I don't mean to be flippant, because I really think this is a tragic story that didn't have to end this way, but you know, that liberty thing is bigger than common sense.
Former State Senator Joey Brush was a fierce advocate for the right NOT to wear motorcycle helmets when on the roads. During his years in the state Senate, his key issues were the helmet laws and a change to state laws concerning traffic light sensors.
Brush, 59, died after a car pulled out in front of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Columbia Road about 8:30 a.m. Kimberly Crouch, 49, of Augusta, had stopped at a stop sign on northbound Louisville Road at Columbia Road and didn’t see the motorcycle before attempting to drive through the intersection, according to Columbia County sheriff’s Capt. Steve Morris. Crouch was found at fault in the wreck and charges against her are pending, Morris said.
One of Brush's key issues was helmet laws:
Brush is most remembered for sponsoring two groups of bills. One dealt with motorcycles and the other with education.
The motorcycle bills included one to repeal the state’s requirement to wear a helmet and one to allow bikers to treat red lights as a stop sign if the bike wasn’t big enough to trigger sensors embedded in pavement. He never succeeded with the helmet bill, but during this year’s session, his lobbying led to passage of the red-light bill, sponsored by (state Sen. Bill) Jackson.
In the many arguments I have had with friends and family on and offline over helmet laws, I've always maintained that it wasn't necessarily the riders of bicycles and motorcycles I was worried about as much as the "other guy," whoever that might be.
During his career, Brush also spent some time involved in ALEC.
Brush was a builder and developer who spent four years in the Georgia House, then eight years in the Senate. For 10 years, he was a member of the energy committee at the American Legislative Exchange Council.
'
None of the newspapers reporting his death mention whether or not he was wearing a helmet.
