That call

[NoKick90]

Yesterday I got the call we all dread: an LEO had just left the scene of a fatal deer strike on the BRP and gone to the residence of the victim - my oldest riding buddy. Since my friend had no close kin, the LEO began canvassing the neighborhood, and my name came up as someone who could help with his "official" notification. Well, no way was I going to let a stranger tell his life partner the sad news, so I met the LEO outside her house and broke the news myself.

 

All you LEO's out there have my profoundest respect and sympathy for making these notifications as part of your jobs. Not sure I can ever get back on a bike after holding this poor woman until her daughter arrived.

 

This guy was far and away the best rider I have ever been around, and a legend in these parts; only recently [in his 70's] had he admitted that he was no longer the quickest, but he could still ride circles around the rest of us. He never made a technical mistake, never ever crossed the center line, never missed an apex, and so on. His bikes were flawless. He and another buddy had just spent a week at the Dragon. I haven't yet seen the site of the deer strike, but the fellow who found him is also a rider [R1150RT, Africa Twin], and he will take me up there. This happened at about 2:30 pm on a lovely, clear day. I was out riding myself at the time.

 

The only [very slight] consolation is that he died instantly.

 

NoKick90

 

 

[TEWKS]

Sorry for your loss. 

[Hosstage]

I'm also very sorry for your loss.

[hopz]

Sad story.

 

Thank you for your help and being a real friend to your pal.

 

[Rougarou]

That really sucks.

 

Here's  the article with limited information.

[szurszewski]

Very sorry for your loss. 
 

Saw this on ADV yesterday. The same? 
 

https://advrider.com/f/threads/i-saw-a-fatality-today-on-the-blue-ridge-parkway.1413333/

[John Ranalletta]

Sorry for your and the family's loss.  Rider identified here.

 

https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/lexington/motorcyclist-dies-after-deer-involved-crash-on-blue-ridge-parkway

[catskill]

Very sorry to read about your friend.

 

Deer strikes are my number one fear, and have been for many years. While only 1% of MC strikes are fatal, I always worry about being in the 1%, and dying a slow painful death. Sorry that your friend was on the unlucky side of the stats.

 

I work in EMS for a while. Nothing harder in life then watching someone die in your hands, or telling their loved ones that he is gone. You did the right thing by telling her yourself. It says a lot of good thing about you. You'll feel rotten for quite a while.

[Lowndes]

NoKick90,

 

I read your post yesterday and was profoundly struck by the sadness of it all.

 

We should all aspire to to be, and to have, as good a friend as you are to him.  

 

 

[Marty Hill]

What Lowndes just said.  Very sorry!

 

[RPondaRoad]

I really admire you for how you stepped up in this situation.  You lost a friend and in your moment of grief your first instinct was to comfort his partner and her daughter during the worst moment of their lives.  As heartbreaking as this story is, it is also a story of your committed friendship and concern for your friends loved ones.   He would be so grateful.

 

 

[Trobinson]

So sorry to read this and so sad for your and his family's loss.  I have ridden many early mornings in the Texas hill country where deer are often plentiful along the roadside.  I often wonder about one crossing my path at the worst time.  As others have said, you showed a lot of positive character in telling  his wife and daughter yourself.  

[Rinkydink]

Really speaks to your character in stepping up to do the job LEOs say is the worst job there is. So sorry for your loss. Godspeed to your friend. 

[RTinNC]

What others have already stated.... VERY sorry for your loss.  I lost a riding buddy who passed away while with me and I saw him go down in my mirrors.  I totally understand you pain.  It is very hard losing a friend.  Be well and do ride safe. 

[NoKick90]

Yes, same rider as mentioned in the linked media. Nothing much to add, except that the rider who posted on adv and I met at the crash site a few days later. We could not arrive at any answers as to how the deer strike unfolded, but I guess it doesn't matter that we know. Gary was active in one of the Sport Touring Associations - not sure which. As soon as they announce a date for their commemorative gathering I will share to this list. We met in 8th grade and immediately bonded over our mutual love for motorsports: attended SCCA races together as teenagers and a few Grands Prix later on; rode together in high school and for years beyond, right up to the present. I tried to talk him into a trip to COTA for the Grand Prix and some Hill Country riding, but he had just done a week at the Dragon and had promised his girlfriend a week at the beach. When I got married I traded him my R90S for an ALFA 1600 boattail Spyder that he had painted to look like the one in "The Graduate" - the only BMW he ever owned out of many dozens of vehicles. On my return to riding after an 18-year hiatus, he talked me into getting an FZ-1 - an excellent choice. He had two of them in his garage along with a Street Triple and a few other bikes, but he was on his FZ-09 on that last ride. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway ranger who worked the crash told me he estimated Gary was going about 55 at the time of the crash, which I feel was probably not excessive for conditions. Gary's nickname of "Speedy" was given to him by a teammate on our 8th grade basketball squad, but it aptly defined his attitude and lifestyle from then on. His obituary in our local weekly included this quotation: "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."

 

NoKick90