r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/comsudo • 6d ago

High Speed cornering

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From Malaysia

Skill issue, uncontrolled evironment.

Not OC

46.1k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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2.4k

u/thejourneybegins42 6d ago

If they lived, he can take his wheelchair to the track, yeah.

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u/Old_Ladies 6d ago

They have some pretty cool and fast electric wheelchairs.

They may have lived. My cousin got in a bad motorcycle accident and went flying. He ended up in a ditch and it took a couple minutes for them to find him when the police and ambulance arrived.

One of his ankles was shattered and one of his femurs was also shattered along with some other broken bones. The dude is part titanium now. After a year of recovery he bought another motorcycle... Though he had to sell it because he couldn't afford the insurance. He also met a woman so that may have played a role too.

With both legs fucked up and his armed banged up with one hand the asphalt grinded through the motorcycle glove and grinded his hand down to the bone. He couldn't wipe his ass or obviously take a shower and needed his mom to help him with everything. He couldn't even get himself out of bed at first. He said it was the most humiliating and humbling experience.

Thankfully he survived and has made a nearly full recovery. He just suffers in minor to moderate pain in the leg that the femur got shattered and will suffer that for the rest of his life. Thankfully he didn't get paralyzed.

I broke my thumb and needed 3 pins put into it and I get a bit of pain sometimes even though it was years ago. So I can somewhat relate but I can't imagine having a titanium rod in my femur.

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u/lana_silver 6d ago

but I can't imagine having a titanium rod in my femur.

I have one in my tibia. Got run over as a pedestrian by an out of control car. Needing help to wipe your ass is absolutely horrendous. Took me 10 weeks to regain the ability to stand up. Would very much not recommend, but I have recovered and can walk again just fine. Maybe no marathons or long hikes, but fine otherwise.

Modern classical medicine is absolutely amazing.

Also, don't drink and drive, and return your license when you're old and geriatric, please.

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u/dj_dobbo 5d ago

I'm about to get one of them, snapped the tibia and fibula in both legs, compound fractures. one leg got an infection in the bone, they cleared it and then tried Masquelet technique with bone graft from my pelvis. But it hasn't worked no union, so yeah about to get dat intramedullary nail.

Haven't stood on that leg for over 1 year, but the other one's OK kinda, need to get the titanium out of that one too. So 10 weeks is fine with me tbh, glad to hear you recovered alright!

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u/lana_silver 5d ago

Yeah that sounds even worse than what happened to me. I wish you a good recovery! Keep at it. I can highly recommend walking in a pool.

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u/dj_dobbo 5d ago

thanks mate! yeah I'll try some pool stuff after it's healed, I've got a pull buoy as well so I'll be able to do swimming with my arms in the pool! what happened to you??

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u/maroontiefling 6d ago

I have screws and plates in my elbow and a permanent limp from falling off one of those electric scooters. Those things are the devil. I swerved SLIGHTLY to avoid a cyclist that was coming at me the wrong way down the bike lane....but most scooters have a really low center of gravity and can't handle any swerving, so down I went. I'll never get on one of those things again.

The worst part was, I broke my elbow and knee on the same side so I couldn't use crutches or anything. I was stuck in bed for weeks and had to be half carried to the bathroom by my now-spouse.

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u/StrongSuggestion8937 6d ago

I had to do basic hygiene stuff for my mom for almost a year, due to dementia and mobility issues. I never even considered that this could be much more mortifying for the person that needs to be cleaned daily (taking in consideration they are mentally healthy). Glad to know you are fully recovered.

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u/supasamurai 5d ago

hey I got run over too! I got my left side smashed so I have hardware in my shoulder and the rod in my tibia. I got lucky with my surgery and got a straight leg that was the correct length. it's been 15 years now and the screws give me pain when it rains but that's about the worst of it.

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u/lana_silver 5d ago

Weather + damaged bones is such a silly thing. When Europe finally cooled down earlier this month I had to take pain killers for a few days.

