Super Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in motorcycle accident; no helmet; injured... Developing.
thegemmintman
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<< <i>Roethlisberger injured in accident
Monday, June 12, 2006
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured in a motorcycle accident this morning on Second Avenue near the 10th Street bridge, police said.
The accident happened shortly before 11:25 a.m. He was not wearing a helmet. Police have closed down the bridge, Second Avenue and the Armstrong Tunnels. >>
Link 2
<< <i>Roethlisberger Involved In Motorcycle Accident
POSTED: 11:50 am EDT June 12, 2006
UPDATED: 12:09 pm EDT June 12, 2006
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PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured in a motorcycle accident on Monday morning.
The Steelers confirmed the accident for Channel 4 Action News.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said the accident happened on Second Avenue near the 10th Street Bridge.
A witness told Channel 4 Action News that Roethlisberger went over the handlebars, hit the windshield of another vehicle and then hit the ground.
Roethlisberger was not wearing a helmet, according to the paper.
Police have closed down the bridge, Second Avenue and the Armstrong Tunnels.
Roethlisberger was taken to Mercy Hospital. There is no word on the extent of his injuries.
Refresh this page for updates as they become available. >>
<< <i>A witness told Channel 4 Action News that Roethlisberger went over the handlebars, hit the windshield of another vehicle and then hit the ground. >>
Jesus
PITTSBURGH (May 6, 2005) -- Despite Kellen Winslow 's accident and his own coach's admonition, Big Ben isn't hopping off his big bike just yet.
Ben Roethlisberger was lectured by Steelers coach Bill Cowher on the dangers of riding a motorcycle without a helmet -- as Roethlisberger has been spotted doing recently -- but the quarterback isn't ready to get off his $20,000 cycle.
"He talked about being a risk taker and I'm not really a risk taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said as the Steelers opened their minicamp. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
Asked why he doesn't wear a helmet -- something he wouldn't think about doing on a football field -- Roethlisberger pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended two years ago.
"Obviously Pennsylvania doesn't think people need to (wear a helmet)," he said. "There's a law you've got to wear it in football."
Steelers linebacker Joey Porter was surprised to hear the NFL offensive rookie of the year is taking such risks so soon after Winslow's accident. The Browns tight end, drafted five spots ahead of Roethlisberger last year, was injured May 1 when he flew off a newly purchased motorcycle after running into a parking lot curb.
"Some guys are real good on motorcycles and know what they're doing, but accidents happen," Porter said. "I can't knock the guy for doing it, but it's probably not the wisest thing to do. I don't own a bike because I don't trust them."
Porter occasionally gets on a Jet Ski, but he said that's different from steering a motorcycle through heavy traffic. Roethlisberger acknowledged many drivers become distracted when they see him riding, shouting or waving at him.
"If I fall off a Jet Ski, I hit the water, and I like my odds," Porter said. "I'm going to get wet. What I say about motorcycles is that concrete is undefeated."
Of course, Roethlisberger was, too, as a rookie, going 13-0 during the Steelers' team-record 15-1 regular season before losing to New England in the AFC championship game.
The Steelers are understandably cautious about combining a first-round draft choice and a high-speed vehicle. Gabe Rivera, the defensive lineman they chose instead of quarterback Dan Marino in the 1983 draft, was paralyzed after wrecking his sports car midway through his rookie season and hasn't walked since.
Many NFL contracts prohibit engaging in dangerous activities, but Roethlisberger's deal apparently doesn't specifically ban motorcycle riding.
Cowher didn't criticize Roethlisberger's riding, but is visibly uneasy with it.
"I certainly don't condone that," Cowher said. "It (playing pro football) is a very small time in your life and you've got to be very careful -- you can see it documented with Kellen Winslow in Cleveland. There are choices and consequences ... not just in riding motorcycles, but where you go and who you associate with. You have control over them but once you make your decision, they control you."
Meanwhile, all players reported to the minicamp, the formal start to the final month of the Steelers' offseason workouts. Most players will remain in town through mid-June for "coaching sessions," daily workouts that technically are voluntary but usually are fully attended.
Keep us posted!
Just said on the radio he was bleeding profusely from his head.
<< <i>What an idiot. Most teams require language in today's contracts from preventing players from riding bikes because of accidents like this.
