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Bautista hits seagull @ Phillip Island Australia

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  SubSailor 
#1 ·
Took a few screenshots from the 3rd Free Practice session (about 10:15 left in the practice session) at Phillip Island (AUS) where Bautista nails a seagull.

Anyone else catch this? Hitting a bird at speed would NOT fun! :eek:









:eek: :eek: :eek:
 
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#7 ·
Crazy stuff, right?

Hitting a bird at speed would NOT be enjoyable. I remember seeing a dead owl at the side of the road after it got struck by a car (thankfully not by a motorcyclist!) - the talons on that owl were quite a sight to see!


Additionally, Zulfahmi Khairuddin nailed a segaull while leading near the beginning of the Moto3 race at Phillip Island (same weekend as Bautista and his close encounter with feathered objects).

Think it was with around 21 laps remaining immediately after the lead pack crossed the start/finish line in case anyone wants to look for the Khairuddin incident.
 
#8 ·
I've hit gulls more than once, but never on a bike. Had one take out the windshield on my truck once, got one stuck in the grille of the car. But the worst was landing a PA31 Piper Navajo and had one come through the windscreen on final approach!:eek: Wasn't too bad for me but the poor guy in the right seat was a friggin mess.
 
#10 ·
A couple of years ago about this time, I was taking a nice leisurely ride out in the country and came upon a motorcycle accident.
A guy and his girlfriend on their individual Harleys were riding back to town and the boyfriend scared a flock of turkey vultures on the side of the road.
The flock took flight and one flew right in to the path of the girlfriend who was following behind the boyfriend.

Turkey vultures can reach 12 lbs or more, and it caught her right in the forehead.
It knocked her right out and both her and the bike veered to the left across the road and hit a barbed wire fence where the fence line made a corner at the property line.

The bike somehow slid under the bottom strand, leaving only deep scratches in the paint.
She on the other hand miraculously didn't get collected by the fence posts, but did get wrapped up in loose strands of barbed wire.

There were already a couple of riders that stopped to check her out, but I stopped as well to triage the situation.
She was awake and in pain due to some deep gashes on the right upper arm (mostly in the fat layer), chest, and face, but no arterial bleeding. And she had huge knot on her forehead from the vulture strike.
We stayed until the ambulance arrived and hauled her off.

As usual, her and her boyfriend were only wearing their doo-rags (Harley helmets/brain strainers).
Oddly enough, the local news reported the incident and briefly interviewed her in the hospital where she said still didn't believe in wearing helmets.

When I heard that, I shook my head and said to my wife, "God gave her a wake up call, and she didn't getting the message".

I suspect she'll be yet another statistic down the road. Happens a lot in these parts, especially this time of year with all the tourists and snowbirds.

One can almost recover from any injury except the head.
Remember the mantra, "protect the wetwear".
 
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