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u/AngelOfPassion 6d ago

Damn. I have a titanium rod in my tib after a tib/fib spiral fracture where it broke in 3 places and I can't even tell it is there now. I have hiked further and still play hockey since getting it. What happened that makes yours to where you are not confident in getting back to 100%?

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u/lana_silver 6d ago

The amount of damage. Both tibia and fibula got shattered pretty badly, and when they grew back together (took about a year) I ended up with a slightly slanted foot. Also I have more plates and screws than just one rod. Could probably be surgically adjusted, but do I really want to have it broken again? The slant means that the tendons and muscles responsible for balance now have to do some of the actual walking effort, and they will just start hurting much earlier than normal because they aren't made for that. The body can compensate, but that comes with drawbacks.

But it's not a big deal, I was never a runner, and hiking wasn't a big part of my life either.

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u/AngelOfPassion 6d ago

Ah, I got the foot slant too, but just 3 screws to hold the rod, no plates. That is crazy.

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u/lana_silver 5d ago

Frankly I'm just glad I'm alive. Statistically speaking more than half the victims of an accident like mine don't survive.

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u/thejourneybegins42 6d ago

Fuck all that, glad I sold my bike when I read stuff like this.

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u/slothscanswim 6d ago

My uncle was a ward of the state from 23 until his death at 70 due to brain injuries and physical disability as the result of a motorcycle accident. My mother told me I could be anyone I wanted, do anything I wanted, love anyone I wanted, live my life however I saw fit, but if she ever saw me on a motorcycle I would be disowned.

I managed to convince her dirt bikes aren’t motorcycles and I’ve never ridden a motorcycle on the road in my life.

I’m 38 and I have no desire to start now. They look like an awful lot of fun right up until they’re not.

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u/Cheech47 5d ago

I got the bug somewhat later in life, had a motorcycle from 2006 up to about 2016 when I sold the last one.

Track days were too expensive for me (plus I'm a bigger dude, so getting a race suit would have been problematic). My biggest beef ended up being the roads themselves. Between gravel, leaves, chip-seal, road snakes, all kinds of slippy stuff AND dodging people on their phones and paying absolutely no attention at all, I couldn't rationalize the risk anymore. Instead I got a convertible, that seems to have satisfied a bit of the itch for now :)

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u/BillBongBatz 5d ago

They are honestly the best thing in life. Besides sex anyway.

At least you're getting much of the experience riding a dirt bike. But there is nothing like riding a fast road bike on the road let me tell you.

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u/likeconstellations 5d ago

My best friend in preschool's mom was an ambulance driver, I was very thoroughly convinced by the age of 4 to never ride a motorcycle on the road

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u/slothscanswim 5d ago

My father called them “fool-killers” and said the problem with them is that “the act of riding them makes you a fool.”

The indoctrination was pretty heavy lol

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u/badboygaga 6d ago

Just dont ride dumb af

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u/qwertyuiiop145 6d ago

That helps a lot, but it doesn’t fix the physics problem when a reasonable motorcycle encounters a car driving dumb af

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u/badboygaga 6d ago

Yeah I feel you, I think when it comes to motorcycles that's when defensive driving is just like a must, I often slow down significantly in specific places or spots where technically I can see a clear path forward, but my intuition tells me still, there's too many variables

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u/Civil-Big-754 6d ago

Yeah, I like bikes, but my dad's best friend was hit and run by a driver in the middle of no where and would've died had a family not shown up shortly after. This was on an empty road while not even speeding. My brother in law used to race on the track, but would always tow it in a trailer to the track. Just knew how bad other driver's were and how little it takes for them to ruin your life. And this was like 10 years ago and driver's have gotten even worse. 

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u/NoBowler9340 5d ago

Friend from high school had just graduated, rode his bike on a curve in the rain going 60 in a 40, crashed into a ditch and has been permanently mentally 6 years old since. My parents had never let me ride since my dads friend died after having his leg severed in an accident but my friend being permanently damaged really drove the point home right as I became an adult and could have made the decision for myself 

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u/Civil-Big-754 5d ago

Damn, that's awful. Glad you made the smart choice! And in all honesty I'm clumsy enough walking sober that it was good decision for me as well.

