A new campaign aims to cut down on accidents caused by unnecessary distractions.

We live in a world of distractions, and a new campaign launched this week in the Southern Tier aims to remind everyone – pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists – about the dangers of not paying attention.

The traffic safety boards of Chemung and Steuben counties kicked off “Be Alert, Distraction Kills” in hopes of curbing accidents.

“We had a spate of bicycle and pedestrian deaths in Elmira, but that alone was not the reason for this initiative,” Jay Schissell, vice chairman of the Chemung County Traffic Safety Board and director of the Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council, told the Star-Gazette newspaper at a news conference.

“If there’s one commonality to the crashes we’ve been having recently, it’s distraction,” he added. “Distraction on the part of all users in the transportation system.”

He’s right! We all have the potential to get distracted when we walk, ride or drive – too often by cell phones and other devices.

But it is OUR JOB (and our legal obligation) to pay attention!  Failing to do so needlessly endangers other people and it just is NOT right that we should put someone else at risk of serious injury (or death) just because we don’t care enough to pay attention!

Schissell listed some all-too-common distractions – cell phones, CD players in cars, eating, putting on makeup, wearing headphones and using illegal drugs.

We forget how dangerous distractions can be until someone gets hurt!

Law enforcement will be involved in getting the message out, too.

The Elmira Police Department used a grant to buy a distracted driving simulator to be used in classrooms.

“We don’t want it to be just a video game,” Police Chief Michael Robertson told the Star-Gazette. “We want it to be an educational tool.”

Corning Police Chief Salvatore Trentanelli said they also plan an educational campaign, adding, “However, there will be some enforcement maintained by the police agencies.”

The campaign will also include portable message signs along some roads and YouTube videos, according to news reports, but in the end, it is up to all of us to STAY FOCUSED!

“It’s not for bicyclists, it’s not for pedestrians, it’s not for motorists,” said Schissell of the campaign. “It’s for everybody.”

Let’s remember that – and BE SAFE!

To see the news reports:

Elmira Star-Gazette

The Leader in Corning

WETM-TV

WENY-TV

YNN

Thanks, Jim

A local man and woman were very seriously injured last week in a car accident that’s cause is still unknown. WETM reported the incident in the story “Southport Woman in Critical Condition After Crash” (pasted below). The woman veered out of her lane and hit a bakery truck in the oncoming traffic on Route 352. The truck driver was seriously injured too.

A crash like this raises a lot of questions: “What happened?” and “Why?” And then “What happens next?”

After an auto accident, that question is strongly connected to Auto Insurance. How does it work to cover damages and injuries? It’s a complicated topic, which I’ve helped many clients understand. There are even a different set of rules when motorcycles are involved, a topic I write about frequently on my motorcycle blog, the NY Biker Law Blog.

In the Route 352 accident, the driver of the car, who appears to be at fault, will have coverage for her injuries through the No-Fault portion of her policy. The bakery truck driver was likely working at the time of the accident, meaning that rather than No-Fault, his Worker’s Compensation carrier would be responsible for paying his medical bills and lost wages.

What is “No-Fault” Insurance?

We have an FAQ section at ZiffLaw.com devoted to the legal issues our firm covers, from injuries and accidents to family law; bankruptcy, medical malpractice to real estate. There’s a section explaining No-Fault coverage and how it works.

No-Fault Insurance in New York state means that the insurance carrier for your vehicle, rather than the insurance carrier for the other vehicle, pays your medical bills or lost wages. This is true regardless of who was at fault in causing the accident, hence the name.

Some No-Fault benefits:

• All No-Fault policies in New York are required to provide TOTAL coverage of no less than $50,000 for both medical costs and lost wages.
• No-Fault covers hospital and medical expenses.
• No-Fault covers lost wages at 80%, up to $1,000 per month (that’s the N.Y. minimum, some policies pay more) for a period not exceeding three years

What doesn’t No-Fault cover?

No-Fault does not apply to property damage claims. Such claims are usually paid for by the insurance carrier for the vehicle that caused the collision or by your carrier if you carried collision coverage.

No-Fault does NOT apply to motorcycles. Check out the explanation in my motorcycle insurance FAQs to see how motorcyclists are treated differently, or order a free copy of my book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” It explains how many motorcyclists are riding “naked” because they don’t have the proper insurance coverage – and don’t even realize it.

