BREAKING: Steeler's QB Ben Roethsliberger in motorcycle accident.

cbssportsline.com reports that the Steeler organization has confirmed it. No word yet about the extent of his injuries.

Accident happened in Pittsburgh. His motorcycle hit a car, then his head went into the windshield. MSNBC reported that Roethsliberger has said repeatedly that he doesn't like to wear a helmet.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13279232/

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/PIT/8449812

Roethlisberger to keep riding motorcycle

NFL.com wire reports

PITTSBURGH (May 6, 2005) -- Despite Kellen Winslow 's accident and his own coach's admonition, Big Ben isn't hopping off his big bike just yet.

Ben Roethlisberger was lectured by Steelers coach Bill Cowher on the dangers of riding a motorcycle without a helmet -- as Roethlisberger has been spotted doing recently -- but the quarterback isn't ready to get off his $20,000 cycle.

"He talked about being a risk taker and I'm not really a risk taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said as the Steelers opened their minicamp. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."

Asked why he doesn't wear a helmet -- something he wouldn't think about doing on a football field -- Roethlisberger pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended two years ago.

without a helmet! If you ride on two wheels you WILL have an acccident someday, it's just a given -- but you mitigate the seriousness by the gear you wear. This is a sad thing, but he's a fucking idiot if he was not wearing a helmet.

I teach PreK students (4&5) and we make them wear helmets while riding tricyles and scooters at recess!
I don't understand this guy's stubborn refusal to wear one.

"In May 2005, Steelers coach Bill Cowher lectured Roethlisberger on the dangers of riding without a helmet.“He talked about being a risk-taker and I’m not really a risk-taker. I’m pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful,” Roethlisberger said at the time. “I’ll just continue to be careful. I told him we don’t ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe.”
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060612/NEWS01/306120017
:banghead:

Even though it doesn't sound as if it was his fault, I remember an announcer at a game saying he had a no-motorcycle clause in his contract because of some of his stunts in college.

I've known several pro athletes and they weren't even supposed to ride wave runners, etc.

And looked what happened to him. Still, ANYONE riding a cycle without a helmet is a sure candidate for the Darwin Award.

we ALL know that his health and survival is object #1, as it would be for all of us (it's just that when poor people get hurt it doesn't get told because no one knows us, so that goof yelling about people talking about this story should understand that, people "know" who he is, and appreciate his work) ---


but what you just said, is a double ouch, if he is to survive, because this could cost him tens of millions. of course, he'd rather live than have the millions, but ya, your responce to the lady saying it was a bad day for her is well put - it's a reallllly bad day for Mr. Roethlisberger!!!

:evilgrin:

Just because an athlete thinks he's above the logic of safety devices does not mean he's right.

They don't let him play on a football field without a helmet.

Organ Donors.

I don't even want to begin about no-motorcycle clauses but, I might as well now for those who read this thread later...

There was a player for the Chicago Bulls (basketball) who got injured like this but the injuries were much different, basically bad leg ones. This was like 3-4 years ago and he's only just on the cusp of getting back into the NBA. No idea if he'll 'make it' or not or what. What the team did was honor his contract for 1 year (they didn't have to) and then paid a buyout to get a bargain on the rest of the contract. Considering they could've just cut him off, they were trying to be fair.

Generally NFL contracts are guaranteed if the player gets hurt as a hedge against injuries. A no-motorcycle clause would mean that the Steelers have no obligation to honor the contract if, say, Ben goes on long-term disability or even dies. Possibly they could even go after his signing bonus, even from the grave. For PR reasons, let alone human decency, I doubt that this is something the team would want to be caught doing. But I'm laying this out to prepare people for the nastiness that this might give rise to. Might.

Now in the meantime, sincere hopes that the injuries are miraculously less severe than one would naturally presume.

I seem to remember that.

He was hit broadside by a drunk driver and Hurley wasn't wearing a seat belt. He got thrown out of the vehicle and landed in a ditch.

There's talk of something of a Duke curse but, can't blame that for off-court stuff.

not motorcycles

I hope he's ok. I saw some pretty nasty stuff when I was still in the medical field (OR, not ER).

