Fatal accident in Clinton's Entourage

I was sad to read the very brief mention of a Police motorcycle escort rider that was killed late last week when escorting the Clinton entourage. I never saw a follow-up. I heard he just hit a curb. But how did exactly did he die? I saw his helmet off to the side...did it come off? Can anyone shed some light on this...very sad to lose a good man.

 

Cops need full-face , top quality helmets like everyone else.....but it won't happen.

 

That was a thread in this (or the other) Forum and there was lots of contradictory info from various cops. My local cops (the ones I spoke to one night as I was jogging past their evening speed enforcement zone) told me they WANTED full face and that their deaprtment was looking at them but that there was that issue of "can't scare the public with full face helmets" issue to get around.
>>>But I am curious to find out what got this poor guy...

 

I saw a motorcycle cop on his bike the other day with a full-face helmet. It was so shocking to see that I forgot whether it was an Alameda Sheriff bike, a CHP, or a San Leandro cop. But if was definitely a full-face.
It's about time.

 

Ah, Master! I was held captive this weekend planting palm trees in the backyard in what passes for soil here in Southern Arizona. It is nasty, caliche and rock infested soil that requires a pick-ax to bust up. Anyway...no bike ride, no motorcycle ride, no playing at VFR World, just hard labor! It will be lovely when it is done (one more day this next weekend should do it).

:focus: But, I agree...it is amazing to see them in regular shirts and pants. I know they are expert bike handlers but anything can happen when someone else screws up. And flip-ups are the obvious choice...some are as safe or almost as safe as one-piece full-face, right? They sure have to be better than the typical issue.

 

From what I was told the motorcycle officer that had the accident was in his second week of being a motorcycle officer. The motorcade had already passed him and he was attempting to make his way back toward the front in order to block another intersection. The motorcycle officers were not permitted to ride to route in advance. The street that he was on ended, (you had to turn left or right). Being unfamiliar, he didn't turn and hit the curb at approximately 50 mph. During the impact his helmet came off and thats what seems to have caused his death.

 

Ow! I wondered if it was something like that. It is very similar to so many acidents...a distraction (in this case trying to zoom to the front of a motorcade) causes one to take one's eyes off the road and something odd (a T-intersection) bites you. Sad. :frown:
Thanks 4 Dawg

 

Many cops do not wear seat belts either. One of our part time medics is a full time cop, and I always have to yell at him to put his belt on in the ambulance. He just gives me dirty looks.

 

Not sure what the police wear here. I no they ride BMWs though, great big ones. They are an awesome sight roaring down the highway in a big group. Just by coincidence there was a huge group of them outside the front of my local mc shop today. I was to busy trying to get out of there without one of them noticing the lack of baffle in my pipe to check their gear. LOL

 

I understand about not wanting to scare the public, but police and the governments preach safety but when it comes to setting the example they seem to fall a bit short. It really is sad that the officer paid such a high price in this. I wonder if it is SOP to not let the excorts know the route being taken. Lack of knowing the area seems to also have contributed to this.

 

There were two moto cops that died last year escorting Bush. Two seperate incidents to be clear, but two in one year, those odds aren't good. Hate to hear about it.

Helimot, which makes custom leathers and is fairly well known, at least in California, don't know about else where. Actually years ago made up a set of leathers, one piece, made to look like the wearer was wearing the standard CHP uniform. It was actually pretty cool to see. Had the stripe going down the leg, and was the appropriate khaki color for the suit. Apparently offered to make them for any CHP motor cop for cost or totally free, I can't remember. I want to say for free. He go no response, at least up to that point, besides the one cop he had gone over the idea with and used for modeling the suit...

 

Thanks, I was wondering what actually was the cause of the accident, because other sketchy reports didn't say sheeit .

I do know the # 1 reason cops don't where better gear is "TRADITION" & the 2nd is $$$$.

But I've been seeing more agencies going to the moduler (flip up) helmet.

& CHP is testing them, last I heard.

So it's a start :wink: but a long way to go :frown:

I know if I was a motor cop, I'd sneak wearing at least ventalated under armor to at least help protecting my Body:biggrin: .

 

I don't feel that Police departments fail to use full face helmets due to concern of "scaring the public". Its more an officer safety issue in that full coverage helmets restrict your peripheral vision to such a degree it would be very easy to miss an unknown danger as you walk up to a vehicle. Yes, one could take the helmet off before approaching a vehicle but again that diverts the officers attention from the offender. Since most Motor Officers are assigned to traffic details, a major part of their duties is stopping numerous cars throughout their shift and every stop poses an unknown risk. No one will argue the fact that full coverage helmet provide better protection. The new modular/ flip-up style helmet is a good alternative but it hasn't caught on yet, maybe it will in the future.

