Rider dies on ride protesting helmet laws

"Philip A. Contos, 55, of Parish, New York, was on a ride organized by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), state police said Sunday.

Contos hit his brakes, began fishtailing and lost control of his 1983 Harley Davidson. He shot over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, where he was pronounced dead.

State police say evidence at the scene plus information from the attending medical expert indicated Contos would have survived had he been wearing a helmet as required by state law.

Asked about the apparent irony of Contos' death, the statewide president of ABATE, Thomas Alton, said, "We are riding at an increased risk and accept that. ... This individual was a seasoned rider, not a newbie. He made an adult decision. A full decision to ride in the manner he rode in."
 
Yes, I remember that. Sad, but very ironic. I wish everyone would wear a helmet, but I still don't think it should be a law. You can't legislate away stupid.
 
Yea, that was very sad. I don't wish death like that even on idiots that insist on not wearing a helmet or wear those non DOT cereal bowls on their heads...
 
FZ1yb said:
"Philip A. Contos, 55, of Parish, New York, was on a ride organized by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), state police said Sunday.

Contos hit his brakes, began fishtailing and lost control of his 1983 Harley Davidson. He shot over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, where he was pronounced dead....

Asked about the apparent irony of Contos' death, the statewide president of ABATE, Thomas Alton, said, "We are riding at an increased risk and accept that. ... This individual was a seasoned rider, not a newbie. He made an adult decision. A full decision to ride in the manner he rode in."
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I'd rather ride a modern bike without a helmet than ride a classic harley with one :)

That being said, I agree that it's dumb and ironic, but in a way it reinforces their point. He made the decision and paid the price for it. It shouldn't be a law, it should be a way to cull dumb people out of the gene pool.
 
I don't think there is an article about it, but My grandma's Brother died a few years ago in texas on his way to an anti-helmet rally. He crashed his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet....
 
ABATE of NY Inc. is organizing a memorial "to honor an individual who rode for freedom and risked his all for freedom,"

He rode for freedom? Risked his all for what sorry? By this logic, having a bare-back whore house crawl through the slums of a third world, aids infested country is also freedom....
How does this make sense to a whole bunch of people?
What a pack of wankers. Only in America!

ATGATT!!!!!
Freedom is riding, having a ball and making it home to your family.
 
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u can only ride without helmet is ure body is injected with admantium.

otherwise do ureself a favour and wear a helmet.

flesh and bones cant win against tarmac.

end of the day, its up to individual how they want to get home. in 1 piece or in pieces.
 
I get torn on this subject. The strongest feeling is that I CHOOSE to, and always will, wear a helmet. As well as pressuring the ones I love to wear helmets. But in the same vain, I'm as tired as everyone else of government legislating freedoms away. I don't want my government passing laws to protect me from myself. I want to make those decisions. I'm fairly sure my brain would have been all over the curb my head hit when I had my low speed get off. It was enough to split my helmet, so imagine if it had just been my skull. A stupid little moment in time, a minor accident, and it could have been major if I didn't make the right choice. Is it natural selection if I don't? Yes, I think so. But I still want the right to make it.


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I can't understand some people, what they protest against? Wearing a helmet? With today's bike's?? People if you forgot today's slowest bike can reach 90mph / 120 km/h if you fall with this speed without a helmet and (very) good protective gear you are bound to injure yourself or pass away to a better life.

I cannot belive that some people don't think about their lives before getting on a bike without a helmet, and then when they crash and hurt themselves people say "poor guy". As far as I'm concerned if you don't value your life than you don't deserve to live.

I was maybe too forward with this statement I apologise if I insulted someone but this is just the way it is, if you don't care about your health, your life, then what do you care about??? Being seen on a new bike cruising thought the neighborhood at 90 mph so that anyone can see you on a new bike that only a few pople can afford?? I mean grow up this is not child's play!!!
 
I actually know someone who rides without because, "People need to see my face when I pay this much for this bike". Ridiculous, but unfortunately he believes that. (he is riding a custom bike). I don't get it.

