Just damn.
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Posted on 07/19/2004 9:01:53 AM PDT by BluegrassScholar
Town of Waukesha - Motorcyclist Daniel Buckel was within 10 feet when he saw the potential disaster stretched across a dark and foggy rural road just ahead.
Disbelief turned to fear, then anger, as Buckel's 2-year-old motorcycle hit a barrier of kitchen-variety plastic wrap that was wound thickly from traffic pole to traffic pole on opposite sides of Guthrie Road, south of Highway I.
The clear plastic trap, which was 3 to 4 feet above the two-lane road south of Waukesha, sent both Buckel and his passenger, girlfriend Theresa Brzykcy, into a bloody slide across the asphalt.
"It's appalling, and it's really frightening," Brzykcy said. "What was their intention? This should make people more aware that pranks like that are not as harmless as they seem.
"They had done a pretty thorough job. It was wrapped around pretty thickly," she recalled.
The malicious prank has Waukesha County sheriff's investigators concerned because other capers involving plastic wrap occurred in the town last year, although none was as serious as the motorcycle crash early Tuesday, Sheriff's Detective Steve Pederson said Friday.
Investigators were planning to canvass homes near the crash site this weekend, looking for information that will lead to a break in the case.
"When something like this happens someone always brags about it," Pederson said. "If anyone has heard anything about this or any other incident involving (plastic) wrap, contact us.
"Maybe someone had seen this happen or removed (plastic) wrap from other areas," he said. "We'd like to know about it."
Last year, a number of parked cars were found bound in plastic wrap to prevent drivers from getting inside the vehicles, Pederson said. Plastic wrap bonds together, giving it strength and making it difficult to remove.
Pederson said investigators were unaware of other incidents of wrap being stretched across a road.
The couple's injuries sent both to Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Buckel, 22, of the Town of Waukesha, required 15 stitches to close a deep gash above his right eye and also broke a finger. Brzykcy, 19, of Brookfield, got a deep cut and bruise to her right cheek along with other scrapes and bruises. The motorcycle was a total loss, Buckel said.
The 1 a.m. ride was supposed to be a short one meant to relax the couple, who have known each other for more than a year. He had just left his bartending job, and she was waiting for him at his family home. Earlier she had taken his mother to a medical appointment.
Buckel said he was driving 5 mph under the 45 mph speed limit because the motorcycle headlight had shone on deer along the road and there was a slight haze from ground fog in the low-lying area.
"I didn't see it," Brzykcy said of the barrier. "He braked so hard I figured it was a deer. My first hit was on him, which totally saved me. Then, I landed on my head (on the road). Everything went white and yellow and red, and I blacked out for a while. I woke up on my back, laying in a driveway."
Buckel, fueled by anger and concern for Brzykcy, fought off his own pain and called 911 on his cell phone, he said. Among the first emergency personnel to arrive was Beckel's best friend, Scott Sommers, a member of the Town of Waukesha Fire Department.
"I ran over to my girlfriend and looked around to see if the pranksters were still around," Buckel said. "I didn't see anyone. When my friend arrived, it made things a lot easier to cope with."
Either I am naive or just ignorant (possible in this case), but a 1/4 stick of WHAT?
You probably would have ended up being charged with aggravated assault or attempted murder.
Just damn.
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Where did the article say "Harley?" I doubt your average 22 year old bartender could afford such a ride.
Attempted homicide or murder charges sound good here.
When these a$$holes go to jail send them to a jail with a lot of big old Hell's Angels and let the Hell Angel's whose coming to the party.
Try 500 pounds of manure next time. That should keep 'em occupied!
He should have worn a closed face helmet.
I used to think it was'nt dangerous. Beware the wrath of females.
Harley Sportsters are dirt cheap and can be very loud... I have Screaming Eagle pipes on mine and I used to reguarly set off car alarms in Laguna Beach. I don't know what he was riding, but a Harley isn't out of reach for a bartender.
Plastic wrap- Saran wrap- and the like comes in rolls of 200+ feet at the local grocery store. Some of the Restaurant supply stores sell larger rolls. Even if you take 3 or 4 rolls to run it from one side of the street to the other, it will stick to itself. I have used Saran wrap to wrap unusual shaped items when I have moved. Wrapped dining room chairs to protect the backs and seats. Wrapped the silverware dividers in the kitchen drawers and in my desk drawers. Tape with wide tape. Get to other end, cut with sissors, and put back into desk, etc. No muss, no fuss, and nothing spilled out. Cheap and easy, also.
No matter what, I feel it is attempted murder. Not funny.
Yeah ... I forgot about the Sportster.
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Jeeeze what morons !
I got mine when I first started riding; good starter "chick" bike. :-)
These people are driving great big bikes that say "Harley-Davidson" on them, whether the bikes were intended for off-road use or not.
2. You will be caught.
If I were actually planning to do this I certainly would not be posting on an Internet forum with hundreds of thousands of readers. My original post was a way of expressing frustration that these people were bringing big motorcycles into a posted nature preserve and running people off the paths, and the cops can do nothing since it's in an off-road area. But it's seldom that I actually take the law into my own hands.
3. You will be charged with attempted murder.
Goodness, I thought they would just be harmlessly knocked off their bikes by the plastic, not hurt or killed. They aren't going fast. See how ignorant I am about motorcycles. Thank you for the advice.
I'm presuming dynamite.
A quarter stick is small enough to be a hell of a big "firecracker" instead of a demolotion device (barely).
Well, gee. Where do I start?
First off, I'm not a sir, I'm a ma'am. So I don't think any lack or, ummmm, shortage I have is relevant.
Second, the bike came with those pipes. I don't happen to like them, myself.
Third, it wasn't a residential area, it was Pacific Coast Highway through downtown.
So... did I cover everything, or do you have some more insulting comments to make?
That pretty much covers it.
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