There are people that could have prevented injury and death by wearing a helmet in their car, guess they just thought they were above logic.

The constant bashing of motorcycle riders.

I've seen people make posts of glee that people racing motorcycles died in a wreck.

There is a definate anti-biker attitude here at DU. I guess some folks think that a liberal has to fit into their narrow view of the world and only like the same things they do.

Time and time again, we see the folly of not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. Reports say Big Ben went headfirst into the windshield then rolled off the car and struck his head a 2nd time on the pavement. Lost all his teeth, broke his jaw and his sinus cavity bone and is going to need extensive plastic surgery to put his face back together. Seems like a pretty quixotic mission to ride with his hair flapping in the wind.

I sure hope non of the members are riding without helmets, I don't really want to pay higher premiums for someone's stupidity (and I like motorcycles, I just think riding without a helmet is just plain stupid)

I strongly support laws to indemnify drivers against claims by people not wearing helmets or seatbelts. If I cause an accident (godforbid) with a cyclist not wearing a helmet, why should I have to pay for head injuries? legs, arms, back, etc, sure. but not head injuries that you chose not to take a simple precaution about. Same with cyclists, non-seatbelted drivers and passengers. Take some responsbility and don't pass the buck to everyone else to pay for it. Yes, smokers should also pay higher premiums.

I have a friend who was in an accident with a biker who wasn't wearing a helmet. the courts called it a 50/50 split, she was not at fault, but she still has to live with the reality that she killed another human being. that sucks.

Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is sheer stupidity. If you choose to not wear one, then be prepared to suffer the consequences.

J

Oh man, I hope he's okay... :(

From the sound of the articles, it may be that he just has a bad concussion. But now that he has a second chance, I hope he has learned his lesson and starts wearing a helmet. Not wearing protective gear while riding is just asking to die.

One bad pothole, and all that's left of your bike is a wheel bouncing away...

Came on via phone just as I was leaving work.

.. to think of such an accident. I hope his injuries are not permanent.

I hope that Ben is okay. Love those Steelers.......

I hope Ben is alright - and I hope this is not a Gabe Rivera "Senor Sack" redux.

We live in a free society, where we usually on the DU applaud the freedom to choose our own paths.

I ride a motorcycle, I choose to do so with a helmet, in my state the law also requires it, but in states where it is not, its a personal choice. You may not agree with it, but its not your choice to make. For some the ability to ride 'free' overcomes the desire for safety. You may not like it, nor understand it, but you should respect it.

The only thing that matters right now, is hopes, prayers and wishes that Ben was not seriously hurt.

posted it under yours as it pertained to so many of the replies to it.

Figured that was obvious. Apparently not.

But, we can't expect that jobs will go out of their way to reimburse people who have been injured through their own choice. It is decidedly more dangerous to ride that way, and the rider should be aware of those risks. BR was warned not to ride that way by his coaches, and he chose to do so. I am not against a "rule in their contract that prevents such reckless riding. Or, places responsibility on the rider so that he knows, if injured, he will not have a contract with the team in the future.

to Wear a Seat Belt. And they are even stepping up a campaign to get drivers not wearing belts and issue a ticket.

Now I'm diligant about wearing a seat belt, have been even before I got a driver license and before seat belts were even common or mandated in cars. I made my grandfather get seat belts in his 64 Oldsmobile.

I think PA repealing the helmet law and any state not requiring a helmet law are stupid.

Only fair - if motorcycle riders have the freedom to be stupid so should car drivers and passengers of adult age.

your choices affect others, people who had no choice in the matter. you want to ride on private property, where there are no other vehicles, without a helmet, go right ahead. But as long as your decisions affect other people (ever had a head come through your front windshield? it ain't pretty and can haunt you for years, even if it isn't your fault, legally) and can damage them, you are being selfish by making that choice.

In surgery now for injuries that he sustained during the accident.

snip~

ESPN.com's John Clayton reports that Roethlisberger was conscious while undergoing treatment for gashes on his forehead -- and that early indications are the injuries are not life-threatening.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2480830

The vast majority of serious head injuries secondary to motorcycle accidents involve persons who did not wear a helmet. These individuals often require months (if not years) of brain injury rehabilitation at taxpayers expense.

