Motorcycle injuries continue to rise

Cheryl Chan, The Province
Published: Sunday, June 01, 2008
With motorcycle-related crashes on B.C. roads at their highest since 2000, Dave Munro is becoming busier than he'd like to be.

The president of the Vancouver chapter of the Association of Injured Motorcyclists spends about

30 hours a week helping a largely forgotten segment of motorcycle crash victims -- the survivors.

"It's almost like a full-time job," said the 62-year-old Surrey man. "We're always busy in the summer."

The death of Canucks defenceman Luc Bourdon last week highlighted the vulnerability of bikers on the road.

The 21-year-old died after his three-week-old Suzuki motorcycle collided head-on with a transport truck on a New Brunswick highway. His funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at an ice rink in his hometown of Shippagan, N.B.

But even as motorcycle deaths remained steady in B.C., fluctuating between 35 and 45 from 2003 to '06, motorcycle-related injuries have continued to climb.

Over a recent six-month period, volunteers from the Surrey-based nonprofit association made 125 visits to G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, helping eight downed riders cope with the aftermath of their crashes and navigate through the maze of disability benefits and insurance claims.

"Most people don't know these things," said Munro. "When someone is injured in hospital, they're traumatized and foremost on their mind is their injury."

The group, which has about 200 members locally and 1,200 across B.C., pitches in wherever it's needed: It has installed wheelchair ramps, taken care of pets, subsidized family members' airfares and provided motorcycle magazines and emotional support.

There are currently three injured bikers in rehab at G.F. Strong and one man still in hospital after a serious crash two months ago, said Munro. But because AIM cannot approach injured motorcyclists for privacy reasons, Munro believes there are a lot more out there.

According to police data, there were 1,233 injuries and 37 fatalities from motorcycle crashes in 2006. ICBC numbers also reveal injuries increased from 882 in 2001 to 1,153 in 2005, a 31-per-cent jump.

Munro believes accidents on bikes are inevitable. "There's two kinds of riders: Ones that have had accidents and ones that are going to

have accidents. It's just a matter

of how bad it is."

He knows this first-hand. After 40 years of accident-free riding, an unexpected collision in October 2004 left him an amputee.

Munro was cruising down 264th Street in Aldergrove on his Harley-Davidson bike when a pickup with no headlights crossed the median and plowed into his path. "He was on top of my leg when I saw him," said Munro.

The impact nearly tore his leg off. Doctors amputated his left leg below the knee.

Munro, who now wears a prosthetic limb, spent a year in rehab and fought off depression by continuing his volunteer work. "It kept my mind off what's going on with me."

Out of the seven people in his group-therapy program, two or three were also in serious motorcycle crashes, he said.

Depending on the extent of their injuries, motorcycle accidents can be "life-altering," said Dr. Jennifer Yao, a physical medicine and rehab specialist at G.F. Strong. "Motorcycle accidents tend to be high-velocity and multi-trauma."