Little boy loses some toes while being pillion 5/9/05

[crashe]

This article was in todays NZ Herald.
So for all those who take young children on the back of your bike...

Please be careful as this is what can happen.
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/st...ectID=10344076

Boy loses toes in motorbike chain - 05.09.05 11.00am

A seven-year-old boy lost some toes when his foot became entangled in a motorbike chain in Te Kuiti last night.

The boy was airlifted to Waikato Hospital where plastic surgeons overnight attempted to reattach the toes. It was not known this morning if they had been successful.

The boy had been riding pillion on bike when his foot become entangled in the chain.

He was initially treated by paramedics and was later airlifted by the Westpac Air Ambulance helicopter to Waikato Hospital.

- NZPA

[Hitcher]

Ouch. It makes one wonder...

[Sniper]

Bugger, must have small toes to be caught in the chain

[gamgee]

i'd say it's more likely his foot touched the bottom of the chain and got chewed through the sprocket

[Scorpygirl]

He was only seven years old. But at the age he couldn't have reached the pegs. Don't know what he was wearing as protection either. Shit the poor kid, heaps more surgery and I hope it all come right for him.

[Back Fire]

One reason I wont take a pillion, that and the fact that its more fun riding with someone on another bike instead taking them around....

[sanchez]

Whoever let him on there, presumably with no shoes, needs a good kick.

[Smorg]

He was only seven years old. But at the age he couldn't have reached the pegs. Don't know what he was wearing as protection either. Shit the poor kid, heaps more surgery and I hope it all come right for him.

hopefully not a condom.......................seriously though poor kid

[bugjuice]

wonder what the bike was. Most sprockets are a fair way down from the pillion seat
severe ouchy tho.. poor bugga

[crashe]

Seeing as it was in Te Kuiti... farm land area...
Could it have been a farm bike or a bigger quad bike...????
Are they low enough to get toes jammed into a chain??????

But then most farmers kids know to keep their feet up...
cos they are brought up on bikes.

Farmers have 2 wheeled, 3 wheeled and 4 wheeled bikes on the farm.
How exposed are the chains on those bikes?????

[bugjuice]

quad bikes rarely have the chain visable, let alone accessable from the seat.
a small dirt bike (50-125cc) are quite low, could have been one of those..

[myvice]

Ow! Poor little guy!
Daryll (my son) has been on the back of a bike for years and has always had the gear, pity he keeps growing... Bloody expensive as I had the last lot made for him and now he's too big!
Sound like an unfortunate accident more than neglect.

[speights_bud]

Some farm bike 2 wheelers are fitted with fairly large rear sprockets to gear them down for the hills, so they are lifted slightly, in most cases when this is done chain guards will not fit over chain/sprockets.Leaving them quite exposed for pillions without proper pegs (which many farm bikes have removed) But on the other hand some bikes like the Yammy Ag 200 have full chain guard covers to stop anything from hitting the chain/sprockets, be it mud, rocks or toes.

Feel sorry for the little guy, bugger of a thing to happen to someone his age.

[pritch]

Got to be a bit careful what I say here...

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I was following a bike with a child on the back - broadly similar age. At one point the child's feet came off the pegs (both) and waved about a bit before resuming their normal position.
No problem with the riding, the child was just having a stretch or whatever.
As I watched I was concerned about feet meeting spokes.
A later look indicated that this was rather unlikely.

Having read this thread I would have thought the feet were even more unlikely to meet the bottom chain run. Perhaps a smaller bike, or a bigger kid may alter the risk factor.

[FROSTY:Me]

UGG thats gotta smart--sorry for the understatement--
Baby bikie wears MX boots on the bike now and of course my road bikes usually have shaft drive