Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us today. We’d be happy to post it for the world to see.

Bruce Conrad Testimonial

Hi, my name is Bruce, on August 14, 2022 I was involved in a an accident.  It was a single vehicle one, the weather was overcast, and I was coming into a turn hit loose gravel and hit the shoulder of the road and ended up in the ditch.  Hospital overnight, 4 broken ribs and have been off work and going to physio for the passed 2-3 weeks.  My daughter helped me get in touch with Bikers Down, and they came through for me with some help to cover some of my costs.  I would like to say thank you very much for the help and being there for the biking community, it is a big help.

Thanks once again,

–Bruce Conrad, November 2022

James Morse Testimonial

My name is James Morse and on Oct 2022 I was involved in a motorcycle accident. I was out riding with some good friends when I lost control of my motorcycle.  I hit a guard rail and don’t remember much after that.  After getting out of the hospital with major wounds and needing 3 surgeries I was worried about how I was going to pay the bills and feed my family.  Thanks to Tracy and Bikers Down I am able to stop stressing.  There generous donation helped out a lot.  I will never forget this.  Thanks again Bikers Down.

–James Morse, November 2022

Doug Walker Testimonial

Again, I have had a hard turn of events, and I got hit, by being blocked 100% by a dump truck. Job-site & no work signs, or no flag person for the truck to back across the road. They had lots of errors.

The Bone in my my neck from a Donor spinal cord looks like it was cut through, if anyone would like to see all X-rays. Doctors are amazed that I can turn my head or walk, as I had lots of injuries.

I thank a lot of people for their help! I can’t thank Bikers Down enough for the help!

Regards,

–Doug Walker, March 2022

Matthew White Testimonial

Sunday June 6th 2021 I was involved in a motorcycle accident that I had some injuries from putting me off work for 6to 8 weeks and I reached out the Bikers Down Society and as fast as I got my documentation into them that they needed and filled out the application they helped me immediately. I am very pleased with the help that they have given me and very thankful and highly recommend this organization, thank you so much.

–Matthew White, June 2021

Jody Stokes Testimonial

I just wanted to thank everyone at Bikers Down for helping me so quickly. I was in an accident on June 18, 2019 on highway 103 by exit 5a. There were 4 of us and our lead rider and good friend struck a deer without warning and was killed. In my best efforts I tried to avoid the obstacles but could not and it resulted in me crashing. I suffered road rash to my entire left side, damage to my shoulder and knee as well as various soft tissue damage injuries. We all suffered mental trauma as well and I do feel that will be our biggest battle on the path to recovery.

I know we cannot change anything that happened that night but I do think our province can take steps to help lower the risks of deer related motorcycle fatalities in this province by cutting back tree lines from the side of the highways and putting in animal control fencing like we have in other provinces.

One thing about an accident is that our lives still continue and our bills still need to be paid. Bikers down with their kind donation to me will help pay some of my expenses while I am off work rehabbing. Thank you Bikers Down. You are a life safer and as soon as I can I will ensure that I attend your events and offer my continued support to this great cause.

–Jody Stokes, June 2019

Kevin Sharpe Testimonial

I would like to pass on a huge THANKS to Bikers’ Down, for the help they gave me after my accident.   Without their support, I would have been put in a very bad position financially!

So, keep up the GREAT work and THANK YOU!!!!

–KEVIN SHARPE, January 2016

Philip’s Testimonial

On Sept 4, 2016  I was in a motorcycle accident.  I tried to avoid 2 pot holes on the beaver bank connector but was taking out by the gravel that was on the road.  So appreciated for the support by bikers down and glad there was help for me and fellow bikers. Thanks once again Phil.

–Phil, October 2016

Wade White Testimonial

Written by Nicole Lewis

Myself and my boyfriend Wade wanted to send a HUGE thank you to Biker’s Down Society for helping us out after Wade was in a bad motorcycle accident in July. They showed such caring & support to us when we needed it most! The financial support was greatly appreciated, it’s amazing to see an organization reach out and help when people truly are in need! Wade still has a long road to recovery and our battles will be extensive…. But all we can say is thank you for the help we have received so far and express our gratitude to such a fantastic society!!

