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LOCATION OF THE ACCIDENT:

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

-----Original Message-----
From: Jack
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 6:24 PM
Subject: motorcycle Accident

Hi Rick, first of all I know the place!  It is in Budapest, Hungary on a road next to the Danube River.  

Just by chance I realized exactly the location because although
I am from Germany, I spent a lot of time doing business in Budapest some years ago.  This is actually a pretty famous location so I imagine others will recognize it as well.

I used to go for in-line skating in my free time just on the opposite bank which is the Margaret Island.  The name of that bridge is Margit Bridge.  So I know the location very well.

I entered the Google Maps link and landmark on my own after I was sure where it is.


The location of the accident is very reasonable for such a motorcycle accident.  It is a long narrow 2 way road.  It has no junctions or crossings for around 3 kilometers.  Usually there are no people on the side walk because there is a 2 meter high wall with a tram rail behind it.  

There is no access for pedestrians.  The spot is usually safe for a high speed ride in the city, but the road is not in the best condition and there is 2 way traffic.  

It is very reasonable to believe that the guy went around 150 km/h or more and got in  trouble either with the road conditions or with a car coming into his way.

Unfortunately I don't know more about the accident than what I wrote.  However
I think this scene is real for a couple of reasons:

The missing blood for me is one of the strongest indication that the scene is real.  If people would have set up a fake scene they would have used plenty of blood (paint) in order to make it look 'real'.  Artificial blood or red color is cheap. I would have used plenty of it.

I used to be an ambulance driver some years ago during my civil service. I have a basic medical education because of that and I have some experience with accident scenes.

The body is cut right at it's weakest point at the abdomen.  In this part of the body the spinal column is the only bone structure with only round about 5cm diameter and articulated joints every few centimeters.  So I think it is possible that a body can be separated in 2 pieces by a pole in this way as we can see it in those pictures.

At any time the biggest volume of the blood is present in the Aorta and Vena Cava which are right in the area were the body in these pictures got separated. When the body hit the pole with a high speed the blood pressure inside the both blood vessels had become enormous.

At the time the body parts separated it must have been like an explosion vaporizing most of the blood in a big red cloud. If you watch this picture carefully you can see a light red-brown color along the sidewalk and parts of the street. It follows exactly the flight path of the body and parts. So the blood is not at the body - it is all over. The remaining blood has no reason to run out of the body because there is no blood pressure any longer after such a separation.

By the way the flight paths and the position of the parts are very reasonable according to physics.

In my opinion, the motorbike seemingly did not hit the pole. That is the reason why we don't see a lot of debris on the road.

The victim on the pictures has no shoes no trousers. Many victims of real motorbike accident loose their shoes and or their trousers.

Regards Jack X

Rick Archer's Note: The accident picture above was taken
in the opposite direction of the 3 maps.

 

EMAIL 01 CONCLUDING THE ACCIDENT WAS REAL

From: System Override
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 5:52 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: your mysterious motorcycle accident

Just wanted to solve your little mystery (unless someone else already has). The photos are definitely from Budapest, in Hungary. The building in the background is the house of Parliament, on the Pest side of the Danube. The ambulances there have their names spelled backwards on the front, so they can be read from the rear-view mirror of a car.

This is probably why no one can find information on the incident too, because so very few people (comparatively) can go wading through Hungarian news articles.
 

 

EMAIL 02 CONCLUDING THE ACCIDENT WAS REAL

-----Original Message-----
From: Austin
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2008 1:19 AM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: motorcycle accident


Hello there, I've read the multiple responses and observations to the pictures. I have a somewhat unique position from which to write.

I don't actually even recall how I came to find the pictures while surfing about, but I am an EMT, and I've seen much of this. The pictures in my opinion are quite real, and by some standards, not even as strange as some scenes the emergency services come across every day.

Other posters have addressed the issues of blood being absent, due to instant heart stoppage, which is quite possible, and the color, which looks quite real to me.  One might also consider than another vehicle was involved and is not pictured.

Velocity is not the only factor is determining damage, the mass/ density of the colliding objects must be taken into account. Even slow speed incidents can result in remarkable damage to the body. The pole in the pictures could have been the cause of the bi-section, the lack of blood on the pole proves nothing.

The images are not so unusual, and not to sound jaded, they happen all the time. However, I think if they serve to make the viewer just a little more respectful of life, then some small good can come out of examining our own mortality in this way.

Personally, I've no interest in the current spate of explicit horror films that are so popular - but images such as this are featured in instructional medical books.

