A death in the family

[orangelion03]

No one I knew personally, but we all know him.  He was one of us.  Out for a ride on a truly beautiful day, enjoying a cruise along Angeles Crest Highway.  "Something" happened, and he went off the road, hit a guardrail and may have died at impact.  We dont know for sure.  We came along, myself and four friends enjoying the same day and road, saw the bike down and a couple folks gathered around the fallen rider.  We stopped and two of our guys took off their gear and started CPR, though there were indications he was already gone.  I rolled up the road a few yards to slow traffic and was shocked to find I had signal on my cell...called 911.  Ambulance rolling, 20 minutes out.  My friends worked hard that whole time, then the ambulance (and air support) arrived and they worked on him another ten before calling it.  From my vantage point up the road, I looked at the corner (a very mild left/right combo) and could not imagine how he could have missed it.  One of the other riders there had been his buddy and saw him crash...they were just cruising, she said, and he was a lifetime rider.  In his 70s and was carrying an oxygen cylinder in one of his bags.  She thought he might have had a heart attack, or been incapacitated in some way.  The name tag on his patch-covered vest said "Dick". 

To Dick, may he rest in peace. 

[mickyvee]

That is sad. RIP Dick. At least he died doing something he loved.

[BerettaMato]

Sounds like the way he would of wanted to go. Hope he has many great ride in the Heavens above.

[Slide Panda]

One of the former members of the DML/DMF who was responsible for a lot of socializing of CAM, charity and civic volunteering passed under similar circumstances. He was out riding and suffered what ended up as a fatal heart attack. Lost control of the bike, but it was low speeds the accident didn't effect the outcome.

I figure Bill was happy when he went. I hope that Dick was too.

[orangelion03]

From a local newspaper:

http://sierramadre.patch.com/articles/fatality-crash-on-angeles-crest-highway

A portion of the Angeles Crest Highway was shut down Sunday after a motorcyclist reportedly crashed into a guard rail and died, according to officials.

The 71-year-old cyclist, Richard Shumway of Yorba Linda, was riding his 1978 Yamaha motorcycle near Dawson Saddle when he allowed his motorcycle to drift to the right shoulder. He then lost control of his bike and collided with a guard rail. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

California Highway Patrol said the Shumway suffered from a heart attack.

It is unclear if the rider suffered a heart attack and then crashed, or if the medical episode resulted from the accident, said an officer at the California Highway Patrol.

The accident was reported at 12:08 p.m. near mile marker 69, according to the CHP. Los Angeles County fire fighters arrived around 12:46 p.m. and shut down the freeway. A rescue helicopter arrived to transport the patient, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.

The crash is still being investigated.

[Nottsbiker]

RIP Dick

Least he made it to a decent age and went out biking 

[Howie]

I hope I am still riding at 71, not too far to go.  

RIP dick.

[CDChase1981]

RIP 

[Buckethead]

I hope I am still riding at 71, not too far to go.  

I hope you're still riding at 80, Howie.

RIP, Dick.

[CDawg]

RIP Dick.  Sounds like you lived life well.

[orangelion03]

One of the other riders in our group (Bacon Junkie knows  Jody) has the wife's name and address and is sending her a note to let her know that people helped and he wasnt alone.