i wanted to post an article in memory of an aquantence, a good friends riding buddy, who i had the pleasure of hanging with a few times.
http://www.thedailystar.com/archivesearch/local_story_189040015.html
Franklin man, 47, killed in crash
By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
A town of Franklin man died Saturday after a minivan pulled into the path of his motorcycle in Cortland County.
Michael Farone, 47, succumbed to injuries sustained in the 1:30 p.m. crash and his wife, Lynda Bassette, a passenger on the motorcycle, was injured, according to Farone's family members.
The motorcycle was headed north on state Route 11 when a minivan entered the roadway from East Homer-Baltimore Road in the town of Preble, Cortland County deputies said in a media release issued Saturday.
The operator of the motorcycle and his passenger were taken by TLC Ambulance to University Hospital in Syracuse where the operator was later pronounced dead, deputies said.
Bassette suffered undisclosed injuries in the crash, but she was later listed Sunday night by hospital officials as being discharged.
Farone's family members said Bassette is expected to recover from her injuries.
Farone worked in the small-engine repair field in Afton and had worked with his father, Don Farone, at Otsego Outfitters in Oneonta.
"He was well-known in the community, and we are all going to miss him," Farone's brother-in-law, Robert Schorf, said Sunday night.
No arrangements for calling hours or funeral services have yet been made, Schorf said.
"At this point, we are gathering the family," Schorf said.
Bassette is the director of the Educational Opportunity Program at the State University College at Oneonta, according to the college's website.
Farone and Bassette were out riding with other couples when the crash occurred, Schorf said.
"It was one of the things he enjoyed," Schorf said.
A dispatcher at the Cortland County Sheriff's Department said Sunday afternoon there was no one on duty who could give additional information, such as the identity of the minivan driver, if any tickets were issued or any other factors in the crash. There was no updated media release, he said.
The original media release said no one in the minivan was injured.
a real nice guy, and he will be missed.
what the aritcle didn't mention was that this van was being driven by a kid with a learning permit (16 years old i'm told). while searching for this story i came across this:
http://www.thedailystar.com/archivesearch/local_story_190040020.html
Otsego man dies in crash
By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer
A Hartwick man died Monday after his motorcycle hit a Jeep at an intersection in the town of Otsego, deputies said.
Andrew L. Ellis, 23, was taken by ambulance to Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, where he was treated for head and chest trauma. He died at 4:48 p.m., Otsego County deputies and Otsego County Coroner James Dow said.
Ellis, who was wearing a helmet, hit the passenger side of the Jeep, deputies said.
The accident was the third serious crash within four days involving local men on motorcycles and the second resulting in a fatality. Michael Farone, 47, of Franklin, died Saturday after a minivan pulled into the path of his motorcycle in Cortland County.
Ellis' accident at 2:12 p.m. Monday happened at the intersection of state Route 28 and Johnstons Road, an area with limited-sight distance, deputies said.
According to a media release from deputies, Brittany R. Rombough, 18, of Cooperstown, was driving a 2004 Jeep Liberty north on Day Road when she stopped at the intersection with Route 28, looked in both directions and, after seeing no traffic, continued north and crossed Route 28 to enter Johnstons Road.
As Rombough was crossing the highway, Ellis was driving his motorcycle westbound, cresting a knoll in the roadway, deputies said. He tried unsuccessful;y to stop, hitting the Jeep on its passenger-side door.
A ``very limited sight distance in the area'' meant Rombough would not have seen the westbound vehicle as she entered the roadway, deputies said, and Ellis wouldn't have seen the Jeep.
Deputies said that neighbors interviewed Monday expressed concerns about accidents at the intersection and said they had tried to have a mirror installed to increase visibility.
``It's a bad intersection, coming off of Day Road,'' said Sheriff Richard Devlin Jr.
A caller to 911 reported the accident Monday, and Fly Creek and Cooperstown Fire Departments and deputies were dispatched to the scene, the release said.
Rombough, who had been wearing a seat belt, didn't have physical injuries but was taken by a private vehicle to Bassett to be checked, deputies said.
quite a coincidence i guess to have two stories in the same local paper in a two day period, but it struck home for me as i was a victum of a 17 year olds inattentaveness. my best friend was driving when a driver crossed the median on ny route 17, crushing our car and killing my friend. when asked what happened, she replied that she was looking at her new coat that she had just purchased.
when talking with another parent, he says he has caught his daughter texting when behind the wheel.
is there any way to get the idea of responsible driving (or responsibility in general) into their heads? (sound of hair being pulled out)
I see more irresponsible drivers of middle age swerving their leviathan-sized SUVs all over the road with a cellphone jammed in their ear, or senior citizens barreling right through redlights in their aircraft-carrier-sized old Cadillacs.
Quite true, but I think those are different situations.
From my cursory review of the statistics, it appears that in a potentially dangerous situation where driving experience is likely to save a driver, "the youth" are very likely to be involved in some sort of fatal collision.
As for plain stupid... that seems to defy all demographic analyses, however, advanced experience will make dealing with an idiotic driver a good deal easier, so "the youth" are still at a disadvantage there.
It shouldn't be a shock, really. Inexperienced fighter pilots have a short life expectancy. Inexperienced drivers are the same way. I don't think I have to defend the position that there is a positive correlation between experience and survival.
From my cursory review of the statistics, it appears that in a potentially dangerous situation where driving experience is likely to save a driver, "the youth" are very likely to be involved in some sort of fatal collision.
I see just the opposite, because reflexes dull with age.
is there any way to get the idea of responsible driving (or responsibility in general) into their heads? (sound of hair being pulled out)
In a word -- No.
Article in the newspaper the other day reported that texting while driving is now "epidemic." So is yakking on the cell phone, even though it's been illegal in this state for two or three years, but prior to seeing the article the idea that people would try to text while driving had never entered my techno-challenged head.
However, I see no fault in the second of the articles you cited. There ARE intersections with inadequate sight distances, and there's just nothing you can do about it. There's one near my home. It's a four-way, two local roads crossing a state route. I will not use that intersection on the local road from the south during daylight. The state road has a 40 MPH speed limit, which means most people drive 50, and you can't see over the crest of the hill to the east. It's better at night because you can see the headlights. Everyone knows the intersection needs to be rebuilt, but the town and the state can't agree on who pays what percentage, and the town doesn't want to give up a corner of a field that would be needed to realign the two mis-aligned local roads.
How about people who talk on cell phones while riding their motorcycles? Yep, I've seen some do that.
![rolleyes](http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif)
Crazy...but at least not nearly as likely to kill someone else.
is there any way to get the idea of responsible driving (or responsibility in general) into their heads? (sound of hair being pulled out)
In a word -- No.
I think the method usually involves painful consequences for bad behavior, applied consistently.
Eating while driving, makeup application while driving, talking to the person next to you, and texting are all on my list of things I hate on the road.