This page either does not exist or is currently unavailable.You can also search for something on our site below.(CNN) -- A bareheaded motorcyclist participating in a ride to protest mandatory helmet laws was killed when he was thrown over the handlebars in Onondaga, New York. Philip A. Contos, 55, of Parish, New York, was on a ride organized by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), state police said Sunday. Contos hit his brakes, began fishtailing and lost control of his 1983 Harley Davidson. He shot over the handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, where he was pronounced dead. State police say evidence at the scene plus information from the attending medical expert indicated Contos would have survived had he been wearing a helmet as required by state law. Asked about the apparent irony of Contos' death, the statewide president of ABATE, Thomas Alton, said, "We are riding at an increased risk and accept that.

This individual was a seasoned rider, not a newbie. He made an adult decision. A full decision to ride in the manner he rode in." Another New Yorker who has been a motorcyclist for over 50 years, Joseph Costantini, said, "I would never ride without a helmet -- even in a state that says you don't have to. I understand where the protesters are coming from because ultimately it's a matter of choice. For me, I would wear a helmet no matter what. Must feel great to ride without a helmet because sometimes it's uncomfortable. I'm sure his family isn't going to be happy." Motorcycle helmet use dropped from 67% in 2009 to 54% in 2010, according to a press release issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association. "This is another sad and tragic example where we have lost someone due to the lack of wearing a helmet," said Jonathan Adkins, communications director for the association. According to Alton, a large percentage of motorcycle fatalities are due to inexperience and drivers not seeing motorcyclists when switching lanes or making turns.

ABATE of NY Inc. is organizing a memorial "to honor an individual who rode for freedom and risked his all for freedom," he said. A formal date is still to be determined. Annual motorcycle deaths have more than doubled since the late 1990s with 5,290 in 2008, based on a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.crashed motorcycles for sale ontarioParish man, protesting motorcycle helmet laws, dies from head injury, troopers saymotorcycle dealer in auburn ma on July 02, 2011 at 7:14 PM, updatedmotorcycle 4 sale baguio city Town of Onondaga, NY – A Parish man who was participating in a motorcycle helmet protest ride was killed this afternoon when he went over the handlebars of his motorcycle and injured his head on the pavement, state police said.red wing boots henderson nc

Philip A. Contos, 55, of 45 East St., Parish, was not wearing a helmet while driving a 1983 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Route 11 in Onondaga with a large group of other motorcyclists, troopers said. About 1:30 p.m., troopers said, Contos hit his brakes, the motorcycle fishtailed and went out of control and Contos went over the handlebars.auction bikes for sale in hyderabad Contos was taken to Upstate University Hospital where he was pronounced dead, troopers said.bajaj bikes price list 2014 in mumbai Evidence at the scene and information from the attending physician indicate Contos would have survived if he had been wearing a Department of Transportation approved helmet, troopers said.firestone vintage motorcycle tires uk

The protest in which Contos was riding was organized by American Bikers Aimed Towards Education, Trooper Jack Keller said.(July 2011, New York) Protesting motorcycle helmet laws, an Onondaga, NY man was participating in a bare-noggin protest ride when he was killed via flipping over the handlebars. The motorcycle accident injured the noggin of Mr. Contos, 55, fatally damaging a brain that was unable to determine the physics of the situation. Moreover, he�d do it again if he could, according to his elder brother. �He would have wanted it that way.� Certain laws have physics on their side, obviously, and the laws say one's body cannot walk away from a high-speed physical impact. Laws not subject to repeal. Unprotected--you squash like a bug. Protected--you eat squash for dinner. Since properly padded and protected men can walk away from a 90-mph crash, protection is prudent when you increase {mass x speed} above a critical threshhold. Prudent, but sould protection be mandatory?

