The Accident That Changed Many Plans:

The distance from the parking lot in Bolivar to the intersection of Hwy 64 and State Route 205 is 43 miles. Just after turning onto Route 205 and heading north, they picked up speed to about 45, the posted speed limit. They had gone only about a quarter of a mile when Don heard the sound of tires screeching from behind. Chuck was following in the right tire rut of Route 205, so Don looked back through his right rear view mirror and saw Chuck's red motorcycle struggle to stay on the edge of the road, seemingly with a control problem in the narrow gravel shoulder section, veer to the right into the shallow ditch (just missing a telephone pole), up into the yard about two feet and immediately return to the ditch, at the speed they had originally maintained. There was no evidence of his bike slowing down. This action took only a few seconds, from the time Chuck left the road, entered the ditch, and the bike struck the first of two brick pillars over a low culvert that served the owner's driveway. The closest one to Chuck was a mailbox post or pillar arrangement, and the structure on the opposite side of the gravel driveway was a duplicate of the mailbox structure. The culvert was very low, as there was not much depression from the road to the bottom of the ditch, a factor which might have saved Chuck from more serious injuries.

Here is the first of several photos (chuck03.jpg), which shows the accident site, looking toward the first culvert and mailbox pillar that Chuck hit. The driveway beyond is the point where the bike came to rest, with Chuck about three feet to the right and slightly beyond the bike, just before the driveway.

The lower left-hand corner of this photo is where Chuck left the road, making an arc before coming back into the lowest point of the ditch. He then impacted with the brick mailbox pillar, crossed the driveway and struck the opposite pillar. The bike's front wheel then dropped down and the bike then rolled head over head and came to rest in the culvert on the right side of the next driveway.

Chuck's bike went through the first structure at full speed, and bricks flew in all directions toward the direction of travel. He then encountered the second brick structure, and they too shattered off into directions forward of the bike. It was only then that Chuck's bike seemed to slow down. The front end dipped, the front and rear wheels being shattered (we would later discover), and the bike began to roll forward, end over end, in the direction of travel. It was then that Chuck left the bike, head over heels in a tumble fashion, in tandem with the bike, Chuck slightly leading. Don Ricks had to divert his eyes back to the road but looked back to see the bike and rider in the ditch and near the low culvert of the next gravel driveway.

Another photo, in sequence, showing the remains of the brick structure wiped out by Chuck's bike. There is another structure base to the left of the brick pillar remains. Chuck apparently went to the right of this foundation and impacted at the culvert (see the pile of brick around the culvert). Don Ricks threw some of those bricks into that area from the road while they worked on Chuck::

Don looked for a turnaround place on the busy stretch of highway, fearful of the worse. When able, he made a u-turn and returned to the second gravel driveway to park his bike. Upon arrival, Chuck was laying on his back, feet pointed in the direction from which he had come; the bike was in the ditch, front wheel tucked into the water and mud at the mouth of the almost submerged culvert. The bike was on its right side and dug into the mud. Water was about a foot deep under the bike. Chuck was on dryer ground, about two feet to the right of the bike. He had landed in the "V" portion of another drainage ditch that helped form the gravel driveway, but the ground was soft and grass covered.

Now that it is possible to get a closer view the other structure, it seems possible that as Chuck made the arc off the road and back into the ditch, his bike might have impacted into the lower right corner of the left most structure, making the bike glance off to the right and into the culvert where he impacted the mailbox pillar. It is also possible that this is where Chuck broke his left leg, as he hit the brick foundation. Chuck would have to see the bike and the left peg to understand more about this. His boot might also give a clue to that theory. His doctor might know if this break was a spiral fracture, another clue to the possibility that his left foot was twisted by an impact with the lower foundation. His direction of travel was toward the telephone pole beyond the second driveway:

Chuck tried several times to raise his head, so he was alive, and with his left hand held across his chest he tried to hold steady the area of his right collar bone. Shock began to set in almost immediately, as Chuck showed early signs of slurred speech, a wandering mind, and grayish looking skin. Don asked him to lower his head and to rest while inspecting his body for signs of injury. It was soon obvious that Chuck's left leg was broken above the ankle. He wore a new leather riding gear suit, new high-tech leather boots, and a nice flip-faced helmet. These items has done their job well. There was no sign of skin abrasions, and the gear was intact. The left boot seemed to hold the area where Chuck's left leg broke, so Don carefully removed the flap while he held Chuck's foot steady. The leg was broken completely, and blood flowed from a compound wound. Don re-secured the flap, told Chuck his leg was broken, and asked him to rest still. Chuck stated there was probably a broken collar bone and complained of pain in his left side. They would later discover that there were several broken ribs.

