Tim Matthews and I served together as Volunteers in Sierra Leone. His untimely death was a shock to all of us. I take issue with the PCOL notes regarding Tim's accident where there is a notation that "MC use was unauthorized". At the time of Tim's accident, he was returning home from a meeting at Serabu Hospital as part of his job as a community health worker. So his travrel was certainly work-related. The Honda 70 on which he rode had been modified at Tim's request (insistance) and with approval from Peace Corps. Once the adjustments were made (esentially rigging the throttle to be maneuvered by squeezing a lever instead of by exerting torque on the hand grip) Tim had to, and did, demonstrate his ability to control the motorcycle. Modifying the motorcycle was Tim's idea. He insisted that he was not disabled and should not be treated as such. The circumstances of his death point to road conditions and overspeeding by an unlicensed apprentice driver at the wheel of the lorry as it crested a hill in Bumpe Chiefdom.

By pmurrah (user-v7kak6g.dialup.mindspring.com - 207.69.80.208) on Saturday, April 10, 2004 - 11:36 am: Edit Post

Tim's motorcycle was modified at Tikonko Workshop in Bo. This was done at PC expense.

By Bill Pickens (ip221.biostart.org - 64.132.64.221) on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 5:54 pm: Edit Post

Timmy was a good friend. His death was deeply felt by all of his friends back in Cleveland, where he grew up, and in Cincinnati, where he went to college and worked for a short time. I still remember him and I still miss him. He was always a lot of fun to be around and you had to admire the passion with which he approached every challenge. I think that he swam better with one arm than most people do with two. I sometimes wonder how he would have changed over the years had he not met such an untimely fate. I am certain that he would have done great things.

It was good to here that those who knew him while he was in Sierra Leone still remember him. Thank you for posting your thoughts.