It’s sad when accidents happen and people get injured. I think about Chris Ackley, the truck driver, just doing his job and probably a family and children relying on him at home.  He did nothing wrong, and yet he is now laying in a hospital bed.  No one yet knows why the accident happened, why the other driver left her lane. We have seen it happen many, many times in other cases. She could have been distracted by her cell phone, texting, changing the radio station, eating, or even putting on nail polish, the cause of a fatal accident I recently blogged about in the post “‘Nail Polish Crash’ Driver Sentenced for Causing Fatal Motorcycle Accident.”

Thanks for reading and please drive safely!

Adam

_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Injury and Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

Visit the NY Biker Law Blog at www.NYBikerLawBlog.com!

Southport Woman in Critical Condition After Crash

Reported by: Naveen Dhaliwal (ndhaliwal@wetmtv.com)

BIG FLATS – A Southport woman is in critical condition in Rochester.

The Chemung county sheriff says the crash happened about 10:15 am on Thursday morning on State Route 352 in the Town of Big Flats.

They say Christina Pappas of Southport was driving her jeep Cherokee westbound.  She veered into the eastbound lane and hit a Stroman’s bakery truck.

The Sheriff says the truck driver is 52-year-old Christopher Ackley.  Ackley is in stable condition at a local hospital.

Pappas is in critical condition in Rochester.  The Sheriff says the road was closed for about an hour and a half.  The road is open now.

We’ve all seen it – the drivers who are talking on cellphones, fixing their hair, eating, drinking, applying makeup – doing whatever they can to combine their driving time with some other task.

Distracted driving is not only dangerous – it’s deliberate. Does anyone really want to have on their conscience the fact that they harmed someone else because they were trying to finish their grooming in the car?

Last year in Chicago, a driver who was painting her fingernails while driving, struck and killed a motorcyclist in a Chicago suburb.

The American Motorcyclist Association recently posted an article, “Fingernail-painting driver who crashed into motorcyclist sentenced to 18 months” (the story is also pasted below), about the resolution of the 2009 case.

Lora Hunt, a nurse, hit biker Anita Zaffke at a stoplight. Hunt admitted to police at the scene that she had been doing her nails at the time of the accident. Hunt has been vilified on the Internet, and the accident labeled “The Nail Polish Crash.”

Last week, the sentencing was announced in the case. Hunt was charged with “reckless homicide.” She was sentenced to 18 months of nighttime jail, 240 hours of community service and 30 months on probation.

I hope it is enough to bring Anita Zaffke’s family some peace. Anita’s son, Gregg Zaffke II, began painting his own nails black in remembrance of the accident that took his mother’s life. He created an organization, the Black Nail Brigade Foundation Against Distracted Driving to spread the word about distracted driving and to lobby for laws that would impose appropriate punishment for distracted driving that harms or kills others.

A photo on Gregg’s website even shows the dashboard of Lora Hunt’s car – splattered with nail polish after the crash that killed Anita Zaffke. It’s shocking that such a trivial thing ended one life and damaged many others.

The AMA also strives to educate motorists and motorcyclists about the risks of distracted drivers. The organization has an AMA position statement about distracted driving, which includes this quote from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report: “Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes . . . Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.”

Four out of five crashes are caused by driver distraction. Remember that statistic when you’re out on your motorcycle.  Assume that car is going to pull out in front of you.  Assume that car turning left will fail to yield the right of way to you.  Plan your escape and be ready to act.  Assuming the worst may save your life some day.

Thanks for reading,

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” It is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers; follow the link to order your copy today.

Fingernail-painting driver who crashed into motorcyclist sentenced to 18 months

Posted July 23, 2010 on the AMA website.

Lora Hunt, the motorist who crashed into motorcyclist Anita Zaffke in a Chicago suburb in 2009 and killed her, has been sentenced to 18 months of nighttime-only imprisonment. Hunt ignited outrage within the motorcycling community when she admitted to police that she was painting her fingernails at the time of the accident.

During her jail sentence, Hunt, who is a nurse, will be allowed to work during the day as well as go to counseling sessions. The Morris, Ill., resident must also perform 240 hours of community service and spend 30 months on probation.