In reference to the motorcade route, the route is never discussed prior due to obvious reasons. While you may think the local police departments who assist with the motorcades should be privileged to the details, this is simply's not true. Police administrators may have some details, but the average road officer gets his directions just before he must carry them out. If you have never witnessed a presidential motorcade, it is WFO from the time they leave the plane until they reach their destination (I know Hillary isn't president, but candidates get near the same secret service protection). Speed is usually the issue. It's sad that a good man didn't get to go home to his family because of this.

Its also true alot of police officers don't wear seatbelts, its not that officer's don't believe in their life saving effects. Most officer's fear a shootout situation more than a car crash, eventough statisticly, more officers die in crashes than by gunfire. This video shows how quick things can turn and come straight for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYDZK2u0g-o While ths doesn't happen everyday, its in the back of EVERY officer's mind, EVERYDAY.

Police officers usually won't ignore safety just to do it. There is usually an underlying reason that officer has chosen to accept that risk and its usually due to another safety risk that in the officer's mind is greater.

 

im still on the fence about this one. i feel so horrible that a rider was lost in such a bad way, but there are some pretty jacked up allegations floating around DFW about this one. read the following thread and come to your own conclusions:

http://dfwsportbike.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12682

mind you, i havent had the chance to confirm nor deny any of the allegations set forth in that thread, but its pretty disturbing if theyre actually true....

 

I work as a Detective here in the Dallas area and was fortunate enough to meet Officer Lozado. Oddly enough, it was at a funeral procession a little over a week prior to his death. I also was able to attend the funeral, which as you might guess was horrible. The officer had only been a Motor Jock for approximately 3 to 4 weeks. My good friend is a Motor Jock in Dallas and knew him well. He left behind a beautiful family that truly loved him. I have some friends that are Dallas Motor Jocks and worked the scene.

Essentially the officer was turning onto a viaduct (bridge) at a decent rate of speed and struck the guard rail throwing the officer. It was a single bike accident without a lot of factors really. If you’ve ever see a motorcade escort, the bikes really move, so there was speed involved. The viaduct they went over has some rough concrete and holes, but that’s typical of any city road. Believe me when I say, Lozado had numerous years on the street in Dallas and knew that downtown area well. All officers know that viaduct well because it leads to Oak Cliff, and let’s just say, Oak Cliff requires a lot of police attention. Unfortunately, it took the ambulance in excess of 15 minutes to get to the officer due to traffic and a problem with DPD’s new computerized/GPS dispatching system.

Stellanbrav is correct, peripheral vision is the common reason departments say won’t go to full faced helmets. Changing department policy and tradition can be very difficult and occasionally takes a huge catastrophe…i.e. 9/11, Katrina etc… Several officers I know are pushing for the Modular helmets that the face can lift up, but most Motor Jocks, and they are an odd bunch I admit, prefer the traditional. Truth be told, as you all know, even the best helmets are not full proof. I have expressed to my friends that I wish they would get better gear, but you work with what you have.

In 2007, my good friend Dale Hardy, a Plano, TX Motor Jock was killed as he tried to catch a speeder. Again, I can’t say that a full faced helmet would have saved him. The job is dangerous, period. I’ve seen traffic stops turn into shootings, you just never know. We can analyze the data all we want and determine cause after cause, but in the end, shit still happens.
Bottom line my friends, take care. Be careful on these streets, especially in the city. Ride smart and go home.

 

Chris....I just read that thread in you post. Its a crock...Look give me 4 riders and each will have problems with some of the other rider's techniques. Lozado passed all of the riding schools and even did funeral escorts before his death. The Moderator called him a "squid" (I'm not exactly sure what that means, in the Marine Corps that was a slang term for Sailors) and implied some pretty bad things. I would like to speak to that moderator, he needs a lesson in respect.:boxing:

Look, if there is an opportunity to escort a potential president do you do it??? Yes! Do you use your seniority to do so? Yes, 20 years on any job allows you some leeway. I is not for me to say whether or not this officer had the necessary skills to perform this task, but I can say that his department and at least one friend of his I know, thought he did.

For what its worth.

 

sadly this is third incident in the last few years where a motorcade escort officer was killed while doing his duty!