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Future organ donors making local roads raceways

web posted May 9, 2007
A Commentary by the Editor
MERRIWETHER – If you ever wanted to see what a fool looks like, EdgefieldDaily.com is here to please, and has more than one to show the world. After returning from a call of a possible break-in with the intruder still in the home (which turned out to be a false alarm), I was traveling east on Woodlawn Road when I attempted to make a left turn. To my surprise, racing up behind me were three of the dumbest people I have seen in the last week. Three racing bikes were going so fast it was impossible for them to stop as I was making my turn.

Two of the idiots actually passed me on my left side, the direction I was turning, and the other passed on my right side and then all increased their speed as they headed into the rest of the long curve. If I had not stopped, two of the riders would have become very familiar with hundreds of pine trees that line the road.

I then decided to continue down Woodlawn Road and before I could get halfway around the curve yet another moron on a racing bike came up behind me and never slowed down, passing on double yellow lines on a curve so fast it was a blur.

When I arrived at Sportsman’s Corner the bikers were gathering and talking about their wild ride until they noticed me walking up with a camera. At first they did not think much of it until they asked why I was taking pictures and I informed them I was the one they just about crashed into just up the road. One of the riders bent his tag upward to prevent it being photographed and two had no tag at all. They then began putting on their helmets to leave. During this time two more of their ignorant friends drove up and then peeled out of the parking lot, never checking traffic on Martintown Road, as they led the rest at least 90 mph away from the scene.

Sportsman’s Corner is the gathering place for these soon to be organ donors as they congregate in numbers of twenty, thirty, and more to race our country roads. The usual summer raceway in Merriwether is for the riders to take Woodlawn Road from Highway 28 to Martintown Road. They then race up Martintown Road to Garrett Road and take Garrett back to hyw 28 and complete the trip several times. Sportsman’s Corner welcomes them to buy a drink or a snack as they consume the entire back parking lot while taking a break from terrorizing the community.

In the past few years there have been multiple crashes and one resulting in death, but their numbers and speed continues to grow.

If one or more of these idiots drops his bike and grinds his head into hamburger or goes bouncing off several trees after leaving the roadway I will lose no sleep. If you have a death wish, I think your wish should be granted.

I do, however; have a serious problem with them racing down these curvy and hilly roads between 80 and 100 mph where almost all driveways enter the road in a curve or hill. A family pulling out of their drive could be wiped out as the motorcycles and riders come ripping through the vehicle. The bikers generally travel in packs.

This is not a new problem - but a growing one. The Sheriff’s Office is aware of the situation, but with just three deputies answering calls from almost 25,000 people in a 507 square mile county, it is hard to justify having a deputy sit on one road rather than answering calls. I will say something needs to be done before innocent residents are killed by the out of control marauders.

All photos taken and tag numbers collected were turned over to the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office.
 

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