Right or left..... is it that hard????

[rmoore0852]

Sorry yall, gotta vent a little. Decided to go riding for a bit this afternoon:ride:. Only one other person on the 800 acres I ride one. Not stereotyping, but he was on a quad.

All our trails are well marked with survey ribbon on the RIGHT side of the trails. So here I am, 26 miles into a nice ride, hauling ass through a whoop section with a jump at the end. Come over the jump........ and am head on with the D.A. on the quad. ?

Sides of the trail are banked so nowhere to go, and powdery sand does not brake very well.

So, in the aftermath of shaking out the cobwebs and getting out of there (he does help me get my truck and load the bike onto the trailer) I didn't really look over the bike. I am more concerned right now with the possibly broken collarbone (can't tell yet), jacked up left knee, jacked up right thigh and hand. He quickly takes off after getting the bike loaded, before I have a chance to realize that the wreck was not my fault and I am about to be out alot of $$$.

So, I now have upcoming medical bills in addition to a completely screwed front wheel, brake disk, FORK TUBES!!!!, radiator, plastics, and god knows what else!!! All because some idiot didn't notice trail markings were on his LEFT!!!!

[DrDuke]

I would wait around those trails until you see him again, then get a license plate number or something. See if you can ask the owner of the property who he was or something. Man that sucks...I thought my bike problems were bad. I hope you find him

[rmoore0852]

It doesn't really matter. Off road vehicles don't follow the same rules as on road. There's no insurance for liability and unless I wanted to do a civil suit, there's not gonna b any getting anything from him. Judging by his truck and quad, a civil suit wouldn't even get much. And unless surgery is needed, civil suit would cost more in money and hassle than the damage to the bike. It was a NOOB mistake that ended up costing me big time.

[zukboy789]

^ looks like someone around here has a brain. Look guys, accidents happen. Its part of the whole dirtbiking experience. Plus, you have no proof. Its his word against yours.

[Derbo250X]

Sorry yall, gotta vent a little. Decided to go riding for a bit this afternoon:ride:. Only one other person on the 800 acres I ride one. Not stereotyping, but he was on a quad.

All our trails are well marked with survey ribbon on the RIGHT side of the trails. So here I am, 26 miles into a nice ride, hauling ass through a whoop section with a jump at the end. Come over the jump........ and am head on with the D.A. on the quad. ?

Sides of the trail are banked so nowhere to go, and powdery sand does not brake very well.

So, in the aftermath of shaking out the cobwebs and getting out of there (he does help me get my truck and load the bike onto the trailer) I didn't really look over the bike. I am more concerned right now with the possibly broken collarbone (can't tell yet), jacked up left knee, jacked up right thigh and hand. He quickly takes off after getting the bike loaded, before I have a chance to realize that the wreck was not my fault and I am about to be out alot of $$$.

So, I now have upcoming medical bills in addition to a completely screwed front wheel, brake disk, FORK TUBES!!!!, radiator, plastics, and god knows what else!!! All because some idiot didn't notice trail markings were on his LEFT!!!!

There is insurance for liability. I carry it on all my bikes and suggest everyone who rides do the same. If you don't have it, you expose yourself and family to huge potential losses. If you have a home or money you better protect it. You may not get much from him now, but you can get a judgement against him and they will garnish his future earnings. Just because you're on a dirtbike and offroad does not relinquish you or anyone else from liability claims. A good attorney would sink his teeth into someone....even go after their homeowners insurance. Civil lawsuits are where the $$$ comes from.....you can't get any relief if they lock him up! It costs me $12/mos. for liability and loss insurance.......if my bike falls off a cliff, I have a $250 deductible.....if I plow into a quad...same deal...if it's stolen....you get it.

Of course I only get book for the bike...but if I'm going fast and come around a corner and hit someone that is stopped.....and there are witnesses...and they decide to sue me.....medical, lost wages, duress...you name it... I'm hosed. I've got $300k worth of liability....that's not hard to burn through if someone gets really jacked up on my account. I don't know the whats and the hows to your incident but it doesn't sound like you have any legal legs to stand on....he might though.

Fix your bike and insure yourself.....

Sorry you biffed and F'd up your ride....that really sux!

Derik

Edited May 12, 2011 by Derbo250X
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[slaydirt]

i have full coverage on my bike,liability,theft,the whole nine yards,part of the reason for this is my bike is plated for the road,but also because it only cost me 96$ a year...i think it i have a 500$ deductable

[rmoore0852]

I don't know the whats and the hows to your incident but it doesn't sound like you have any legal legs to stand on....he might though.

Fix your bike and insure yourself.....