Hunt was sentenced on July 22 by Lake County (Ill.) Judge Fred Foreman after being convicted on May 6 of reckless homicide.

Zaffke, 56, of Lake Zurich, Ill., was killed on May 2, 2009 when Hunt ran into the rear of her motorcycle at a stoplight in Lake Zurich, about 40 miles north of Chicago.

After the fatal crash, Greg Zaffke II of Wauconda, Ill., the victim’s son, began painting his fingernails black as a reminder to anyone he meets of his mother’s death. He also formed the Black Nail Brigade Foundation Against Distracted Driving (www.BlackNailBrigade.org) to publicize the dangers of distracted driving, push for legislation to impose appropriate penalties for distracted drivers who seriously injure or kill others, and to boost awareness to share the road with motorcycles.

Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations, called the entire episode tragic.

“On behalf of the AMA and its members, I want to express our sincere condolences to Ms. Zaffke’s family,” Moreland said. “Tragedy can result from distracted driving, and we hope that our efforts and those of Greg Zaffke will help avoid further tragedies.”

In 2009, the AMA adopted a formal position statement that endorsed enhanced penalties for those who injure or kill others while operating a motor vehicle when distracted or inattentive operation is involved, with the goal of preventing motorcycle crashes from occurring in the first place. To read the AMA’s position statement on distracted and inattentive driving, go here.

This article was previously published on Adam Gee’s newest blog, NY Biker Law Blog.  The original article can be found here.

Every biker should know the acronym ATGATT.

It stands for All The Gear All The Time. But maybe knowing what it means isn’t enough. It could be that some people need to see the disfiguring, agonizing, even life-threatening effects of Road Rash – the awful result of hitting the pavement when not wearing all your motorcycle gear.

I came across a blog post , “Road Rash Girl Speaks Out” where one young girl was brave enough to show some of her scars and willing to describe her long recovery  from a motorcycle accident. Road Rash girl lost skin on her stomach, back, legs, hands, arms – one breast was almost ground off – almost everywhere on her body except her thighs, she says.

The accident was out of the blue – she hopped on the back of a friend’s bike in a casual summer outfit and a helmet. I see girls dressed just like her on the backs of bikes almost every day.  What she and her friend never expected was that she would be pulled from the back of the bike by a gust of wind, and strike the asphalt at high speed – tumbling, rolling, and scraping.

She didn’t die in the crash, but at times she wished she had.  She suffered severe, third-degree road rash – which led to painful skin grafts and skin debridement (the removal of dead tissue).  My clients tell me the skin debridement is more painful than the actual crash, as the doctors scrape and brush at the the road rash, trying to pick dirt and rocks out of the skin to prevent infection.

Road Rash Girl is a survivor. She talks about how the pain helped remind her that she was alive, and she felt so lucky to be alive after the accident.

I can’t help thinking what a shame she wasn’t wearing protective gear, riding wear that could have taken some of the damage and abuse that happened instead to her skin.  It is amazing the abuse that a proper riding jacket can absorb.  A recent client of mine hit the pavement at 65 miles an hour and walked away with not so much as a scratch on the parts of his body the jacket covered.  He had some rash on his knees through a pair of jeans, and a little on his wrists between his gloves and the jacket.  His full face shield helmet protected his head.  All his equipment did its job.

The American Motorcyclist Association has an Interactive Motorcycle Gear Page. It’s the outline of a biker, and as you click on each part of the body, recommendations about helmets, jackets, pants, and boots pop up. You can learn just what you need to get, why, and how to pick it out.

Remember ATGATT.   ALL THE GEAR, ALL THE TIME!  I know if you read Road Rash Girl’s story and see her photos, it’s unlikely you can forget.

Please ride safely out there,

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” It is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers; follow the link to order your copy today.

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This article was previously published on Adam Gee’s newest blog, NY Biker Law Blog.  The original article can be found here.  We are re-printing the article here in the hopes that  reading this will keep people safer on the highways whether you are a biker or not.