–Wade White & Nicole Lewis, 2016

George & Valerie’s Testimonial

I would like to send out a big thank you to bikers down for the support that was given in many ways, when my husband was involved in the motorcycle accident on hwy 101 on July 2 2015. Would also like to send out a thanks to everyone who supports bikers down. It’s good to see biker brothers and sisters come together in times like these. We will always support bikers down. Thank you once again for all the support that was given to my family.

–George & Valerie, July 2015

Kathy’s Story

It was a beautiful clear sunny summer afternoon. I rode from West Porters Lake to Toad’s Cycle Works to get something checked on my 650 V-Star. After leaving Toads with a clean bill of health, I decided to head westbound through Westphal to the Irving station at the Forest Hills intersection to get a little extra riding time. Just before Montague Road, I changed into the left lane so I wouldn’t have to make the lane change where there would be more traffic as it was getting to be that time of day. Traffic was building in the right lane but the left lane was clear so I was doing close to the speed limit of 60km/hr. Then I noticed a mini-van heading in the opposite direction. He was stopped and signaling to turn left into the Gateway Meat Market. I focused on him in case he started to pull out in front of me. As I said, traffic was building in the right lane and slowing down for the light at Forest Hills Drive. Beside me there was a van or SUV or something bigger than me which naturally obscured my vision. The next thing I knew there was a car directly across my path. There was no time to stop but I hit both brakes and then make that wonderful “hazard avoidance” steering technique that I learned in the Gearing Up program. That action saved me from T-boning that lady’s car but what it did do was put me into the oncoming traffic. I kept trying to pull a tight right-hand turn to get back in my own lane but there was just not enough space between the vehicles and I hit the on-coming van head-on. I remember saying “Oh, shit” and I remember hearing the van’s headlight break. The next thing I knew, I was on the pavement. I don’t remember hitting the windshield but the windshield was cracked and I had a laceration in my mouth so I am guessing that I did. I don’t know if I became a little airborne or if the bike just slid away from me, or a combination of both, but where I landed was about 6-10 feet away from my bike. I did not lose conscientiousness and I did not have any sign of head or neck injuries but I knew that I had broken bones. Didn’t know how many or how severe but I knew I had them. A man that was behind the van that I hit jumped out of his vehicle and offered to help. I asked him to call an ambulance. A lady came up and offered to help and I asked her to call my better half. Her message to him was simply, “Your wife was in a motorcycle accident and the ambulance is on its way.” Scared him half to death. A few minutes later there was another man who knelt behind me and offered support. He also seemed to take charge of what was happening. I don’t know who he was as I couldn’t see him and he didn’t introduce himself. When the paramedics arrived he gave them a report and he also gave a report to the responding RCMP officer. The paramedic asked him if he was a doctor and he said that he was RCMP, so obviously he was not in uniform so either undercover or off-duty. Incidentally, the lady was charged at the scene under the Motor Vehicle Act. Like Greg in your first story, I uttered a lot of words that cannot be repeated here both because of the pain and the stupidity of the other driver. My obvious injuries were to my left leg and right arm so the paramedics had to cut off my clothes so they could effectively complete their examination. By this time it is peak traffic time and I am in the middle of Main Street with very little clothing on. The paramedic asked a fireman who was standing there to pass him a blanket out of the ambulance. The fireman says. “Huh?” The paramedic repeated the statement. The fireman says, “You want a blanket?” So, I said, “It’s about the privacy thing. Maybe you aren’t used to covering up the ones that are still talking. Yes, a blanket would be nice.” So I got splinted, collared, put on a back board and loaded into the ambulance. The pain was unbearable so my defense was to be witty. Once he completed his physical examination, did the neurological screen – you know the drill, follow my finger, and how many fingers do you see and started an IV, he radioed the QEII emergency to get an order for IV morphine. It seemed to take forever for the Morphine to take the edge off but when it kicked in my thoughts turned to spending a nice Friday evening in the emergency department and having to cancel a bike trip we had planned to Cape Breton the following weekend. At the QEII emergency room, the x-rays and all that stuff happened. The laceration in my mouth required sutures and I had 3 fractures in my left leg that required surgery, a fractured radius (arm/wrist), fractured left 5th finger, torn rotator-cuff which luckily did not require surgery and multiple bumps and bruises. I was in hospital for 10 days and I was not