Robert Frost says, "I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way." Police said Phil "hit his brakes, fishtailed and went out of control, flipping him over the handlebars." What we, the Darwin Awards committee, would like to know--and news reports don't explain--is just how he went over the handlebars? © 1994 - 2012The Darwin Awards: The Stupidest Ways People Have Died In this infographic, Best Nursing Masters takes a look at some of the stupidest ways people have died as reported by the annual Darwin Awards. This is our public service announcement to the world: avoid the emergency room, and the funeral home, by not doing stupid stuff! 15 May 2011, Brisbane, Australia: A twenty-year-old Brisbane resident decided to try his hand at planking. He stretched himself out face-down on the railing and attempted to take a photograph, only to lose his balance and fall seven stories to his death. July 2011, New York: Protesting motorcycle helmet laws, an Onondaga, NY man was participating in a helmetless protest ride when he was killed after flipping over the handlebars and fatally hitting his head.

25 August 2010, Daejon, South Korea: A handicapped man rammed his wheelchair into elevator doors three times after being irritated that the elevator had departed without him. The 40-year-old plunged down an empty elevator shaft to his death, as the doors could not withstand the force of his chair. Safety regulations were strengthened after the elevator was installed, to prevent accidents "such as might happen to children and drunks." A young couple, driving along Via Dutra, the largest freeway in Brazil with tonsof heavy traffic, decided to stop along the side of the road for a quickie. They parked on the freeway in the right-hand lane, not on the shoulder. Naturally, given time a cargo truck collided with the car, instantly killing both of them-- during the act of procreation. (19 July 2010, Washington) During the American Sprint Car Series in Sedro Wooley, WA, two crew members were working at a custom machine shop when they decided to make things a bit more interesting.

The men put a a 55-gallon barrel in the parking lot, poured in four gallons of methanol, sat on top of the barrel, and lit it.Apparently they thought the barrel would skid across the parking lot like a rocket. But instead of sliding across the pavement, the barrel blew up beneath them with enough force that the end of the barrel landed 120 feet away. The two landed in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where one of the two lost his life. 14 August 2010, Kentucky: Kelita H. was travelling "at highway speed" in her Chevy, cruising down Country Road 519 when she and her passenger decided to swap seats. The car had an open T-Top. She stood up, pulled herself onto the roof, and she fell. The Fayette County Coroner's Office reported that the 20-year-old died from injuries sustained while impacting a guardrail. On the way down, her foot hit the steering wheel and the car veered left--but the passenger, who was still inside the vehicle, grabbed the wheel and managed to regain control of the car and save his own life.

February 1998, Buenos Ares: During a heated marital dispute, a 25-year-old man picked up his 20-year-old wife and threw her off their eighth-floor apartment balcony when she became tangled in the power lines below. He immediately leapt from the balcony and fell towards his wife, but missed the power lines completely, and plunged to his death. The woman managed to swing over to a nearby balcony and was saved. Polish farmer Krystof Azninski, cut off his own head in 1995. Azninski, 30, had been drinking with friends when it was suggested they strip naked and play some "men's games". Initially they hit each other over the head with frozen turnips, but then one man took it to the next level by cutting off the end of his foot with a chainsaw. To one-up his comrade, Azninski grabbed the saw and, shouting "Watch this then," he swung at his own head and chopped it off. "It's funny," said one companion, "when he was young he put on his sister's underwear. But he died like a man.�

A 25-year-old chemistry student of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute had acquired the peculiar habit of dipping his chewing gum in citric acid crystals while he worked. While studying at his parent�s house in the northern Ukraine city of Konotop when, he dunked his gum into an unidentified chemical and stuck it back into his mouth, causing an explosion that resulted in the llower part of his face being blown off. Police found packets of citric acid and packets of a similar-looking unidentified explosive material, and think the student simply confused the two. Potential awardees may be out of the gene pool due to age; others have already reproduced before their deaths. The gist of this rule is that if the individual was stranded on a desert island with someone of the opposite sex, he or she would be unable to reproduce with them. The candidate's foolishness must be unique and sensational, likely because the award is intended to be funny. Self-selection: Cause of one's own demise.