Riding with your friends is a fantastic way to get out and enjoy your motorcycle. Heading for the same destination, enjoying the same road and sights – like all kinds of activities, it’s better when you get to share it with others who have the same appreciation.
Group rides depend on good communication between cyclists, however. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has a video about safe riding in groups, and the American Motorcyclist Association has a list of oft-quoted, but very important 17 tips to make a group ride safe and fun.

Before we get into the 17 tips, I’d like to add just one more piece of advice: Know your hand signals!The correct hand signals are how you will be able to communicate turns, stops, hazards and other information to your fellow riders. They are indispensible knowledge for every motorcyclist. Here is a breakdown of the important signals from the AMA:

17 Strategies for a Safe Ride from the American Motorcyclist Association

1) The first thing you want to do is organize the ride. This can be as informal as standing around in a parking lot, or as complicated as a special meeting to hand out maps and cellphone numbers.

2) Remember that riding in a group does not mean you surrender any decision making when it comes to your safety. Ride your own ride, and don’t go any faster than you feel comfortable going.

3) When picking your route and the stops you’ll make along it, consider the stamina of the group, the experience of all the riders, and the limits of the motorcycles in the group. Remember, these are your friends. If it’s going to be a long ride, be sure to have a few break stops along the way.

4) You’ll need to communicate while on the ride, so make sure everyone knows the signals you’ll use (posted above).

5) When creating your formation, it’s wise to have your experienced riders at the lead and running sweep. Consider positioning the less experienced riders immediately behind the leader. This allows the front rider to adjust the pace if necessary.

6) Ideally, the sweep rider will have a cellphone to call for help if a motorcycle is disabled, or if there has been an accident.

7) If the goal of the ride is to keep the group together, the leader should only go at the pace of the least experienced rider.

8 ) While riding, don’t fixate on the motorcycle in front of you. Instead, remember your basic training. Look well through the turn to where you want to go.

9) If the group is riding faster than you are comfortable with, let the sweep rider know you’re dropping out and ride at your own pace. So you may reach your destination a few seconds behind the others, but you will get there, and that’s what’s important. Keep in mind, it’s all about fun.

10) All riders are also responsible for making sure their motorcycles are mechanically up to the task. Before you even meet up with the group, make sure you’ve got plenty of fuel in the tank, and you’ve taken care of all those maintenance issues. Not sure what to check? Use the T-CLOCS inspection checklist. You really don’t want to be the reason for stopping the group for something mechanical you could have prevented.

11) If it’s going to be a large group, consider establishing a buddy system among the riders, or divide the group into smaller five- or seven-rider packs. That way, if something goes wrong, you don’t have 25 motorcycles sitting on the side of a busy highway. Also, smaller groups can more easily navigate through city streets.

12) On the road, motorcyclists should have at least a 2-second cushion in front and behind them. If you want to keep the group tight, consider a staggered formation. Leave enough room per lane so each rider can maneuver side-to-side if need be. Avoid side-by-side formations as they shrink your space cushion.

13) Trikes and sidecars should stay in the center of the lane, and should be given the same amount of cushion as if they were a car.

14) As turns get sharper, or as visibility decreases, move back to a single file formation. You’ll also want to use single file when entering or exiting a highway, at toll booths, or when roads have a rough or questionable surface.

15) At intersections where you’ve come to a stop, tighten the formation to side-by-side to take up less space. As the light turns green, or when traffic opens up, the bike on the left proceeds through first.

16) Remember we share the road with many other vehicles, and it’s against the law to block an intersection.

17) When parking, try to get the group off the roadway as quickly as possible. If you can, arrange in advance to have pull-through parking at your destination, or at the very least, make sure there is ample parking for your size group.

Remember these rules when planning a motorcycle outing with friends, and the outcome should be safe and fun for everyone.

Thanks for reading and ride safe,

Adam
_______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Personal Injury and Malpractice Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY  14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

Visit the New York Biker Law Blog at: http://www.NYBikerLawBlog.com

This article was previously published on Adam Gee’s newest blog, NY Biker Law Blog.  The original article can be found here.  We are re-printing the article here in the hopes that  reading about these two incidents will keep people safer on the highways.

Weekends are meant to be the time we leave work worries and cares behind and get a chance to indulge in our interests. For many people in the Twin Tiers, during the summer this means getting out on our motorcycles.