Looking back down the ditch (chuck08.jpg), note the telephone pole at the top of this photo. Chuck left the road just past this obstacle. He was fortunate to have missed it. The second brick pillar that Chuck's bike destroyed is in the foreground, and you can see the remains of first mailbox pillar destroyed across the driveway. All the mortar seemed dry and brittle, an important factor in them breaking and shattering so easily.

In the top right, down along the road, you can see the corner intersection off Hwy 64 and Route 205. There is a BP service station across the street from the intersection. This distance is near to or less than a quarter mile, and it is 43 miles from that intersection to where they first met in Bolivar, Tennessee. Chuck left the road about where the sun is brightest to the front and right of the telephone pole.

Almost immediately after the accident, a young man in a green pickup truck stopped, investigated the scene, and began to speak with a 911 dispatcher. The dispatcher alerted the Arlington (TN) Fire Department, and in just a few minutes the department was on scene and assisting Chuck. An EMS truck was on scene shortly thereafter, and Chuck had all the medical assistance he could stand, a this next series of photos show.

Here is the first of four photos taken at the accident scene. Don Ricks had already called Progressive Insurance and Chris, Chuck's son. Chuck asked Don to take some photos but he doesn't recall using Chuck's camera-only his. As you see, the bike had already been removed from the ditch (with the help of three other men) and sat up on its center stand. Both tires were flat, and the wheels were broken in several places, so badly that the bike would not roll.

Chuck had been sedated, his clothing was in the process of being cut off, and the EMS tech had installed an neck brace. They had not yet placed a splint on his leg. In this photo, LT Josh Anderson is helping hold Chuck still while the EMS specialist inserts an IV. To the top of the EMS tech (inserting IV) is PVT Chad Huey. To the right of the standing EMS tech (in blue) is PVT Chad Wisemann. These three in fireman's jackets were from the Arlington Fire Department and are the ones who kept Chuck's gear while he was confined to the hospital. Just after Chuck was air lifted out via helicopter, Don secured all his gear into two large plastic bags, with two larger of the bags that would not fit into the plastic bags, and set them near the fire trucks for transport to the station. Don then waited until the towing company had pulled the bike onto the truck bed, gathered his own gear and rode to Millington Naval Base. Don's own condition of shock had by that time lessened, but he spent a sleepless night. Don awoke at 4:30 am and called the hospital to ascertain if he could speak with Chuck or a nurse near him. He was told that Chuck was in critical condition and was in surgery. They speculated that Don might see Chuck by early afternoon, if he wasn't under sedation.

Don Ricks had made a phone call to Paul Brennan and Jerry Bonning that evening and informed them about the accident and asked Jerry to cancel Chuck's reservations in Las Vegas. Don also mentioned that he would try to see Chuck before starting out the next morning. When it was determined there was no chance to see Chuck that next morning, Don got his things together, and was by 6 am was in West Memphis Arkansas, westbound.

Local police officers and EMS personnel patrol the street, and the deputy seen with the cell phone is calling for a tow truck:

During the early stages of the medical attention Chuck received, the first thing that started happening was a quick but thorough analysis of his medical condition. They began to administer first aid and to remove those new leathers with a pair of strong scissors. Chuck begged them not to cut his boot and leathers, but they smiled and cut away, from bottom to top. At one point he was delirious and asked them not to cut off his Nomex flight suit. First, the left boot came off, and they had a splint on the leg in no time. Then, the cut away the left sleeve to administer needed fluids to fight his shock condition. Once the leathers were completely cut from the top of his body there was a flat, yellow, patient board to which Chuck was rolled onto and secured. In this following photo you can see the broken foot and how concentrated the effort to assist him in his time of need. This team of police, medical, and fire fighting personnel did an outstanding job at the scene:

EMS personnel had in the early stages called for a medical evacuation helicopter. It arrived and landed near Chuck, in the front yard near to where Chuck landed. He was soon on his way to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. After the sheriff's deputy finished filling out his report, the scene was cleared. Don Ricks headed down Route 205 to spend a restless night at the Navy Inn at Millington.

Charles L. "Chuck" Goodrum is now released from the hospital and is at his brother's home in Atlanta, recuperating from the following injuries: a compound fracture to his left leg, just above the ankle, a broken collar bone, and several broken ribs. A fortunate report for a man who performed such acrobatics at the age of sixty-one. Goid bless you, Chuck, and may you continue to heal rapidly and get back to work. Don Ricks requests a checkout in those ultra lights in which you instruct. How about in mid-March reservation to do that, Chuck?