Billy Lane really screwed up this time.

purplepickup · September 08, 2006, 09:14:21 AM

Story about his "accident". http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1300&dept_id=156925&newsid=17164282&PAG=461&rfi=9

And a story about the victim: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060907/NEWS01/609070331/1006

Dave · September 08, 2006, 09:44:38 AM

That dont look good I wonder if he was drunk :?:
Dave

jaybee · September 08, 2006, 09:50:05 AM

Some people just don't seem to understand the difference between 'spirited driving' and 'reckless endangerment'. I don't remember where I heard it, but it really made an impression on me when I was told if I wanted to do something crazy be good and sure to do it where no one else was around to get hurt. For me at least passing 2 cars on a double yellow line doesn't fit those criteria.

sirstude · September 08, 2006, 11:22:37 AM

This is not meant as anything against the man killed, but many years ago here in Montana we had a headlight law for motorcycles. I don't know if he had his light on, but when you are riding a bike, anything you can do to make it easier for someone to see you sure can't help. Unfortunately they got rid of the headlight law up here, and the helmet law. I even run my lights on my cars on all the 2 lane roads up here, sometimes on the interstate too.

Doug

Crosley.In.AZ · September 08, 2006, 08:10:49 PM

To my knowledge all street bikes have a headlight that comes on with the ignition switch.

Custom built bikes may be different.

It does look like Billy Lane has screw'd the pooch .

EMSjunkie · September 08, 2006, 09:25:37 PM

A tragedy that could have easily been prevented :x

Vance

tomslik · September 09, 2006, 07:33:52 AM

QuoteTo my knowledge all street bikes have a headlight that comes on with the ignition switch.

depends on the year and if it's burnt out or not...

phat rat · September 09, 2006, 07:48:44 AM

Quote from: "tomslik"
QuoteTo my knowledge all street bikes have a headlight that comes on with the ignition switch.

depends on the year and if it's burnt out or not...

Doesn't really make any difference in his guilt if the light was on or not. The dumbass was passing 2 cars on double yellow, so does that make it the other guys fault if his light wasn't on?

tomslik · September 09, 2006, 08:02:21 AM

ya know, i don't know if it was dark out or not but if it was,being on an unlit bike OR CAR is stupid.
passing on a double yellow is just as dumb...

phat rat · September 09, 2006, 09:41:50 AM

Quote from: "tomslik"ya know, i don't know if it was dark out or not but if it was,being on an unlit bike OR CAR is stupid.
passing on a double yellow is just as dumb...

Tom, yes your right about anything being unlit after dark. But the woman in the car says she saw the bike. Nowhere does it say the bike was unlit, only a possible dumb * drunk passing where he wasn't supposed to be passing. Sorry I don't care how well known someone is I can't have any sympathy for them screwing up like that and killing someone. Off the soapbox and no more on this from me

tomslik · September 09, 2006, 02:07:51 PM

phat, we're not arguing, lane had NO excuse for being on the wrong side of a dbl yellow, all i'm saying is that IF it was dark AND the other guy's headlight was off (for whatever reason) BL MAY NOT have done the passing.

still, it's a shame somebody died:(

btw, i don't give a rat's azz if it was a "name" that killed him, it shouldn't make any difference, the guy is still dead..

Crosley.In.AZ · September 09, 2006, 02:43:21 PM

speaking of celebs and trouble ......the useless Paris Hilton got off a DUI in calliefornia this week if I heard the report correctly.

Would need to be an old scooter for the headlight not come on with ignition. That has been Federal law for years as I recall

tomslik · September 09, 2006, 04:14:50 PM

well, it's not who ya know, it's who ya b.... well, you can fill in the blanks...

donsrods · September 09, 2006, 05:07:48 PM

If the facts shown in these news stories are correct (that he was passing on a double yellow, etc) then whether he is Billy Lane or Joe Schmoe, the penalties should be exactly the same. I am like most people and have watched the biker builds, so he is somewhat of a celebrity to me as well. But no one is above the law.

I truly feel sorry for the victim and his family, this was really a tragedy. I owned one motorcycle in my life, way back in the late '60's. I decided to get rid of it the day I was crossing a long bridge that had a steel grated surface and it was raining. Right on my tail was a big ole Buick no more than 5 feet behind me. The bike was squirelly anyway what with the wet steel bridge surface, and I kept thinking "if I lay this thing down he is going to run right over top of me." I sold the bike right after that.

I would love to have a bike, especially one of those high MPG little scoots just to run errands and maybe save some gas going to work. But I look around me at the way people drive and have no respect for bikes or other cars, and there is no way you could get me on one. Sharing the road with some of these idiots in a 4000 lbs car scares me enough in my big old Ford.

Don

Normspeed · September 10, 2006, 12:52:52 PM

I hear ya Don. I've ridden motorcycles most of my life but I stopped for 16 years, and that would be the 16 I spent in South Florida. I'm not putting down Florida, I had a great time there, just saying the combination of weather and a huge population of very old drivers in great big cars, none of whom are RRT members of course, makes for some pretty unique crashes. I lost count of the times I got "thumped" from behind at red lights, and even got backed into twice. On a bike those incidents would have been a lot worse. Been riding again for the past 20 years in SoCal.

Really tragic about the Billy Lane wreck. I feel for the victim's family and friends.

Quote from: "donsrods"If the facts shown in these news stories are correct (that he was passing on a double yellow, etc) then whether he is Billy Lane or Joe Schmoe, the penalties should be exactly the same. I am like most people and have watched the biker builds, so he is somewhat of a celebrity to me as well. But no one is above the law.

I truly feel sorry for the victim and his family, this was really a tragedy. I owned one motorcycle in my life, way back in the late '60's. I decided to get rid of it the day I was crossing a long bridge that had a steel grated surface and it was raining. Right on my tail was a big ole Buick no more than 5 feet behind me. The bike was squirelly anyway what with the wet steel bridge surface, and I kept thinking "if I lay this thing down he is going to run right over top of me." I sold the bike right after that.

I would love to have a bike, especially one of those high MPG little scoots just to run errands and maybe save some gas going to work. But I look around me at the way people drive and have no respect for bikes or other cars, and there is no way you could get me on one. Sharing the road with some of these idiots in a 4000 lbs car scares me enough in my big old Ford.

Don