S Austin
California
NREMT

 

EMAIL 03 CONCLUDING THE ACCIDENT WAS REAL

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris W
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 11:25 pm
Subject: more info on motorcycle accident

Hi there, Pretty interesting stuff.

I have further info for you. The location is indeed Budapest.

That
is the Margit (Margaret) Bridge in the background and the building in the back is the Parliament building.

That is Margaret Island to the left.


This is a picture of a Hungarian ambulance from the official Hungarian transport service. The logo on the ambulance appears to be this which is another indication the accident indeed occurred in Hungary.


Yes, I'm pretty much convinced the accident is real.

As much as I want to believe it's a fakery!

Still, I was unable to find any documentation such as a newspaper article.

I doubt that was a dummy that was used.  I did a google search on "medical dummy" and realized the most realistic ones don' t even come close to the realism of the poor accident victim.

To make a dummy this realistic would require hours of time and specialized artistic ability!

One of the best realist sculptors, Duane Hanson did a piece titled Motorcycle Accident.  If you visit, you will find the picture of a dummy about a quarter down on this page.  You will discover the realism of the dummy is not even close to the pictures you have posted.  

I think you need a forensic scientist to weigh in on the subject

 

EMAIL 04 CONCLUDING THE ACCIDENT WAS REAL

From: AD
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 9:13 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Bizarre Death Stories and motorcycle accident

Hello!   I saw one interesting post on your site and maybe I can help for you regarding "The Mystery of the Gruesome Motorcycle Accident"

The pictures were made in Hungary. On the fourth picture you can see the Hungarian Parliament (government building) in the background.

The ambulance car is real and the "mysterious" 202 number is just one serial number. On the last picture you can see two Hungarian policeman and two police cars.  

The pictures are true. The pylon caused the death.

Third, why does the number 202 exist on the emergency vehicle in the correct direction while the word ambulance is spelled backwards? The backwards word suggests the picture was reversed, but then why didn't 202 get reversed? This curiosity makes no sense.

In Hungary the ambulances are like this.

It is difficult to understand how a little bike like this could get going fast enough to cause such a terrible accident.  Does anyone know how fast this bike can go?

Answer: more than 120mph... this is more than enough

I hope this will help you.

 

EMAIL 05 CONCLUDING THE ACCIDENT WAS REAL

From: Patrik Baska
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 1:33 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Not Fake

Hi there!

First thing: sorry for my english.

Second: I'm writing to you from Hungary. I just saw the pictures, started to read the comments and all i want to say that it's real. I have no evidence, only my words. So that accident happened in Hungary, that's the thing I bet you all knew, according to the hungarian flag on the ambulances' and the Hondas' license plate. This is the evidence for the country. And it happened in Budapest, the evidence for that is the Parlament (Hungarian Parliament Building) that you can see on the 4th pictures' back. You can also see the Margaret Bridge, and in the upper right, the Gellért-Hill, with the Freedom-Statue on it.

And one more thing, when the accident happened, all radio stations broadcasted it.  I had the "luck" to hear the news about the accident. The headline was : A biker cut into half on Slachta Margit rakpart (rakpart=wharf, quay).

You can check it on googlemaps. Here is a link to help:


https://maps.google.com/?ll=47.516563,19.042997&spn=0.008811,0.021136&t=m&z=16

 But anyway, doesnt matter if it's real or fake. Life is not a piece of cake...You can never be responsible and careful enough.

Have a nice day!

Patrik

 

A MEDICAL EXAMINER SPEAKS UP

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob G
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 12:38 AM
Subject: motorcycle accident

I have been a crime scene examiner in Australia for nearly 20 years.

I have no doubt this is a real collision scene - I have seen similar things.

Sometimes these tragic occurrences happen - fortunately most people who have access to photos like this don't release them on the internet. Therefore when the average Joe see photographs like this, they appear so surreal that they are assumed to be fake.

Won't go into it too much, but there is a large swipe of blood on the footpath after the pole which you would expect, sadly he was probably alive for a few moments after coming to rest

He
has bled out from his aorta which travels down the spine, leaving the large pool of blood under him.  

What is clean about the separation of the body???

Nothing clean here at all!  The body has just been torn in two by each half trying to go around either side of the pole...not much strength there only the spine...like tearing a lizard in half, it wouldn't be real hard.