allowed weight bearing on my leg for 10 weeks. I couldn’t use crutches because of my arm and shoulder so I was in a wheelchair for those 10 weeks. I also had a hard time with the wheelchair because our house is not wheelchair friendly and I only had one useful arm that only had a half useful hand on it. The recovery process was a slow, painful and frustrating nightmare. I attended 105 physiotherapy sessions, I went to aquatherapy for a few months and I spent a year with a trainer in a gym. I had 2 additional surgeries on my leg, during that time, as it wasn’t healing and after 3 years I am left with range of motion limitations in my right wrist and left pinkie finger and I have impact and endurance restrictions in my leg. I returned to work after 9 months but I had to retire early as I could not perform all of my duties. I am now working part time hours at the physio clinic that I attended, making little more than minimum wage. My bike was written off. I bought a new one in 2006 and I am back in the saddle but my riding attitude is very different. I am very nervous and paranoid when surrounded by other cars and prefer to ride in the relative safety of country roads. That’s why you don’t see me around much anymore. I am thankful that things were not a lot worse, which they would have been if the guy I hit had been in motion, but I resent the people who say, “You were lucky.” That’s like saying someone is lucky because they got to work without getting hit by a bus. “Lucky” would have been no accident at all. I am thankful that I was not killed or had serious head injuries, but “lucky?” No! So now there is the insurance settlement thing. That is the biggest nightmare of all. My insurance company was excellent. They were very supportive and went out of their way to make sure that I had everything that I needed to support my recovery. I can’t say enough about them. Because this is still an open case, I will not name names but I will tell everyone, for future reference, what can be expected if they are unfortunate enough to be in the situation. Most insurance companies will refuse to negotiate a settlement. My lawyer sent the initial “letter of demand”, as they call it, on December 5, 2007 and there was no response until August 15, 2008. Legally you have 3 years to file a claim so they waited until the last gun was fired to give a response. In response they filed a defense with the courts alleging that it was my fault. The defense made many derogatory statements including, “failure to drive in a safe manner, failure to maintain the bike in good condition, failure to take avoidance actions, failure to pay attention, driving while incompetent, etc., etc., etc. Even though I am the plaintiff in the case, they have turned it around and put me on the defensive. Now the onus is on me to prove their allegations to be incorrect. My legal counsel advised me this is standard practice and that the defense wording is standard text. They want to try and show that I contributed to my own injuries in some way to reduce the amount that they have to pay out. Also, the longer the money is in their bank account, the more interest they get. They also hope that the more time that passes, the more I will forget, misplace or otherwise not have and they hope that I will be hungry enough to take their first offer. Sadly, this happens in too many cases. I was advised at the very beginning to keep track of everything and to keep a detailed journal. I did exactly that. As a matter of fact, I am still keeping the journal. I keep my journal in volumes so that I can send it to my lawyer at periodic intervals. That way it is more likely to be read in its entirety and there is no room for anyone to accuse me of changing anything after the fact. My case will be going to discoveries within the next 12 months. My lawyer told me that because I have so much documentation and I have all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed, that hopefully it will still get settled out of court. I am determined not to let them beat me. Financially, things are tight but I am not starving and the bills are getting paid. I have had a few close calls since then (drivers not paying attention, or on cell phones, etc.) but I have been “lucky”. Today though, a man in a 1/2 ton truck backed into me in a parking lot. He was a fellow biker and felt very bad. He honestly didn’t know I was behind him. He has offered to pay the damages ($500) to my bike and I was not hurt. I put added stress on my weak leg and knee to keep the bike from falling over and I have a fair amount of discomfort there at the moment but that will pass with a couple of Tylenol. It’s a dangerous world out there and it stands to get worse. With the ever increasing interest in the sport itself combined with the need for a more fuel efficient mode of transportation, there will be more and more motorcycles and bicycles on the roads in the future and drivers of the 4-wheel variety seem to be getting worse. I have a friend who said that she never saw motorcycles until I started riding and now she sees them all. I honestly believe that the new drivers handbook and road test should have a section on motorcycle awareness. May or may not help but it certainly couldn’t hurt.

