I just saw a serious motorcycle accident at the Silverlake reservoir. It wasn't but 40 minutes ago.

I managed to actually see the mishap because of a distinct crunch sound from behind a stand of trees. The sound was obviouisly motorcycle plastics impacting - it was obvious to me - but then I found that odd, as I've never heard motorcycle plastics breaking. Perhaps I'd heard the bike from a ways off, but did not process it consciously, amidst the drone of L.A. traffic.
Though not loud, the sound was *hot* and everyone including myself turned to look in the direction of Silverlake Blvd. Then the motorcyclist came into view from the point at which the trees ended. He appeared to be powering through the curve, from the angle at which he was leaning. Then he leaned the bike upright, and seemed to be having difficulty with it, as one would who couldn't find a gear. The bike was losing speed, and was by then doing no more than 20mph. The rider still worked to get the bike under control. He was braking hard, which was evident from the way in which the bike and rider pressed down the front shocks.
Suddenly a shimmy went through the motorcycle's frame, from front to back. What began as a shake in his handlebars became the rear tire bouncing from side to side - higher and higher.
I realized later what the guy did was a hi-side. What we saw was the bike shimmying - and then he was flung off, like a ravioli is flung with a spoon. The speed at which he flew across the street was like a cartoon. And he stopped just as suddenly - against a fire plug. He took off and landed from one point to the other like a cricket. It was unnatural. I saw three of the other dog owners shoot their hands into the air.

The bike he rode was a Kawasaki Ninja 900. After it threw him across the street, the thing slid another fifty feet and came to a rest on a sidewalk wheelchair ramp. A Ninja 9000 is a serious fucking suicide machine. Though the Suzuki GSXR 750 holds the title as the most fatal bike. It's a little cheaper so that 18 years olds can afford it.

The Silverlake dog run lies in the epicenter of a cellular phone dead zone. It's almost impossible for me to get service there. Still, someone managed to summon an ambulance - which came with a firetruck. They cut his helmet and clothes off, and then loaded him into the meat wagon. Somebody who stood nearby told us that he was conscious but in shock. Great day right?

It turns out the guy had been hammering around the resevoir, passing cars in the bike lane on the right shoulder. He hit a patch of gravel, which sent him out of control. That's when he hit the first car. Why he was speeding away in a superbike corner lean, I do not know. I suspect that he was trying to get away from the car he'd hit, and he didn't know that he'd damaged his own bike.

The worst thing about such an accident, in my opinion, is that you bring it on yourself. Not only are you torn up, but you're an idiot: You've proven it with concrete actions.