Yesterday, at about 11:20 am, a motorcycle traveling on Christiansburg's Roanoke Street was struck by another vehicle.  The accident reportedly occurred in front of the Salvation Army, across from a retail automotive parts store. 

Someone was hurt, it was obvious, because of the emergency response which included Lifeguard-10 landing in the Kiwanis Field a short time later, surrounded by Christiansburg fire and rescue.  The last time this park was used for a landing zone was in June 2007 when another motorcyclist, former Town Councilman Dale Ashworth, was struck and killed on Depot Street at the intersection with East Main. 

News media staff scan police and emergency radio calls, as do many members of the general public.  Whether off duty responders, passer-bys or citizen listeners of emergency scanners, the field soon had a crowd of witnesses as the victim was loaded onto the helicopter and it lifted away leaving clouds of dust from the ballfields swirling below.

Traffic accidents happen everyday, sometimes minor yet often resulting in injury.  What seems strange in this instance was that no major news media reported on such a rare occurance -- the emergency, make-shift helipad adjacent to the county government center -- in the middle of the day.

When motorcycles and cars or trucks tangle, it generally doesn't bode well for the cyclist -- helmet or not.  Here's hoping this story had a happier ending.