Atgatt

[PrincessBandit]

Even when wearing helmet, gloves, jacket, pants (revits) and boots I don't think "ok, cool, now I can ride however I like with no worries about what I might encounter on the road". That would be very short sighted and is an over-simplistic knee jerk reaction that only a halfwit would consider logical.
The only crash I have ever had saw some hefty gravel rash along my helmet, my gloves and toe of one boot ground down several layers and my heavy leather jacket ripped open at the neck on the side I broke my collar bone. Was I glad I was wearing my gear? Hell yeah. Had I set out on that short ride intending to or expecting to crash? Um, no.
You would have to be seriously several sammies short of the picnic to really believe ATGATT will save your life. It wouldn't have done me much good if I'd be squished by a following car or truck! Did it save me from severe road rash (and very likely severe head injury) YES. Broken bones? No, although it was only one.
My short foray into "helmet and boots only" (and tbh I have to wear my boots whether I actually want to or not as I can't reach the ground securely otherwise) was taken being fully aware of the potential risks.
If some want to ride comparatively unprotected the main thing is understanding the risks and not expecting too much in the way of tea, bikkies and sympathy when you get skinned and shredded.

[Mike.Gayner]

the nurse on reception took one look at him, his injuries, and us holding his helmet and said, "Oh, self inflicted injuries huh, take a seat and we'll get to you."

That nurse should be fired. From a cannon into a brick wall.

[F5 Dave]

If it were her first day , yes. but I imagine people's empathy gets worn thin when they see people who did not take precautions & turn their attn. first to people who did, or more likely cute kids having a bad time, because everyone is more sympathetic to cute kids.

Will wearing gear make you think you are bulletproof? heard that argument before. I've turned up to Thursday rides in the old days with guys wearing jeans & sneakers 'cause they're not going to go fast, they'd wear leathers if they were going to go for a fast ride'. Then they ride as if there's no tomorrow because they are 20something alpha males trying to prove something. They already think they are bulletproof.

[Edbear]

Has anyone thought to note the opinions of those who crashed without the gear, leading to severe gravel rash? Like cancer from smoking, it's those who haven't yet got it who are most vocal about not needing to worry about it.

Few ever learn from the mistakes of others, preferring to risk their own health or life until the bad day comes. Of course they're mostly young and think they know it all and older heads are stupid.

[swbarnett]

To quote myself

Yep, I can be blind at times.

But why would you say that?

All I'm saying is that Brain minus Gear is one hell of a lot safer than Gear minus Brain. Brain plus Gear is even safer still. It all depends on how far you want to go.

In essence - start with Brain. Then add Gear. Not the other way around.

There are those that chose to ride open to the wind but have their head firmly in the game. To my mind they are a lot safer than the Rossi wannabe that wears all the latest gear but spends the whole ride thinking about how cool they look.

[swbarnett]

Even when wearing helmet, gloves, jacket, pants (revits) and boots I don't think "ok, cool, now I can ride however I like with no worries about what I might encounter on the road". That would be very short sighted and is an over-simplistic knee jerk reaction that only a halfwit would consider logical.

Or perhaps a newbie that's seen one too many "Full Gear / Fool's Gear" posters.

[swbarnett]

If it were her first day , yes. but I imagine people's empathy gets worn thin when they see people who did not take precautions & turn their attn. first to people who did, or more likely cute kids having a bad time, because everyone is more sympathetic to cute kids.

There is no place in a hospital for anyone that will pass judgement before offering treatment. How the patient got there is irrelevant. If I found anyone doing what you describe above a formal complaint would be lodged and I would hope they would be fired on the spot.

If a smoker comes in with lung cancer should they be turned away and left to die? After all, that's way more self inflicted than any rider going down without the gear.

[swbarnett]

That nurse should be fired. From a cannon into a brick wall.

Exactly my thought. They're not there to pass judgement in a time of crisis. That is just unprofessional no matter how jaded they are.

[swbarnett]

Few ever learn from the mistakes of others, preferring to risk their own health or life until the bad day comes.

