So Flatlander....is there something you're not telling us????

This terrible story just keeps getting twisted more and more. Drunken bikers? It don't matter if they did have a beer, they did'nt back their bikes into that truck, the truck hit them!!!

Those of us who are indeed finding ourselves emotionally charged over this may want to give some thought as to what WE could really do to make a difference... to be part of a solution to prevent senseless tragedies like this.  There is no questioning our passions behind expressing what we believe.

To speculate on half facts IS a waste of time.  Fact is that this man was careless... he was reckless.  The company he works for is reckless.  Was there a suspension of his job for not doing his Pre-trip? ...for moving violations...?  etc.??? I have never left a depot without doing one and I have refused to drive in some circumstances when safety is compromised. And I HAVE NEVER GIVEN A F*** WHAT THE BOSS THINKS...I KNOW I AM PROTECTING ALOT OF PEOPLE BY STICKING TO MY GUNS ABOUT SAFETY STANDARDS.  WE have to set the standard and except no less from vendors.  Municipalities need to investigate who the contract for services...consumers have to demand... Create a demand to only use businesses that have reputable safety standards???  These are just my thouights and how I try to work through something that is under my skin.  This makes me sick.

I have only had a few experiences with downed riders on an ambulance corps.  I have experienced the horrific emotions from devastated drivers who have found themselves the cause...   I cannot believe, do not want to believe that this man can ever be the same.  No one started their day thinking it would become a nightmare that they cannot escape.

I am so happy to have found this community of riders on Cyclefish and grateful for everyone's expressions. That IS what draws me closer to believing WE are a strong community that can make a difference... a positive change. 

I agree Flatlander...
Reporters are there to create sensationalism irregardless of what cost. On the other hand, I have been to many 'Biker Bar and Grills' and been out the door with only a glass of water or such ~ especially with someone riding on back.
There will be an investigation, the truck inspected, blood tests done on the driver (Federal Law for CDL holders), etc. Only time will show the true facts.
There are sad facts that won't change ~ people are gone, people are left behind with a terrible loss and memories of this. Always  keep your head on a swivel and leave yourself an out ~ it's your only protection...

That truck looks similar to the ones they use here, they have complete controls on either side to allow for right OR left hand driver, a ton of hydraulic lines and levers, several foot controls and no seat. There's a padded backrest to lean on. The driver hops out while it's still rolling and everything goes into auto mode while he grabs trash cans. All it takes is one system failure out of many to cause a problem of this magnitude.

50 - 75 yards of Total out of control Garbage Truck Mayhem before it got stopped? Think about it.

R.I.P.........

It is my understanding that these riders belonged to a "sober" club. Did get this info through the first link.

ahh christ, what a horrific event, thoughts and prayers to all involved.
that picture of the accident scene with the pair of boots will never leave my memory banks.
i do not jam as hard as i did back in the day, but my big concern iwhen riding, is being taken out from behind..
again, my sincere condolences......

Oh hey ~ I agree with ya. The sad thing is it happens ~ either do to driver negligence or mechanical failure.
It is noted that he was travelling at speed beyond posted in the area ~ and has other priors on his record.
This is where the law needs to take a look at companies that don't do shit about repeat offenders in their employ... and if they move on, the new employer needs to pay attention to that driving record.

Officer Luis Samudio (as quoted in the article)

Samudio said Thursday that Jakscht was eastbound on Carefree Highway when he failed to control his speed and collided with the rear of the eight motorcycles and four other vehicles.

Other comments I'll refer from quoting ~ after an accident of this nature, a citation may be issued  'post haste', based upon data collected and eye witness testimony.

It isn''t over by a long shot.

this just seems to get worse, four now dead thats four families shattered. I read here and elsewhere that the bikers had been drinking, we've all done that at one time or another, you sober up quickly on a bike. Anyway the penalty for drunk driving is 6 months off the road and a €1000 fine...not death.this is just tragic and we all get emotional over bike deaths because we have all probably seen a few in our day, and lost friends over the years, I'm not the praying type but these guys are in our thoughts over here too.

Well said, rory ~ well said. We all have them in our thoughts.

When a horrific tragedy like this happens it scares the hell out of me because people I care about are out on their rides everyday and I pray I never have to feel the pain that these poor families are experiencing. Please ,my road family everywhere ,ride safe and make sure the only time your butt leaves that seat is when the kickstand is down.

