Canucks defenceman dies in N.B. motorcycle crash
You don’t have to follow hockey to have heard of the death of Vancouver Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon.
Bourdon, who helped Canada win gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 world junior hockey championships, died in a motorcycle accident Thursday on the highway between Lameque and Shippagan, his hometown. He was 21.
Bourden was a top prospect, Vancouver’s first round pick at the 2005 NHL entry draft. He was a young man who was going places in the hockey world.
Now all of that potential, all of that promise is gone, just another senseless motorcycle death on a Canadian highway, a bright light snuffed out too soon by a transport truck.
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Bourden was a responsible young man, but like many people, underestimated the dangers of riding a motorcycle. "Everyone feels they are invincible, so you try to advise them to be more responsible and more careful in their daily activities,” Gillis said in a report.
"It isn't like Luc wasn't responsible, it's just that it's a risky position for anyone to get on a motorcycle."
I bore witness to motorcycle fatalities when I was a police reporter for this newspaper, saw young broken bodies carried away in bags and motorcycles that can travel 200 miles-an-hour recovered in the woods hundreds of feet away with barely a scratch.
Not that you have to be going fast to get hurt on a motorcycle.
Last June, my friend Amy nearly got herself killed in a motorcycle accident in Taiwan, where she’s a teacher. Amy and I are both Holland College journalism grads, class of 2003.
To use the lingo I used so often as a cop reporter, Amy suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries to her legs and arms, including a fractured knee, in the single-vehicle accident. To use regular English, her coattail got caught in the motorcycle’s chain and that was nearly all she wrote for Amy. If she hadn’t been wearing a helmet (not mandatory in Taiwan) she’d be dead now.
It makes you think.
There are no shortage of motorcycle fatalities in the headlines. Just take a look at some of the ones besides Bourden I found, all posted within hours of each other Thursday night.
Soldier dies in motorcycle crash - Virginia.
Rhode Island couple killed in motorcyle accident.
Motorcycle accident early Thursday leaves one dead - Indiana.
Man dead in motorcycle accident – Utah.
Man “critical” after motorcycle crash – Vermont.
And on. And on.
Those headlines weren’t hard to find, and that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
Motorcycles are powerful pieces of machinery. They’re not toys. They should be treated with respect or people will die.
If you’re going to ride one, use proper judgement, be safe and obey the speed limit.
Motorcycles riders should also take the time to check out this motorcycle tip and techniques website at http://www.msgroup.org/. The site, focused on motorcycle safety, has more than 240 safety tips. Whether you’re a novice rider or a pro, please take the time to read over some of the safety tips. They may just save your life.
Bourdon, who helped Canada win gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 world junior hockey championships, died in a motorcycle accident Thursday on the highway between Lameque and Shippagan, his hometown. He was 21.
Bourden was a top prospect, Vancouver’s first round pick at the 2005 NHL entry draft. He was a young man who was going places in the hockey world.
Now all of that potential, all of that promise is gone, just another senseless motorcycle death on a Canadian highway, a bright light snuffed out too soon by a transport truck.
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Bourden was a responsible young man, but like many people, underestimated the dangers of riding a motorcycle. "Everyone feels they are invincible, so you try to advise them to be more responsible and more careful in their daily activities,” Gillis said in a report.
"It isn't like Luc wasn't responsible, it's just that it's a risky position for anyone to get on a motorcycle."
I bore witness to motorcycle fatalities when I was a police reporter for this newspaper, saw young broken bodies carried away in bags and motorcycles that can travel 200 miles-an-hour recovered in the woods hundreds of feet away with barely a scratch.
Not that you have to be going fast to get hurt on a motorcycle.
Last June, my friend Amy nearly got herself killed in a motorcycle accident in Taiwan, where she’s a teacher. Amy and I are both Holland College journalism grads, class of 2003.
To use the lingo I used so often as a cop reporter, Amy suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries to her legs and arms, including a fractured knee, in the single-vehicle accident. To use regular English, her coattail got caught in the motorcycle’s chain and that was nearly all she wrote for Amy. If she hadn’t been wearing a helmet (not mandatory in Taiwan) she’d be dead now.
It makes you think.
There are no shortage of motorcycle fatalities in the headlines. Just take a look at some of the ones besides Bourden I found, all posted within hours of each other Thursday night.
Soldier dies in motorcycle crash - Virginia.
Rhode Island couple killed in motorcyle accident.
Motorcycle accident early Thursday leaves one dead - Indiana.
Man dead in motorcycle accident – Utah.
Man “critical” after motorcycle crash – Vermont.
And on. And on.
Those headlines weren’t hard to find, and that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
Motorcycles are powerful pieces of machinery. They’re not toys. They should be treated with respect or people will die.
If you’re going to ride one, use proper judgement, be safe and obey the speed limit.
Motorcycles riders should also take the time to check out this motorcycle tip and techniques website at http://www.msgroup.org/. The site, focused on motorcycle safety, has more than 240 safety tips. Whether you’re a novice rider or a pro, please take the time to read over some of the safety tips. They may just save your life.
posted by Street Wise Guy | 1:37 AM
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