New York Man Protesting Motorcycle Helmet Law Dies of Brain Injury

Onondaga, NYA New York man, who was riding his motorcycle in a recent protest of the state's mandatory helmet law, reportedly lost control of his vehicle, hit his head on the pavement and died of a brain injury.

According to the Post-Standard, state troopers and medical officials have said that 55-year-old Philip A. Contos most likely would have survived the accident if he had been wearing a helmet.

Contos was reportedly driving a 1983 Harley-Davidson as part of a mandatory helmet protest ride organized by the Onondaga, New York chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE), according to police. The organization reportedly encourages riders to use helmets but is against laws requiring them, the news source said.

Thomas Alton, president of New York's ABATE, said that Contos was a motorcyclist with 30 years of experience, but was not a member of the organization.

"He was one of the public who wanted to join in support of helmet freedom," Alton told the news provider. "I don't believe we've ever had a fatality on any group run of any kind."

Alton, who said that no other motorcyclists were injured in the accident, speculated that the vehicle itself may have contributed to the wreck.

"An officer of my group said there may have been equipment difficulties for the rider," Alton explained. "Apparently he was riding a motorcycle that wasn't his usual one. Some vehicles have different quirks."

New York is reportedly one of 20 states that require all motorcyclists to wear helmets, according to the news provider. Such states have reacted to a wealth of statistics including one from safety consultant Jim Hedlund of the Governors Highway Safety Association, who said that wearing a helmet meeting required standards decreases the likelihood of a rider being killed in an accident by more than 40 percent, according to the news source.

Despite these statistics, however, wearing a helmet does not prevent all head injuries, as an Indiana bicyclist was recently hit by a motorist and suffered a life-threatening brain injury, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The news source reports that Brian J. Bouyea was struck by a pickup truck and subsequently trapped underneath it. Bouyea was wearing a helmet, according to officials.