He had to type SOMETHING! He couldn't very well say  "Eight Motorcycles and four other vehicles were moved back from alien forces originating at Area 51............ This is a huge media frenzy story, they need to sell alot of papers and create income from a failing economy, many things are being planned and thought out since this tragedy happened.

1. Liability: You better believe someone is going to get busted, County Vehicle is A main target right now. The prosecutors office is in high gear  going over all the maintenance records and comparing them to the truck drivers record to see how to save the county from huge losses in civil court by all the affected family's.

2. Truck failure OR driver error? They must examine the truck piece by piece to see if it failed, they may discover a system failure or they might find that the driver reported a problem a week ago and they haven't fixed it yet. They might "Alter and or Conceal" information to slide the blame from the County to the truck manufacturer. They might pay a witness to say he saw the truck driver sleeping at the wheel to shift the blame to him.

3. Charge the Driver!... Several Vehicular Manslaughters and a host of other charges will open it right up to a full blown media frenzy, the defense will declare him indigent and get state funding to hire professional witnesses, this will take well over a year for them to reconstruct the accident and come up with their own view of what happened. If the prosecutor altered documents to save the county from lawsuits making it possible to blame the driver for this then it's gonna boil down to who hires the best lyers at the end. The defense has got to shift the blame to the county maintenance or the truck equipment manufacturer. It's gonna be a long uphill painful battle for all the affected people no doubt.

Just don't forget the driver has already spent hours at the scene of the accident with Professional Homicide Investigators trained to arrest people for breaking the law. They interviewed everyone there as well and have their statements. No One said anything that caused them to arrest the driver, they measured all the skid marks, documented and totally processed the entire site and still found nothing wrong, those are the facts until someone comes up with something new...!

Hey Flat ~ nobody is 'in the know' here ~ and don't go off about 'pay offs' etc, please. This is becoming hype ~ and I've been there with one of our commercial vehicles involved in a fatality head on and other accidents. Let's stick to what this is all about ~ the tragic loss of life and the hurt that goes with it. Speculation has no bearing here.

I agree 100%, am only speaking up for the working man here after so many already convicted him from what the reporters said.

I know exactly where this is going and how it's going to get there. Been there too!

Having WORKED these type of accidents as both rescue and reserve LEO.........

Unless the driver was intoxicated at the time of the accident no arrest or charges would be made/ filed until the investigation is COMPLETE.

The driver has already admitted he was shuffleing through paperwork. His own ADMINTANCE but in a lot of states that is not a crime.

this story is unbelievable......that truck driver had no business driving or being on the road.....this is a big story here in az and just to think he saw them all and still just ran and hit them...... so much more i could say but won't. I pray for the all families in this time of sorrow.......

How sad. Another case of a driver not paying attention! I just don't know what a rider could do to prevent something like this from happening!

....by the way, here is a statement from the Arizona newspaper article that I just read...
"The driver of a dump truck that struck and killed members of a motorcycle group in north Phoenix was cited for failing to control his speed less than two weeks ago, court records show."
Doesn't seem that the driver learned anything by being cited!

Are the men and women this shithole truck driver ran over NOT working men and women. One that got run over by the shithole truck driver was a firefighter wasn't he? Is that NOT a working man? Oh, and yea, I'm convicting the SOB based on his own statements that he was shuffeling papers and not paying attention to what the Freck he was doing.

A distracted driver hit a bunch of bikes.... end of story. It could have been an bus load of kids. A day later a truck hit a van loaded with a family heading to a wedding. One report I read indicated the driver was distracted. Besides riding motorcycle for 40+ years, I drive school bus. I've driven all across the USA hauling kids, school trips, etc. There are a lot of drivers out there that 'multi-task' when they are driving. Like being in a truck, you see everything from the driver's seat of a bus;, people working on their laptops, shaving, reading newspapers, and the list goes on and on. Distracted drivers kill, period.

Smith System - Aim high in steering, Get the big picture, Keep your eyes moving, Leave enough room, Make sure you are seen. CDL holders have an obligation to road safety. Bottom line, like Olenorthpole said, distracted drivers kill. This driver's company needs to own their part and it would be a great act for them to stand up to the plate and be THAT company that acknowledges their part, takes a full page ad on road safety, implements a safety program and institutes a zero tolerance for their drivers who have violations.