If you are unwilling to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, then you should be willing to suffer the consequences for your stupidity.

J

I still think he did a very dumb thing. Let's see if he learns from his mistake...which is doubtable.

J

And he's in surgery. They're not specifying what the surgery is for.

hospital and said that Ben talked to him before he went to surgery. He said that Ben knows where he is and what happened, but wouldn't comment on what kind of surgery Ben was having. Whether on his head or face, or both.

PA repealed their motorcycle helmet law two years ago.

wearing a helmet.

that's why I don't wear seatbelts.

I rode to anti-helmet rallies in Ohio in the mid '70s. I have not worn a helmet since 1977.

A helmet provides a false sense of security. It also cuts down on your ability to hear a vehicle approaching from behind or the side, and it cuts down on your peripheral vision.

Tests showed back in the 70's, that the material that helmets were made of, "grabbed" the pavement and caused a whole lot more spinal cord and neck injuries, than they prevented deaths. Also, they were only effective up to about 15 mph.

Every time I see a moron on a rice rocket flying down the interstate, doing wheelies at 90 mph,passing between the cars, wearing flip-flops, shorts, no shirt, and no helmet, and I picture him flying into a bridge abutment at 90 mph, all they'll write about him was he wasn't wearing a helmet.

available why hasn't someone come up with a helmet that could address the issues you mentioned?

That's a lot of dough to invest in testing, R&D for a product that is mandated by law across the majority of the nation.

The fact that there are helmet standards at all is due to a poorly performing helmet and a push by the widow of the rider to improve helmet safety. Her name was Snell, IIRC.

-Hoot

You can hear in them just fine, they've changed to different materials, and they are much more effective at being protective, even at high speeds.

I do agree with you about the moron on the rice rocket. That's why I always have on my motorcycle jacket, jeans, boots and a helmet when I ride. I trust my abilities when I'm on the road, it is the idiots in the cars that I worry about. And the farthest thing from my mind when I'm riding is a false sense of security.

A landmark helmet safety study by the University of Southern California conducted with funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed the following facts:

The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action.

Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed in impairment of vision which delayed hazard detection.

Where about half of motorcycle riders observed in traffic use safety helmets only 40% of those motorcycle riders involved in accidents were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention of reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies at a minimum with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure and helmets that exceed that minimum safety standard afford even better brain-injury avoidance.

Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of pre crash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.

Helmeted riders and passengers showed significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.

The increased coverage of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.

Helmeted riders had less neck injuries than unhelmeted riders. Only four minor injuries were attributable to helmet use, and in each case the helmet prevented possible critical or fatal head injury.

I'm a fan of his. But, it just goes to further show how stupid it is to NOT wear a helmet when riding a bike. I know some "purists" don't like that, but safety should be the most important thing while riding one of those things.

(I posted this in another thread, and thought I'd put it here too...)

Story on accident here: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/sports/9356067/detail.html

There's also a link to a video on this page to a May 16th interview w/Terry Bradshaw telling Ben to 'park it', which is kinda freaky, but funny...

I hope Ben is alright, and recovers fully, quickly... :( And if he is alright, I hope Bettis beats his ass for riding without a helmet!

(edited link)

for riding without a helmet! Damn him and his arrogance for jeopardizing his life, his career, and - yes, I'm selfish here - the future of the Steelers.

I have hated motorcycles ever since I came upon the immediate aftermath of a cycle accident shortly (before help arrived) after I got my license. It was horrible with blood all over.

I know most cyclists are sane, responsible drivers who follow the rules of the road. But I've also been witness to some pretty stupid moves by cyclists that motorists couldn't have done - weaving in and out of stopped traffic, etc.

OK, now that I've vented :) here's best wishes for a speedy recovery to Ben and peace to his family.

Darned mouse not working right!

I've had three close friends killed on motorcycles.
I prefer heavy steel around me now - too many assholes on the road.