 

It probably wasn't even that high speed an event...I would guess not more than 60ph when he hit the pole but that is way enough speed - he just hit the pole with his body in exactly the right place for this to occur.

There is a large spatter/smear of blood immediately after the pole and a lighter mark which is often seen on the bitumen at fatal pedestrian or motor bike collisions caused by the skin or clothing abrading on the roadway.

   

The intestines are pretty well self contained and often leave the body in violent deaths such as this.

They also have a very slippery coating and would slide along the bitumen without leaving too much of a mark - there is some blood spatter leading up to them if you look carefully.  

With regard to the bike having little damage, it hasn't hit the pole, just slid into the gutter, the scrapes on the roadway and impact and scrape damage on the wheels and tyres are totally consistent with collision damage - probably would be more scrape damage on the underside of the bike.

The mark on the chin is typical of a chinstrap abrasion from the helmet which is in the background in one of the pics.

Also I have been to several motor bike deaths where the boots have been blasted off at impact.

 


In conclusion, everything looks totally real to me - Bob G


Regarding the people who claim this is a fake, why would someone bother to do this?

I just meant, why would anyone go to all that trouble to stage something like this...I have worked on local tv shows etc, and they really don't need to be that good with the special effects as the camera is always moving.

I have no doubt that job is real...happens every day somewhere in the world, thankfully we just don't hear about it.  One simple thing that really proved the shots to be real for me was the fact that the body parts were covered for the deceased's dignity in the general scene shot with the covers being removed for the close shots - very common crime scene practise.

I showed the pictures to a bunch of colleagues from throughout the state on a blood stain interpretation course recently and they all had done similar scenes/incidents and all had no doubts about the scene being real.

If you get some forensic books out of the library, (medicolegal investigation of death scenes is a good one) they often show real cases and they do look quite surreal, even if in black and white...to give another example, I am also bomb/post-blast trained and during my research I have seen plenty of examples of decapitated suicide bombers who were wearing backpacks or bomb belts. Because of the directional nature of explosives and one of Newton's laws (I should know)...body gets pushed by the explosive...and head basically stays intact, they are pretty durable - this is very surreal as many other people may have been killed and buildings structurally damaged. There is plenty on the web if you look hard enough.

Interesting to note the replies from bikers, in Australia we have recently had new cable systems introduced beside/between our highways and these are a real worry to bikers, we also have steel fences - like pool fences for the middle of roads where pedestrians were previously regularly hit by cars to make them cross at the crossings. These are also a worry to bikers. I believe they call them
cheese graters (see picture below)


Bob G

 

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT SUMMARY

Written by Rick Archer
July 2008

Thanks to Bob G, the medical examiner from Australia, I think we can finally put the mystery to rest.

I am grateful to this gentleman for taking the time to enlighten us.  Mr. G spent a lot of time carefully going over every issue that has been raised in the various emails.  He responded by explaining the accident in a clear, precise way.  

I still wish I knew more about what caused the accident.  As Mr. G said, it is likely the rider lost control of the bike, hit the pole at the weakest point of his body, and was split in two.  I guess we have to assume the Budapest man simply lost control of his bike. 

In August 2008, a gentleman from Hong Kong sent me the gruesome picture on the right.  As you see, it depicts yet another horrible death scene.  And you know what, there isn't much blood, is there? 

Furthermore there is nothing in the picture to suggest what cut the poor man in two.  What a bizarre picture to see all those cyclists filing by staring in shock at the accident victim.  Imagine what must be going through their minds!

Thank you for visiting my story.  These pictures serve as a grim warning to the rest of us that motorcycle safety is an illusory term.

Before you go, don't forget to say a quiet prayer for the deceased.  What a shame it is for these men to be cut down in the prime of their lives. 

FOOTNOTE ONE

From: Lady Linda
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 11:05 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: RE: motorcycle accident

In regards to The Mystery of the Gruesome Motorcycle Accident, although it probably doesn't matter now, I stumbled across a website that displays deaths and uncensored events that have occurred in the past and present.

The website showed the same pictures of this accident as well as mentioned where the accident occurred.  This website stated the accident took place in Budapest, Hungary on October 10, 2007.  The caption said the motorcycle driver was ripped in half by a collision with the roadside pole.