Just said on the radio he was bleeding profusely from his head. >>
I don't think the contracts can *prevent* someone from doing something like that. But participating in such extreme sports [or riding without a helmet, or whatever], typically affords the team the ability to invalidate the remainder of the player's contract. Whereas, on the other hand, if they become permanently crippled while on the field, the team would have to pay out the remainder of the contract.
SD
"yes this is Bill Cohwer, is Kordell there?"
"hold on (yelling) DAAAAAAD"
"ello, dis is Kordel"
"Kordell, my bud, my friend, my pal, how is it going?"
(click)
"hello....hellloo"
a trauma surgeon said he was stable in an operating room....
that MAY means a few things...with his head injury it might mean he has an epidural hematoma where a arterial blood vessel can cause a pocket of blood inside the head that compresses the brain without actually bleeding onto it....or a subdural hematoma...where veins "inside" the head bleed slowly. Epidural hematomas are secondary to trauma of the middle menigial artery....while Subdural hematomas bleed so slow that you can remain conscious for up to weeks after they start bleeding with slow deterioration of mental function- these are noted mostly in the elderly due to natural brain atrophy and the stretch on the briding veins inside the head.
The treatment is to evacuate the blood of course....by zipping open the skull!!! Either way I dont like that they said he has head trauma and is in the OR....I just dont like it.
Im a Eagles Fan, Colts Fan, and browns and bengals supporter....I cant stand the steelers but THIS is very upsetting considering proper saftey precautions could have prevented it. We all should learn from this and be cautious in all that we do.
Doc Lothar out
Loth
I suspect his actions, with Winslow's motorcycle escapades will get standard contract language barring these types of activities in all contracts here forward.
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By JOE MANDAK
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash Monday and underwent surgery.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition Monday afternoon, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital. The player's agent, Leigh Steinberg, described the injuries to The Associated Press and said he did not know if there was further damage.
"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."
Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital.
"I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery," he said.
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger was not wearing a helmet, Pittsburgh police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa traveling east on 2nd Avenue toward an intersection at the edge of downtown at about 11:10 a.m., police said. A silver Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left hand turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown from the bike, police said.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman who maintains homes in both Maine and Pittsburgh, police said. They didn't immediately release her name and no charges were filed.
Sandra Ford, of Pittsburgh, was waiting at a bus stop nearby when she said she saw the motorcycle approach the intersection. Seconds later, she said she heard a crash, saw the motorcyclist in the air and ran toward the crash scene.
"He wasn't moving and I was afraid that he had died ... He wasn't really speaking. He seemed dazed but he was resisting the effort to make him stay down," said Ford, who didn't realize the motorcyclist was Roethlisberger until she went home later and turned on the TV.
Authorities said the investigation into the crash was continuing. Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were leading the investigation, a standard practice when there is an accident with critical injuries. He gave no details on whether anyone else was hurt.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl title in February at age 23. Training camp for next season begins at the end of July.
Several teammates, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Mike Logan, arrived at the hospital emergency room but did not comment. Roethlisberger's mother was crying as she arrived at the hospital Monday afternoon.
Some fans also gathered at the hospital, including Juanita Clark, who sells Steelers' paraphernalia, and her daughter.
"I just feel like he's a family member," Loretta Clark said.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's state law requiring helmets to be worn was repealed in September 2003.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
According to the Suzuki Web site, the Hayabusa is the fastest production bike made.
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire."
---
AP Football Writer Dave Goldberg and Associated Press Writer Michael Cowden contributed to this report.
June 12, 2006 5:09 PM
Seinfeld said it best...
There are many things you can point to as proof that the human is not smart. But my personal favorite would have to be that we needed to invent the helmet. What was happening, apparently, was that we were involved in a lot of activities that were cracking our heads. We chose not to avoid doing those activities but, instead, to come up with some sort of device to help us enjoy our head-cracking lifestyles. And even that didn't work because not enough people were wearing them so we had to come up with the helmet law. Which is even stupider, the idea behind the helmet law being to preserve a brain whose judgment is so poor, it does not even try to avoid the cracking of the head it's in.
Not if your car is registered as Historic, then no seatbelt/restraint system is required as long as the OME had seatbelts as an option rather than standard.
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1950s-1960s Topps NY Giants Team cards
Looking for Topps rookies as well.
References:
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