–Kathy Allison, August 2005
West Porters Lake
’06 Boulevard C50T

Janice’s Story

On September 9th, 2005, I was involved in an accident on my motorcycle. The mishap occurred while traveling along Collins Grove in Dartmouth. First off, I was coming home from Halifax and was cold – really cold – so I stopped into Tim Horton’s (Five Corners) to put on my leathers, but got gabbing and then side-tracked, so I decided to just jump on my bike and get the heck home. It was cold! So off I go towards home and on my way up Portland Street (when I’m approaching Portland Estates) I see that there is a string of traffic and the police are detouring traffic up Spring Avenue. I just want to get home – I’m freezing! I arrive at the bottom of Collins Grove and decide I don’t want to ride on my clutch all the way up the hill behind a line of very slow moving traffic, so I swing around to get back to Dorthea Drive and scoot home. Little did I know that the street had totally changed since I was last on it. You used to be able to ride straight through to Spring Ave from Collins Grove – something I guess the community didn’t like because all of a sudden they put in a new boulevard. So you would have to stop and go around it. Well, with no street light and no warning signs, I’m on top of the corner and the curb and looking ahead, when I see the corner fast approaching me! Now I see the garden ahead in the boulevard, I’m sure I can get through the garden and to the other side safely and then venture on. It was on me so fast that I really didn’t have much of a choice other than to get up over the curb and get onto the other side. When I first saw the curb I grabbed onto my brakes and “Waaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaa!!” I locked up my brakes! I thought that I should tap on my brakes and get myself out of this situation.. So I go for it! Tap tap tap.. Okay – I’m out of the locked brake situation. So on I go. But I ride with my feet on the controls pointing outwards. Big mistake! Here I am in a situation and motoring out of control on my bike through a landscaped garden with my feet out! Little did I realize there were poles sticking up out of the garden that you couldn’t see – they were in the ground for the cable and electricity for the condos on Collins Grove. So on my travels through the garden with my feet in the outward position I hit a pole, and and in doing so, I knocked my foot off the pegs. Big fat ouch! I don’t really remember my chin hitting the windshield but the bruises inside my mouth told me I did. So when I get to the other side of the garden I put my bike down, very carefully. Now my bike is pointing one way and my body is pointing in another. So that tells me that in my head I was saying “Jump! Jump! Jump!” Thank goodness I didn’t run into a car because there was a whack of traffic there. I know there were a lot of cars present and for some strange reason I got to put my bike down oh-so-carefully alongside the curb. I looked up and thought “Thank goodness I’m not hit and I’m okay. Then I looked down to my foot. My foot is now off – and the only thing holding it together is the ligaments and muscles… like my foot was knocked off! Sooooooo what else is a gal to do? I started to scream my face off, and loudly. And I continued to do so until the ambulance got there – and the paramedics poked me with a big fat needle full of “shut the chick up medicine.’ My little angel in all of this was Carson. He heard the crash and came running out of his house. I looked over into his driveway to see a big honkin’ bike sitting there. So there was a sigh of relief there: a fellow biker. Phewwww. He will understand all of this. And he did. He called 911 and stayed with me along with several others until the ambulance arrived. I kept saying to him, “Ya gotta look after my bike.” And he assured me that everything would be okay. He asked who he should call. I said, Mark, my neighbor. He was a biker too and he would take care of the situation. Bikers, bikers, bikers.. I knew I could count on bikers. Mark was there within minutes to take my bike back home to where it belonged while I was taken off to the hospital to get that foot put back into place -because it hurt! I’m lying in Emergency, and in come the police. The officer says to me, “I’ve come to see you – and I’m a biker too! I wanted to see you were okay and tell you that I think you handled the situation well. You did everything possible to avoid the worst.” And then he proceeded to hand me a ticket for not having my insurance on my bike. $930.00! Ouch. However, he gave me time to produce it so that I wouldn’t be nailed with a fine that high. I had it on the bike – they just couldn’t find it! So all was cool. He was a young police officer and while I was in emergency, anticipating surgery to get my foot back on he stood there and handed me back my helmet and says to me, “Here is your HAT back,” knowing very well that I was riding my bike with a NON DOT approved motorcycle helmet. I just looked at him and said, “I’m going to change that, I promise!” And with that said, he turned around and walked out of emergency. No fine! Finally some luck! I let out a huge sigh of relief because he could have charged me for my hat too. Where was my head in this situation? I’m embarrassed to tell the story, but also feel this could have happened to anyone. At that time – DOT was not being enforced, leathers didn’t matter, getting home was #1. All for what? I have certainly changed my views now on leathers, DOT, and not being aware of my surroundings. On the days that followed I became aware of how fortunate I was to have wonderful people around me for support, the right kind of insurance to handle increasingly large medical costs, and an understanding employer to allow me to heal before going back to work. Wayne, family, and my neighbors were my greatest supporters! My neighbor and my brother Bill and Lorraine, showed up on our doorstep the day after the accident to offer their support. They also continued the flow of Tim Horton’s coffee for weeks! After showing off my road rash and broken bones, I started to think about those bikers that have gone down in similar or even more serious crashes. And I always wanted to figure out a way for me, as an individual, to help bikers who don’t have anywhere else to turn. I was so fortunate. I had everything. But I thought endlessly of those that didn’t have that luxury. That is when I thought about doing something for the bikers. Pam, Marlene, Rene and myself – and so many others – it’s always been on our minds. That is what happens when you are in that situation. We need help and we need awareness. It’s a way for us all to help out by supporting awareness through education. Through this society we hope to:

• Help Bikers Down
• Provide safety information
• Help bikers become aware of different insurance coverage options
• Provide assistance for those in need

So with that said, and the story told, I hope you will support us – and stand behind the bikers – and make a difference in many biker’s lives! If you have any stories you want to share please send them our way!

Janice Gould
http://www.novascotiabikers.com

Greg’s Story

Well, here goes. On September 18th, 2001 I was coming home from the city and was about 3 miles from my home at 10.30 -11.00 pm. I had just enter into a s-curve and realize that the car that was coming was on my side of the road. It was looking like a head on collision but because of the ARC courses I had taken over the years had taught me not to freeze but to react to this kind of thing. I tried to counter-steer to avoid the head on collision, I thought I had but…. he still hit me. Boy, did things start to change then. I could feel the impact of the two vehicles coming together and it seem like forever before we came apart. Everything seem to slow down, really slow. Once apart the bike started to shake and I tried to gain control but could not. The bike went down and I realize that I had to get away from it. The bike and I both landed in the ditch and I had to climb up the bank back up to the highway. What a experience that was! Once up on the highway I had a hard time trying to get my helmet off because my left hand was in bad shape also my left side was hurting like hell. I finally got it off and could not believe my eyes.

There was no car or what ever hit me to be found..I started to stagger around and finally saw a set of lights coming at me. I started to wave at them to stop and sure enough it did. Talk about good luck, it turn out to be the RCMP in the car . Boy what luck. Someone was looking after me that night. He (RCMP) thought I was drunk because how I was falling around . Once out of the cruiser he realize that I had been hurt.. He could still hear my bike running in the ditch. I told him that I had been hit by someone and that they had taken off. I also said some other things that I will not print.. He (RCMP) saved my life that night, because of his actions, getting the ambulance and taking charge of things. I was rushed into the QEII trauma center and had to have surgery right away because my spleen had been ruptured badly and I was bleeding inside. I lost my spleen and also parts of my left hand and had my wrist bones scattered.

I spent 10 days in the hospital and had so many visitors come see me and a hell of a lot of the people were from the bike world. Boy what an experience this was. I had so much help from everyone. It help in my recovery..That accident happen in September 18, 2001 and in April 2002, I was back on the bike. I had to get a different one, mine was totaled. I believe that because of the different safety courses I have taken over the years and someone looking after me , that is why I am here still today. My thoughts of life are that, I fell off my bicycle when I was young and also fell off a horse and still got back on.. I was pushed off my motorcycle but still managed to get back up in the saddle again. This experience has taught me a lot about motorcycling and how quick your life can change.. I still enjoy our sport and , I hope I am a little wiser. I have since then gone across Canada on my bike and enjoy every bit of it.

Remember to always drive safely — but shit still happens to anyone. Keep the shiny side up. Have a great and safe summer!

Gregory A Gallant. GWRRA , Chapter ” A”