DDN
6/13
'Big Ben' serious but stable after crash
Steelers QB was riding his motorcycle without a helmet.
Associated Press
Ben Roethlisberger had been counseled against riding a motorcycle. Too dangerous, advisers told him, especially in light of severe injuries suffered by Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II in a May 2005 accident.
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<!-- inset --> <!--begintext--> Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Miami University sensation broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash.
What's the latest?
Roethlisberger underwent seven hours of surgery to repair the facial fractures. He was listed in serious but stable condition, according to Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. There were no other confirmed injuries.
"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said. "He was coherent."
What happened?
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa — the company calls it the world's fastest bike for legal street riding — and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown Pittsburgh. A Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle. Roethlisberger was thrown.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman, police said. They didn't release her name and no charges were filed.
Witness Sandra Ford was waiting at a bus stop when she heard a crash.
"I was afraid that he had died," said Ford.
Was he wearing a helmet?
Police said no. Roethlisberger prefers to ride without one, a habit that once earned him a lecture from Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
Pennsylvania's law requiring helmets was repealed in September 2003.
Did you know?
Roethlisberger, a 24-year-old Findlay native, was the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft. In January, he became the youngest QB to lead a team to the Super Bowl title when the Steelers beat Seattle.
Pictures
'Big Ben' pays painful toll for ignoring advice
By Bucky Albers
Staff Writer
Perhaps Ben Roethlisberger will get it now. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback will figure out why his head coach, Bill Cowher, and even former Steeler star Terry Bradshaw, thought it was a bad idea for Roethlisberger to ride a motorcycle.
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When Roethlisberger plowed into a turning Chrysler New Yorker and had his face rearranged Monday in Pittsburgh, he wasn't the first athlete to be injured on a motorcycle. Within the past few years, the careers of former Duke University basketball star Jay Williams and Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II were interrupted by motorcycle accidents.
Yet Roethlisberger stubbornly chose to ride a powerful bike — and without a helmet. Bradshaw said: "Ride it when you retire." It was another way of saying that the quarterback of a National Football League team owes it to his teammates not to take such a risk.
No matter how carefully motorcyclists ride, they are often injured and killed by the mistakes of other motorists. Anyone who rides a motorcycle without wearing a helmet is foolish — no matter how good it feels.
ABJ
6/13
Steelers QB crashes motorcycle
Ben Roethlisberger breaks nose, jaw, teeth, suffers gash on head, injures knees
By Joe Mandak
Associated Press
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PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash in which he was not wearing a helmet on Monday.
Roethlisberger, a Findlay, Ohio, native who played at the University of Miami (Ohio), was in serious but stable condition, Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital, said before surgery.
The player's agent, Leigh Steinberg, described the injuries to the Associated Press and said he did not know if there was further damage.
``He was talking to me before he left for the operating room,'' Jones said. ``He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable.''
Roethlisberger's mother, Brenda, was crying as she arrived at the hospital with his father, Ken, and his sister Carlee.
Steelers President Art Rooney II said the team was ``encouraged by the early reports from the medical team'' at the hospital. ``I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery.''
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger was without a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
Roethlisberger was on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa -- the company calls it the world's fastest bike for legal street riding -- and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown.
A Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown, police said.
The other car was driven by a 62-year-old woman, police said. They didn't immediately release her name and no charges were filed.
Witness Sandra Ford was waiting at a bus stop when she said she saw the motorcycle approach. Seconds later, she said she heard a crash, saw the motorcyclist in the air and ran toward the crash scene.
``He wasn't moving and I was afraid that he had died.... He wasn't really speaking. He seemed dazed but he was resisting the effort to make him stay down,'' said Ford, who didn't realize the motorcyclist was Roethlisberger.
Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were leading the investigation, a standard practice when there is an accident with critical injuries.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger helped guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl title in February at age 23. Training camp for next season begins at the end of July.
Several teammates, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch, linebacker Joey Porter and safety Mike Logan, arrived at the emergency room.
Some fans also gathered at the hospital, including Juanita Clark, who sells Steelers paraphernalia.
``I just feel like he's a family member,'' said her daughter, Loretta Clark.
The NFL's standard player contract prohibits any activity involving ``significant risk of personal injury'' apart from football. But many prominent athletes ride motorcycles anyway, despite the risk and the possibility of losing salary.
In May 2005, Cowher warned Roethlisberger about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
Other athletes injured on motorcycles during their careers include basketball's Jason Williams, skiing's Hermann Maier and auto racing's Dario Franchitti.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's state law requiring helmets to be worn was repealed in September 2003.
``He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful,'' Roethlisberger said at the time. ``I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe.''
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Steelers Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: ``Ride it when you retire.''
