Backseat - From Where I Sit

July 2006

By: Michelle

Hippy’s “Leg”acy

Life is full of assumptions but sometimes you are forced to do a double-take. If you are reading this, the odds are you have had at least one time in your life when someone made an automatic assumption when they saw you on a motorcycle, heard that you were a biker or knew you were associated with motorcycles in any way. Such is the case with Hippy Williams. His name alone, which by the way he had legally changed to Hippy, comes with a whole set of assumption. I bet despite yourself you automatically envisioned his appearance - long hair, beard, etc. Well, Assumptions aren't always wrong, nor are they always bad. Sometimes they help us get through the day by not having to analyze everything you see or do. But even someone named Hippy, who kind of looks like a Hippy can make you question your senses every now and then and remind us not everything is as it seems.

When I first heard Hippy's story from my Aunt Lou , I knew I had to interview him for "Back Seat". I didn't know what to expect when I dialed his phone. The first time I called I got the following message, "You got me - leave a message." I knew this was going to be fun. I did finally reach him during a thunderstorm. When I asked if he wanted me to call back when the weather was better, he quickly replied, "I have already lived longer than I should so let's go for it.” He began by matter of factly telling me that he was the only licensed reptile handler in Alabama and that it was not uncommon to have several snakes roaming free in his house. After his failing to convince me that snakes were beautiful affectionate creatures, we turned the conversation to something that we had in common, motorcycling.

Hippy's began his story in his relaxed gravelly voice. "In 1993 I injured my leg in a work-related accident where I lost my foot." After my expression of sympathy, he chuckled and said, "It really didn't hurt until they reattached the darn thing." He further continued that after over 10 years of suffering he "forced" his doctor to amputate it. Despite what anyone may think, Hippy was adamant that he is extremely happy with the titanium and aluminum "store bought" leg that he now sports.

Several months’s ago, while out on a group ride and traveling about 75 - 80 mph, his front tire blew out near the city limits of Montgomery, AL. The bike began jumping in the air and by the third jump, the bike went sideways and launched him about 37 yards down the pavement. At this point in the story, Hippy starts to laugh and says, "I actually stopped near a business called 'Here to There' so I tell folks that's how far I actually skidded - from here to there." Though he was completely unaware of it, at the exact same time Hippy was traveling in one direction, his artificial leg flew off at least 15 feet in the air in an entirely different direction.

This is where that perception thing starts to wreak havoc. When he finally stopped skidding, Hippy lay face-down in the grass, wiggling each body part as part of a quick "inventory check" eventually determining that miraculously there was not real damage to his body. However, everyone else on HWY 231 believed they had just witnessed a spontaneous amputation and the 911 calls came pouring in with things like, “Man, we just saw a guy go one way and his leg go another."

Once Hippy realized all was well physically, he began to brood over the loss of his bike, which he correctly assumed to be totaled. Then he realized that his "store-bought" leg was now laying somewhere in the middle of the highway. Not wanting it to get run over, making an already expensive wreck more costly, he sat up to retrieve it. Well meaning bystanders began screaming and running toward him. They assumed he was in shock and commanded him to "lie back down!" They begged and pleaded for him not to look down at his legs and constantly repeated “it will be ok”. As he is recalling this, Hippy again laughs and says "Nobody bothered to notice that the ’severed limb ' doesn't even look like a leg. They were too busy flipping out all over the place." After being totally frustrated at his inability to convince people that he was fine, Hippy angrily crawled out into the street, reattached his leg and stood up before a totally stunned audience. After few seconds of complete silence, folks began to roar with laughter.

At this point, everyone is now "in the know", that is, except the policeman who has just pulled up to look for the wounded body he is expecting to find. He assumes the angry biker he sees standing over the trashed bike throwing his helmet down and cursing is one of the victim’s distraught friends, demands to know where the driver actually is. Eventually, with the help of many witnesses, the policeman comes to understand that the ticked-off Hippy truly is the victim his is searching for. At this point the surprised and relieved policeman does something Hippy never assumed a lawman would, he helps Hippy retrieve the bike from the muddy ditch.

There's the old saying that goes ”When you “assume” you will make an ass of 'U' and 'Me'. " Great advice to keep in mind. However, there is one assumption I did get right - I thought I would really enjoy meeting Hippy and I truly did. He said it best when he said that he was like bread mold and warts - "I will grow on you if you aren't careful." What's a little bread mold between friends...?

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