NY Man Killed in Motorcycle Accident Protesting Helmet Law

By James Sheldon on July 4th, 2011

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Here’s a friendly little Fourth of July reminder for you. I know the mindset of those of you in firework friendly states. Sometimes the lawmakers actually have a little more insight than we realize or want to admit–this is especially true in the realm of statistics and safety.

This tidbit can definitely be filed into the “Check Brain at Door” category–which many will choose to do this afternoon and evening with small-grade explosives.

Yesterday, in upstate New York, a group of motorcyclists were riding together in protest of the state’s helmet law. Helmet’s are a riding requirement in New York, and many individuals, including those in this group, feel that helmets are wuss. To prove their point of how unnecessary helmets are for safe riding, they were rolling without.

One of the riders, Phillip A. Contos found himself in a bit of pickle, and was forced to slam on the brakes of his 1983 Harley Davidson. According to New York State Troopers, his bike fish-tailed forcing him to lose control.

The accident threw Contos from the bike, over the handlebars, where he landed hard, hitting his head on the pavement. After being transported to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead due to his head trauma. The troopers stated that had Contos been wearing a helmet, he probably would have survived the accident.