Let justice be done. RIP Thomas, they got the bastard

[Dutchee]

Great news that they caught the guy - there is no excuse for a hit and run - none at all.
That must be so hard for the family to cope with - the fact that he was left there alone to die.
He may have died anyway but how cowardly to run away and leave him.

Unfortunately sometimes people freak out and think the answer is to run.
I remember back in the 80s a young kid overtook at a pedestrian crossing, not realising why the cars had stopped. He hit the push-chair the mother was pushing and knocked the baby out of it.
The child was severely injured, the rider ran. A huge campaign was run in the paper to track the rider down. He had just freaked out and didn;t know what to do. His priest talked him into facing up to the consequences.
I'd actually love to know what happened to the rider and the child, as I worked for the paper at the time and we were all following the story. It seemed to me it never had an ending and I felt for everyone concerned.
I'm glad that justice can be seen to be done in Thomas' case, whatever the reasons for the initial accident.
RIP Thomas and condolences to your family and friends.

[White trash]

Of course.

But as usual we have a lynch mob here laying blame on other road users... like they are responsible for everything.

They would be better off seeing what they could learn from such an incident to help avoid it happening to others.

I see exactly the point you are trying to make, but, we are entiltled to be on the road as much as anyone else. If these cretins has stopped at the time of the accident, there's a chance the young rider would still be alive. Saying "I'm not going to ride in fog anymore because Dipshit said we need to take responsibility for our own destiny in bad conditions and therefore it's my fault if some reckless arsehole hits me and runs off" is actually fairly lame.

[Deano]

I see exactly the point you are trying to make, but, we are entiltled to be on the road as much as anyone else. If these cretins has stopped at the time of the accident, there's a chance the young rider would still be alive. Saying "I'm not going to ride in fog anymore because Dipshit said we need to take responsibility for our own destiny in bad conditions and therefore it's my fault if some reckless arsehole hits me and runs off" is actually fairly lame.

Totally. Its a moot point as far as Thomas is concerned. Why even bring up the we are responsible BS at this point in time. Any such argument tends to imply a reduced responsibility on the guilty party.

There's any number of reasons why anyone would need to ride in such conditions so suggesting avoiding them is not always practicable.

[oldrider]

But even fault and who is to blame by the letter of the law is of secondary importance to keeping yourself alive.

Travelling on the roads at night down this way in wintertime is more of a risk. Frost and fog is common and to be expected at night in the south in wintertime. To minimise risk you choose your travel times to be in more favourable conditions... like making your journey in the early evening the night before rather than travelling early the next morning.

Can remember staying at girlfriend's flat in Dunedin when I was younger while working on a farm 50km out of town. It was wintertime and I was setting off to ride back to the farm on Sunday evening for work Monday morning. The girlfriend wanted me to stay the night and ride back to work early in the morning. I refused and left that evening as there would be no frost yet or heavy fog. A safer time to travel that puts the odds more in your favour rather than against you. Incidentally she and her sister had a car accident a few weeks later while trying to travel from Dunedin to Gore early one morning on a frosty road.

Yes it can be an inconvenience to plan your journeys around mother nature... but they are the kind of things you need to think about if you are indeed taking your safety and your riding seriously.

I was at work the night of the unfortunate Oamaru accident and we had millions of dollars worth of machinery and personnel parked up and idle because of the heavy fog that night. An inconvenience, yes - but operating in such conditions increases the chance of an incident.

No amount of remorse and attributing blame afterwards will bring someone back to life. The trick is to think about possible outcomes and do something about it before things go wrong.

True!

Just one such night is upon us again this night, well up here in this end of the Waitaki valley, it looks like a hoarfrost season is about to develop!

Probably be waking up to scenes like this tomorrow, or very soon. http://www.pbase.com/johnrendle/image/82853877

The Police did a great job of apprehending the culprit of this killing, here's hoping the justice system doesn't negate their good work by failing to deliver "justice", yet again!

[quickbuck]

There's any number of reasons why anyone would need to ride in such conditions so suggesting avoiding them is not always practicable.

Very True.

The last time I was really worried for my safety on a motorcycle.... like real scared, was traveling through the Manawatu Gorge on a foggy morning.
It must have been 10 years ago now. I remember heading through at about 40 to 50k, as the fog was so thick.
What worried me was that it somebody who "Knew the road" would come hurtling through there at "Normal" pace and run us (me with mrs as pillion) over... Or at very least knock one or both of us over the rail into the river.....