Sorry you biffed and F'd up your ride....that really sux!

Derik

He might though???? I don't have any legs to stand on? I biffed? He was hauling ass THE WRONG WAY down a very clearly marked one way trail!!! :banghead:I was going the right way!!!! I did everything I could to avoid him, but the reason that trail is one way is that the sides are banked and there's nowhere to swerve off. There are jumps and blind corners. Again, the trail is very clearly marked one way.

I will sure look into the off-road insurance, but with 7 bikes for all the family, I doubt it will be worth spending $700 a year. I do have insurance on my street bike, and they are very clear about not covering any damage or liability off of a legal roadway, since traffic laws do not apply on private property. If I take my CBR to a track day, they don't cover anything. How is a CRF on single track trail on private property any different?

[dmac1]

Is there a sign or something that says which way to go? Or that says always keep survey ribbon on right? How does someone know that is the rule?

My point is, if its clear he was in the wrong and a reasonable person would have known it, he was possibly negligent by riding the wrong way. If nothing says this, then I don't know how you're going to prove he did something wrong. How we he supposed to know??

If there was nothing about this posted anywhere, you could always sue the property owner for negligence by not having the rules posted, but thats what is usually done by people who don't ride because all that will result in is one less place to ride.

Honestly, the land owner should be doing something to protect himself/herself from liability if s/he is allowing just anyone to ride on their land. They will be sued someday...its just a matter of time. Its also quite unfortunate, but thats the way it is these days.

[JJStunts816]

I'm lucky I've only had a MINOR head on with another person on a trail

All our local trails aren't marked, they are all 2 way trails. Some are more open and it's safe to go 2 ways, some are more dangerous and you could easily get wadded up going both ways full speed...

My only accident was me coming around a corner fast as I could, and a quad entering into the corner the opposite direction. He ended up with his front tire pinning my leg between my bike and his quad. He freaked out way more then me, he figured he had snapped my leg.. I was ok cause I knew I was fine.

[rmoore0852]

Good grief guys, I started this thread so I could vent a little, not lawyer it to death. Accidents are part of riding. We all know that every time we swing a leg over a bike. I just don't like it when it is because of someone else's stupidity.

The landowner is protected. Every member out here signs a waiver when we join. Even day visitors sign waivers. There are signs at the front gate saying all trail markers are always on the right. Trails are marked with hot pink survey tape.

All it was was an idiot rider making a stupid mistake, we all see it every time we ride.

I am banged up, but no broken bones. Damage to the bike is not enough to be worth going after him for. Just another stupid example of someone thinking that the rules are dumb and don't apply to them. Could I win a civil suit.....absolutely. Do i think that every dirtbike crash is grounds for a lawsuit....hell no!!!

And people wonder why riding areas get shut down.

[timktm]

Good grief guys, I started this thread so I could vent a little, not lawyer it to death. Accidents are part of riding. We all know that every time we swing a leg over a bike. I just don't like it when it is because of someone else's stupidity.

The landowner is protected. Every member out here signs a waiver when we join. Even day visitors sign waivers. There are signs at the front gate saying all trail markers are always on the right. Trails are marked with hot pink survey tape.

All it was was an idiot rider making a stupid mistake, we all see it every time we ride.

I am banged up, but no broken bones. Damage to the bike is not enough to be worth going after him for. Just another stupid example of someone thinking that the rules are dumb and don't apply to them. Could I win a civil suit.....absolutely. Do i think that every dirtbike crash is grounds for a lawsuit....hell no!!!

And people wonder why riding areas get shut down.

? What he said!

Tim

[Derbo250X]

I'm glad you're not hurt too bad. Hopefully you'll be back on the bike fast! Sorry I lawyered it up...you have every right to vent. I re-read your post and was wrong about your position. I got insured about 5 years ago...... There was I guy I rode with a couple of times who got doubly screwed when he had a wreck with a quad on a CR250...I'm pretty sure his name was Ken. I wasn't there but heard about it from others who witnessed what happened. He and another guy were jamming down a fireroad 6th gear pinned kinda thing....he came over a hill and there was a family on quads stopped and taking up the whole road. He locked up and tried to lay it down but ended up side slamming the father's Raptor. The other guy on the bike lucked out and managed to hit the leftside ditch before augering it in, but didn't hit anyone. Kenny and the guy on the quad were seriously hurt. A long wait for the helicopter too. Kenny almost lost his left foot and had a broken arm, broken ribs, and a detached retina and a totalled bike. He was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks and had several surgeries to try and save his foot. The guy on the quad was in a coma for several weeks and was really jacked up......never going to be the same sort of thing. I've read stories like this a bunch over the years.....however this was the first time I ever heard of a rider getting sued.

