Roethlisberger hurt in motorcycle crash

 

Monday, June 12, 2006

By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

 

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured when his motorcycle was involved in a crash on the 10th Street Bridge today.

 

Roethlisberger was injured shortly after 11:30 a.m. at the Second Avenue side of the bridge near the Armstrong Tunnel.

 

Steelers' spokesman David Lockett confirmed Roethlisberger was involved and is being treated at Mercy Hospital.

 

An eyewitness said she saw a motorcycle headed outbound on Second Avenue as a car was coming inbound. The car made a left turn toward the bridge in front of the cyclist. The motorcycle hit the car and the operator flew into the windshield and then hit the ground.

 

The witness said she went to the aid of the motorcyclist and asked his name. He said it was "Ben" and tried to get up, but she told him to stay still.

 

The victim was bleeding heavily from a head injury.

 

Roethlisberger has been known to refuse to wear a helmet when operating his cycle.

 

"Ben Doesn't Wear A Helmet" was a HUGE local story about this time last year, everyone was saying how stupid it is not to wear one. Ben kept telling folks he rides safely, but that doesn't matter on a bike because there's always some asshole in a car who doesn't pay attention.

At least Ben wasn't being an asshat at the time, like Kellen Winslow Jr. when he had his wild ride.

 

 

Even if it's just minor injuries, this still probably puts him out of camp for a while and gives him a bigger propensity for concussions. (Concussions, IIRC, are more likely to keep happening once you've had one)

 

 

This is definitely not good for the Steelers, as they'd had a definite lack of depth behind Ben and is part of why they went 7-5 over the first 12 games.

Charlie Batch is a perfectly acceptible backup, and they drafted a kid this year who's got some potential. They still have Rod Rutherford on the roster too, so I'm not worried about that part, it's just frustrating that EVERYONE said this was going to happen when it made news that he doesn't wear a helmet. He's one of those "it won't happen to me" types, and well...it did.

As someone who's NEVER understood the appeal of riding a motorcycle, I say, "meh."

As someone who's NEVER understood the appeal of riding a motorcycle, I say, "meh."

I'm sure Ben's family appriciates your "meh".

As someone who's NEVER understood the appeal of riding a motorcycle, I say, "meh."

The only thing I see in motorcycles is the ease in parking if you're going to college.

 

(Most colleges allow motorcycle parking near the bicycle racks, which are one FUCK of a lot closer than the normal parking spots.)

 

 

Outside of that, they're not too good because you're at the mercy of the elements, you don't get any protection, etc.

I can't feel sorry for him on this one. He doesn't wear a helmet to begin with and he saw what happened to Winslow last year. He should've listened to everyone around him.

Pennsylvania no longer has a helmet law, thanks to a bill that passed a year or two ago. Of course it was signed by Ed Rendell, longtime Eagles fan.

 

Think about it.

BenRo, Kellen Winslow... when the hell when these guys learn?

As someone who's NEVER understood the appeal of riding a motorcycle, I say, "meh."

I'm sure Ben's family appriciates your "meh".

I'd be more concerned about my stupid son who thinks he shouldn't wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, if I were them.

As someone who's NEVER understood the appeal of riding a motorcycle, I say, "meh."

I'm sure Ben's family appriciates your "meh".

I'd be more concerned about my stupid son who thinks he shouldn't wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle, if I were them.

Motorcycle riders by large are a different breed. Most of them seem to be of the libertarian "ain't no gubmint gonna tell me to wear mah helmet if I don't want to" mindset.

 

Of course most aren't as rich as Ben and we end up paying for their rebelliousness with higher health care costs, but hey at least they can stick it to the man and go bareheaded at 50 mph.

And now we find out just how close Ben came to losing his career...and his life:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2517756

 

BRISTOL, Conn. -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday night that he was told he was "seconds, maybe a minute away from dying" immediately after his motorcycle accident last month.

 

Roethlisberger, in his first interview since the June 12 accident, told ESPN's "SportsCenter" that he doesn't remember much about the accident when he rammed his motorcycle into a car that was making a left turn in front of him on a Pittsburgh street. He did, however, remember what he was told by people at the scene.

 

"They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach," he told ESPN's Jim Rome in Los Angeles, where he was for the taping of the ESPYS.

I was thinking he got lucky with his life considering the type of vehicle he was on as well as you just don't escape incidents like those without coming close to death.

 

But I'd like to add that if it was a vein or artery in his throat, then the helmet wouldn't've done any good... He was still stupid for not wearing one, but if it was the throat, not much the helmet would've done to protect it. Assuming neck part of the throat, not facial.