on ahead of him - and he appeared motionless, I feared the worst. "Are you OK, mate?" I uttered, shitting myself in case the answer was negative or, worse still, in case there was no answer.
"I was virtually stopped by the time I came off" came from inside the hedge. Relief.
The rider reversed himself slowly off the bike - which looked pretty smashed up at the front - and sat back removing his gloves and loosening his helmet. He was a big bloke, late forties and obviously out for a ride in the country in glorious summer sunshine with his biker friends. He looked a bit shaken up and probably hurting somewhere but actually seemed OK in the circumstances. I detected more evidence of pissed-off-ness with himself than anything requiring of a 'blue light'.
I asked if he was hurt of in need medical help, he said no. I asked if there was anything I could do to help him get the bike out of the hedge or get help. He asked me to head down the road to track down his three other biker mates and to alert them to his predicament.
Once I'd made sure he was OK - as much as a software guy can.. where is Tom Reynolds when you need him? - I jumped back into the car and spirited off down the road hunting for his compadres.
Now, when the four of them overtook me prior to the accident, they weren't exactly hanging about in the speed department, and so it took me about four miles to spot them, sitting by the side of the road and waiting for their fallen party to show up. I stopped and gave them the details and description of where I'd left him - the forty-second hedge on the right next to a left hand bend - and duly alarmed, they jumped into action and headed off back down the road to sort him out.
I might go my back to my normal commuter route tomorrow.
One of those moments.
I pulled over and approached the stricken rider - his three mates unaware of his predicament had carried on ahead of him - and he appeared motionless, I feared the worst. "Are you OK, mate?" I uttered, shitting myself in case the answer was negative or, worse still, in case there was no answer.
"I was virtually stopped by the time I came off" came from inside the hedge. Relief.
The rider reversed himself slowly off the bike - which looked pretty smashed up at the front - and sat back removing his gloves and loosening his helmet. He was a big bloke, late forties and obviously out for a ride in the country in glorious summer sunshine with his biker friends. He looked a bit shaken up and probably hurting somewhere but actually seemed OK in the circumstances. I detected more evidence of pissed-off-ness with himself than anything requiring of a 'blue light'.
I asked if he was hurt of in need medical help, he said no. I asked if there was anything I could do to help him get the bike out of the hedge or get help. He asked me to head down the road to track down his three other biker mates and to alert them to his predicament.
Once I'd made sure he was OK - as much as a software guy can.. where is Tom Reynolds when you need him? - I jumped back into the car and spirited off down the road hunting for his compadres.
Now, when the four of them overtook me prior to the accident, they weren't exactly hanging about in the speed department, and so it took me about four miles to spot them, sitting by the side of the road and waiting for their fallen party to show up. I stopped and gave them the details and description of where I'd left him - the forty-second hedge on the right next to a left hand bend - and duly alarmed, they jumped into action and headed off back down the road to sort him out.
I might go my back to my normal commuter route tomorrow.