24 year old Canadian dies in motorcycle accident in Cabrera

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TravelHippo

Guest
I run a non-profit educational program here in Cabrera (and have done so for the past 10 years). Last Sunday, August 4th, one of our past Esperanza Project volunteers, a 24 year old Canadian, graduate of Waterloo University in Ontario, Ananta Tandon, was in a motorcycle accident here in the centre of Cabrera. Tragically, after 4 days in hospital in Nagua, Ananta passed away due to injuries to her head and brain. Although Ananta did own and usually wear a helmet, Ananta was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The accident took place on a quiet back street of Cabrera, not even on a main road. In honour of Ananta, we are starting a campaign to provide helmets for the people of Cabrera and also raise awareness on the importance of helmets towards saving lives in the country as a whole. As you all know, every year there are countless motorcycle accidents in the Dominican Republic and many of the most severe injuries or deaths could be prevented with the use of a helmet. Please help spread the word in honour of this beautiful young girl who had only visited the country a few times but had fallen in love with it, and sadly spent her final days here, at such a young age.

$50 USD will buy a good quality motorcycle helmet for an adult or child

https://www.gofundme.com/f/helmets-for-hope-in-honour-of-ananta-tandon
 
R

Ricardo900

Guest
I run a non-profit educational program here in Cabrera (and have done so for the past 10 years). Last Sunday, August 4th, one of our past Esperanza Project volunteers, a 24 year old Canadian, graduate of Waterloo University in Ontario, Ananta Tandon, was in a motorcycle accident here in the centre of Cabrera. Tragically, after 4 days in hospital in Nagua, Ananta passed away due to injuries to her head and brain. Although Ananta did own and usually wear a helmet, Ananta was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The accident took place on a quiet back street of Cabrera, not even on a main road. In honour of Ananta, we are starting a campaign to provide helmets for the people of Cabrera and also raise awareness on the importance of helmets towards saving lives in the country as a whole. As you all know, every year there are countless motorcycle accidents in the Dominican Republic and many of the most severe injuries or deaths could be prevented with the use of a helmet. Please help spread the word in honour of this beautiful young girl who had only visited the country a few times but had fallen in love with it, and sadly spent her final days here, at such a young age.

$50 USD will buy a good quality motorcycle helmet for an adult or child

https://www.gofundme.com/f/helmets-for-hope-in-honour-of-ananta-tandon

As a motorcycle rider that has been "Down" on a few occasions. Helmets save lives! When you go "Down" you can't control if you are going to slide or roll down the road hitting your head. I walked from an accident and literally tore up my jacket and helmet, which had scrape marks all over it. I would also like to add about wearing gloves & boots!


"There are two types of riders! The one that has been "Down" and the one that is going "Down"" - NY State Trooper (FDR Drive).
 
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ctrob

Guest
Condolences to the family of the young lady. Very sad.

Helmets save lives. I went down once and bounced off a car once. My brother and pregnant GF T-boned a Caddie with his Electra Glide.
 
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Harleysrock

Guest
Very sad. May she RIP
The reason we live here is bc my wife had a moto accident in canada, that helmet saved her life!
 
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chico bill

Guest
I went down on a street that a lady has spread laundry soap on to wash the street in front of her house. I had a helmet but I was wearing shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt only. It was on Triumph 750.
Basically I rode the sliding bike and did not hit my head but tore significant flesh with bad road rash on a leg and elbow.
I was 29 then but I am too old to think of healing from that kind of injury now.

Helmets are required by law. Someday Digisett will actually enforce the law instead of once every two weeks for 4 hours at roadside checkpoint. .
The motos spread the word when and where the checkpoints are set up, so they avoid them.
 
F

frank12

Guest
A helmet is 100% necessary anywhere, but especially in the DR. To really save your head, you need a DOT approved helmet, and some of the crap they sell in the hardware stores in the DR are not DOT approved, and are little more then flimsy pieces of plastic. Don't get me wrong, anything is better than nothing, but for my friends and I, I cannot imagine riding without a full-face helmet.

You also need some kind of eye-protection, and that's where a full-face helmet comes into play with the rain, insects, rocks, etc.

One problem i noticed is that when someone doesn't spend their own money on a good helmet, they tend to not take care of the visor, which overtime, gets scratched up really bad...making it almost a hazard to use.

So, i would strongly recommend that you invest in something DOT approved, and preferably with a visor, but you'll need to instruct people how to take care of the visor so that they don't scratch it up to the point where its a hazard to see out of.

Sorry for your lose, but you're on the right track with the helmets.
 
K

KyleMackey

Guest
A helmet saved my life as a 15 year old. Motorcycle wreck. Broke some bones and was in a wheelchair for the entire summer.
 
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cobraboy

Guest
Maybe the Dominican drivers license bureau should mandate those applying for a moto license---or, really, any vehicle operating license---watch a flim of bashed in skulls, mangled bodies and wailing bereaved mothers from moto accidents.

In 10th grade Drivers Ed. we had to watch a flim called Signal 30, a rather gruesome 1959 OH State Patrol film about what happens to human bodies in car accidents in graphic, uncensored detail. Certainly got my attention. Girls literally fainted.
 
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chico bill

Guest
A helmet is 100% necessary anywhere, but especially in the DR. To really save your head, you need a DOT approved helmet, and some of the crap they sell in the hardware stores in the DR are not DOT approved, and are little more then flimsy pieces of plastic. Don't get me wrong, anything is better than nothing, but for my friends and I, I cannot imagine riding without a full-face helmet.