Pittsburgh Gazette
6/13
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Multiple injuries, few answers for Roethlisberger
Four surgeons work for 7 hours to repair facial fractures
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
By Michael A. Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette
Police check out the damaged Suzuki motorcycle that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was riding yesterday.
Click photo for larger image.
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Related coverage:
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Graphic: Scene of the accident
Online poll: Should the Steelers require Ben Roethlisberger to wear a helmet when he rides his motorcycle?
Quarterback's state after 24 hours is key
Helmetless riders: out of their skulls?
Gene Collier: City held its breath after Ben's smashup
Dismayed fans ask: Why no helmet, Ben?
Steelers breath a sigh of relief as team rallies around Roethlisberger
Big Ben failed to heed warnings
TV, radio run with story, details or not
Hometown residents root for favorite son Roethlisberger
Hear the medical team's report last night on Roethlisberger's seven hour surgery.
More photos
</td></tr></tbody></table><!--END PHOTO--> Doctors successfully repaired what they said were multiple facial fractures suffered in a motorcycle accident yesterday by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but no one would say how his injuries would affect his ability to play. The 24-year-old quarterback, who was not wearing a helmet, was in serious but stable condition at Mercy Hospital after undergoing seven hours of surgery performed by a team of four surgeons.
Mr. Roethlisberger was injured in an accident at 11:10 a.m. as his motorcycle collided with a car on Second Avenue near the 10th Street Bridge. Witnesses said his head hit the car's windshield and then struck the pavement.
Dr. Daniel Pituch, chief of Mercy's division of oral and maxillofacial surgery, said Mr. Roethlisberger underwent surgery for multiple facial fractures after being evaluated by the surgical team.
"All of the fractures were successfully repaired," he said.
Dr. Pituch would not elaborate further on the quarterback's head injuries. But he indicated that the quarterback did not suffer any other serious injuries.
"His brain, spine, chest and abdomen appear to be without serious injury and there are no other confirmed injuries at this time," Dr. Pituch said.
Dr. Pituch said he did not expect Mr. Roethlisberger's condition to change overnight.
Dr. Harry W. Sell Jr., chairman of surgery at Mercy, said the quarterbacks' family requested that no other information be released about his injuries and doctors declined to answer any questions at a briefing last night.
But Dr. Sell relayed a word of thanks from his family members.
"The Roethlisberger family extends their gratitude for the support, prayers and well wishes that have been pouring into Mercy Hospital," Dr. Sell said.
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</td></tr></tbody></table><!--END PHOTO--> Although his injuries were serious, onlookers said it could have been much worse. Witnesses said he twice struck his head -- on the car's windshield and then, after flying over the car, on the roadway. Indeed, the mood at Steelers headquarters later in the day was "reserved optimism." Steelers team president Art Rooney II said he was praying that "Ben's going to make it all right" after arriving last night at Mercy Hospital.
An earlier statement from Mr. Rooney said everyone in the organization was concerned and that, "So far, we have been encouraged by the early reports from the medical team at Mercy Hospital."
Before going into surgery, Dr. Larry Jones of Mercy said the quarterback was talking, was coherent and was cognizant of the situation.
One Steelers source said Mr. Roethlisberger was in surgery for a broken jaw, an injury that can take approximately seven weeks to heal. The Steelers season starts in 12 weeks.
Steelers fans across the region shared concern about the quarterback's condition while debating his judgment in not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, especially since he wears one for his occupation.
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Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette
Signs of an impact can be seen on an automobile that collided with a motorcycle operated by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberer yesterday.
Click photo for larger image.</td></tr></tbody></table><!--END PHOTO--> Several fans showed up at the hospital last night to hold a vigil, complete with lawn chairs and a miniature charcoal grill. A handful of Steelers players also came to the hospital, including backup quarterback Charlie Batch. Coach Bill Cowher came to the hospital about 9:15 p.m. but did not speak to reporters.
The accident scene left little doubt that the late-morning accident in the Bluff involving Mr. Roethlisberger's motorcycle and a Chrysler New Yorker had been horrific. Metal was twisted like licorice. Windshield glass shattered. Blood pooled on the pavement.
In the moments after the accident, onlookers shook their heads in concern. All they could do was hope for the best for the anonymous motorcyclist.
And then reporters arrived and spread the word that the accident victim was someone they all knew. Those who had been there were stunned. Others, who heard the news from the media, made a pilgrimage to the scene where the severely damaged car, demolished cycle, a red hooded sweatshirt, and blood stains gave silent testimony to what had occurred.
Mr. Roethlisberger was riding a 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle outbound on Second Avenue when a 1996 silver New Yorker driven in the opposite direction by Martha Fleishman, 62, of Squirrel Hill, attempted to turn left onto the 10th Street Bridge in front of the motorcycle.
