Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking
  • About KevinMD | Kevin Pho, MD
  • Be heard on social media’s leading physician voice
  • Contact Kevin
  • Discounted enhanced author page
  • DMCA Policy
  • Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices
  • Group vs. individual disability insurance for doctors: pros and cons
  • KevinMD influencer opportunities
  • Opinion and commentary by KevinMD
  • Physician burnout speakers to keynote your conference
  • Physician Coaching by KevinMD
  • Physician keynote speaker: Kevin Pho, MD
  • Physician Speaking by KevinMD: a boutique speakers bureau
  • Primary care physician in Nashua, NH | Doctor accepting new patients
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recommended services by KevinMD
  • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Thank you for subscribing to KevinMD
  • Thank you for upgrading to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • The biggest mistake doctors make when purchasing disability insurance
  • The doctor’s guide to disability insurance: short-term vs. long-term
  • The KevinMD ToolKit
  • Upgrade to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • Why own-occupation disability insurance is a must for doctors

Don’t want to wear a helmet? Sign up as an organ donor.

Debbie Moore-Black, RN
Conditions
November 5, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

I walk out my front door today to do my obligatory walk around the block with my pups.

Two police cars with blue lights flashing, lead a caravan of over 100 motorcyclists to a funeral for one of their fallen brothers. They revved up their motors in the procession, I guess, as a sign of love, of brotherhood, of kindred spirits in the motorcycle world.

I choked up. I was ready to cry. It reminded me of that 23-year-old male I once had while I worked surgical-trauma ICU.

A young man riding his motorcycle with no helmet, no protection, flying freely down the highway. Superman. “I’m going to live forever.” Not a care in the world with angel dust (PCP) in his system. Feelings of freedom and forgetting any troubles.

No troubles — until it happened. He crossed the line. Killed an innocent man in a car — a deadly collision.

He came to us from the emergency department. He was paralyzed from the neck down and on the ventilator with chest tubes, fractures to legs, ribs, arms — eyes wide open. But he couldn’t blink. He couldn’t track, his pupils were irregular.

His poor mother called me every morning at 6 a.m. with a crackle in her voice.

A motherly voice of sad surrender.

“Is he any better?” she would ask.

And sadly, I would have to tell her no. He wasn’t better; he was worse.

Eventually, a conference was called with the intensive care trauma team physicians and the mother. We would withdraw life support.

And that was it.

Maybe he would have been saved had he not done drugs. Maybe he would have been saved if he had a helmet on.

Maybe.

ADVERTISEMENT

An emergency department physician once gave us ED and ICU trauma nurses a seminar. I’ll never forget.

Don’t wear your helmet — then make sure you register as an organ donor.

In the U.S. 19 states do not require a motorcycle helmet.

Motorcycle helmets reduce the rate of head injuries by 69 percent and reduce the risk of death by 42 percent.

According to the CDC, close to 2000 lives were saved due to helmet wearing in 2016.

The blue lights passed by me. His buddies of over 100 in single file, revving their motors … and not one with a helmet.

Debbie Moore-Black is a nurse who blogs at Do Not Resuscitate.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why physicians should adopt the role of guides

November 5, 2019 Kevin 1
…
Next

What if you are one of the 2 percent?

November 5, 2019 Kevin 9
…

Tagged as: Emergency Medicine

< Previous Post
Why physicians should adopt the role of guides
Next Post >
What if you are one of the 2 percent?

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Debbie Moore-Black, RN

  • A school nurse’s story of trauma and nurse burnout

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN
  • Emotional abuse recognition: a nurse’s story

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN
  • A daughter’s reflection on life, death, and pancreatic cancer

    Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Related Posts

  • Don’t judge when trainees use dating apps in the hospital

    Austin Perlmutter, MD
  • Who says doctors don’t care?

    Cindy Thompson
  • Please don’t ask about my test scores, Mom

    Casey P. Schukow, DO
  • Don’t wait to take action on gun control

    Jennifer R. Marin, MD
  • If we don’t pay now to vaccinate our children, they will pay later

    Peter Ubel, MD
  • Physicians of America, unite! You don’t have to work for hospitals.

    Ken Terry

More in Conditions

  • Peyronie’s disease symptoms: Why men delay seeking help

    Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD
  • Antimicrobial resistance causes: Why social factors matter more than drugs

    Maureen Oluwaseun Adeboye
  • The necessity of getting lost to find yourself

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Medical bankruptcy: the hidden cost of U.S. health care

    Richard A. Lawhern, PhD
  • Tobacco treatment neglect: Why 25 million smokers are left behind

    Edward Anselm, MD
  • Music and brain plasticity: How sound rewires your mind

    Marc Arginteanu, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicare must cover atrial fibrillation screening to prevent strokes

      Radhesh K. Gupta | Conditions
    • Why medical school DEI mission statements matter for future physicians

      Aditi Mahajan, MEd, Laura Malmut, MD, MEd, Jared Stowers, MD, and Khaleel Atkinson | Education
    • The American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification lawsuit: What physicians need to know

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • Teaching joy transforms the future of medical practice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The cost of clinician absence in the boardroom: a 30-year perspective

      Christopher Mastino, MD | Physician
    • AI censorship threatens the lifeline of caregiver support [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Will AI replace primary care physicians?

      P. Dileep Kumar, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What is the minority tax in medicine?

      Tharini Nagarkar and Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH | Education
    • Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians

      John C. Hagan III, MD | Policy
    • Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy

      Mousson Berrouet, DO | Physician
    • Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff

      Dan Ouellet | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • The cost of clinician absence in the boardroom: a 30-year perspective

      Christopher Mastino, MD | Physician
    • My wife wants me to retire

      Sandy Brown, MD | Physician
    • 2026 Winter Olympics rumors: the truth about ski jumpers and hyaluronic acid

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Immigration policy and child health: a medical student’s perspective

      Adam Zbib | Policy
    • Peyronie’s disease symptoms: Why men delay seeking help

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Why medical students need health care economics

      Angela Wei | Education

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicare must cover atrial fibrillation screening to prevent strokes

      Radhesh K. Gupta | Conditions
    • Why medical school DEI mission statements matter for future physicians

      Aditi Mahajan, MEd, Laura Malmut, MD, MEd, Jared Stowers, MD, and Khaleel Atkinson | Education
    • The American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification lawsuit: What physicians need to know

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
    • Teaching joy transforms the future of medical practice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The cost of clinician absence in the boardroom: a 30-year perspective

      Christopher Mastino, MD | Physician
    • AI censorship threatens the lifeline of caregiver support [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Will AI replace primary care physicians?

      P. Dileep Kumar, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What is the minority tax in medicine?

      Tharini Nagarkar and Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH | Education
    • Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians

      John C. Hagan III, MD | Policy
    • Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy

      Mousson Berrouet, DO | Physician
    • Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
    • Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff

      Dan Ouellet | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • The cost of clinician absence in the boardroom: a 30-year perspective

      Christopher Mastino, MD | Physician
    • My wife wants me to retire

      Sandy Brown, MD | Physician
    • 2026 Winter Olympics rumors: the truth about ski jumpers and hyaluronic acid

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Immigration policy and child health: a medical student’s perspective

      Adam Zbib | Policy
    • Peyronie’s disease symptoms: Why men delay seeking help

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Why medical students need health care economics

      Angela Wei | Education

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today

Copyright © 2026 KevinMD.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme

  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Don’t want to wear a helmet? Sign up as an organ donor.
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...