What did he expect?
I'm wondering if Gov. Rendell is having second thoughts tonight about having signed the helmet law repeal act in 2003, which allowed adult motorcyclists like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to cruise down the road with no head protection. Roethlisberger was seriously injured in Pittsburgh yesterday while riding his Suzuki Hayabusa, billed by the company as the world's fastest street bike. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette account, a 62-year-old woman made a left turn in front of him. The motorcycle, which a witness said was traveling at "a pretty good clip," crashed into the car, pitching the quarterback head first into the windshield, then head first onto the road. As of tonight, Roethlisberger is out of surgery and thankfully out of danger. But it's hard to imagine how he can recover from his injuries in time for the fall season. Given that he led the Steelers to the team's fifth Super Bowl victory last year, his absence will have consequences.
Roethlisberger famously disdained motorcycle helmets and wasn't wearing one at the time of the accident, according to police and witnesses interviewed by the Post-Gazette. His contract didn't forbid motorcycle riding, even though such prohibitions are not unknown in professional sports. Former QB Terry Bradshaw is said to have upbraided Roethlisberger about his two-wheel hobby, telling him to save it for after retirement.
This ought to bring a speedy return to a helmet law in Pennsylvania, but don't bet on it. The governor and a majority of the Legislature traded a few hundred biker votes for potentially millions of dollars in extra medical costs for society, and are more likely to be concerned about the former in an election year that is already charged with populist and pseudo-populist issues. Who did those who enabled helmet law repeal think would be the ultimate victims of their action? It had to have crossed their mind. Someone who could be in a storyline of "My Name is Earl," or someone like themselves, or their children, or a popular sports celebrity? My bet is on Earl.
As much as the libertarian crowd that pushed for helmet law repeal won't like to hear this, people do have responsibilities to more than just themselves. It's not "my life" when "my severe head injury" will cost an insurance company or government $4-9 million for a lifetime of care. I hope that what happened to Roethlisberger (may he recover quickly) will at least stop other governors from signing helmet law repeals. Michigan's legislature passed a repeal bill last week, but the early signs are that Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm will veto it.