Had a long stop in Woodville until the fog lifted.

[dipshit]

"I'm not going to ride in fog anymore because Dipshit said we need to take responsibility for our own destiny in bad conditions and therefore it's my fault if some reckless arsehole hits me and runs off" is actually fairly lame.

Getting yourself killed is more lame.

[White trash]

Getting yourself killed is more lame.

Man, you're not making a lot of sense. So if a car pulls out to overtake another, while you're heading up a passing lane well within your rights overtaking another and you dot it square between the headlights, dying instantly. You'll accept that you're lame for "getting yourself killed" and that the driver should get a reduced sentence because you should be partially responsible for the accident? Have you discussed this with your wife and family dude, they may not feel the same way.

[oldrider]

Had a long stop in Woodville until the fog lifted.

I lived in Woodville for 15 years and I didn't think the fog ever lifted!

[riffer]

Man, you're not making a lot of sense. So if a car pulls out to overtake another, while you're heading up a passing lane well within your rights overtaking another and you dot it square between the headlights, dying instantly. You'll accept that you're lame for "getting yourself killed" and that the driver should get a reduced sentence because you should be partially responsible for the accident? Have you discussed this with your wife and family dude, they may not feel the same way.

Forget it mate, this clown's definitely in the "it's always the motorcyclists fault" camp.

[dipshit]

Forget it mate, this clown's definitely in the "it's always the motorcyclists fault" camp.

Good thing the aviation industry and pilots take safety a bit more seriously than your typical motorcyclist does.

I am sure a pilot would avoid flying in adverse conditions when possible (if they lack the necessary instrumentation) to minimise risk of getting themselves killed.

Shame many motorcyclists don't put as much thought into their riding.

[JimO]

Shame many motorcyclists don't put as much thought into their riding.

as i understand it this young guy was going to work and perhaps didnt have other transport?? cant blame him for being killed by someone not paying attention

[dipshit]

as i understand it this young guy was going to work and perhaps didnt have other transport?? cant blame him for being killed by someone not paying attention

He was travelling 70 km to his parent's farm he worked on after staying the night at a friend's place in Oamaru. He no doubt had accommodation at the farm. This was not a daily commute.

Almost exactly the same scenario I faced when I was riding at 18. (see above) You could ride back to the farm the evening before in more favourable conditions or try your luck at 4 am in almost the middle of winter. Your choice.

The decisions you make and the amount of thought you put into your riding does have an influence over how much "luck" you have.

[onearmedbandit]

I thought the issue that most were hung up on was the fact the car driver failed to stop then burnt his car in an attempt to hide the evidence. Mistakes happen, maybe the car driver didn't see him, maybe he was drunk, maybe the bikes lights had failed, maybe the rider shouldn't have been out in those conditions, maybe maybe maybe. But that's all for another day, and another thread. The driver of the car struck the motorcyclist, failed to stop to render any assistance, and then in an attempt to escape responsibility for his actions and therefore prosecution from the law and judgment by his peers he destroyed the evidence. That's the difference.

[Berries]

There is more to it than that, but if a bike is your only mode of transport then fog is just another weather condition to take in to account. I rode in to work the morning of the crash, before I had heard about it, and actually thought about what would happen if I did come off because the weather was absolute shit that day. Probably the first time I had thought like that. Ice stops me from riding a few days a year, severe wind can delay a trip as well. Fog doesn't, it just reduces visibility. This guy did absolutely nothing wrong.

As for the airline industry, I know more pilots than I do bike riders. They're all cowboys.

[willytheekid]

I thought the issue that most were hung up on was the fact the car driver failed to stop then burnt his car in an attempt to hide the evidence. Mistakes happen, maybe the car driver didn't see him, maybe he was drunk, maybe the bikes lights had failed, maybe the rider shouldn't have been out in those conditions, maybe maybe maybe. But that's all for another day, and another thread. The driver of the car struck the motorcyclist, failed to stop to render any assistance, and then in an attempt to escape responsibility for his actions and therefore prosecution from the law and judgment by his peers he destroyed the evidence. That's the difference.

Nicely said!
This was EXACTLY why i posted this thread, all of us should realize that accidents happen, and that their are MANY factors involved, but this gutless bastard! hit a fellow biker and ran, then he showed his true nature in trying to cover up the fact by burning out his car to hide the evidence.
-I truly hope the court take this into account and give Thomas's family and friends the Justice they deserve, and the closure they require to move on.

ride safe everyone......there be Bastards out there!