Cincinnati Biker Life To Interview Sonny Barger Hell's Angel

Sonny Barger will be interviewed on Cincinnati Biker Life this Thursday December 6, 2012, at 8:15 PM Yeh I'm talking about the Hell's Angel Sonny Barger. But my hope is that you will learn more about the man than just the Hell's Angel aspect of his life.

We are going to talk about his book Dead in 5 Hearbeats. I have an autographed copy. One of the coolest cover pages I have seen on a book.

More correctly we are going to talk about the movie that was made from the book. Filmmaker Jeff Santo, if I am correct, is or has put the final editing on the movie. (If the name is familiar his Daddy was Ron Santo Chicago cub allstar.)

So the interview is going to be focused on the writing of the book and the making of the film. So Sonny Barger the author. What a surprise to some. The biker community is full of surprises. They can be good ones if you get to know us.

I've talked at length to by good friend Jimmy Kay about Ralph Sonny Barger. Jimmy is embedded in the motorcycle community and knows more about the realities of the motorcycle community than just about anyone I know. He's the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back.

Jimmy is more thana bit smitten with Sonny Barger.  He tells me if Sonny says he will call the show that his word is his bond.  Jimmy talks about the autographed book he has from Sonny and the repect he has for him. If Jimmy says it's so, take it to the bank. Sonny apparently doesn't go out of his way to bother anybody. Why should he?

You can learn a lot about Sonny by going to his web site. You can also find the many books he has authored there and some cool merchandise. Sonny also has a facebook page and Jeff Santo has a youtube page that chronicles making the movie.

If you are inside the 275 outerbelt around cincinnati tune in to 88.3 FM But you can hear this interview anywhere in the world by going to Waif radio station web site www.waif883.org and click on listen live.

This should be a great night talking to Ralph Sonny Bargeer on the phone. I've already got some Greatful dead music cranked up in Sonny's honor. He loved Jerry and the early Dead.

By Anthony Castelli

For more information about Ralph Sonny Barger you could go to Wikepedia . But if you want the real truth about the man get to his web site  http://sonnybarger.com/index3.html and check out his books.

Dead Motorcyclist Berated By Judge Lets Car Driver Off Easy

Cincinnati Ohio Motorcyclist Jason Claypool was killed by a hit and run driver Brittany Ison. Today she escaped jail time and the Judge blasted the dead motorcyclist. The prejudice against motorcyclists remains. 

When this motorcycle car crash was initially reported it went something like this:

       " The driver who Cincinnati police say hit and killed a motorcyclist then drove off appeared in court .

Police arrested Brittany Ison, 20, Monday and charged her with leaving the scene of a car accident, vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter. The incident happened on nbound 75 around 7:20 AM

.

Jason Claypool, 39, of Burlington, Ky., was operating a 2001 Suzuki motorcycle when his bike was struck from behind by a 1993 Honda Civic. The impact forced Claypool, who was not wearing a helmet, into a guard rail, according to police. The driver of the Civic, Brittany Ison, 20, did not stop after the crash and fled on northbound I-75. The driver did initially stop and tried to give CPR and then left."

However the Cincinnati Enquirer reported today that Judge Winkler said, "Jason Claypool was partially responsible for his death. The judge continued , "Nobody in his right senses would drive a motorcycle drunk. The driving conditions were deplorable. (It was raining.)

Claypool was on the way to work. His blood alchohol was .121 % No explanation was given as to where he was drinking or when. He was a single father of four. Now his children do not have a father.

It is apparent that Brittany Ison, just a 4 day licensed driver violated the assured clear distance statute. That to me was the cause of the auto bike crash that killed Mr Claypool. I do not advocate drinking and driving any motor vehicle. But I fail to see how driving in the rain without a helmet or the alchohol had anything to do with his death. 

One question also sticks out in my mind: Where is  Jason's Claypool's family civil attorney to counter the statements against the dead man.? Certainly a wrongful death lawsuit will be brought.  Although the prosecutor represents the State there are many things a civil attorney can do in regard to the criminal case to help the recovery in the civil lawsuit.

Resource on Motorcycle Accidents:

Facts about Motorcycle Accidents 


Anthony Castelli Attorney in Cincinnati has 30 years experience handling many personal injury claims, motorcycle accidents and wrongful death claims. Call him today for a free consultation

I Crashed My Harley Davidson Motorcycle in Cincinnati and Am Hurt What Now

If you crash your Harley Davidson Motorcycle or any other motorcycle in Cincinnati, or any part of Ohio as a Cincinnati Ohio motorcycle accident lawyer that rides let me makes some suggestions.

