When Melissa Grahn organized a large group motorcycle ride to Sylvan Lake, she expected fun, nice weather and spending time with her friends doing what she loved.
But after a stop in Pigeon Lake to gas up and stretch, six of her group of 28 were involved in a horrifying crash. Five motorcyclists were injured and one was killed.
READ MORE: 1 motorcyclist killed, 5 injured in crash south of Pigeon Lake
“There was an SUV that was stopped, waiting to turn north on Range Road 12,” Grahn recalled. “About 30 seconds after passing that intersection, the person who’s our back rider, our blocker, they started yelling at us: ‘You need to stop! You need to stop! Something bad has happened! Come back!’
“Several select ones of us in the group are linked up through headset so we can talk to each other and coordinate our ride,” she explained.
“We could hear the crash happening… We heard the metallic noise of vehicles colliding. It was a very awful noise to hear.”
Grahn and the other riders turned around and came upon the crash scene.
“The first thing all of us see is just carnage. There is no other way to describe what we witnessed. It is the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
RCMP said a 29-year-old man died at the scene. Five other motorcyclists were taken to hospital, one by STARS Air Ambulance and four by ground ambulance.
“It was half a kilometre of stuff strewn,” Grahn said. “Some bikes managed to stay upright for a little bit before hitting the ditch and crashing… others were not so lucky.”
Mounties said a Ford F150 heading east on Highway 13 struck the back of a Ford Explorer that had slowed to turn onto Range Road 12. Officers said both vehicles crossed the westbound lane of Highway 13, hitting six motorcycles.
“They couldn’t turn away,” Grahn said. “It was a two-lane highway and they couldn’t turn away. The bikers were in the path of the destruction.”
“It was pretty bad,” said Liane Langlois, who was at the scene after the crash. Langlois is president of the Alberta Motorcycle Safety Society. “There were pieces of motorcycles, the back of the SUV was pushed completely in, the front of truck was destroyed…I was surprised there was only the one that didn’t make it. There were five others that were on their way to the hospital at that time.”
Langlois was called out to the scene by Grahn. The majority of the riders didn’t want to get back on their motorcycles after the crash and needed rides home.
While all of them are upset, most will get back on their bikes, Grahn said.
“It’s not just a hobby; it’s part of our life. It’s something we love doing.”
Still, she worries about the perception of the motorcycling community.
“Accidents like this are not due to a cyclist being a hooligan, weaving in and out of traffic and doing wheelies,” Grahn said. “The majority of us are not like that.”
She says the support from that community in the wake of the crash has been unbelievable. Grahn is willing to plan another group ride, but it won’t be for a while.
“You feel bad being the one in the lead and this is what you feel like you led your group into.”
Her message?
“Be careful. Keep both eyes wide open. Please wear your gear… and for all the drivers? Just pay attention to the road. Look where you’re going… That’s the problem: they don’t see us. We see them but they don’t see us.”
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