Man Injured During Death Wobble Motorcycle Accident
This weekend, a motorcyclist suffered severe road rash and other injuries after crashing due to an alleged “Death Wobble.” Fellow commuters, seeing the wobble reoccur over about 5 to 10 miles, started filming the biker just moments before the crash. No one else was involved in the accident.
What Happened?
Erica Hoff was traveling East on the Interstate-80 in Sacramento with her family when the motorcyclist shown in the video merged onto the freeway. She noticed that the motorcycle would begin to wobble when the motorcyclist reached certain speeds. This reoccurred over the course of 5 to 10 miles and the motorcyclist would often be only using one hand to control the bike.
Eventual Motorcycle Accident
As the wobbling continued to occur, often causing the motorcyclist to almost lose control, Erica expected the motorcyclist to eventually crash. She pulled out her phone, equipped with a video camera, and started recording to have evidence in case the motorcyclist caused injury to anyone else. Just as she did so, the above incident took place. The man experiences a severe death wobble that ultimately causes the man to be thrown to the road.
In the 18 second video, the motorcycle begins to wobble right in the beginning. As the wobbling increases, the motorcyclists attempt to brake and slow down to regain control. When the wobbling continues to get worse, the bike flips around. The man puts his feet down to stabilize himself but as he does so he is thrown to the road. The man continues sliding with the bike until he finally runs out of momentum. Erica and her family called 911 and rushed to help the man. They describe the man as having suffered a possible broken nose and severe road rash on his arms and legs. Other possible injuries are facial fractures, broken wrists, and head and brain injury. It is reported that the man did walk unassisted to the side of the roadway after the accident.
Watch YouTube Video: Man Falls off Motorcycle. See the Harley death wobble video of the incident below. ***Warning: Graphic Content (with expletives) may not be suitable for children***
What is “Death Wobble?”
A death wobble is a quick oscillation of the front wheel of a motorcycle that worsens as it is not quickly remedied. Just as shown in the video, if left alone the oscillation will continue to increase until loss of control and an accident is inevitable. True to its name, this occurrence can also produce traumatic injuries and/or death for all riders. Other names for the death wobble are “Speed Wobble,” “Tank-slapper,” or “Shimmy.”
The death wobble does not occur with 4-wheeled automobiles but is most common in motorcycles and bicycles. The frequency of the wobble can be decreased by changing speed or stiffening the steering which is extremely difficult to do as the rider. The wobble normally occurs when speeds are high enough that the force created by a wobbling wheel is difficult to correct. This is why the rider was reportedly able to regain control during previous wobbles.
A study on the death wobble claims that the likelihood of a wobble can be increased if the front tire is not inflated to the suggested specifications. Other factors of a death wobble can be manufacturer defects in the vehicle itself or the inexperience of the rider.
Sacramento Motorcycle Accident Attorney
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Motorcycle Accident Attorney. If you or someone else has been injured in a motorcycle accident, call me today for free and friendly advice. You can reach me at (916) 921-6400 or toll-free (800) 404-5400.
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Image Source: Youtube Video by Erica Hoff
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