A lot of you play tough and try to walk of your injury . Many bikers are often more worried about their motorcycle than they are about their own well being. If you have any injury let yourself be transported to the nearest hospital to get checked out.

Your biggest concerns should be:

1. Your health
2. Getting fairly compensated for your injury
3. Your bike

I wrote a book the Ohio Motorcycle Bible that can walk you through the steps you need to take to protect yourself.

                                         YOUR HEALTH AFTER A MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT


Make sure you go to the emergency room the day of the accident. You may not feel that bad, if you are lucky, but you never know what may be lurking such as a concussion head injury. Then seek follow up with your family doctor and have him direct your medical care. do not sdtay too long with a family doctor if you have orthopedic injuries. You will want to see a specialist.

Of course if you were obviously injured such as a broken arm, shoulder , leg or other injury , your care will be directed from the doctors that see you in the hospital. This is true especially if you have internal injuries. Once you get out of the hospital follow up with your doctor on a regular basis and do not allow gaps in treatment.

Also document your injury with photographs.

                                        Getting Fairly Compensated For Your Motorcycle Injury

You can call youe own motorcycle insurance company and report the accident. Do not allow the wrongdoers INSURANCE COMPANY TO TAPE YOUR STATEMENT AS ONE MISSTATEMENT CAN BE USED AGAINST YOU.

Start a file and put everything about your accident in one place.

If you can not work inform your employer and provie them with a doctor's excuse and keep your own copy.

Do not allow there to be gaps in your medical treatment.

Follow your doctor's advice.

If you have a serious injury seek the help of an experienced motorcycle accident injury lawyer. Get someone local to Ohio and your area so the lawyer knows the customs in your local courts and can meet with you in person as often as necessary.

You may be surprised to learn that there is a strong likelihood that a motorcycle accident lawyer that rides and has handled motorcycle accidnts is likely able to put more inyour pocket even after attoreny fees come out than you could do for yourself. Without a lawyer the insurance company has no real incentive to pay you what your case is worth.

Anthony Castelli Attorney 513-621-2345 for help and a free case analysis

Find my Cincinnati Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Office in Cincinnati or in West Chester, Ohio

Hoka Hey Motorcycle Riders Their Story On Cincinnati Biker Life

As a Cincinnati Motorcycle rider , motorcycle lawyer and programmer for the radio show Cincinnati Biker Life it was a great honor to do a show on the Hoka Hey Challenge . What the hey is the Hoka Hey you may ask. Many seasoned motorcycle riders have not even heard of the Hoka Hey.

I thank Jimmy Kay of Two Wheel Thunder TV for turning me on to the Hoka Hey and a local rider from Greater Cincinnati Curtis Belcher. A 50 year old postal worker and Free Mason. I learned from Jimmy that the Hoka Hey is the longest motorcycle challenge in the world. Last year the ride went from Florida to Alsaka.

This year the ride was close to 14,000 miles. It started in Phoenix and ended in Nova Scotia. Will Barclay was the winner both years. Last year the first place price was $500,000 and Will pocketed the money. This year although Will was the first one to finish no winner has been declared. There is plenty of controversy surrounding this. But the essence of the ride remains pure and the Spirit of the ride transcends any controversy.

Last night on Cincinnati Biker Life we had the Hoka Hey call in. Hoka Hey Riders from all over the country called into WAIF Cincinnati studio to tell a little of their story. I started taking calls live at 8:28 PM and the last one ended at 9:58 PM.

The callers included Blacky, a 58 year old former Texas game warden that finished this years ride, as well as Will Barclay who collects adventures and did not even reveal his status as first place finisher both years. Junie Rose rider extraordinary crashed and got back up and finished this year. She's trying to get blankets to give to the Sioux. please give her a hand

This is what Barclay wrote on his first year experience:

The Hoka Hey, with all its imperfection, was a breath of fresh air in a world where destructive political correctness and unrealistic expectations and blaming others has become almost universal. As I rode it I was surprised and pleased to see that there are great swaths of North America, even in the lower 48 where there is still abundant wildlife and green space. Where people still socialize from their front porch instead of watching TV. The overwhelming majority of the riders, (though not all) especially those who stuck it out, cherish the experience and want to do it again. Don’t take my word for it. Ask Mark Storey, the rider from Australia who finished second. Ask Ben Hudak who suffered a terrible accident in Canada and came on to Homer in a truck to be with the other challengers. Ask Alex Hood from Colorado who was badly injured in an accident in Arizona and who is signed up to ride again this year. Ask Greg Darby from Florida who used the Hoka Hey to raise many thousands of dollars for lieukemia. Ask them to give up their coins. Read the rider’s stories and blog comments in their own words on the hokaheychallenge.com website. No one fooled these people and they are not conspirators. They are teachers and police officers and retirees and middle managers and students and day laborers who had the experience of a lifetime. An experience they could not have duplicated on their own.

