Dexter and His New Motorcycle

Yesterday I found out about a friend from my previous church who was involved in a motorcycle accident. Dexter was traveling on his new Honda Goldwing with his wife. They were on a four lane road when the tire blew out on a SUV that was nearby. The driver of the SUV lost control and swerved into Dexter. They both ended up in the median of the highway. The driver of the SUV died at the site after being ejected from the vehicle. Dexter and Susie survived the accident and were life flighted to the hospital in KC.

My first thoughts were thankfulness to God for sparing the life of my friends. Dexter is still in the hospital and Suzie has gone home after a week in the hospital. They will have a long recovery ahead of them. It is interesting that in this case those doing the dangerous act of riding a motorcycle survived the accident when the driver of the SUV died. Another thought is the randomness of this event. If there is any fault, which will be difficult to justify, it is to the woman or whoever was responsible for the maintenance of the SUV. Possibly the tire blowout could have been prevented by checking the condition of the tire, but maybe not.

Another thought, which is minor compared to the life and death issues already discussed, is the loss of a dream. Dexter and Susie just purchased this motorcycle. Based on this bike being one of the best touring bikes available, I assume they were planning on taking the bike on long trips. This dream was lost when that tire failed. I mourn the loss of this dream. As people get older, the possibility to achieve a dream diminishes, sometimes to the point of impossibility. Is this a case of another dead dream?

This is a story of contrast. I mourn for the lost of the driver, of the dream of touring the country on a motorcycle, but I thank God for the preservation of my friend’s life.