You also need some kind of eye-protection, and that's where a full-face helmet comes into play with the rain, insects, rocks, etc.

One problem i noticed is that when someone doesn't spend their own money on a good helmet, they tend to not take care of the visor, which overtime, gets scratched up really bad...making it almost a hazard to use.

So, i would strongly recommend that you invest in something DOT approved, and preferably with a visor, but you'll need to instruct people how to take care of the visor so that they don't scratch it up to the point where its a hazard to see out of.

Sorry for your lose, but you're on the right track with the helmets.

I've seen some of those cheap Chinese "helmets" fall off handlebars (rider hanging & not using).
They crack and pieces fly off just under the helmet's own weight. I imagine they protect nothing.
A real helmet, DOT approved, will be $100 and up and a real full face quality one can go to $800 if you really want the best.
 
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cobraboy

Guest
I've seen some of those cheap Chinese "helmets" fall off handlebars (rider hanging & not using).
They crack and pieces fly off just under the helmet's own weight. I imagine they protect nothing.
A real helmet, DOT approved, will be $100 and up and a real full face quality one can go to $800 if you really want the best.
Unfortunately the DOT designation is self-reporting. SNELL is absurdly expensive, and no evidence the protection in real life is better than DOT. ECE is a good spec. and often goes with the honest DOT spec.

Any helmet can crack, even decent ones. It depends on the force. A DOT helmet is supposed to protect a head from falling the distance verticle off the back of a motorcycle, about 4' or so.
 
L

lifeisgreat

Guest
I've seen some of those cheap Chinese "helmets" fall off handlebars (rider hanging & not using).
They crack and pieces fly off just under the helmet's own weight. I imagine they protect nothing.
A real helmet, DOT approved, will be $100 and up and a real full face quality one can go to $800 if you really want the best.
Still better then baseball or construction hard hat I see em wear...
 
J

jd426

Guest
Sincere Condolences to the family and friends of this young woman .
So sad..
 
D

DR_Guy

Guest
Maybe the Dominican drivers license bureau should mandate those applying for a moto license---or, really, any vehicle operating license---watch a flim of bashed in skulls, mangled bodies and wailing bereaved mothers from moto accidents.

In 10th grade Drivers Ed. we had to watch a flim called Signal 30, a rather gruesome 1959 OH State Patrol film about what happens to human bodies in car accidents in graphic, uncensored detail. Certainly got my attention. Girls literally fainted.

JAJA
I remember those Ohio State Patrol films.
 
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Ecoman1949

Guest
My sincere condolences to her family and friends. I’ve witnessed and driven by moto accidents in the DR for a number of years. I applaud the efforts to provide helmets through the go fund me program, however, change will only occur through education and enforcement. Two things lacking and not high on the government agenda. The police do random spot checks that are rare and they don’t have a long term impact on offenders.

I’ve been riding motorcycles for well over 50 years and I’ll be the first to admit I was reckless with them when I started riding them. Wearing only a helmet and speeding excessively was the norm for me. My rude awakening came at someone elses expense. I ended up in a hospital emergency ward one evening because of pneumonia. In the stall next to me was a young motorcyclist getting pieces of asphalt removed from his arms, legs, and butt because of lack of proper safety gear. His screams were impressive. After that I wore safety gear all the time. I’ve been down a few times over the years but I still have my limbs intact. I don’t drive excessively fast anymore. At age 70 I’m happy to be alive and I have nothing to prove. I still get the urge to blow the doors off a muscle car when they pass me but common sense takes over.
 
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irishpaddy

Guest
unfortunately you can give out helmets to every motorbike owner.....if they don't wear them a complete waste of time and money.
The amount of idiots that ride around with either no helmet or the helmet hanging off their arm is unbelievable .Add to this the police who are supposed to enforce the law that ride around with no helmet .

unfortunately as much as it is a nice idea to give out free helmets ...it wont change a thing
 
W

wrecksum

Guest
Condolences to the family.Tragic indeed.

I would prefer to see the police clamping down on dangerous driving rather than helmets.

I really don't care if someone prefers not to wear one and if he or she so prefers,that is their accepted risk.One would imagine that wearing one is a logical choice but logic is somewhat underdeveloped here,and surely,if you can afford a bike you can afford a helmet.

- but I do care when they come at me on the wrong side of a one-way,cut totally across a corner ,disregard red lights,pull wheelies in a populated area,drive like lunatics generally and break every other rule in the book,thus putting others at risk.
 
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snowsnow

Guest
I disagree. Even if you were to distribute 200 helmets and only one person actually wears it, then you are potentially saving one life. And saving one life is better than none.
 
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Derfish

Guest
I disagree. Even if you were to distribute 200 helmets and only one person actually wears it, then you are potentially saving one life. And saving one life is better than none.

But in reality how would one person wearing blinders and covering his ears so he cannot hear help anything at all? More wrecks are caused by helmets than any lives saved. Many years ago I was one of 35,000 persons who threw my helmet on the lawn of the statehouse in Tallahassee and we shrugged off the government rules within a few hours of that demonstration.
Derfish
 
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Derfish

Guest
unfortunately you can give out helmets to every motorbike owner.....if they don't wear them a complete waste of time and money.
The amount of idiots that ride around with either no helmet or the helmet hanging off their arm is unbelievable .Add to this the police who are supposed to enforce the law that ride around with no helmet .

unfortunately as much as it is a nice idea to give out free helmets ...it wont change a thing

I bought a melmet for 250 pesos after someone stole my USA type of helmet.
They are not out of reach for buyers if one wants one.
Derfish
 
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