It doesnt say he was going 140, It says he flew in the air and hit at an "impact rate of 140mph"

 

Granted he was a total idiot for going that fast but he is damn lucky to even be alive. No many street riders live to talk about a crash even half that fast.

 

Couldn't have sped up in flight though could he??

 

no, if he was going 70 and hit a car head on at 70 the impact rate would have been 140.....

 

heres another article i found on the same accident....
Says he was going 70mph with traffic then a car cut him
off and hit the brakes and ejected him off the bike...

Surviving 70 mph Motorcycle Crash -- Impact Jacket's First Real-Life Saver


BALTIMORE - Motorcyclist and family man, Joseph McPhatter,
can return to his wife and three kids with only minor
injuries after the first real-life crash incident
in the UnitedStates, involving the Impact Jacket(TM)
(airbag jacket) that he was wearing which saved his life.

During the last week of September 2007, Mr. McPhatter
accompanied by two other riders was traveling inside
the Baltimore beltway on Interstate 83 following the speed
of traffic; he changed lanes only to be cut off by a river
who then hit the brakes. Mr. McPhatter plowed into the back
of thecar and was ejected 100 feet in the air hitting the
ground at an impact rate of 140 mph.
One of his companions went over to him fearing the worst
not even checking for vital signs and protecting his friend
by shielding cars from his body.
Mr. McPhatter is only suffering from sore ribs/knees/bruised
shoulders and a broken thumb socket. A Maryland State Trooper
said to him at the hospital, "...this jacket [Impact Jacket(TM)]
saved your life!"

Since 1997 motorcycles fatalities have increased by
89 percent from 2,116 to 4,008 in 2004 according to
NHTSA. The recently released 2005 projections show motorcycle
rider fatalities are expected to increase for the eight year
in a row. The increase in motorcycle rider fatalities from
2004 to 2005 as per the projections is 7.7 percent -- from
4,008 to 4,315. Recent high-profile motorcycle accidents
that have occurred have reinforced the importance of wearing
rider protection. The Impact Jackets(TM) will provide safety
for riders, therefore providing an overall secure feeling
for the riders, families and their loved ones, and in the
end aiding in saving the lives of riders who are involved
in accidents nationwide.

 

Ok, so riddle me this batman... how does 70mph into the ground turn into 140..... my physics is failing me.

 

Im not sure Robin, But it clearly says he was going 70mph, went airborne THEN hit the ground at a rate of 140...
Im done with this topic, just wanted to make it clear that he was NOT going 140mph through traffic
I tried looking up an equation to answer it myself cause im kind of curious to know where they came up with that number too...

 

It says the impact rate of the ground was at 140 mph. Basic physics says that is impossible unless he was falling straight down into at 140 mph. Which he wasn't and could not based on the information provided. He might have hit a car head on at 70 mph...but the other person was turning in front of him. On top of that, he had lateral movement His vertical speed (due to gravity) couldn't have been a tenth of that speed. Now, maybe I'm just misunderstanding "Impact speed".

 

I see your point, you are right, he was only going 70.

I'm just trying to figure out why either the company or the news is trying to make it sound like somehow he had a rocket strapped to his *** and hit the ground going twice what he was driving. Highly suspect

 

In physics there are two vectors added together to get your veloctiy. If he was 100ft in the air and fell for two seconds hit "y" velocity should have been about 96ft/s or 65mph. This speed is due to gravity. That added to his "x" velocity from the speed of the motorcyle is a total speed of about 140mph.