Police Officer Dead in Bush Motorcade Crash

Police Officer Dead in Bush Motorcade Crash

www.abcnews.go.com

A Rio Rancho police officer who crashed his motorcycle Monday while riding in a motorcade for President Bush's visit to Albuquerque was pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Not a lot of details yet, article says that the motorcycle was nearly destroyed. I find it pretty interesting, I realize the motorcade does tend to move pretty quick, but it takes a lot of velocity to "destroy" a motorcycle. I have rebuilt bikes that have been in accidents going as fast as 40mph, that should give you an idea of what it takes to actually destroy a bike.

www.abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is also the 3rd 'accident' in a little over a year. I mean, if you ride in on the PD or the presidential motorcade, I would think you had some experience. Could there be more to this? Are they warnings and they are bieng covered up?

Wow aren't police bikes pretty well built? It must have taken some force to destroy it in one crash!

RIP to the guy anyway, just doing his job.

I wouldn't say they are any better built than a bike you could buy yourself. There is really not more you could do to reinforce the frame and the reality of it is, in the event you crash a bike, it really does not matter how well built it is. Your still going to go flying off it and get hurt. Its not like you can design them for side/ rear/ or front impact with the hopes of protecting the person on the bike.

yea.. R.I.P. to the guy.. and best wishes for his family.. seems like allot of bad moj0 around this man bush/admin.

Unfortunately this isn't an isolated incident.

An officer in Honolulu also died in a presidential motorcade crash not long ago.

Originally posted by section8citizen
Its not like you can design them for side/ rear/ or front impact with the hopes of protecting the person on the bike.

You can certainly get motorcycles with front impact airbags that will prevent most injuries in a front impact, and mostly prevent you from taking a flying leap over the handle bars.



Too bad to hear that an officer lost his life though. It's a dangerous job.


Edit: resized picture

[edit on 27/8/2007 by anxietydisorder]

Whats up with this ? There are NO coincidence's just opportunities to connect the dots! How very proud the families must have been of the officers lost and how shocking a horror the reality. So many good ones are leaving the planet at this time.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder

You can certainly get motorcycles with front impact airbags that will prevent most injuries in a front impact, and mostly prevent you from taking a flying leap over the handle bars.

I like to see some tests to prove that airbags in motorcycles actually work. I've seen many bike crashes and I don't see much difference on how an airbag can save them while on a bike. Sounds almost like suggesting passenger planes should have airbags to prevent any serious injuries while plane is crashing.

As someone who rides, has had his share of spills, and has watched others who have had accidents while on a motorcycle I find it very difficult to believe that an airbag would do much to help. It would probably slow you down from flying over the handlebars, but I don't think it would stop you from going over. Also depending on how you get hit/clipped can dictate which direction your handlebars turn which would change the angle of the airbag and the angle of which you go off the bike. When you are on a bike you are pretty much out there and unprotected. I personally do not even wear a helmet (SC does not have a helmet law) because it obstructs my vision and ability to see what is around me when I want to change lanes, turn, etc. It may seem stupid to some, but when you ride a bike you do A LOT of defensive driving and view things much more differently than you would if you were in a car.

I found some info on the last crash dated Nov of 2006 in Hawaii

I have not been able to find anything relating to a third accident thus far. Does anyone have any details that could help narrow my search?

None of this looks suspicious on the surface, accidents happen. That being said, it is a bit strange that it keeps happening to THIS president. Maybe he is just bad luck...I know he has been for me since he became President

Originally posted by section8citizen
I found some info on the last crash dated Nov of 2006 in Hawaii

I have not been able to find anything relating to a third accident thus far. Does anyone have any details that could help narrow my search?

How about read further below the link you posted, mentions about another accident.

Thanks for pointing that out. For some reason when I first read it I was under the impression it was still referring to the officer in Hawaii. So far I have not been able to find an original news report to the first crash.

I saw an accident involving a bike cop last year. Where I work our building is located in the back of a sorta horseshoe like drive off of a moderatly busy road. Turning into it is the main problem its very narrow enough space for a left turn a right turn and a space for people to turn in. A garbage truck was turning in and its my firm belife that the bike cop was not paying attention and slammed into the back of the garbage truck (the kind that lifts dumpsters from the front) He had to have been going between 30-40 mph. It was a madhouse after that were the road (4 lanes)was blocked off and every cop/dective was on scene, you would have thought bin laden was nearby with all the action! Poor garbageman probally had to serve time for doing the same thing he did every wednesday.

Rio Rancho police department spokesman Officer John Francis said Casey's motorcycle hit a curb and then a tree, but investigators were reconstructing the accident to determine exactly what happened.

www.usatoday.com...

This was not included in the article of the OP.

I hit a tree head on in a '67 Mustang, so I know what a tree can do to a car, let alone a motorcycle.

It's sad that it happened and maybe local jurisdictions should make sure that motorcades are manned by the most experienced officers, instead of making them prestigious high speed parades, if that's what's going on.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
It's a dangerous job.

Its not even in the top ten of 'dangerous jobs'.

Timber cutters
Fishers
Pilots and navigators
Structural metal workers
Drivers-sales workers
Roofers
Electrical power installers
Farm occupations
Construction laborers
Truck drivers
Source
I find it amusing how everyone says how 'dangerous' being a cop is.
ESPECIALLY the cops themselfs.

Anywho, why does the President need this dog and pony show of a motorcade? What a waste of my money, and evidently this cops life.
Isnt his super fortified blast proof limo enough protection for him?

Do away with the motorcade, it has killed alteast 2 cops this year.
Why let this madness continue?

Well I know what can happen when you hit a curb on a motorcycle, and my father was killed when he fell asleep while driving and his car hit a tree. I can not imagine if a motorcycle hit a tree, but it is a recipe for disaster.

i have to agree with 11b about the motorcades, ok fine, they need to "clear the intersections" so that the pres doesnt present a target at a red light, fine ok...but i have a crazy idea...how about going slower?

i mean, the guy has his OWN PLANE, its not like they had to rush to make check in time at the gate...few miles an hour slower in a city and this guy may have survived the crash? or not had one?

or is this just me?

"39 officers died in 2005 as a result of automobile accidents"

i wasnt able to get the page that's from because the government blocked it....however that puts (on traffic accidents alone) being a cop as #5 on that list from your source....

(and to come up with that number i googled "how many cops died in 2005?" it was the times article about 5 down)

so was this in town or were they taking a scenic route?