Regards, Linda


Rick Archer's Note:

On November 4, 2008, I visited the website listed by Linda.  I confirmed her information above is correct.  However the other data on the website was so incredibly violent and gruesome, I recoiled in horror.  I confess I was morbidly fascinated, but eventually I just couldn't take it any more.  The material is so graphic, it makes slasher movies much too believable for my taste.  In my daily life, I come across evidence in the newspaper which reminds me there is a dark side to humanity, but seeing pictures of it is far more powerful.  Believe me, this site confirms beyond a doubt there is evil in the universe.  And no, sorry, I won't share the link

Changing the subject back to our motorcycle accident, starting in early 2008 I began collecting emails.  In the beginning, the vast majority of responders said the accident was fake.  I admit I too had my doubts these pictures were real.  But increasingly people began to suspect these pictures were not faked.

In July 2008 we were fortunate to have a medical examiner contribute his thoughts to suggest the accident was real. 

And now this November 2008 contribution from Linda not only confirms the suspected location, but adds the date.   We are all in debt to Linda for putting this mystery to rest. 

The only thing missing now is the name, but I don't think it matters much.  What does matter is that a handsome young man lost his life tragically.  I am sure his horrible death hurt his family deeply.  Before you click off the page, perhaps a moment of quiet prayer for his memory is in order.
 

FOOTNOTE TWO

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 6:04 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: motorcycle accident

Hi there, I was just sent this link to your web page by my friend to read the funny death stories.  I used to ride a scooter back in 2002 and 2003. I was really really cautious of driving it as people are not too happy about motorbikes or bicycles on the roads.

Well, by coincidence, I live in Budapest and actually came across this death scene.  The accident took place most likely it was late Summer of 2004. I moved to the UK in January 2005 and came back November 2006. It must have been either the Summer of 2004 or 2003 when I actually used my scooter.

The location mentioned in the solution article is real. In fact I happened to ride my bike next to this river bank road. There is a cycle path right next to it. Up north from the exact location the cycle path actually runs on the pavement (in the location of the accident there is barely any pavement, basically just to hold the rods for the tall lights. The cycle path here is already above the road.

Back in the northern spot I heard a terrible noise, I believe the engine of the bike was 125cc but the guy was pulling it fast as hell. I was thinking to myself that this guy must be crazy... it was that orange cross bike.

Next think I knew in about 3 minutes (I was riding home from Római part, an area next to the Danube bank in the north of Buda side) as I was approaching the spot of the accident, I saw orange parts lying around and traffic had stopped already.

People were getting out of the car, I think the ambulance was pretty fast on this one. The ambulance station is on the other side of the Margaret bridge (margit híd) in Markó street, so they got the before I did.

The sad true story is that the guy was probably doing some fancy trick or maybe he simply lost control of the bike, as there was a track curved around one of the lamp posts, on that small narrow pavement (not for pedestrians, it's only for the lamp posts) ... this pavement is about 50-70 centimenters wide to hold that lamp post. So the post basically cut him in half.

Even worse that the poor guy's girlfriend happened to follow him in her car and saw the accident, or probably arrived few seconds later as I said the guy was speeding heavily. Ambulance was trying to give some tranquillizers to the girl who was crying in shock.

People getting off their bikes, motorbikes, getting out of their cars were jesuschristing seeing the scene.

Despite of the horrible view I was not scared of death itself, I was merely sad of human stupidity that he was speeding there and then with no protective gear whatsoever, wearing just his trainers and a helmet. Not as if anything in that situation would have saved him.

As to the blood, I am not too good at biology or anatomy but I can imagine that the guy got a heart attack at the very moment, and so if there's no heart beat I guess there's nothing to pump the blood out. Loss of blood pressure as such or I don't know. It really doesn't matter; the scene is still real.

I think it was in april or may in 2003. Not sure, but it was hot weather and I remember I got home and took my scooter out, and I knew exactly how careful I must be not to end up the same like this guy did.

Speeding is way too common in Hungary and we don't have efficient and effective way to prohibit it. On that particular road it's 70 km/h. Whatever the top speed was on that bike the guy was pushing it close to that limit.

I don't get the people who speed. I have since then lost a friend in a motobike accident, I never knew he was that careless, but again, it's sad to say, but it was his fault. I saw pictures of his accident too, and cried my eyes out on his funeral.

feel free to ask questions really. Happy to share all I know.

I just read your entire article with all of the comments, and I have to say, they only reason I know it's real is that I've been there and saw it. It's no wonder how vulnerable a human body is, it's reality. I wish that people drove more carefully.