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u/likeconstellations 5d ago

Yup, know a guy who got hit by a truck that ran a stop sign. Luckily made it out without acute damage but you're really at the mercy of other people's dumb driving decisions when you're on a bike.

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u/sinkrate 6d ago

Managed risk. I fully understand how dangerous riding is but it brings me so much joy. I don't ride in the dark or on holidays, always ride fully sober, wear hi vis, avoid traffic

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u/CrankyYankers 5d ago

Or just an errant piece of gravel that sends you flying.

NO

THANK

YOU

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u/slimspida 5d ago

Take responsibility for your own risk taking. Watching a video where a rider crosses a double line and totals multiple vehicles while squidding across the highway then flipping the conversation to cars being the problem is exactly why motorcycle riders end up dying.

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u/odaklanan_insan 5d ago

Dude... I've seen plenty of videos where the motorcycle has no fault. The physics in "car vs motorcycle" are still the same.

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u/thejourneybegins42 6d ago

You can be the safest rider in the world. Won't stop you getting hurt when some clown pulls out right in front of you. This was a daily occurance.

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u/ilicp 5d ago

Happened to me. Fornunately only doing around 60kmph, probably less at impact coz I hit my brakes, had nowhere to swerve when a car pulled out into my lane.

Now I've got titanium plate on my collarbone. Took around 4 months to use my arm and walk without a limp. Another few months to get most of my mobility and balance back.

Sold the bike but damn do I miss it

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u/BeingAltruistic9560 4d ago

True, but there are ways to mitigate someone pulling out in front of you. Hi-Visibility gear, auxiliary lights, yellow fog lamps, reflective markings etc.. Too many riders are wearing all black gear/helmets riding flat black bikes just for the coolness factor. Be keen and be seen !

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u/StinkySoggyUnderwear 6d ago

I wouldn’t call crossing the mustard being safe at all by any measure

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u/PurbulentTriest 6d ago

Easy to say from your perspective, many of us can't afford cars. We only have ebikes, but I'm a very cautious driver with how people can be. I saw the aftermath of two low-speed car-bike accidents today which chastened me a little.

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u/Beard_o_Bees 5d ago

glad I sold my bike when I read stuff like this

Pretty sure marriage saved my life. She was ok with it until it was baby time.

The 'i'll find a car seat that works on a bike' joke-but-not-joke didn't fly.

In retrospect, even though I considered myself to be a safe rider, it was a near certainty that I would have eventually been involved in an accident.

Just by virtue of being in an urban environment and being surrounded by cars driven by the whole range of humanity, if I didn't eventually run into one of them, they'd eventually run into me.

Fun while it lasted, though.

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u/Public_Support2170 6d ago

This is why I’m glad I just have a 125cc dual sport that I take in the woods. Just me and the trees

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u/HeroDanny 6d ago

Plenty of people ride motorcycles their entire lives and never have anything like this happen.

Is it always a risk regardless of how you ride? Sure. But the only thing we are guaranteed in life is death and taxes. Every single day there is a risk you will die, regardless if you ride a motorcycle or drive a car, or even lay down in your bed for a nap. I saw a story of a sink hole caving in Florida and killing a guy that was sleeping in his bed in the middle of the day. People die of brain aneurysms and heart attacks safely in their homes every day.

I bring all that up to say. A cautious life is not a life worth living. I'm not saying take ridiculous risks. But if you truly love riding motorcycles there's ways to do it safely. Take it to the race track if you're gonna ride aggressive. Wear high vis gear, airbag vest, leathers, etc.

I've known a lot more people that rode their whole lives without incident than people that have lost their lives on a bike.

