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Injured Motorcyclist Preaches Helmet Use

Hernando Today photo by DAVE CASEY

Frank De Los Reyes, 59, displays his helmet that was sitting in his garage when he wrecked his 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle on Christmas Day on Fort Dade Avenue. “Damn, man,” said De Los Reyes as he recounted what went through his mind at the time of the accident. “What a way to go.”

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: December 27, 2008

SPRING HILL - As he convalesced at home Friday - with 33 staples zippered across his scalp, an eye nearly swollen shut, wrist wrapped in a bandage - Frank De Los Reyes delivered a simple message:

When you ride a motorcycle, wear a helmet.

De Los Reyes has a helmet. A Harley Davidson logo is embossed on the glossy black finish, along with a sticker that identifies him as Vietnam veteran. Not a scratch on it.

That's because it was left behind, as usual, on the work bench when De Los Reyes roared out of the garage on his motorcycle Thursday afternoon.

The 59-year-old retired truck driver set a course for Floral City where his family was having a Christmas dinner. It was a familiar route on a familiar bike and De Los Reyes' mind began to wander. It was around 5 p.m.

As he leaned into a turn on Fort Dade Avenue, west of Citrus Way, the rear tire began to slip. By the time De Los Reyes realized what was about to happen, it was too late. The $60,000 Harley toppled over and De Los Reyes went skidding across the road into a barbed wire fence.

Dazed, out of breath, De Los Reyes lay in the grass, trying to make sense of what happened. Forty-year-old combat memories came flooding back.

"Damn, man, what a way to go," he thought.

Then he sensed a presence. Someone was standing over him.

"Help me, help me, please," he managed to say.

The man got on his knees beside him. He was pressing a shirt to the top of De Los Reyes' head to stop the gushing blood.

"I'm Joe, what's your name?"

"Frank, I'm Frank."

"Frank, you're going to have to keep this tight against your head. We have to keep this tight, OK?"

Minutes later, paramedics arrived, stabilized him, then loaded him into a helicopter for treatment at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.

Meanwhile, in Floral City, everyone at the party was waiting for "Pop" to arrive. The family had already come over Christmas morning to open presents at De Los Reyes' Spring Hill home.

The phone rang. It was De Los Reyes calling from the helicopter. He briefly explained what had happened, then turned over the phone to medical staff.

Everyone rushed to Tampa. It took three hours to patch up De Los Reyes, and he was eventually released early Friday morning.

On Friday afternoon, De Los Reyes was up and walking, but it will take some time before he regains his normal appearance. The left half of his face is a raw mess, the staples zigzagging across his scalp and almost as many stitches keeping the whole together.

In the 30-plus years he's been riding motorcycles, he's rarely worn a helmet. It was a macho thing, he admits. Thursday's accident was a wake up call, though, and De Los Reyes encourages every motorcyclist to wear their head gear.

"I'm here by the will of God, but it could have been much worse," he said.

THE LAW:

Florida legislators repealed a 33-year-old mandatory helmet law on July 1, 2000. Motorcyclists in Florida ages 21 and older with $10,000 in personal injury insurance are not required to wear a helmet.

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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