There are plenty of people for whom that bad day never comes. There are lots of smokers that never develop related health problems and there are plenty of riders that have never crashed in any meaningful way.

[Mike.Gayner]

If it were her first day , yes. but I imagine people's empathy gets worn thin when they see people who did not take precautions & turn their attn. first to people who did, or more likely cute kids having a bad time, because everyone is more sympathetic to cute kids.

It's not a nurse's job to pass moral judgements, they're there to triage, admit and treat.

[Old Steve]

It's not a nurse's job to pass moral judgements, they're there to triage, admit and treat.

When I once did a drivers course we were asked who we would attend to first if we came upon a car accident:

The person bleeding and screaming
the person lying still on the ground

You attend to the unconscious one first, at least the screamer is breathing.

But I did think her attitude was harsh, but the injured bike rider wasn't going to die and was in fact taken through to A & E when the next nurse came through within 3 - 4 minutes.

[Edbear]

There are plenty of people for whom that bad day never comes. There are lots of smokers that never develop related health problems and there are plenty of riders that have never crashed in any meaningful way.

Spoken as I expected. You simply prove what I said.

[Gadget1]

It's not a nurse's job to pass moral judgements, they're there to triage, admit and treat.

That's true.

However, my wife is an ex Neuro Intensive Care nurse and according to her they all (including Doctors) got into a "Motorcycle injury? Well, what do you expect?" frame of mind when another one was wheeled in.

Incidently, she told me it usually went, by bed: Motorcycle injury, Rugby, Motorcycle, Motorcycle, Rugby, Car.

As you can imagine, I had a bit of a job on my hands wanting to come back to riding motorbikes because of it.

[F5 Dave]

There is no place in a hospital for anyone that will pass judgement before offering treatment. How the patient got there is irrelevant. If I found anyone doing what you describe above a formal complaint would be lodged and I would hope they would be fired on the spot.

If a smoker comes in with lung cancer should they be turned away and left to die? After all, that's way more self inflicted than any rider going down without the gear.

Have you met any human beings? We`re opinionated prejudiced and fallowble. See? my spelling isn't perfect. I tried that word 3 times and it still doesn't look right.

Hopefully in a time of need we will encounter professional staff who aren't having one of those days. But don't count on it. Your position of the moral high ground won't comfort you at all. And clearly you aren't ofey (can't spell that either tonight) will nz employment law. You'd have to triple murder someone to be sacked on the spot.

[Big Dog]

Is that a Big Mac, as in eating unhealthy food
or
Big Mack, as in target fixation when seeing a large truck coming the other way?

Picked a guy up out of the gutter after he'd slid off on some diesel on a roundabout. He'd been wearing thongs (it was in Australia), beach shorts, tee shirt, no gloves, and the only PPE he was wearing was the mandatory helmet. Injuries spread from toes (he did still have ten of them but they weren't in the best of condition, calves, knee (some of the white structural stuff was very evident), thigh and hip (lots of red stuff around the area), shoulder (very much like the thigh and hip) and hands (well you do automatically put your hands down don't you when you fall over).

We put a picnic blanket on the passenger's seat and took him to the base hospital, the nurse on reception took one look at him, his injuries, and us holding his helmet and said, "Oh, self inflicted injuries huh, take a seat and we'll get to you."

I did wear ATGATT before that incident, and I sure as hell do now.

Simple solution. Tell the nurse "No, he was riding a motorcycle but this is a freak rugby accident." Then watch them hop to.
When I broke my foot high siding a scooter the nurse told me that motorcycle and alcohol related non-life-threatening accidents are treated last with motorcycles just sneaking in ahead of alcohol related.
It took nearly 4 hours to get treatment. Even then I was wheeled out of X-ray to make room for a rugby player who was still wearing wet mud. Broken collarbone, yes. More life threatening, no. Can't have left the pitch 20 minutes before he was getting attention from several orthopaedic specialists. Meanwhile I got an X-ray and a nurse putting on a cast just in case because there would not be an orthopaedic specialist to have a look 'til Monday.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.