Motorcyclist dies in Fort Worth

[wonder91178]

Posted on Fri, Jul. 01, 2005

Motorcyclist dies in Fort Worth

By Deanna Boyd

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH _ A 22-year-old Fort Worth man was fatally injured Thursday afternoon when he crashed his motorcycle while doing a wheelie in the parking lot of a far north Fort Worth business.

Jeremy Patrick was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m.

Sgt. Don Hanlon, supervisor of the traffic investigation unit, said Patrick was riding a 2005 Suzuki 600 motorcycle when the accident happened at 4:25 p.m. Thursday at the parking lot of ATC Logistics and Electronics at 13500 Independence Parkway.

"The initial reports to officers are that he had been doing some type of wheelie stunt _ riding on one wheel _ and lost control of the motorcycle," Hanlon said.

Hanlon said Patrick fell from the motorcycle, which then slid into two parked pickups. After the collision with the second pickup, Hanlon said that pickup and the motorcycle caught fire.

Hanlon said Patrick, who reportedly was wearing a helmet, suffered road rash and visible external injuries but was talking to officers and coherent on the scene.

"Apparently during treatment, they related he started to deteriorate and Medstar made the decision to call CareFlite as a precaution," Hanlon said. "He went to the hospital and they were unable to save him."

Hanlon said Patrick apparently died from internal injuries.

Hey txmedic...what kinda internal injuries would leave a person coherent at the scene but then make them start to deteriorate at the hospital? I was just cuious and thought you might know

Edit: I looked up his cause of death on our website (I work for the County) and it said "EXSANGUINATING INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE"....what is that first word?

Kim

[Texas T]

Originally Posted by wonder91178

Hey txmedic...what kinda internal injuries would leave a person coherent at the scene but then make them start to deteriorate at the hospital? I was just cuious and thought you might know Kim

I read it as he began going downhill at the scene, not at the hospital; thus the comment to call for CareFlite.

As to the bike, how many miles do you guess were on it?

[Tourmeister]

Perhaps a bad bleeder

[scar04]

probably internal bleeding that nobody initially caught. if he popped something in his Intestinal tract that may have done it. Gut shots are a slow way to die from what Ive been told. but thats my uneducated guess, Im sure the pros would know more about that than me.

[wonder91178]

Originally Posted by Texas T

I read it as he began going downhill at the scene, not at the hospital; thus the comment to call for CareFlite.

As to the bike, how many miles do you guess were on it?

Doh, sorry you are correct...it sucks he was coherent and went downhill...he had a helmet on to save his melon, I'm assuming to die from internal injuries he had no other gear on.

Kim

[kurt]

EXSANGUINATING INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE - Bleed to death

Most likely a ruptured spleen or lacerated liver. Also could be an arterial bleed. Decompensation really just depends on how rapidly they are bleeding.

[Texas T]

Originally Posted by wonder91178

I'm assuming to die from internal injuries he had no other gear on.Kim

Well, the article does state that he had road rash (interesting statement coming from a media source), but there's not a lot of gear I'm aware of that is designed to protect you from internal injuries such as a fractured pelvis that cuts an artery.

The image below show a cage that ran a red light. The rider was moving at approx 60 mph at the time of impact. Aside from a body-size air bag there probably isn't much to protect him in this kind of situation.

[TX_F2]

^^^^^^ Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark.

We just had a motorcycle fatality here in Corpus Christi on Tues.

A guy on his Suzuki motorcycle ( looked like a blue & white GSX-R on the news.....well, what was left of it anyway) was speeding according to police and lost control. He then went off the road and crashed into a metal post.

[wonder91178]

Originally Posted by Texas T

Well, the article does state that he had road rash (interesting statement coming from a media source), but there's not a lot of gear I'm aware of that is designed to protect you from internal injuries such as a fractured pelvis that cuts an artery.

The image below show a cage that ran a red light. The rider was moving at approx 60 mph at the time of impact. Aside from a body-size air bag there probably isn't much to protect him in this kind of situation.

True, not to say you can't have internal injuries and be in full leathers or something, I was going off the road rash as well, because if he had jeans and a jacket on minimum, I would doubt that there would be any (or much) road rash...unless he was gloveless and in flip flops....ew, road rash to the knuckles makes me cringe just thinking about it....OUCH.

Kim

[bushwhacker]

Originally Posted by wonder91178

because if he had jeans and a jacket on minimum, I would doubt that there would be any (or much) road rash

Bad assumption. I "fell" - you could hardly call it a crash as I was only doing about 5-10 mph - at a spot where the pavement turned to sand about 20 feet from a stop sign in a construction area.

I was wearing long sleeve shirt, leather jacket, long johns, jeans, and chaps (it was about 40 degrees).