Junie says a big part is raising the consciousness of the plight of the American Indians especially the Lakota. Here's an exerpt from Wikepedia about the Hoka Hey:

The inaugural 2010 challenge took participants along a mandatory route on back roads across the United States and Canada. The route scrossed numerous mountain ranges, 33 Indian reservations, 25 national forests, eight deserts and six national parks. Challenge routes travel secondary roads with directions revealed at a series of specific checkpoints. The event guidelines prohibit speeding and require contenders to sleep outside throughout the entire course.

Many of the riders talked about the sleep deprivation and the sprituality they experienced as well as the bond between riders which was evident from all the callers many names I just can't recall.  Here's two video's that give some flesh to the experience though I would not profess to even be close to the experience having just talked to those who did.

Anthony Castelli is a Cincinnati personal injury lawyer the rides a Harley Dyna Low rider

Ohio Motorcycle Deaths and Injury Down Still Too Many

Ohio motorcycle deaths are down but there are still too many injuries and deaths that could be avoided.   In fact there is a lead story in the Columbus paper about the decrease of fatal motorcycle accidents in Ohio.

The Dayton paper reported on Ohio motorcycle crashes being down. The Hamilton Journal news reported on motorcycle crashes being down. Here's the actual statistics:

Motorcycle crashes and fatalities

State of Ohio:
2011 to date: 2,919 crashes; 120 deaths
2010: 4,382 crashes; 168 deaths
2009: 4,183 crashes; 161 deaths
Butler County
2011 to date: 82 crashes; 2 deaths
2010: 131 crashes; 6 deaths
2009: 99 crashes; 3 deaths
Hamilton County
2011 to date: 183 crashes; 7 deaths
2010: 259 crashes; 4 deaths
2009: 270 crashes; 8 deaths
Warren County
2011 to date: 41 crashes; 1 death
2010: 80 crashes; 3 deaths
2009: 71 crashes; 5 deaths
Montgomery County
2011 to date: 112 crashes; 2 deaths
2010: 182 crashes; 8 deaths
2009: 156 crashes; 3 deaths
Greene County
2011 to date: 50 crashes; no deaths
2010: 62 crashes; 3 deaths
2009: 57 crashes; 1 death
Source: Ohio Department of Public Safety

 However I would argue that part of the reason is the inordinate rain this summer . In fact with the beautiful days we've had lately there has been a spate of crashes. The run the gamut from the car turning in front of the motorcycle, failing to yield the right of way , to single motorcycle crashes and injury to passengers of motorcycle crashes.  Of course there is still some good riding weather left and the crash date for 2011 is to date. Though with 2919 crashes it does appear that this is a substantial reduction from all of 2010 when there was 4382.

But don't tell this to the families that have lost a loved one to a motorcycle crash wrongfully caused. I've read about plenty of Ohio motorcycle deaths recently .As a motorcycle accident lawyer it's hard to believe the double wammy of motorists acting ignorantly and bikers failing to control their motorcycles. Ricky Perkins was killed when a car came across three lanes of traffic. Timothy Verdinski was killed when a motorist turned in front of him. Both negligent acts of the auto drivers. Melinda Hipsher just died while riding as a passenger when a motorcyclist lost control.

Construction sites can be virtual traps for the motorcyclist. At least now ODOT doesn't use blackout tape for more that two weeks anymore since a motorcyclist I represent was killed as a result of worn and slippery tape.

Click here to find an Ohio motorcycle accident lawyer 

Cincinnati Motorcyclist Killed Police Lookig for Witnesses

Sadly I saw in todays paper that a motorcyclist was killed and that the police are looking for witnesses. Call 513-352-2514 to contact them.

There were several troubling aspects to the very brief article. One was the headline that read: Motorcyclist Crashes, Is Struck by a Car. The implication is the motorcycle rider crashed and then was hit by the car inferring fault on the motorcyclist. However when you read the article it starts with .. "a motorcyclist was struck and killed by a motorist."