Along with the thrill and exhilaration of riding a motorcycle, however, comes some risk. This was recently evidenced by an weekend car/motorcycle accident in Wysox Township:

A copy of the WETM story is pasted below, as reported by Jeff Stone

“Woman Injured in Motorcycle Crash”

Wysox Township, Pa. – A Warren Center woman was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Bradford County. Pennsylvania State Police say 25-year old Stacy Wolfe was traveling on Route 6 in Wysox Township when a car coming in the opposite direction made a left-hand turn and crashed into Wolfe’s motorcycle.

Wolfe was thrown from the motorcycle and received severe injuries. Police say the driver of the car was 65-year old Evelyn Boyles of Wysox.

Although the precise circumstances of the accident and any investigation has not yet been revealed, I look on this as another chance to advocate caution. I recently blogged about a theory of “motion camouflage” that suggests motorcyclists are not always visible to car drivers (“NY Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Explains Why Drivers Don’t See Bikers”). All I can say is be vigilant on the road and let’s hope for a full and speedy recovery for Stacy Wolfe.

In a separate incident, an Elmira, NY man suffered a broken leg when he was rear ended – yes REAR ENDED! on Interstate 86 near the Waverly, NY exit.  No media reported on this case, but I became aware of it when he came to see me.  It seems he was riding home from work at shortly after 11:00 PM  wearing a jacket with armor and reflective patches, gloves, boots and a full face shield helmet.  He also had one of those reflective bands around his helmet.  He was riding a sport cruiser with lots of rear lights, and even had two reflectors attached to his rear seat in addition to the tail lights.  Somehow, a guy manages to miss all that and rear ends him, dumping my client onto the middle of I-86.  He somehow avoided getting run over by traffic, but is looking at a long period of recovery.

Our preliminary investigation reveals the driver that rear ended our client was playing with his radio when he smashed in to our client

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.

Adam

______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers; follow the link to order a copy.

For more motorcycle articles and news, visit Adam’s NY Biker Law Blog here.

According to witnesses who called the area television station, 9NEWS.com of Denver, Colorado, the man was struck directly on the head and the lightning split his helmet open. He was listed in critical condition for a time, but eventually died from his injuries. I’ve pasted an updated copy of the story from KUSA-TV below:

“Motorcyclist dies after being struck by lightning”

CHAFFEE COUNTY – The motorcyclist that was struck by lightning over the weekend has died.

The Chaffee County Sheriffs Department says that 53-year-old William John Carr of Pompana Beach, Florida was struck by lightning on Saturday afternoon while riding his motorcycle with friends on Highway 285 near mile marker 138.

Carr was taken to Heart of the Rockies Hospital and then flown to St. Anthonys Central Hospital. Authorities say he died on Tuesday night.

Many times I blog about risks and mistakes that motorcyclists take, actions that put their safety at risk. But storms can come up quickly, before you can find shelter. We are all aware of the danger from rain on roadways, especially for the first 15 minutes or so until the oils are washed off, but one thing I never thought of was lightning.  Lightning is very dangerous and unpredictable – I feel for Mr. Carr’s family and the shock they must be in after such an awful, sudden accident.

All I can add is that if you feel there’s the slightest chance of lightning coming in a summer storm, head for shelter. Riding’s not worth that risk.  Overpasses are a great place to stop, they will protect you from the rain and lightning.

Thanks for reading,

Adam

______________________________

Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” It is available FREE to New York or Pennsylvania accident victims; follow the link to order a copy.

Motion Camouflage

The secret to this theory is connected to the way in which predators act in the animal and insect kingdoms. Researchers discovered that a dragonfly, for example, uses a technique called “motion camouflage” to approach prey. Motion camouflage is based on the fact that when a creature or an object is coming directly at you at high speed, its motion is barely detectable.

It sounds strange but it’s true! The dragonfly was found to change its course when honing in on prey, making adjustments to fly directly into its victim’s line of sight.

I came across this story online at Motorcyle Info Pages, a British site packed with safety information for bikers. The blog post features images from the Bike article as well as further explanation:

“Motion is difficult to perceive when it is directly along the line of sight. Because the object is stationary relative to the background, an observer doesn’t see a change in the overall image and thus isn’t cued to the presence of a moving object. Though the object increases in apparent size as it nears, the change goes unnoticed at first–moving from 1000ft distant to 900ft may not affect the image enough to trigger a response. A motorcycle is particularly susceptible to motion camouflage because its cross-section area as seen by an observer is much less than that of a larger vehicle.”

