Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger upgraded to fair condition
{{date|June 14, 2006}}

On Tuesday, [[w:NFL|NFL]] quarterback [[w:Ben Roethlisberger|Ben Roethlisberger]] was upgraded to fair condition at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital.  The extent of his injuries is now known.  Roethlisberger lost two teeth and chipped others, suffered a concussion, a broken upper and lower jaw, a broken nose, broken facial bone, a 9 inch laceration to the back of his head, and road rash injuries to his knees which thankfully do not extend to the joints.  Police confirmed that Roethlisberger was riding without a helmet and additionally, did not have a Pennsylvania motorcycle license; he had a learner's permit, which expired March 29, 2006.  Given this fact, Roethlisberger was in fact legally obligated to wear a helmet in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Steelers officials and Roethlisberger's agent, Leigh Steinberg, confirmed that Ben had received a letter last year from team representatives warning him that parts of his contract might be affected if he were to be injured while riding a motorcycle.  The letter was apparently sent in order to both put the team on solid legal footing were a major accident to occur, and apprise Ben of the risks he is taking by riding a motorcycle.

Records kept by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation indicate that 180 helmet-wearing motorcyclists died in wrecks in 2004 and 2005 in Pennsylvania. In the same period, 157 helmet-free bikers died in wrecks.

===Pennsylvania's Helmet Law (Effective Sept. 4, 2003)===
Pennsylvania's 35-year-old law requiring helmets to be worn was amended in 2003 to make helmets optional under certain circumstances.  According to the amended law, a motorcyclist will no longer be required to wear a helmet if the rider is:
* A person 21 years of age or older who has been licensed to operate a motorcycle for not less than two full calendar years.
* A person 21 years of age or older who has completed a motorcycle rider safety course approved by the department or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
* A passenger 21 years of age or older if the motorcycle driver meets one of the qualifications for not wearing a helmet. 

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==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2483239
|title=QB was warned he might be jeopardizing contract
|author=Len Pasquarelli
|pub=ESPN
|date=June 14, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/14812224.htm
|title=Roethlisberger's crash refreshes helmet debate
|author=Adam Smeltz
|pub=Centre Daily
|date=June 14, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-newswire14jun14,1,1803242.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports
|title=Roethlisberger Expected to Return This Season
|author=Steve Springer, Ben Bolch, From Times Staff and Wire Reports
|pub=LA Times
|date=June 14, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/14811560.htm
|title=Roethlisberger not alone in feeling youthful invincibility
|author=Reggie Hayes
|pub=Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel for Mercury News
|date=June 14, 2006}}

[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Football (American)]]
[[Category:National Football League]]
On Tuesday, NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was upgraded to fair condition at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital.  The extent of his injuries is now known.  Roethlisberger lost two teeth and chipped others, suffered a concussion, a broken upper and lower jaw, a broken nose, broken facial bone, a 9 inch laceration to the back of his head, and road rash injuries to his knees which thankfully do not extend to the joints.  Police confirmed that Roethlisberger was riding without a helmet and additionally, did not have a Pennsylvania motorcycle license; he had a learner's permit, which expired March 29, 2006.  Given this fact, Roethlisberger was in fact legally obligated to wear a helmet in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Steelers officials and Roethlisberger's agent, Leigh Steinberg, confirmed that Ben had received a letter last year from team representatives warning him that parts of his contract might be affected if he were to be injured while riding a motorcycle.  The letter was apparently sent in order to both put the team on solid legal footing were a major accident to occur, and apprise Ben of the risks he is taking by riding a motorcycle.

Records kept by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation indicate that 180 helmet-wearing motorcyclists died in wrecks in 2004 and 2005 in Pennsylvania. In the same period, 157 helmet-free bikers died in wrecks.
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