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."
Mighty considerate of you.
(And no, attempted murder would not be justified if that were the case.)
I understand your point. Even though I DO have the drag pipes on my scoot, I DO show the neighbors some consideration. BTW, I've got my own bike shop (customs restorations repair), too.
See#32.
Duuuhhhh. I meant see #22.
This isn't even funny. One of my dad's friends was decapitated when riding a snow mobile in a similar situation.
And I've got a 6.2 litre diesel engine on a wheeled test stand with no pipes and I'll test it whenever and wherever I want. :)
Works great on mexicans playing loud mariachi music at all hours too!
-What are the specifics of this plastic wrap (I mean, we're not talking Saran-Wrap here)?
-Who makes it?
-What is the minimum that can be bought? The weight? The height of the role? Over the past year who bough a small amount of this? ("Small amount" Commerically speaking, of course)
- and so on.
....it was not my first move to settle the problem. I went to his front door and introduced myself and asked him if he might at least ride a bit slower and try to "be nice". I offered to give him "dealer cost" for any exhaust as long as he kept some sort of baffles in the pipes.....even "performance" baffles are a bit easier on the ears than open pipes...He just told me to "F" off and slammed the door.
So I moved on to "plan B".
That's funny. I used to work on the Ford Powerstroke diesels at a local dealer before I opened my bike shop. I've got some Mexicans a few business down the hill from me who rented a garage for 'car detailing' (selling dope, probably) and on the 4th of July they had a big throwdown. Didn't hear 'The Star Spangled Banner' played once, but that mariachi crap blasted out all day long.
I had no idea this would work! What a great idea! I may use this for the morons on Harleys who are thundering through the narrow dirt nature preserve paths near my house, making children and hikers jump into the bushes to avoid being hit.
"...I was immediately transported back to my childhood, when a neighbor strung barbed wire across our bike path."
My older brother tells the story of him and his friends rigging up a device to get a car that was crossing a friend's yard (corner lot). They filled two cans with cement with a wire between them. Propped them up on sticks at door height where the guy would drive. The car would snag the wire and the cans would come flying into the door panels.
Not sure if it actually worked. And it sounds like a good idea - until a motorcycle or sports car comes through and you hit the people in the head with the cans. Or - the guy with the dinged door panels stops and throws rocks through all of your windows.
Kids will be kids. (Stupid and hopefully VERY lucky.) I wonder if this plastic wasn't put up to catch a car (more likely that a car would be on the road). The kids are back in the woods to laugh at the driver's shock and then his efforts to get the wrap off his car. Not thinking about a motorcycle - or a paniced driver careening off the road.
And yes - even though "kids will be kids" (not thinking is the key phrase) they should get punished severely.
I fully agree. If they find the scum who did it they should throw 'em into General Population for 2-4 years.
With all due respect, I confess to being kind of amused at this. That is, you making those threats on an internet forum. Bet you have a lot of people shaking in their shoes.
I understand your point about wanting to ride whenever you want, and if it makes too much noise, well, your point seems to be "Tough Shiite". But, of course, it's all about you, so f them anyway.
I wonder how you'd react to a banjo player moving next door, one who has carved out the post midnight hours for his practice time. And on the off chance that you like banjo music, think death metal bands, whatever it takes.
1. Harleys are not off road bikes.
2. You will be caught.
3. You will be charged with attempted murder.
A piece of random looking debris, with a vertical part to catch a bumper will make an amazing amount of noise as it cartwheels under a car...
So when does the Saran wrap company get sued?
Afterall, they currently do not have a warning label on the box- which demonstrates their disregard for the safety of vulnerable consumers! The box should say something like, "Construction of transparent road barricades can be dangerous or fatal."
I am being sarcastic of course, but millions have been made from equally stupid things...
I don't make threats that I can't back up. If you've ever had the adrenalin pumping because some idiot in a car almost killed you, you'd come a little unglued too. This thread just reminded me of those moments and I went off.
I understand your point about wanting to ride whenever you want, and if it makes too much noise, well, your point seems to be "Tough Shiite". But, of course, it's all about you, so f them anyway.
See #22.
I wonder how you'd react to a banjo player moving next door, one who has carved out the post midnight hours for his practice time. And on the off chance that you like banjo music, think death metal bands, whatever it takes.
I don't have to worry about that problem since I have no close neighbors. :)
The article says kitchen variety plastic wrap. Wrap enough of that stuff together and you've got a pretty effective barrier. Things like that stack up quick, remember 1 sting is nothing, a whole bunch of strings is a baseball.
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