Helmet law protester killed in crash

A MOTORCYCLIST participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in New York state died after he flipped over the bike’s handlebars and hit his head on the road.

The motorcyclist, 55-year-old Philip A Contos, likely would have survived the accident if he’d been wearing a helmet, police said.

The accident happened in Onondaga, a town in central New York near Syracuse.

Contos was driving a 1983 Harley-Davidson on a helmet protest ride organised by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education, or ABATE. The organisation states that it encourages the voluntary use of helmets but opposes mandatory helmet laws.

Contos, of Parish, hit his brakes, and his motorcycle fishtailed and went out of control, flipping him over the handlebars, police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The statewide president of ABATE, Thomas Alton, said Contos wasn’t a member of ABATE but was a motorcyclist with 30 years of experience.

“He was one of the public who wanted to join in support of helmet freedom,” Alton said.

Participants in the ride, which the Onondaga chapter has held annually for 11 years on the July 4 weekend, were told it was their choice whether to wear helmets, Alton said, and some wore them while others didn’t.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever had a fatality on any group run of any kind,” he said.

New York is one of 20 states that require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets.