Steeler's quarterback lost his head and his motorbike came tumbling after.

[War Lord]

http://postgazette.com/pg/06163/697655-100.stm

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured when his motorcycle was involved in a crash on the 10th Street Bridge today.

Dr. Larry Jones of Mercy Hospital addressed the media at 1:25 p.m. and said that Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition.

He was undergoing surgery for unspecified injuries.

Jones said that Roethlisberger was talking and cognizant of the situation.

Roethlisberger was injured shortly after 11:15 a.m. at the Second Avenue side of the bridge near the Armstrong Tunnel.

Steelers' spokesman David Lockett confirmed Roethlisberger was involved and is being treated at Mercy Hospital.

An eyewitness said she saw a motorcycle headed outbound on Second Avenue as a car was coming inbound. The car, a Chrysler New Yorker with Maine plates, made a left turn toward the bridge in front of the cyclist. The motorcycle hit the car and the operator flew into the windshield and then hit the ground.

The witness said she went to the aid of the motorcyclist and asked his name. He said it was "Ben" and tried to get up, but she told him to stay still.

The victim was bleeding heavily from a head injury, and blood pooled on the pavement. The witness said he was not wearing a helmet.

Roethlisberger has been known to refuse to wear a helmet when operating his cycle.

The entire front end of the motorcycle, was destroyed. The car sustained damage on the passenger side door.

Sandra Ford, a Homewood writer and artist, was waiting for the bus on 10th Street about 11 am yesterday. She saw a rugged-looking white man with curly hair on his motorcycle driving along the avenue heading toward the 10th street bridge.

In the opposite direction, a gray sedan (she doesn't know the make or model) was approaching and preparing to make the turn.

"I kept waiting for the motorcyclist to slow down," she said. "He never stopped and just plowed into the car."

She said she believes Mr. Rothlisberger, who wasn't speeding, but going at a pretty good clip, never saw the car. "He had to be looking somewhere else, he just sailed across the intersection."

It was a crazy scene, said Ms. Ford, still shaken from the accident two hours after it happened. At the time of the accident, she did not know it was the Steeler's quarterback. She found out when she got home and saw the TV news.

According to Ms. Ford, Mr. Rothlisberger drove into the car and flew from his motorcycle, leaving a pretty big dent in the car, said Ms. Ford.

Afterward, Rothlisberger tumbled off the car and lay still in the street. "I thought he had died"

About 11:23, Ms. Ford began taking notes and talking to the driver of the car. Ms. Ford was also at the Amtrak station last month when a freight train collided with it as passengers were de-boarding.

By this time, the driver had gotten from the car and asked Rothliesberger to remain still, he was trying to move.

"His face was all bloody. I saw blood coming from his head."

Pittsburgh Police spokeswoman Tammy Ewin said that the department would issue a release in regards to the accident specifics around 3 p.m. today, but would not have information on Roethlisberger's condition. Ewin said that information would come from Steelers officials.

Police commander Thomas Stangrecki said that an accident reconstruction team would investigate the cause of the accident.

Ewen also stressed that accident investigations can take "weeks, not hours" to complete.

Steelers coach Bill Cowher addressed the issue with Roethlisberger in May 2005 after Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow's accident riding a Suzuki GSX-R750 in suburban Cleveland. Winslow hit a curb in a parking lot and was ejected from his bike, injuring his knee.

"It's one of those things, where he talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker, I'm pretty conservative and laid back," Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. "So the big thing is just be careful and that's what we do. I think every person that rides is careful. That's the biggest thing, I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we never ride alone we always ride in a group of people, and I think that makes it more safe."

Winslow's contract forbade him from riding a motorcycle, Roethlisberger's contract does not prohibit him from riding motorcycles, even helmetless. The standard NFL contract prohibits risky behavior, but what constitutes risky behavior? Pennsylvania repealed its mandatory helmet law in 2003.

"I think that's my own discretion," Roethlisberger said about not wearing a helmet when he rides. "Obviously, Pennsylvania doesn't think people need to."


During an interview last year, Steelers Hall-of-Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw offered one piece of advice for Roethlisberger about his motorcycle.

"Ride it when you retire. That's the way I feel. Those things are dangerous."

 

[eXperiment]

no!!!! is this true?

 

[THWIP*]

http://postgazette.com/pg/06163/697655-100.stm

OH WELL........JUST MORE PROOF THAT MILLON$ CANNOT BUY YOU BRAINS.

 

[War Lord]

no!!!! is this true?

I wouldn't have posted a thread from the Gazette if it wasn't.

No worries. He'll be back on his feet to become a dishwasher in no time at all...well, after 6 months of therapy and re-training.

 

[Superman79]

wow...what a dumbass

 

[Cyclops]

no!!!! is this true?

Um.... what would make you think that it's not? This isn't a World Weekly News article...

 

[Strange]

He should have worn a helmet. I bet he wouldn't wear one on the field if they let him.

 

[Tsunulia]

I saw this kind of thing happen before, and it ain't pretty. It wasn't even the biker's fault, it was some dumb butt blonde who wasn't looking when she pulled out in front of him.

I hope he gets better

 

[U.S War Machine]

Totally bogus

 

[Darthphere]

I heard he tried to order a cheesesteak in Spanish and this was their response. Tough crowd over there in Philly.

 

[War Lord]

I saw this kind of thing happen before, and it ain't pretty. It wasn't even the biker's fault, it was some dumb butt blonde who wasn't looking when she pulled out in front of him.

I hope he gets better

Even if it wasn't his fault, traffic-wise, it's totally his fault for not wearing adequate protection.

I've seen it too often where motorcyclists who pull up to get gas are less than protected adequately, whether it be because they're wearing sandals or not a helmet and if they are protected, their passanger isn't.

 

[Kaleb]

as a ravens fan , even I dont want to see this happen to Big Ben

 

[Slipknot]

Even if it wasn't his fault, traffic-wise, it's totally his fault for not wearing adequate protection.

Would the helmet actually have protected him from a broken nose and broken jaw? It would have stopped the gash on the back of his head... but the biggest injury (the broken jaw) probably wouldn't have been prevented even with the helmet. He is stupid for not wearing a helmet though... could have been much worse.

 

[War Lord]

Would the helmet actually have protected him from a broken nose and broken jaw? It would have stopped the gash on the back of his head... but the biggest injury (the broken jaw) probably wouldn't have been prevented even with the helmet. He is stupid for not wearing a helmet though... could have been much worse.

You can get helmets that totally wrap the head, jaw and all.

 

[Slipknot]

You can get helmets that totally wrap the head, jaw and all.

Nobody has those. The usual helmet I see just covers the head. I guess he'll be wanting to get one of those helmets that covers the whole face and head... because his face will not look very good after this.

 

[War Lord]

Nobody has those. The usual helmet I see just covers the head. I guess he'll be wanting to get one of those helmets that covers the whole face and head... because his face will not look very good after this.

As I said, they do exist, even if they aren't the most popular helmet.

 

[Slipknot]

As I said, they do exist, even if they aren't the most popular helmet.

I know they exist... but I don't see many people use them. This is why I said "nobody has those." I'm sure he could just get a black version of that with a black shield so people can't see his messed up face... that's if he ever gets back on a motorcycle again.

 

[Kable24]

They have it posted on the Steelers Official site. Damn man, I hope he's going to be ok.

 

[raybia]

Nobody has those. The usual helmet I see just covers the head. I guess he'll be wanting to get one of those helmets that covers the whole face and head... because his face will not look very good after this.

Damn, at least he could have worn this. Not like he's not use to it.

Idiot.

 

[Strange]

I know they exist... but I don't see many people use them. This is why I said "nobody has those." I'm sure he could just get a black version of that with a black shield so people can't see his messed up face... that's if he ever gets back on a motorcycle again.

I see plenty of people who wear full helmets on bikes but if the law says you don't have to wear one then a lot of people don't think it is necessary. I don't like unnecessay laws but helmet laws seem to be a good idea. I mean in an accident if someone who was not at fault but still killed someone on a motorcycle, which could have been prevented with a helmet, it can cause some serious stress and guilt.

 

[reggiebar]

As I said, they do exist, even if they aren't the most popular helmet.

For the type of motorcycle Ben was riding (a race bike vs a standard), the above helmet is actually very common (far more common to have a person riding a race bike wearing the above hlemt than no hlemt or the half helmets popular with cats who ride standards or choppers.

I haven't owned a motorcycle in about 6 years, but I used to ride in my younger days. So, I actually have a fair deal of motorcycle experience. Bottom line, riding a motorcycle on any public road without a helmet is just plain stupid - period. There are so many factors that are out of the rider's control that it is inane to ever ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

 

[bored]

I read on SI's website that Cowher and Terry Bradshaw have both gotten on Da Roethlisberger to wear a helmet before, but he always refused.

 

[blind_fury]

The thread title promised decapitation!!!

 

[Tsunulia]

The thread title promised decapitation!!!

That's why I first clicked it too

 

[Shifty]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2481004

Interview last year with Roethlisberger about riding motorcylces. Too many great quotes.