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On August, 5th 2000, my mother died in a motorcycle accident. She was one of the hardest working people I ever knew and the kindest as well. She had her accident riding alone, on a gravel road, just before reaching the highway. The patrolman estimated speed to be about 20-25 mph, she evidently hit a patch of gravel and simply lost control. The accident occurred just north of Yates Center, Ks. while she was delivering a 10 gallon fish tank to a family that had bought one of the aquarium kits from Wal-Mart in Chanute, KS (where my mother lived), only to find out the tank was broken when they got home. They called the store to see about an exchange and were told it wouldn't be a problem to exchange it. Apparently my mother had heard about it and told the CSM and manager that she would be glad to deliver a new tank after she got off work. This family lived about one mile off the highway, and my mother had here accident just after leaving their home, she was 55 years old.
She hadn't road motorcycles all her life, just nearly all of mine. I believe I was 3 when she got her first bike, a Honda street bike, 175cc. Two bikes later and two years later she was in to a 750cc, and in 1976 she bought a brand new Dark Blue Gold Wing. She road the Gold wing until about 1990, and decided it was getting to heavy for her. She sold it and bought a CB450 and quit taking trips on the motorcycles, only riding in town. That only lasted a couple of summers and she sold the 450cc and bought a CB650 so she could road trip once again. It was maroon and black with a white fairing and white saddle bags. In 1995 I surprised here and painted the entire bike Blue metallic for mothers day (I own a body shop). She was thrilled with that bike and drove it everywhere.
I got a phone call on the morning of the 5th, was on a Saturday, my wife and I were getting ready to go to a class reunion function for her graduating class. The call was from Coffey County Hospital in Burlington, telling me about the accident and that they were airlifting her to KU med center to treat her wounds. We left immediately for KU medical center. I remember just thinking we'd stay up there and give her a ride home, the thought of here being killed in a motorcycle accident never even crossed my mind. When we arrived, we were escorted to a waiting room and shortly a doctor entered and told us that she didn't survive the air lift trip to the hospital. They asked if I wanted to see her, so I went in to the room where she lay. She just looked as if she was sleeping, I didn’t see anything wrong with her. There was another woman in the room, I don't know if she was a nurse or doctor or what, and I asked here what would have caused my mothers death, she looked fine. She turned her head to the side and showed me where it had hit the road. It looked like such a small spot, but it was enough to cause internal bleeding in her brain. She didn't wear her helmet for that ride and lost her life. She was kind of stubborn about that, if it was really nice, she didn’t want that helmet in her way. She loved the open road and the wind in her hair. I couldn't really fault her for it, I did the same thing. That is a BIG past tense now. I don’t want to leave my kids any earlier than I have to, especially from an accident that most likely would have only left some scratches on her arms had she been wearing her helmet (which she always kept in one of the saddle bags.
I still have that bike, it sits out in the barn. With the exception of a few scratches in the fairing and right saddle bad, it looks as good as it did in its hey day.
I just wanted to share this with you all. Thanks for listening.
Thanks for the post. I hope that time has helped heal your heart. I'm glad that you are wearing your helmet and thanks for reminding me to wear mine always.
thank you for sharing...I am soo sorry for the loss...
she sounds like the type that would want you to ride although it took her from you way too early...i am pretty sure that my dad would want me to ride if it took him from me...and he has been riding well over 30 years...its just something that non riders cant understand...
My sympathy goes out to you for losing your mother over a such an event, such as this. I also, no matter what other kind of clothes or gear I have on, will always operate a motorcycle with the use of a helmet.
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I'm not braggin', I'm just that good!
"...I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride...wanted, dead or alive..."
So your Mom delivered a 10gallon aquarium to someone on her CB650?
How'd she do that?
Don't know, it wasn't one the bike when she was found. She would have strapped it on the back of the seat of in the tail bag. It was a fully outfitted CB650 with Windjammer aan hard bags.
Sharing a part of my life, my mother's accident.
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