'Hero' biker overwhelmed by donations after avoiding cyclists

I feel sorry for the bloke having to deal with life-changing injuries, but I would have thought that would be obvious without explicitly stating it in my post, given that we're all human beings. That doesn't alter the fact that my first reaction to the story was similar to the OP's.

Of course, none of us can be sure what happened as we weren't there and there's no video.

Not sure why I'm snoozing, that was an "I"

I think everyone will have a degree of empathy, we (or just believe his publicist is doing a great job to get these donations up. From your experience of ice or oil do you feel you were much other than a helpless passenger at these points. From the sound of this story he chose to take a path through hell to save man, woman, child and cute kittens...

Sorry but I expected all the two wheeled riders to have a bit more empathy. Surely virtually everyone who rides on two wheels has had a moment or come off on an unseen hazard? Recently I have reported several diesel spills and seen riders with and without engines crash or slip on them. Next day it is barely visible and the first hint of rain will bring it back to life and yes it is vsometimes ery easy to make a desiscion as to where you are going to dump it! Has nobody fell off on ice? Ah that is your own fault for not anticipating the hazard huh? My sympaties are with the guy either way, no one wants another person to end up like that.

I have to say I feel pretty cynical about this... He pushed too hard, got it wrong and is now, very regretably paying the price. 

However, I also have to acknowledge that the chap may have been in a position to choose cyclists or hedge, and for whatever reason chose the hedge, saving others from injury.

Personally speaking, the choice he took was the  only one he could and should have done, to have chosen to plough into the cyclists would have been unbelieveably callous. 

It is a real shame that he suffered the injuries he did, and I hope for the best result possible. 

It's just the luck of the draw sometimes. As I've said I've binned a bike twice and once was a head-on into a car where I went up into the air and managed to land on a elevated grass bank by a church, so I never did the coming back down with bang bit. Got away with a bad ankle spain. Another bend and maybe I'd be in a wheelchair. 

I think people are perhaps disputing the choice element that's being portrayed here. Most of the time when things go wrong you're just a passenger on a ride, your input into the situation has failed and is probably what go you there in the first place. 

It's sad that this guy ends up like this when insured bike thieves seem bullet proof but stories like this are why I gave up biking when I became a parent. The temptation to throttle it is too strong and if you can crash on a track on which you know every bend, you can crash on a road on which you know none of the bends. I hope as science advances we'll be able to tackle stuff like this so maybe the story doesn't have to end this way. 

While what happened may have been his own fault (we don't know all the facts so I feel that it's a bit mean that so many people are willing to judge, especially given the consequences for the guy), I think it is entirely possible that he made the right call once he was already on the wrong side of the road, and I think it was fine for the cyclists to thank him for making the right call at that stage. Agree with the above about the general lack of charity and goodwill!

If nothing else, perhaps the news story will help others to think about their responsibilities when driving a motor vehicle, and that should they make an error and be in a position of choosing what to crash into, crashing into a hard inanimate object or a vehicle with crumple zones is preferable to crashing into more vulnerable road users. For example, road positioning when overtaking should reflect this.

Really hope the guy makes great progress in rehabilitation, whether or not it was his own error that lead to the situation.

Give the man a break. 

Most of us have ridden / driven faster than we should at some point in our lives.

No, he isn't a hero but he is paralysed and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I'm happy to celebrate any form of charity and goodwill  in today's world; there's precious little of either about.  This forum included.

Glad it wasn't just me thinking this OP.

(edited - decided my sarcasm was misplaced )

He could have just hit them, and then in the aftermath, said "oh well, I made a mistake" and others would have suffered. This happens a lot today, no?

Instead, he chose NOT to have others suffer because of his mistakes, and took his chances.

In the split second he had, he thought of others.

As a former biker, all I can say is who taught that guy to ride? Rear lock-up? The only time I ever used my rear was settling a bike in a bend (rare and usually on a track day) and stationary. The front will do all you ask of unless you really mess up.

Sorry this happened to him but having crashed two bikes myself and knowing what people ride like I don't think there's any heroics involved here.

I read this story and thought exactly the same thing.  It's bollocks that you "look down" and "notice" that your back wheel is losing traction on a bike. It happens in milliseconds and you feel it through your arse. By the time you're looking down, you're in the hedge.

To summarise:

- Going too fast

- Lost control

- Narrowly avoided killing innocent bystanders (probably more by luck than skill, given said loss of control)

Aren't those cyclists, who nearly lost their lives, lucky that the rider was such a hero.  The story quotes Mr Toon as saying, "the cyclists all thanked him for what he did".  Can you imagine any scenario in which you see a biker lose control of his machine, almost hit you, seriously injure himself in the process and your first reaction is to thank him for his actions?

The Leicester Mercury wrote:

The 32-year-old, who is still recovering in hospital, told the Nottingham Post: “I was heading towards Melton. I was coming up to a blind bend so I slowed down but as I slowed down my back wheel skidded and it started to fish tail. 

So, it seems a more accurate title for this story is "Rider loses control of motorbike and nearly kills cyclists".​