Major motorcycle rallies are associated with increases in organ donors involved in motor vehicle crashes, according to a study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Previous research has linked such rallies to increases in crashes and fatalities, but the new study found there were 21% more organ donors during major rallies than in the surrounding time periods, amounting to one additional donor for every two major motorcycle rallies. Laura Siminoff, a professor at Temple University and expert on organ donation who was not involved in the study, said it was “kind of obvious” that motorcycle rallies would be associated with greater numbers of fatal injuries. The more important implication, she said, was that hospitals and organ-procurement organizations were doing their jobs by facilitating donations from eligible patients.
Kevin Myer, president of LifeGift Organ Donation Center based in Houston, said most victims of fatal motorcycle crashes suffered significant injuries that rendered their organs unusable, which he suggested might have reduced the number of donations that otherwise would have been possible at the time of the rallies.
Good news let's have more rallies
There are 2 types of riders; 1. Those that will have accidents. 2. Those that have had accidents. I fall under 2. In the 60 years I have been riding I have had my share.