The Looming Effect

Now the second part of the whammy against motorcyclists: When a driver does realize a motorcyclist is approaching rapidly, a second natural response kicks in and makes an accident more likely. This is called the looming effect.

For good or ill – and I’m sure there’s some evolutionary reason for this that didn’t take motor vehicles into account – people freeze when they realize something’s about to hit them. In the wild, perhaps this threw predators off, but on the road, it just makes for serious accidents when a driver stops dead in front of an oncoming motorcyclist.

What’s the solution?

Duncan MacKillop, a motorcycle riding instructor who first suggested a connection between motorcycle accidents and motion camouflage, had a simple and smart sounding solution. He tells bikers to ride in a way that takes them out of the cross-street driver’s direct line of sight.

To break the illusion of motion camouflage, Mackillop recommends riding in a path that diverges from the driver’s line of site if possible, and/or using a gentle zigzag motion to catch a driver’s attention.  People may look at you a little funny if you are zig zagging within your lane as you approach an intersection, but if it catches their attention and keeps them from hitting you it is well worth it.

Check out the full article at the Motorcycle Info Pages, and don’t forget what a great safety device science can be.

Thanks for reading,

Adam

______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Personal Injury, Malpractice and Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York and Pennsylvania bikers; follow the link to order a copy.

The 2010 Harley-Davidson Nation of Patriots Tour is a fundraiser and an effort by Harley-Davidson owners to bring attention to the sacrifices our military forces have made. More than 150,ooo motorcyclists will participate nationwide; the tour recently passed through the Twin Tiers. The riders at each leg of the tour pick up an American flag to carry and pass on to the riders for the next leg. The photo with this post is of the riding group and soldiers, June 8 at Southern Tier Harley-Davidson in Binghamton.

The tour began May 28 at a Harley-Davidson store in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. It’s the hometown dealership of the tour’s founder, Bill Scherer. The tour that Scherer started in 2009 will cross 48 states in 100 days. Check out the Nation of Patriots home page to see a map and locate the riders’ current location (as I write, it’s Binghamton, New York!). WETM-TV reported on local riders participating in the tour in the online story “2010 Patriot Tour”; a copy of the story is pasted below.

As a New York and Pennsylvania motorcycle accident attorney, I think this charity is a fantastic idea. It puts together  Harley riders from across the country all riding and raising money for a common cause.

The 2010 Nation of Patriots Tour will cross the United States and return to the starting point in Wisconson. You can learn more about the charity at the Nation of Patriots home page and even make a direct donation.

Thank for reading,

Adam
______________________________
Adam M. Gee, Esq.
NY and PA Motorcycle Accident Attorney
The Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, NY 14901
Phone: (607)733-8866
Fax: (607)732-6062
Email: agee@zifflaw.com
www.zifflaw.com

My book, “Would You Ride Your Motorcycle Naked?” is available FREE to New York or Pennsylvania accident victims; follow the link to order a copy.

2010 Patriot Tour

(Reported by Sofia Ojeda on WETM-TV)

Painted Post, N.Y.- Harley Davidson riders across the country are honoring our nation’s troops.
It’s all part of the 2010 Patriot Tour.
3 Harley Davidson riders left Painted Post and headed to Binghamton Monday morning carrying the american flag.
The riders were part of the tour carrying the flag through 48 states in 100 days.
They rode a little over an hour away.
There they would hand off the flag to another group of riders.
Paul Koekebacker says, “You should honor our troops and fallen veterans in any possible way. We got a lot of families paying a big price for some of these things, it’s one way to recognize it, to honor it. If you can take a flag, the same flag and go to all 48 states, i think it’s important to do that.”
Stan Mosher says, “It’ll leave Binghamton tomorrow and go to Albany then from there it goes up to New England back down the East Coast to Florida, across the United States up the West Coast and back to Wisconsin.”
The tour began in Wisconsin on Memorial Day.
The tour will end there on Labor Day.