Then it says that the motorcycle was heading north on Este and the driver was heading south when the man on the motorcycle went down and was struck as the driver was making a left hand turn into the parking lot.

This then appears to be a car driver violating the motorcyclists right of way. But the headline shouts the wrong message. Violation of the Right of Way is often cause of motor vehicle motorcycle crashes.This occurs when a car driver is attempting to turn at an intersection or pulls from a stop street, into the path of an oncoming motorcycle rider and a crach accident results.

In passing it was noted that the motorcyclist had a helmet on and that alchohol was not an issue. I'm not even sure what to make of those comments , but I guess they are deemed important by the media and possibly by extension to the public. Of course Ohio is a non helmet state except for novices.

by Cincinnati motorcycle accident lawyer Anthony Castelli

Cincinnati Motorcycle Upcoming Events by Cincinnati Biker Lawyer

May is motorcycle month. And motorcycle activities and events are getting underway. Cincinnati motorcyclists don't have to take a back seat to anyone. While some major events are planned up north, right here in our home town are some pretty cool motorcycle events.

This Saturday, April 30 the Cincinnati Chrome Divas are holding their annual golf outing. These lady bikers are really going to do it up in fine fashion. Get out there to support them. The event starts early. You can take that in and then head over to Harley Davidson of Cincinnati on Tennessee avenue.

They are having an open house from 11-6 pm. Prizoner is playing music and there's food and plenty of prizes. We are going to stop by and have plenty of WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLE free bumper stickers to give out.

Also April 30th is the warriors for children ride www.warriorsforthechildren.org It starts at Pegs Pub at 11:30 am.

On Sunday May 1 the Iron Samaritans are having their annual biker blessing.

McDonnell Commons Park
7451 Dawson Road
Madeira, OH


More Info Iron Samaritans 3rd Annual Bike Blessing - FREE
Registration will begin at 10:00 until Noon
Free Lunch at 1:00
Guest Speaker - Brad Johansen
Blessing at 3:00
Gateway Trucking safety display
Music by One80
Free ride, free food, and door prizes.
Family freindly event
Rain date May 15th

I'm sure I'm missing something. If you can't get out or just in the meantime check out the ohio motorcycle garage or the blog motorcycle safety awareness and injury help of Ohio

Free Medical and Dental Help for Bikers

There is a way to get free medical and dental help to Bikers thanks to John (preacherman) Harris.In this economy this can be a Godsend. Bikers children are of course welcome.
John founded the Ohio Medical clinic for Bikers in Lexington Ohio. the clinic is open 12-4 on Saturdays and is located at 2770 Lexington avenue, Lexington, Ohio.

There is also several cities where free Dental clinics are available including Cincinnati, Ohio.These clinics are partnering with the Ohio Biker Medical Clinic In order to get dental treatment you need to cal John Harris at 1-419-610-1027 and he will coordinate you visit to the clinic.

John is also the Reverand at Covenant Church in Lexington. This clinic gets a lot of support from attorney Ralph Buss. In fact it was his article in Ridin On magazine that turned me on to this clinic. I immediately picked up the phone to find out the particulars from John Harris .

The clinic survives off donations from bikers and bikers groups. You can send your donation to
Ohio medical clinic pob 3166 lexington Ohio 44904. Again we see the biker spirit shining thru to help brother and sister bikers. The biker community is truly amazing . The general public needs to see just how much bikers give to one another . And if treated with respect bikers will be there in anyone's time of need . We don't discriminate. Look past our bikes , our clothes, our hair, our tatoos. Don't judge someone's insides by their outsides.

by Cincinnati Motorcycle accident Lawyer Anthony Castelli

Motorcycle Lane Splitting is Just Unsafe

Motorcycle lane splitting is just plain unsafe. Please don't do it. The practice of motorcycle lane splitting is riding a motorcycle between lanes .It is only legal in the state of California.

Wikepedia give a good explanation and commentary on motorcycle lane splitting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_splitting It clears up misconceptions. In particular the famous Hurt report does not sanction lane splitting as a way to reduce rear end collision with motorists.

Riding a motorcycle between two lanes and consequntly between two cars inches from either side of you is obviously foolhardy and is just asking for trouble.

As the photo shows, if you are in Bangcock and you decide to take a motorcycle taxi you are in for a side splitting and lane splitting death defying ride. It's really no joke. A motorcyclist is just asking for abuse and injury by lanes plitting.

For help with an Ohio motorcycle accident or just to get your questions answered check out the Cincinnati motorcycle practice center by attorney Anthony Castelli