AN American riding as part of a anti-helmet protest has died after going over the handlebars and hitting his head on the road - a crash he would have likely survived if he had been wearing a helmet said the attending physician.
55-year-old Philip A. Contos, from New York, lost control of his 1983 Harley-Davidson when he hit his brakes forcing his bike to fishtail and flipping him over the handlebars and into the tarmac headfirst. He was pronounced dead at hospital.
The helmet protest ride was organised by the Onondaga chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education (ABATE). The organisation states that it encourages voluntary use of helmets but opposes mandatory helmet laws.
New York is one of 20 states that requires all motorcyclists wear helmets.