The guy's health insurance company hired an attorney and an investigator to get statements from everyone who was there and the long/short of it......Kenny spent months trying to defend a suit brought against him by the other guys insurance company and family and lost. It cost him everything he had......and he had quite a bit from what I was told.....There may be someone on this board who remembers the incident and can pipe in about what happened to Ken, Four Peaks road...5 years back......I never gave liability any thought, then again I never had anything to protect when I was a kid. I looked into getting an umbrella policy for liability to protect what I have now...my family, my savings and my future.

Plus....I have a temper and if I ever decide to punch someone in the mouth....I'm covered.

My insurance agent gave me some great cheap options that not only cover my liability, but pay my deductible on my health insurance (5 grand right there) as well as replacing or repairing my bikes......I spend more money replacing tires every year than what my bike insurance costs. You think that you'd never sue someone, but what if some D' head hurts you real bad and costs you thousands...lost wages....lost job...medical costs or takes away your ability to live like a normal dude....what are you going to do about it? Anyone of us can be that D' head on a given day.....I take way fewer risks now that I'm a Dad and a provider, make smarter judgements too... but I still have moments where I just can't help but hit it hard and fast...

Derik

[rmoore0852]

I hear what you are saying there. I will definitely look into the whole off-road insurance thing. Never even crossed my mind about someone else's health insurance going after us for liability...... many good points made.

Sorry if I started getting snappy, just seems like the first thing that comes to many people's minds are who can I sue and how much can I get? Too many people looking for a quick payday. That's how you came across initially, but it just came across wrong apparently.

What you are saying about not suing someone..... while I don't like lawsuits, I am not opposed to them if the situation warrants it. This guy that hit me head on going the wrong way...... had I been seriously or permanently injured I sure would look at suing him. May not get much, but I am a police officer. It doesn't take much of a permanent injury to cost me my career.

Just out of curiosity, which insurance company are you with? Sounds like they have a very comprehensive off road program.

[jayc250x]

How is a CRF on single track trail on private property any different?

Quite different. I discovered that I could get full coverage insurance when I got my new '98 XR400 for like $100/year. Is the insurance company crazy? Must be - I bought it and jumped my bike right into the face of a boulder two weeks later. Smashed front wheel, subframe, triple clamps, fork tube, bars,... Insurance company totaled the bike and I got a big check. I fixed the bike with all kinds of trick aftermarket parts, and ended up with a better than new bike for half what I originally paid. Still have it too...

I'd assume that you have medical insurance, but you are out of luck with your bike damage. Think of it as an excuse to put a bunch of cool aftermarket parts onto your bike.

Surf around for OEM (and aftermarket) parts - I saved a fortune over my local dealer buying from Service Honda, and I believe some places are even cheaper now.

Incidentally, stories like yours and the one a couple of posts up are why I always keep my speed such that I can stop within the trail that I can see. If I'm coming up on a blind turn, I slow down until I'm sure it is clear. I open it up ONLY if I can see well ahead.

JayC

[Derbo250X]

I hear what you are saying there. I will definitely look into the whole off-road insurance thing. Never even crossed my mind about someone else's health insurance going after us for liability...... many good points made.

Sorry if I started getting snappy, just seems like the first thing that comes to many people's minds are who can I sue and how much can I get? Too many people looking for a quick payday. That's how you came across initially, but it just came across wrong apparently.

What you are saying about not suing someone..... while I don't like lawsuits, I am not opposed to them if the situation warrants it. This guy that hit me head on going the wrong way...... had I been seriously or permanently injured I sure would look at suing him. May not get much, but I am a police officer. It doesn't take much of a permanent injury to cost me my career.

Just out of curiosity, which insurance company are you with? Sounds like they have a very comprehensive off road program.

All my insurance is with State Farm...home, auto and special riders for my bikes and jewelry and guns...at my age , its way cheaper than what I was paying for 1 car in college. It's a change of thought when you insure to protect yourself and your wealth (no matter how small) rather than to insure to be legal.....legal doesn't cover your ass....you have to make a little more effort to do that. Not much though...be proactive and don't become a victim.

I hope you have many miles of good times and I hope everyone you meet is going the right way.

Take it easy,

Derik

[TexasTrash]

Sorry to hear that you were injured and your property damaged but sh**t happens. It's sad to see all the lawsuit garbage moving into the offroad community, it's gonna kill the sport.

[slaydirt]

lawsuits were the end of 3wheelers...i will own enouther 1985 atc 250r one day