an 18-wheeler blew out a tire, leaving tread on the road.
a car ran over the tread, throwing it up in the air.
a motocyclist hit the tread and was thrown from his bike.
i was maybe a half-mile behind when this all happened. although i didn't see the events, i was right there afterwards.
as it was the tail-end of rush hour, there were plenty of people already on the scene, and the 911 dispatchers had already been alerted. the guy was conscious, talking, and suffering from a serious case of road-rash. he was wearing a helmet, and from what i gathered from an officer on the scene, nothing was broken. he was transported to a local hospital within 20 minutes of the crash.
when i got there, i was met with unbelievable hostility, just because i had a camera in hand. one guy got right up in my face, screaming and cursing at me. i simply told him i had a job to do, and i went about my business. i never approached the guy on the ground, and didn't shoot from closer than 15-20 yards away. no shots whatsoever that would identify the injured man.
i did shoot, though, some images to document the scene and the story. the image below was submitted to the Richmond Times-Dispatch; it may or may not have run in the next day's paper.
these images may bother you, and it may bother you that i took them. i look at it like this: there was nothing i could do for the guy except 1) stay the hell out of the way, and 2) do my job, which is to be the best photojournalist i can be. a lot of times, the need for documentation isn't always obvious, especially in the heat of the moment. the fact remains, though, while it is very easy to throw away unusable shots, it is damn near impossible to go back and get them later. so, scream at me all you want; just know, i'll stay out of your way while you're doing what you have to do, and i'll ask the same of you.
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I truly don't now why anyone would scream at you for taking this shot. You were there, the situation was being addressed by other individuals and you took your image from a distance.
Good job recording a very unfortunate event, and here is hoping the motorcyclist was not too seriously injured.
I'm a little surprised you got even one negative comment, since this is a photography site. If you don't shoot the moment, then that moment is gone forever. I hate the hostility that is directed toward photographers.
great little description there!!! i have to admit that i agree with you 110%, great story to go along with your awesome photo! my husband about a month ago did the same thing but crashed because of a CD case...you can check out my photo in my portfolio!!!!
Shots like this also serve to give pause to those who may or may not count the cost as they ride the roads. Impact and results are most of the time never known as many look at these. I feel the value of it affecting positively one rider is worth the discomfort it may cause. This has no privacy invasion, no gore, no disruption to ongoing efforts and is not in the same category as papparazzi. Nice shot and well taken.
since I ride quiet often, I can imagine what a nightmare it is for the rider. these treads are huge, can be easily handled in a car, but on a bike its dangerous. I am glad that the rider survived.
As I work in the field of Emergency Medicine - I don't like to see this sort of thing. I'm glad everybody was ok, and it's my opinion but this sort of photo provides sensationalism that should be excluded from what we call 'art'. I think the message would have gotten thur with just the bike laying in the road and not the 'scene' shown.
Wow - I just got off MY bike & walked into the office a little while ago...yes, this definitely changes one's perspective! I have sat here for ten minutes trying to type all the emotions this creates, but they won't all fit on the page. Most of all - "Did he make it, or was there a funeral for someone's wife and children to attend?" Thank you for creating such a powerful image...
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