My dad was an Orthopeadic surgeon. We kids were forbidden to ride motorcycles or go carts. He told me that he amputated more limbs because of cyvle accidents than any other reason.
:scared: He called them "murdercycles."

If he hit the windshield with that great of force, I'm surprised he didn't end up in the trunk of that car.

took a pretty good beating, too. :scared:

The windshield was what got me, though. I'm surprised he didn't go right through it (glad he DIDN'T!).

I saw you,
hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me,
put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you,
pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me,
playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you,
change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me,
attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you,
roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me,
driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you,
frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me,
when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you,
stare at my long hair.
But, you didn't see me,
and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you,
roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me,
and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you,
look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me,
cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you,
change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me,
going home to be with my family.

I saw you,
complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me,
when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you,
yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me,
pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you,
reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me,
squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you,
race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me,
get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.


I saw you,
run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me,
trying to turn right.

I saw you,
cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me,
leave the road.

I saw you,
waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me.
I wasn't there.

I saw you,
go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me.
Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker,.....
A person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.

<snip>

One Steelers source said Roethlisberger was in surgery for a broken jaw, an injury that can take approximately seven weeks to heal. The Steelers season starts in 12 weeks. Steelers' spokesman David Lockett would only confirm that Roethlisberger was involved in the accident and is being treated at Mercy Hospital.

<snip>

Sandra Ford, a Homewood writer and artist, was waiting for the bus on 10th Street about 11 a.m. She saw a rugged-looking white man with curly hair on his motorcycle driving along the avenue heading toward the 10th street bridge.

In the opposite direction, the Chrysler was approaching and preparing to make the turn.

"I kept waiting for the motorcyclist to slow down," she said. "He never stopped and just plowed into the car."

She said she believes Rothlisberger, who wasn't speeding, but going at a pretty good clip, never saw the car. "He had to be looking somewhere else, he just sailed across the intersection."



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06163/697655-100.stm

He had the right of way. She thought,erroneously, that he didn't, and she "left-turned" him.

Appears the car made a left turn across Ben's path. About 80-90% of the accidents occur that way.
And the driver will say "I never saw him.".

light. That witness account doesn't quite say. Also in that area you are under a lot of overpasses and it can be quite dark with contrast of light from sun and dark from where he was approaching. And he is coming up a grade. It is possible she didn't see him. Also she may not be familiar with intersection - apparently car had Maine plates.

That happened to my Harley riding sister.

I don't like motorcycles at all. I'm scared of them.
I ride one horsepower transportation: an actual horse. I have two different safety helemts: one for shcooling and one for showing. Unlike cycles, horses can bite, kick and step on you.

Did he hit the back window?

n/t

He and his mom were supposed to start filming Chunky Soup Commercial next week with his offensive linemen. Guess there goes that deal at least for awhile.

Nobody knows for sure how serious his injuries are at this point. They haven't said what kind of surgery is being performed.

Hopefully he isn't experiencing brain swelling or any catastrophic injury to his brain.

If he recovers from this, I sure hope to hell he either stays off the motorcycle, or at least puts on the damn helmet.

no one will know his private medical information.

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is undergoing surgery after a motorcycle accident on Monday morning, doctors at Mercy Hospital said.

Roethlisberger is in serious but stable condition, according to Dr. Larry Jones.

According to a police source, Roethlisberger suffered a broken jaw, broke his left sinus cavity, suffered a 9-inch laceration to the back of his head, lost many teeth and has severe injuries to his knees from hitting the pavement.

A plastic surgeon has been called in, the source said.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/9356067/detail.html

That doesn't sound good for his career.

The head and facial injuries sound awful. A helmet would have helped to protect his face and head.
However, his knees are another matter. It doesn't sound as if he was wearing leathers or padded safety clothing.

Police reports hardly qualify as experts on possible structural knee damage.

I'm hoping.

My dad was an orthopaedic surgeon. He operated on many unfortunate motorcycle accident victims. :(

(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sources tell KDKA that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw, fractured facial bones, suffered lacerations to the front and back of his head and sprained both his knees in a motorcycle accident this morning.

