Ex-Social Distortion bassist killed by truck

CNN ^ | 01-24-07 | WestVirginiaRebel

[WestVirginiaRebel]

PLACENTIA, California (AP)-Brent Liles, a former bassist for the 1980s punk rock group Social Distortion, was struck and killed by a truck while riding a bicycle, authorities said Wednesday. He was 43.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Not to greenies: Riding a bike may be eco-friendly, but it can also turn you into roadkill.

[ConservativeStatement]

"Reality Bites."

[Yossarian]

Not to greenies: Riding a bike may be eco-friendly, but it can also turn you into roadkill.

Ahem. Make that a "note to all who ride bikes", and I'll agree with you.

Bike riding is an excellent way to lose weight, gain cardiovascular strength, get great legs, prepare for ski season, enjoy raw speed, and even to get around.

It is also an excellent way to become roadkill. As I almost became just today. Damn bloody drivers aren't looking out for other cars let alone cyclists!!

Everyone pay attention and heed this sign!

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

an excellent way to become roadkill

That's not what worries me. What worries me is that this guy was half a generation younger than me, and he was an 'old man' when he was struck and killed.

[conservative cat]

Awww, that bites. I liked Social D back in the day, and I also enjoy bike riding (although I stay off-road!)

[amchugh]

Too bad, I like Social Distortion, and I like cycling (mostly for my health). I heard the stat that bike travel is 10 times more likely to result in a fatality per mile travelled than driving. Walking is supposedly 10 times worse than biking per mile travelled. The only stats I could find on a quick search were for children.

[Reform4Bush]

That just sounds like the faster you go, the smaller the chance of a fatality per mile.

[dr_lew]

Fox News had an interesting angle:



PLACENTIA, California — A former bassist for the punk rock group Social Distortion was struck and killed by a big rig while riding a bicycle, authorities said.

Brent Liles, 43, of Fullerton, California, died Jan. 18 as he entered a crosswalk on his bike, said Jennifer Hink of the California Highway Patrol. The truck's driver, Javier Lopez, turned onto an onramp and accelerated, striking Liles, authorities said Wednesday.

"He was not accelerating to hit the bicyclist, he was accelerating to get to the onramp," said Hink, who confirmed Liles played for Social Distortion.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Never bring a bike to an onramp fight...

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[amchugh]

In CA you can keep a ticket off of your insurance record by going to a driving school. Back in the days before they were on the Internet an instructor told me that most car accidents happen under 40 miles an hour. I said "Woohoo! I'm safe!". She gave me a dirty look.

If you are travelling in a relatively straight line, I'd say driving faster limits your exposure time to accident possibilities. Curves, ice and rain change the dynamics somewhat though.

[Jack Hammer]

With all that weight loss and enhanced cardiovascular strength, not to mention those great legs, guess he thought he was gonna live forever. Alas, reality seems to have impinged a bit on his self-delusion and caught up with him. Perhaps like-minded individuals in search of their "fitness fix" might consider jogging on railroad tracks, cross-harbor swimming, or the unroped ascent of high tension electrical towers as alternatives of equal or greater safety.

[edpc]

They were one of the contributing artists to this compilation CD. How long before this accident gets pinned on Bush/Cheney/Haliburton?

[OCCASparky]

How long before this accident gets pinned on Bush/Cheney/Haliburton?

DU thread in 3...2...1... My aunt lives in Placentia, I know the on ramp on which this happened. Not a bike-friendly area.

[SWEETSUNNYSOUTH]

Since I play bass AND ride (mountain) bikes I can feel for this guy. Love biking on the Greenbrier River Trail in WV.

[machman]

Geez, all the Christian Love and compassion on here today....

Sad day for all us Social D fans. And yes, there are alot of conservative Social D fans..... And for the record, Liles handn't played with Social Distortion since 1984.

I remember first reading about the death of Dennis Danell here on FR, it was about 2 days after my Dad died, a very sad time....

[Col Sanders]

Yes indeed - Very sad times for us Social D fans.

Regrettably, I never got to see Liles with the band - I didn't move to Cali until 84 and they didn't play Social D on the radio in Georgia - Not even the college stations.

I was an immediate fan when I first heard them, though. I saw them for the first time in 85 - They opened for The Damned at some theater in downtown San Diego - It was sad because Vanian and company treated them so poorly - Wouldn't let them use the stage lights and IIRC, they couldn't use the main sound system either.

I also went to the record release party for Prison Bound at the Wheelhouse in San Juan Capistrano - The owners set it up like a real "record company" party with tables situated to prevent dancing - It was a dangerous scene with that many punks in a room being told they couldn't dance...

Until last year's Atlanta appearance, I never missed a show they played within a hundred miles of where I was standing that day...LOL

Man, I feel old.

Regards,

Col Sanders

[-=SoylentSquirrel=-]

Is there an FR mountain bike group? If not, we should start one. I envision it as an anti-Critical Mass. We could call it "Tolerable Volume".

Not that I have anything against Critical Mass; I just love riding in a group of hippies who openly smoke pot and drink alcohol WHILE RIDING, sometimes naked. Them naked that is, not me.

PS: The very first time I heard the song "Burning Ring of Fire" it was by Social D. I credit them with opening my mind to old-school country.