Risk Management Magazine

Almost as if in slow motion, I watched him twist the throttle and try to do an endo (make his bike stand on the front wheel). The rear wheel lifted off the pavement, but then he lost control. He made a valiant effort to jump off the bike before it flipped over, but didn’t quite make it. He landed on the ground, remaining motionless for a few seconds as if trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Unless you’ve experienced spatial disorientation while flying an aircraft, it’s difficult to truly understand the feeling. Fortunately, I’m still here to talk about the night it happened to me.

The following morning, 12 other Soldiers were bitten by an unknown number of coyotes between the hours of 0100 and 0600. The Soldiers were either asleep, on guard duty in fighting positions or actively looking for the animals. Like the first victim, these Soldiers were transported to Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital for treatment and rabies vaccinations.