Both injuries to his knees, however, are not believed to be serious.

Roethlisberger also lost teeth in the accident.

here's to hoping for a full recovery!

Sources tell KDKA that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw, fractured facial bones, suffered lacerations to the front and back of his head and sprained both his knees in a motorcycle accident this morning.

Both injuries to his knees, however, are not believed to be serious.

Roethlisberger also lost teeth in the accident.

http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_163154800.html

severe closed head brain injury, at least it sounds like he didn't if he's been talking and coherent this whole time.

Dude will be wealthy the rest of his life either way (most likely), so as long as he's got his brain intact, whether his knees and career are salvageable are a bonus.

Not good.

Who the fuck cares about the personal health of a ridiculously overpaid athlete ?

Take this kind of shit to the Lounge or another board where people give a rats ass.
Thanks.

seperate us from them.

If I showed "compassion" for each one, I'd be dead of dehydration in 3 days from all the tears. Humans disassociate the death of strangers as a defense mechanism. And this dude didn't even die.

Sorry, but there is no possible way this story is at all relevant in people's lives. He is just a worthless athlete. He contributes nothing to society. He propogates the idolitry and worship of the Almighty Dollar (tm).

Worship at the Altar of the Greenback if you want.
Personally, I could care less if some football moron hurt himself on a bike.

Happy Birthday

you are not a liberal.

secondly, this is general discussion, not general discussion - politics, and the lounge is where people go to talk about how much they've been drinking tonight, that their cat vomited on their clothes and they need advice on how to clean the stains, etc.

General Discussion involves news stories. This is a news story. He brings a lot of joy to people's lives, not mine. But he does to others.

To mock his or any one getting hurt as saying you don't give a crap makes you sound upset with the world not getting Bush behind bars - I agree with ya on that, it makes a lot of us pissed off, but let people talk ALL they want to about some spoiled millionaire who think's he's invincible, Okay?

And God bless the injured man, I pray he recovers enough to walk and talk. The football thing is really unimportant at this point, esp. after reading he lost a bunch of teeth, has a laceration on his head and suffered broken bones.




www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- Check it out Top 2006 & 2008 ProDem stickers & Anti-Bush wear!

Big Ben may find out about it and quit wearing your IQ on his jersey. We wouldn't want that would we?

You didn't have to do that if you weren't interested.

There are many of us who do care about this story. Ben Roethlisberger is FAR from worthless and contributes plenty to Pittsburgh. He is involved in many worthwhile charities. Ben played basketball games at local high schools during the off-season for school activity fundraisers.

He's a good man. IMHO, he made a mistake by not wearing a helmet, but he doesn't deserve to be insulted by you.

BTW, it's idolatry, not idolitry. If you're going to mock people, at least get your spelling right.

One person who takes offense to one thread out of hundreds.

The thread has 78 posts, so clearly several people care.

Make the 'Hide Thread' function your friend.

or that Zakauwi(????) fuck?

they'd rather make fools of themselves.

like I said, maybe they're having a miserable day, hopefully they'll get over it really soon, because he's being crass.



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- Check it out - 100's more stickers and Pro Dem Candidate items!

It seems as if quite a few DUers were interested in the topic. Take a gander at the description for the GD forum. While you're at it, check out the names of all the forums. You might find one that says GD: politics. You will find that it deals only with political matters. Feel free to visit ... and stay.

Being the recipient of people's compassion for my husband's quadruple bypass has made me even more empathetic to those who are undergoing hardship. I haven't had a lot of time to read DU or anything else for that matter since his surgery and wouldn't have known.

:grouphug:

I know I am, along with a lot of others who have replied to this thread. You didn't have to interject if you weren't interested, and for those of us who do care about Ben Roethlisberger, your lack of compassion is just plain mean.

we've all had them, maybe not to his degree to be so vicious about a man possibly dying, but he also needs to realize that DU is for more than just politics. there is humanity involved here.




www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- Check it out Top 2006 & 2008 ProDem stickers & Anti-Bush wear!