Mr. Roethlisberger smashed his cycle into the car near the front passenger side. His head crashed into the car's windshield, shattering it and leaving a 6-inch hole. Witnesses said he flew over the car and landed on his head on the pavement. A pool of blood marked the spot long after Mr. Roethlisberger was rushed by ambulance to nearby Mercy Hospital.
A woman who declined to give her name said she saw the accident and ran onto the roadway to help the victim. She didn't know it was the Steelers quarterback until a reporter told her about a half hour later.
"That was him? Oh, my! He did say his name was 'Ben,' " she said, recalling that the injured man knew his name but was so disoriented he didn't know the city he was in. "I told him to lie down. He kept trying to get up."
Others who saw him likewise didn't recognize him because of the injuries he suffered and the large amount of blood that covered his face and head.
Among them was Sandra Ford, a Homewood writer and artist, who had just finished teaching a writing class at the Allegheny County Jail and was waiting for a bus on the Armstrong Tunnels side of Second Avenue. Attracted by the loud exhaust, she noticed a motorcycle approaching from her right ridden by a rugged-looking white man with curly hair.
"He was sailing, like he was enjoying the ride. He was going at a good clip but wasn't going overly fast," Ms. Ford said.
She said as he passed her, she noticed a car turning left in front of him. She said she expected the motorcycle to slow down or even have to slam on the brakes but was blocked from further view by cars traveling inbound. And then she heard a "crunching sound" and saw the motorcyclist fly over the car.
"He was a like a doll someone threw up into the air," Ms. Ford said. "I ran to the scene and he was lying on his back and wasn't moving. I thought he was dead."
And then the victim tried to get up but was calmed down by the unidentified witness and a man who tended to him until medics arrived shortly thereafter. She said she spoke with Mrs. Fleishman who she said told her, "I was watching him approach but he was not looking at me."
Ms. Ford caught her bus but couldn't get the accident out of her mind.
"I felt so badly for that guy. Two seconds can change your life," she said. "And then I get home and turn on the TV and find out it's Ben Roethlisberger and I was really upset then."
Mrs. Fleishman's husband, Martin, confirmed in a telephone interview that his wife was the driver but said the couple didn't want to discuss what happened.
"We really have no statement," Mr. Fleishman said. "We certainly hope everything goes well for Mr. Roethlisberger but we have no other statement. Certainly this is terrible and unfortunate. We hope he has a speedy recovery."
He wouldn't comment on his wife's physical or emotional condition in the wake of the accident other than to say, "She's doing as best as she can."
The car is registered to Mrs. Fleishman and carries Maine license plates. The couple has a summer home in Farmington, Maine.
The city police Collision Investigations Unit is investigating the accident. Both vehicles were towed for further investigative processing. There has not been any determination of the speed of the vehicles and no charges have been filed. The investigation could take several weeks to complete, police said.
Mr. Roethlisberger has been known to ride without a helmet when operating his cycle. Steelers coach Bill Cowher addressed the issue with his starting quarterback in May 2005 after Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow had a motorcycle accident in suburban Cleveland. Mr. Winslow hit a curb in a parking lot and was ejected from his bike, injuring his knee.
"It's one of those things, where he talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker, I'm pretty conservative and laid back," Mr. Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. "So the big thing is just be careful and that's what we do.
"I think every person that rides is careful. That's the biggest thing, I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we never ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think that makes it more safe."
Mr. Roethlisberger's mother, Ida, was killed in a car accident when he was 8 years old.
Throughout the area, indeed throughout the entire Steeler Nation, concerns were voiced about Mr. Roethlisberger's condition as were some criticisms of his off-field decision-making. While a few fans said it was a personal decision, many were troubled by his not wearing a motorcycle helmet. Still others said he shouldn't have been on a motorcycle in the first place, claiming he had an obligation as a professional football player not to put himself at risk.
"The cautionary note is, everyone should wear a helmet," said Dr. Jack Wilberger, chairman of neurosurgery at Allegheny General Hospital. "If he had a helmet on he might have been able to get up and walk away, take the helmet off and be scared to death, but be fine."
While Mr. Winslow's contract forbade him from riding a motorcycle, Mr. Roethlisberger's contract does not prohibit him from riding motorcycles, even without a helmet. The standard NFL contract prohibits risky behavior, but that is not precisely defined. Pennsylvania repealed its mandatory helmet law in 2003.
"I think that's my own discretion," Mr. Roethlisberger said about not wearing a helmet when he rides. "Obviously, Pennsylvania doesn't think people need to."
During an interview last year, Steelers Hall-of-Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw offered one piece of advice for Mr. Roethlisberger about his motorcycle.
"Ride it when you retire. That's the way I feel. Those things are dangerous."
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