Risk Management Magazine

My brother and I grew up biking all over the mountains of Utah and considered ourselves experienced riders. So, when our town celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art mountain bike park, we couldn’t wait to hit the trails.

It seems like yesterday that I returned from my first trip overseas. While deployed, I saved my money and wanted to purchase something fast. I quickly realized I didn’t have the funds to get a convertible sports car, so I opted for a sport bike instead.

I don’t know why it took such a tragedy to confirm what our superiors had been telling us about wearing our Kevlar and seat belts. That accident changed the unit’s whole attitude. Our sergeant’s old war stories were now our reality. We finally got it, but we learned our lesson the hard way.