This is kind of a gruesome topic, but its something we all have to be aware of. When you're on a motorcycle you're vulnerable, plain and simple. It takes skill, patience, maturity and a little luck to survive into old age if you ride a lot. Some don't make it, and you know what I'm talking about. How many newbies and ass-hole riders end up dead? Quite a few.

Here's a thread in motorcycle-journal that has more gnarly stories of death and dismemberment.
So, you want to ride like a jackass eh? - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

In my 30+ years of riding I've also witnessed a couple of fatalities. One guy's arm ended up about 50 feet away from his body. He died immediately. Another guy went head on into a mini-van that I was following. He ended up in a ditch with his left foot right next to his head. He lived about 20 minutes. Funny thing was, he had big chicken strips on his tires. Just ran out of skill.

We saw a kid on Palomar a few weeks ago right after he went down. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, tho he did have a helmet on. (mandatory in California) He was a bit shaken and lost some skin, but otherwise OK. More proof that Darwin was right.