As to what caused the accident, I have to guess really. As I said I arrived a few minutes after it happened, but up farther to the North on the riverside the guy was speeding. It's 70 km/h that is about 43-44 mph. The roads in Hungary are not that good, there is also a slight turn. Considering he was doing 90 which is nearly 56 miles per hour, anything could have caused him to lose control over his bike which I think was the case.

I absolutely agree with that medical expert guy, he was just enjoying the ride mindlessly, and I don't think you even need to go that fast (40-50 miles per hour would be enough) to rip in half if you hit the post in such an unlucky way. Physics is cruel to the body.

It was really just a stupid accident, simply because the guy pushed it too hard. There were no cars coming in the opposite direction and there was nothing else there to suggest that he crashed into something, as others discussed, the bike itself simply slid away. If you watch Moto GP there are several occasions where the fron wheel gets into something and the whole bike shakes and drops the rider off just like a bull does in a rodeo...

I guess he could have lived should he not hit the post and just slid on the tarmac, but he did not wear anything apart from the helmet (unfortunately the only mandatory gear one need to ride a motorbike in Hungary).
 


FOOTNOTE THREE - Rest in Peace, Kristof H.

(03-08-2016.  Rick Archer's Note:  At the request of his widow, I have removed the last name and birth date.)

From: SS
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2015 7:11 PM
To: dance@ssqq.com
Subject: Motorcycle Accident: Mystery really solved

Rick Archer,

Hi. I know that this story has been on your page for a very long time. When I saw it, I read every post. I began to get almost obsessed with trying to figure out who this man was, imagining if he was a loved one, that he would deserve for people to know his story.

I spent at least 20 hours (non-stop) trying to find out who he was and his story so that he can be remembered as much more than just that motorcycle guy .

Tears actually started pouring down my face when I found his name and knew that he can finally be identified for all the people that he has impacted in death.

His name is Kristof H. He was born in 1967 in Hungary. He is the founder of a rally car garage named K-Speed in Hungary.

Kristof gained some fame in 1996 when he competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado and beat one of the biggest names in the business with his Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo.

Kristof died on June 7, 2003 when he hit a pothole in the road and lost control, hitting the pole in the photos, causing the damage we have all seen.

His girlfriend was actually riding with him, on a separate bike, witnessing the entire thing. He was not speeding or doing any kind of tricks to cause the accident. The pictures are very real and, thank God, he did not suffer for any length of time.

His company is still very much in business and he, to this day, is mentioned and remembered in the racing community.

I thought that since you and all of these posters invested so much in him, as I have, that you would all like to know who he is, and that most racers, given the choice, would like nothing more than to go out doing what they love. 

I hope this brings you a little closure on this. I know that, as invested as I have become, it did for me.

Thanks, Stephanie

 

Rick Archer's Note:

Hi Stephanie,

Thank you so much for the letter.  I posted it immediately.  

You are to be applauded for writing such a sensitive letter.  It reads to me like a epitaph for someone you care about.  Good for you. 

20 hours is a lot of time.  You must be very persistent.  

Considering how well-known this man turned out to be, I imagine his name is a legend in Budapest and racing circles.  I find myself curious why his name is not more widespread on the Internet.  

Perhaps there are people who would rather I not post his name.   If so, I’m sure I will hear from them.

What is interesting is your point that he wasn’t even speeding.  He simply hit a pothole and hit a pole.  Good grief.   What a freak accident.  That puts to rest most people's assumption that Kristof was driving recklessly.  That said, we all know that riding motorcycles carries risk.  Definitely not for the faint of heart. 

Now that I have your letter, I remember all those emails telling me this entire incident was fake. 

Here in America we have people who believe the Twin Towers bombing was done by the government.  Recently there was a movement to suggest the entire Sandy Hook killing spree was faked by the government.  And of course there are those who still deny we actually landed on the moon.  And that the Holocaust never took place.

The death of Kristof is fascinating to me because it takes us through an entire cycle of denials and rebuttals only to realize this horrific accident was real all along. 

Hopefully you have laid the story to rest.  However, given my experience with this story, you may have simply opened a new door for the story.  I never know about these things.

What I do know is that this poor man died a horrible, tragic deathI feel just as sorry for him now as I did seven years ago when I first ran across the story.   Even to this day I still have mixed feelings about posting those pictures. 

And no doubt his girlfriend must still carry pain somewhere in her psyche.   I cannot imagine the horror of seeing someone I care about die like this.

Rest in Peace, Kristof.   You were obviously a very handsome man full of life, courage and adventure.

I am sorry that you had to die so young.

 Rick Archer
July 21, 2015

 

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