Motorcyclist Dies on Ride Protesting Helmet Laws | wgrz.com

ONONDAGA, N.Y. (AP) - Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike's handlebars and hit his head on the pavement.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon in the town of Onondaga, in central New York near Syracuse.

State troopers tell The Post-Standard of Syracuse that 55-year-old Philip A. Contos of Parish, N.Y., was driving a 1983 Harley Davidson with a group of bikers who were protesting helmet laws by not wearing helmets.

Troopers say Contos hit his brakes and the motorcycle fishtailed. The bike spun out of control, and Contos toppled over the handlebars. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Troopers say Contos would have likely survived if he had been wearing a helmet.

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Ummm..... this is amazingly funny. I don't care if I'm going to hell, I laughed and laughed hard at this. Wow, talk about irony, huh? Natural selection, anyone?

Every time I drive through AZ I can't believe how many riders don't wear helmets....

I like to follow the dirt bike rule....if you ain't wearing a helmet then you're NOT having fun. Reminds me of the time I was trying to climb this hill on my quad and it flipped back at the top so while the quad is upside down resting on my head sliding down the hill I was thinking damn my helmet is getting scratched. At the bottom of the hill I flipped the quad back over and had fun the rest of the day. Now without the helmet I would've had a concussion and I think half of my face would've been gone. Full face helmets rule even in the dirt!

R.I.P. Rider

Sad, just sad. Couldn't this guy think of a better way to protest? Now, he has nothing to show for his efforts and placed a huge burden on his family over wearing helmet. Not to mention, that the law is the law. No matter what.

R.I.P.

Stupid kills!

RIP rider

Doubt that even this loss will change their minds. I often wonder why people are so stubborn on this issue. They act as if having to wear a helmet is like taking away their 1st amendment rights

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http://www.cycleawareness.org

That reminds me of this one from 1999:


Parachutist killed in demonstration supporting sport that's banned in Yosemite

Saturday, October 23, 1999
As hundreds of park visitors - including her husband - watched from the meadow, a veteran parachutist plunged to her death from the top of Yosemite's El Capitan during a protest intended to showcase the safety of the sport.

Jan Davis, 60, a Santa Barbara stuntwoman whose real-life and film escapades as a sky diver and parachutist made her well-known in the extreme-sports community, was the fourth of five jumpers scheduled Friday to leap off the national park's famed 3,500-foot granite monolith during the protest.
The jumps, which are illegal, were made in cooperation with park authorities.

RIP RIDER . now he was protesting a law. now he is the example why the law is need.i say it would be better to let those who think they will be better off not wearing a helment not wear a helmet. they either will be lucky to get a second chance to change their mind about wearing a helment or we will be better off cus they wont be around to make us look stupid or careless. i know its mess up but mess up is think you don't need a helmet.

Y'know... I wonder what the other protestors did when he hit the ground and stopped moving. I mean, did they keep going on with their little parade, or did it stop? It's kinda like when you were a real little kid and you told your parents "I hate you! I'm running away and you can't stop me!" And they said "okay, bye" you kinda just stood there and then went back to your room.

They all put their helmets back on, and rode away.

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VEGASRIDER................
Team Yamaha Blue '06 FZ6!

The irony of it all.

I am all for freedom of choice, live and let live...or let die in this case. But come on man, there is no good arguement for Not Wearing a Helmet. A rally to protest helmet laws is just like a stupidity contest. Let's see which one of us can die first! YEAH!!

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I've never claimed to be Smart...just Lucky.

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I am all for freedom of choice, live and let live...or let die in this case. But come on man, there is no good arguement for Not Wearing a Helmet. A rally to protest helmet laws is just like a stupidity contest. Let's see which one of us can die first! YEAH!!
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and the winner is the guy with no pulse see you all at the victory funeral

LOL yeah the Runner Up is just horribly mutilated. So Stoopid.

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I've never claimed to be Smart...just Lucky.

Love the Jesus Facepalm...that is sh1t is funny!

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I've never claimed to be Smart...just Lucky.

I posted this another tread on the same subject:


So I was talking to a harley rider about this and he was along the whole bit with it should be a freedom of choice thing......then I said that I see several riders in AZ who don't wear helmets as well, and his response was he loves riding in AZ because of that particular fact as well. He actually brought up a "supposed" fact that helmet riders who get in an accident while wearing a helmet (involving a head related injury) are more often paralyzed and he did not want to be in that situation. He stated he would rather die than be paralyzed and wear a helmet. I just sat there and looked at him, shook my head, and walked off. I guess there is one born every minute........

it feeds into harly mentanlty. loook at me . you cant be seen if your head in a helmet. if i spent 25000$ on a bike i guess i want people to know .