More bikers down

[Jerry W]

Here is the article from the Amarillo paper, bikes down, some riders injured others dead. A grim reminder to stay alert when traveling.

 

James & Anita White have ridden the colorful stretch of highway west of Pueblo, Colo., dozens of times. Friday's trek should have been routine.

 

But the trip ended tragically for the Amarillo couple when someone in their motorcyclist group struck an antelope, setting off a chain reaction that left Anita White and another man dead.

The Colorado State Patrol said Jeffrey Parker, 51, of Amarillo, was the lead motorcycle in a pack of nine that was traveling north on Colorado 69 near Westcliffe about 5:30 p.m. Friday, when he hit an antelope. It was one of three that ran into the road and into the path of the cyclists.

Parker was rushed to a Pueblo hospital, where he died.

The Whites, who were sharing a bike, also were transported from the scene to a hospital. Anita White, 58, died Saturday. James White, 49, suffered injuries that were not life threatening.

Jesse Wright, who was riding immediately behind Parker and two bikes ahead of the Whites, said he saw Parker go down after striking the animal. The Whites' bike slid after running through a pool of the animal's blood, then hitting dry pavement.

"This was a freak accident," Wright said.

All nine riders were from the Amarillo area and members of the Southern Monarchs Motorcycle Club. They were on their way to Buena Vista and Independence, Colo., for a weekend of camping, Wright said.

On Tuesday, the answering machine at Southern Cycle, the Amarillo motorcycle shop the Whites co-own, said the business was shut down "until further notice" because of "a death in the family." The Whites had been married 31 years and had been riding motorcycles during all that time, often logging 10,000 to 13,000 miles a year on Harley-Davidson bikes, according to the club.

[mini-muffin]

That's sad. Gonna be a tough one for the survivors without those they lost. Especially the husband losing his wife.

On a lighter note the guy who wrote the story obviously doesn't ride he said they were sharing a bike.

 

Margaret

 

[massey130]

prayers sent.

[wes0778]

I just saw a brief article in the Jackson paper today where an (identity withheld) man from Columbus AFB was killed after he hit the rear of an 18 wheeler. (no other details were given)