Rooney said, "On behalf of everyone within the Steelers organization, I want to express my concern for Ben Roethlisberger. I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery. So far, we have been encouraged by the early reports from the medical team at Mercy Hospital. Our public relations staff will pass along any additional updates as we receive them from the hospital."

Car had Maine plates but she's a local from Squirrel Hill - PG reported her name. 62 year old woman. She maintains residence in both Pittsburgh and Maine. I hope Steeler Fandom doesn't have some dumbasses who will harass her.

...out of the city.

Those hooligans who dumped trash in Maddox's yard are probably out and about trying to find her as we speak.

It'll be like the dude who caught that ball in the Cubbies game only 1000 times worse.

KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sources tell KDKA that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw, fractured facial bones and suffered lacerations to the front and back of his head in a motorcycle accident this morning.

Roethlisberger also lost teeth in the accident.

This afternoon, doctors at Mercy Hospital reported that he was listed in "serious, but stable condition" and was undergoing surgery early this afternoon.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is also reporting that he suffered injuries to both his knees in the accident.

http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_163154800.html

he has a broken nose and jaw.

In critical but stable condition. Operation was for broken jaw. Laceration on knee. That's all they reported.

I think Ben, in spite of the injuries he does have, is a very lucky man. From the description, sounds as if he hit the windshield with his face.

Wonder if he'll wear a helmet now or give up bikes. BTW, a dealer gave him this bike.

He's a smart guy - maybe he'll be a spokesman for helmet safety. A close call like this can change a person. My brother hit a deer on his motorcycle and laid on a mountain road for over an hour bleeding (in PA) - never touched a bike again.

http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-39/1150125254284340.xml&storylist=penn

A speeding motorcycle slammed into a minivan, flipping it over and sparking an explosion that killed the rider and a mother, daughter and two others in the van, police said.

State police said the minivan was making a left turn off Route 220 in Woodward Township at about 3:15 p.m. Sunday when the motorcycle hit it hard enough to knock it onto its side. The 2003 Kawasaki motorcycle penetrated the side of the 1993 Plymouth Voyager, said state police Trooper Mike Knight.

Authorities on Monday were still trying to determine how fast the motorcyclist, Mitchel Ryan Levan, 20, of South Williamsport, was driving. The speed limit on that stretch of the divided, four-lane highway is 55 miles per hour.

"He was producing enough force to knock a minivan on its side," Knight said. Police found the motorcycle in between two seats inside the burned out minivan.

<snip>

Roethlisberger's 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa, which is named after a Japanese bird of prey, was totaled. The 170-horsepower bike, which weighs 500 pounds fully loaded, was targeted by law enforcement agencies worldwide after its 1998 debut because it could reach a top speed of 189 mph.

Suzuki Motorcycles of North America gave Roethlisberger the bike as part of a promotional deal in exchange for his appearance at several area Suzuki dealerships, including Andrews Cycle in Salem, Ohio, where he picked up the motorcycle last summer. Andrews' sales staff declined comment.

The motorcycle is popular among first-time buyers, said Steve Stiller, a salesman at Northgate Motorcycles in Cranberry, Butler County.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_457685.html

Ben was talking to docs before surgery, family & friends are there with him.

"KDKA has learned his mother, father, sister and a former coach are at the hospital with him.

Steelers Charlie Batch and Mike Logan both arrived at Mercy Hospital this afternoon after getting word that Roethlisberger's motorcycle collided with a car near the 10th Street Bridge this morning.

The Super Bowl XL winning quarterback is listed in serious but stable condition at Mercy Hospital.

According to the hospital's director of trauma, Dr. Larry Jones, Roethlisberger was talking with doctors before he was taken into surgery this afternoon."


http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_163144233.html

Looks like he will be okay - but I still wonder if he ended his career today. Just thinking about brain injuries and knowing a bit about football, there's only so many blows the brain can take and I wonder if Doctors may advise him that he cannnot risk another injury to the brain. Been quite a few players been advised to quit after a couple of concussions. This would certainly be more severe a blow than most of what he takes on the field.

... in his contract... (I forget what the technical term for those clauses is.)