I have always worn a helmet. Since the age of 5 when I was first on a minibike.
 
This guy (recently fired football coach for Arkansas) didn't wear a helmet, but he said he's been riding since age 10. He must think that makes him more skilled & can slide on his face better. :doh2:

Yah, not that smart.

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well i would love to see the helmet laws repealed, as well as the seat belt and air bag laws.

now do not get me wrong I OWE my life to ALL three of these, different accidents, different times.
i just have this problem of the government playing nanny just to protect me from myself.

and i have always worn these said devices at all times. (not the air bags) as these are mounted into the cage.
i do believe in protecting one's self as much as possible as one never knows what is coming over that crest or around that corner.
but this choice should be up to the person NOT a nanny state.

and yes it is said to hear another has died...but he was doing as he chose.

but what is survive the crash? as in all is normal? or a vegetable in a bed?
my helmet saved my life and i am..ok i guess. the Dr's saved my leg. but if i was to have been a vegetable i would rather have died. not wanting to be a burden on my family. and using up air a reg person could have used.
but this is just me.
not a death wish just life/death as i see it. i do not fear death. but i live life.
 
I usually stay away from these sort of debates, and will not make light of someones death regardless of the circumstances.

The fact that the rider died and the nature of the event only makes with certainty the oposite point, that was being attempted.

I agree that freedom of choice is important and more and more the governments are treating the public like children. The "nanny state" thinking is prevalent everywhere. There is a reason for this and they are called lawyers, and really it is all about money. This is not a totally cynical view and I have first hand experience about what I speak. We, as a North American society have allowed this lawyer run "lets sue!" mentality to grow and fester. Overall we don't take responsibilty for our own actions (especially ones with terrible, and far reaching consequences), always looking to lay blame at someone else's feet. Smokers want the tobacco companies to pay for their health problems. Drivers that can't figure out how to turn off the key want Toyota to pay for their wrecked cars, Hugely fat people want McDonald's to pay their health costs, the examples go on, and on. This applies to Canada as well, believe me.

Unfortunately riders who Choose not to protect themselves, still expect, and have loved ones that expect the insurance companies (or Governments) to pay for the resulting costs, should their poor choices cost them dearly.

The best way this can be mitigated (IMO) is by Much better education at every level. Education that starts in the home, by the parents, teaching their children that actions have consequences, and to take responsibility for those actions, GOOD and BAD. Not everything that happens in our lives by OUR choices is someone else's fault.

Don't get me wrong, Lawyers have a place and have helped me when I needed it. Sadly too many make a living off convincing people that they are never responsibly for their own uneducated,stupid decisions, and that someone else should always be made to pay for that!

Time for society to GET REAL.

OK thats it, I'll get off this soap box before I fall and hurt myself and have to sue the maker of the box, the flooring company, and the shoe and sock manufacturers for defective and dangerous products that contributed to my injury. While I'm at it, maybe I should sue my school teachers for failing to teach me how to spell, and use proper grammer!:fencers:
 
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Sure, you can't force people to abide by laws. That is not what I'm even getting into. I am more just taking the perspective of , "hey, there are these people who disregard basic safety & endanger their health." It simply fascinates me how people do it. But I try to learn everyday from something......With or without laws, people will ultimately do what they want in the absence of supervision.
 
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FZ1yb said:
Sure, you can't force people to abide by laws. That is not what I'm even getting into. I am more just taking the perspective of , "hey, there are these people who disregard basic safety & endanger their health." It simply fascinates me how people do it. But I try to learn everyday from something......With or without laws, people will ultimately do what they want in the absence of supervision.
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Very true...it's human nature to disregard laws (or knowledge) in general even when you know that they will protect you.

People know helmets save lives, yet they still ride w/o one...

People know seat belts save lives, yet they still don't buckle up...

People know cigarettes cause cancer, yet they continue to smoke...

So yes there will always be people that don't have any regard for their safety, which is very unfortunate for us all in the end.
 
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