Sturgis 2011
by Vicki Sanfelipo, Executive Director ASMI, Co-Founder Road Guardians
I remember my first ride to the Sturgis Rally in 1987. I was so excited and imagined that I was a cowgirl jumping on her horse with just a sleeping roll and a few dollars in my pocket. I climbed on board my 1979 sportster and away we went. I got about 150 miles down the road before my first breakdown occurred. Just a starter, nothing a push or a screwdriver couldn’t fix! Thank God I had 6 guys with me (wink)! Sure is different today. The crowd has changed and the area has become much more prepared to handle the crowds. Full Throttle Saloon didn’t even exist and Buffalo Chip was the place to be for a raw look at the Sturgis experience, it was not the meca it has become. Broken Spoke was downtown but One Eyed Jacks and Easyriders Saloon were nowhere to be found. While there was bike traffic in the Hills it was nothing like you see today and while you heard of mishaps you certainly did not experience them as frequently as you do today.
After doing a radio interview for Wide Open Radio and a Presentation for Allstate’s Rider Protection Zone, Cat and I were heading back to Keystone for the evening. We came upon a traffic jam where cars and bikes were backed up for miles. I threw my strobes on and to the front we went. We got to the levee area of Pactola Lake and saw several bikes down. Emergency vehicles were there and we were informed that Flight had already been there and gone. While our help was not needed it seemed a perfect time to talk about ASMI and I educated and handed out PACT cards.
Little did we know that my husband, Tony Pan was at another scene, assisting a Canadian who was severely injured. He assisted until the gentleman was taken away with Flight for life. When he arrived at the corner he saw a couple people in the ditch. He threw his strobes on and parked his bike to signal caution. He grabbed his trauma pack and went into the ditch where two paramedics were talking to the person. They were happy to not only see Tony but even happier to see that he came with supplies!!! They suspected that the injured had a broken leg but did not know the extent until Tony used his trauma sheers to cut the guy’s pant leg. What they saw changed their focus from broken bone to life threatening bleeding. They applied a tourniquet and assisted the EMS with a difficult transfer to the long board. The only thing Tony wishes he would have done different is to get the phone number of the guy who was injured. To this day he does not know the outcome.
The most likely person to be at the scene of a motorcycle crash is another motorcyclist. While we are out enjoying ourselves, someone may need our help. Are you prepared to help others? Are they prepared to help you? If you have not already taken the time to take a one day class focused on the most important things you should do to reduce injuries and fatalities you should make training a priority. Have you already been trained? Make sure those around you are trained as well.
Visit www.accidentscene.org/schedule.htm to find a class near you or www.accidentscene.org/instructors.htm to find an instructor.
Ron & I saw 3 accidents on that one day! The first too, we arrived too late to assist. On the third one, on the curves at Pactola lake, Ron & I parked our bikes with flashers on and we went to help. 3 bikes were down. One was badly injured, laying face down and wiggling her legs. She was not fully conscious. The nurse at the scene told me to go check on the others. But I saw 3 bikes down. One of the bikes was wedged under the guard rail but no biker. Since there is a huge drop-off there, I asked the bystanders to look for that victim. Ron showed him to me standing there, with a gash on his head, road rash on his arm. He refused to sit down and was not wanting to even go to the hospital to get checked out. Thank goodness, Ron talked to him and got him to sit down, got him bandaged better, and he eventually accepted to go to the hospital. (I'm grateful he did because I was getting nowhere with him.) I went to the third victim. He was conscious but in obvious pain. A friend was near and was encouraging him to not move and stay conscious. I donned the gloves and opened his pant legs with the trauma shears. One foot looked mangled, but the boot was still the best protection for it, so I left it on. One knee was badly lascerated, to the bone, with a 3" gap in the skin, there was a mark on his other thigh more like a puncture mark, and he complained of his lower ribs, but could breathe on his own. I lifted his shirt just a little but did not see any obvious breaks where the pain was. I used my ball point pen to write on his shirt his name, age, medications, "no allergies", approximate time of crash. (Maybe I should have written is on his face, as the first paramedic started by cutting the shirt open and ask all the same questions over again!)The 2 more serious victims were airlifted. The guy with the gash on his head was taken by ambulance. The next day, I went to Rapids City to see Phil, "my" victim. He was in critical condition, hooked to a lot of tubes with 3 broken ribs, one broken foot, one broken leg. I was surprised that the injuries were that bad, especially the apparent "puncture mark" that ended up being a broken femur. (The femur poked out, then retracted under the skin.)He was not conscious enough to talk, moaned, with a lot of happy juice going into him, so I didn't stay long. I could not have been of any help had I not received the training from Vicki's program at Accident Scene Management. Folks, if you ride, just think of it as your civic duty to get trained to respond! Just think how bad you'd feel if it was your loved one, and you stood by helpless as the life drained out of him/her. You just can't put it off. Get educated: unfortunately, you *will* get to use that training someday. Ride safe, Ron & Frenchie.
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