I had road rash down the side of one leg and on the elbow. Jeans and heavy shirts can be almost as abrasive as pavement against your skin.

-

[wonder91178]

Originally Posted by bushwhacker

Bad assumption. I "fell" - you could hardly call it a crash as I was only doing about 5-10 mph - at a spot where the pavement turned to sand about 20 feet from a stop sign in a construction area.

I was wearing long sleeve shirt, leather jacket, long johns, jeans, and chaps (it was about 40 degrees).

I had road rash down the side of one leg and on the elbow. Jeans and heavy shirts can be almost as abrasive as pavement against your skin.

-

Sooooooooooooorry

I've had road rash under my jeans as well, it was minimal and I was going 45mph on a road where I was blown into a patch of gravel. I had a t-shirt and my JR Alter Ego jacket on. I still have the grass stains on my jacket from where I was tossed from the bike and flipped several times, but I had no road rash on my upper body.

Kim

[Texas T]

Originally Posted by wonder91178

because if he had jeans and a jacket on minimum, I would doubt that there would be any (or much) road rash

Like Bushwhacker, I also went down while wearing blue jeans. I high-sided at the top of a left hand crest with sand in the corner and I went over the top on the right side. I landed in the desert, not on the asphalt itself but my jeans immediately tore open on my thigh and gave me about an 8 inch rash on my upper thigh. Plus the cut on the right forearm, the rash on the right palm, the sprained right ankle, etc.

I don't ride in jeans anymore unless they are my Draggin Jeans.

[Garthhog]

Jeans are a funny thing...when I lived in San Diego, I lowsided on a freeway offramp at about 40 mph. I was wearing a leather JR jacket, commando boots, jeans, and gloves. The only mark I had on me after the crash was a bruise where I fell on my keys. The only damage to the jeans was the hole in my pocket where the keys were at. These were no your typical pair of low quality Levis (I hate to say that, they used to be good quality). They were a pair a work jeans I bought from Sears, Timberland Pro Series. The denim is definitely thicker than your average pair of jeans.

-Ryan

[wonder91178]

I guess we can only really go on personal experiences (mine was more like Garthhog's). Mine was that I had some road rash on my shins under my jeans, but it was a small amount equal to scratches and maybe one sore...and my jeans didn't even tear (although one leg was later turned into a capri because the EMT guy had to cut them to get to my broken parts LOL).

Kim

[Squidward]

Just like everything else in this world.....with gear, your mileage may vary.

As for protecting against internal injury....depends on the gear...and even then...variable mileage.

I've hit enough trees and eaten enough dirt in my time to know that appropriate gear goes a long way toward protecting from internal injury. Can you still suffer from a ruptured spleen wearing appropriate gear? Sure...but it's a whole lot less likely.

I too assume that this dead cat was without gear aside from his helmet.....and I base this assumption on stereotypes developed after years of observation and experience. Let's look at the following.

wheelie: check
parking lot: check
road rash: check
internal injuries: check
hitting a couple of parked cars after losing control of wheelie: check

I've only ever seen one stunter in the states wear full gear while doing his thing in a parking lot....and he wasn't very good. The law of averages is on my side.

[bluedogok]

I saw a couple of riders today at Parmer and somewhere between I-35 and Mopac. At the light, there was a guy on a Honda VTX cruiser, full face helmet (color matched to bike) mesh jacket, jeans, gloves and boots. Turning left at the light across from him, a guy on a red Busa with a baketball jersey tank and shorts (oooohh, doesn't that kind of nylon melt) with some kind of low cut tennis/basketball shoe. Just seemed kind of odd :scratch

I have a pair of the Aerostich Arborwear pant, they are a heavy canvas and seem like they would provide pretty good protection (albeit without padding). You can also get them directly from Arborwear. I have also thought about trying some from Duluth Trading, they have some pants that they call Fire hose Work Pants, they also have them in several styles and fabric weights.

[pinecone]

Originally Posted by bushwhacker

Bad assumption. I "fell" - you could hardly call it a crash as I was only doing about 5-10 mph - at a spot where the pavement turned to sand about 20 feet from a stop sign in a construction area.

I was wearing long sleeve shirt, leather jacket, long johns, jeans, and chaps (it was about 40 degrees).

I had road rash down the side of one leg and on the elbow. Jeans and heavy shirts can be almost as abrasive as pavement against your skin.

-

Yep. Crashing sucks and it hurts.

[Houston Speed Triple]

Dang!

Am I the only person here who hasn't crashed?

I may have to start a poll.

[pdef]

You just doomed yourself, buddy.

[Garthhog]

Originally Posted by Houston Speed Triple

Dang!

Am I the only person here who hasn't crashed?

I may have to start a poll.

Apparently, your not trying hard enough...slacker!

-Ryan