Fatal Gold Wing crash on Tellico Dragon

Jeff McWaters Independence Day Memorial Ride departs Walmart in Madisonville TN at 2pm on the 4th of July, ride to New Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Tellico Plains TN. Clean and sober for 8 years, the ride is sponsored by Jeff’s friends at Alcoholics Anonymous in Savanna Georgia.

http://www.myspace.com/npmbc

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=new+providence+baptist+church,+tellico+plains+tn&sll=35.376664,-84.318867&sspn=0.037511,0.055189&ie=UTF8&hq=new+providence+baptist+church,&hnear=Tellico+Plains,+TN&ll=35.376664,-84.318867&spn=0.030518,0.054415

Jeffrey Lee McWaters, RIP April 5, 2010, TN165 Tellico River Road, Tellico Plains, Tennessee, off Cherohala Skyway bypass of the Dragon at Deals Gap..

Crash Photos of Gold Wing Tire Blowout on Tellico Dragon, Deal Gap Dragon Closed Bypass on Cherohala Skyway

http://piratenews.org/Deals_Gap_Dragon_Closed_2010.html

Man killed when motorcycle crashes after tire blowout, drowns in Tellico River

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/06/man-killed-when-motorcycle-crashes-ejects-him-tell/

Monroe Co. motorcycle accident kills Madisonville man

http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=117976&catid=2

Jeffrey Lee McWaters

http://www.advocateanddemocrat.com/obit/20024

“Went to a funeral today. Second funeral this weekend, third this year. Jeff was my cousin, but we never got to ride together. His Harley was previously crashed, so the old Honda GL1100 Gold Wing was his backup bike. Helmet was not full face, nor normal open face (half-shell beanie type). No body armor. Bridgestone tires were only 1 year old, fair tread on the front, Battlax bald on the rear with a flat spot that exploded through the exposed cords (BT45R 130/90-17M/C 68V). Fork seals were leaking slightly, forks not rusted, but the crash bent the forks severely. Rear tire not visible to check tread unless bike on center stand. An overloaded bike could cause an underinflated tire to fall off the rim, or cause any tire to explode. Leaky fork seals can cause a severe tank-slapper at normal highway speeds when braking, as I found out personally on a Honda Nighthawk 650 at 35 mph under braking. Crash happened right in front of the Ranger station entrance, yet no rangers even noticed the rider was missing nor looked for him drowned in the river. Monday was over 80 degrees, a beautiful day to ride up to Bald River Falls… His fiance says she’ll never ride again. She remembers the blowout, bike started fishtailing, and that’s all she remembers until waking up on the pavement. Jeff and the Gold Wing lowsided, went off road and over the cliff. She woke up with amnesia from concussion, 6 broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken shoulder blade. This is one reason I check my tire pressures every time I ride, and carry a pressure gauge to check again on the way home. Now I check rear tire for flat spots and bald spots on the center stand before every ride. In fact, when I got home from Jeff’s funeral, I checked my car tires, and one had the most severe belt deformation I’d ever seen, with the Firestone tire tread actually concave 1/4 inch deep by 4 inches wide by 1 foot long at 35 psi (not tread wear, see photos 1 I 2 I 3). Thanks for the tip. As your preacher said, can’t handle you. See ya later Jeff.”

-John Lee, http://DealsGapDragon.com

Deformed Car Tire photos:

http://dealsgapdragon.piratenews.org/Firestone_belt_deformation_at_35_psi_1.jpg

http://dealsgapdragon.piratenews.org/Firestone_belt_deformation_at_35_psi_2.jpg

http://dealsgapdragon.piratenews.org/Firestone_belt_deformation_at_35_psi_3.jpg

Gold Wing tire explodes, “new” tire was 6 years old

http://www.streetinsider.com/Insiders+Blog/Tire+Blow+Out+in+Motorcycle+Accident+Leads+to+Personal+Injury+Lawsuit/5497713.html

Epidemic of New Tire Blowouts at UnsafeMotorcycles.com

http://www.unsafemotorcycles.com/defect_victims.html

Motorcycle Tire Blow-Out Product Liability Case Awarded $15 Million by Jury

http://www.californiainjuryblog.com/2007/09/motorcycle_tire_blowout_produc.html

Safe Weight Calculator for Harley, Goldwing, and BMW touring bikes

http://www.unsafemotorcycles.com/weight_and_riders_form.html

Motorcycle Tire Maintenence and Tire Failures

http://www.tiredefects.com/motorcycle-tires-failures.cfm

Tire Failure Litigation Law

http://www.motorcycleinjuryattorneyinfo.com/tire-litigation-law

Tennessee uses Comparative Fault not Contributory Negligence in personal injury cases

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=M047

Video editing by Tammy Lee at Norman Lee Real Estate.

Duration : 0:4:43

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