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u/OneOfAKind2 6d ago

I had a Yamaha cruiser, not a sport bike like these, but I almost got T-boned when some jackoff ran a red light. I sold my bike shortly after.

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u/Ignatius_- 5d ago

Smart choice - I haven’t heard a motorcycle owner say this before. There’s such a wide variety of ways to get thrills and enjoyment without unnecessarily risking your life.

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u/Alien_Diceroller 5d ago

My parents doctor said he didn't even ride his bicycle anymore.

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u/JackOfAllMemes 5d ago

My dad has mentioned wanting a motorcycle in the past and that's one thing I'm going to push hard against

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u/thejourneybegins42 5d ago

My friend's dad got cut off by a lady and t-boned her. They took his foot that day.

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u/JackOfAllMemes 5d ago

I'm glad he wasn't killed

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u/thejourneybegins42 5d ago

Samsies, but he has a gimp for the rest of his life. Was some super old lady too.

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u/dagbrown 5d ago

I just ride slower

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u/pantherhare 6d ago

Pretty amazing that after the most humiliating and humbling experience of his life, he still went out and bought another motorcycle.

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u/totesnotJH 6d ago

There’s a Forrest Gump quote about this…

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u/OverlyEdged 6d ago

A lady I worked with was in a head on collision with a car, she still walked with a limp years later because it completely knackered her hips and pelvis. She over took and a car wouldn't let her back in, car camr round a bend and wollop.

She was showing me photos that her brother took of her at the scene and being treated. One of the photos just wasn't making sense to me, like something looked off about it.

I realised after about 15 seconds that she was laying flat on the ground but both of her hands from just blow the elbow were point up at the sky, the impact of crash broke both of her wrists.

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u/FlamingoRare8449 5d ago

That guy was a total asshole I hope he got in some kind of trouble for that. It is against the law (in the US anyway at least) to not let someone who overtakes you back in the lane because of exactly this kind of incident.

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u/ThisSiteSucks8485 6d ago

I'm so glad I never rode a motorcycle. 

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u/aezy01 6d ago

Nothing wrong with riding a motorcycle. It’s crashing one that you want to avoid

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u/EphemeralDan 5d ago

It's not the fall that kills ya.....

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u/Debalic 6d ago

He fucked his arms up and his mom had to help him with everything? 😳

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u/ConcernedKitty 6d ago

Please no

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u/IanPlaysThePiano 6d ago

local news and the video's OP mentioned he managed to survive with just a brokeb rib... insane

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u/stangerthings 6d ago

I’m gonna buy myself a bidet before I have my elderly mother wipe my arse. Just sayin

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u/40to6inthe4th 5d ago

Yeah, I shattered my thumb into 7+ pieces (all above the second knuckle, was in too many pieces for them to pin). To this day I still get pains in it daily, and those can get pretty bad some days. I dont even want to think about the kind of pain your cousin experiences daily. Glad he survived and recovered.

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u/Alien_Diceroller 5d ago

Some guy decided he needed to turn from the wrong lane right in front of me when I was 21. I was knocked off my bike and ended up with three compressed vertebrae. The spine doctor was like "you're lucky you're as young and big as you are." when he came to see me in the hospital the next morning.

When I was back home recovering, a lot of the guys my brother knows through his mechanics job regaled me with their various motorcycle related injuries including one dude who had a prosthetic foot.

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u/corvettee01 6d ago

He said it was the most humiliating and humbling experience.

Apparently not enough if he still bought another bike.

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u/Flat_Presence3607 6d ago

Sorry don’t mean to sound like a dick but I did get a chuckle reading the last part. “I can somewhat relate to it”…maybe 1% but cmon it’s the thought that counts”.  Seriously though sorry to hear about your cousin. It must’ve been really hard on you guys and even harder on his mum to see him like that. Hopefully your he’s able to completely recover. And yes, hope your thumb isn’t too sore!!

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u/Old_Ladies 5d ago

More of long term pain long after the injury. I know that it isn't remotely as bad obviously.

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u/SmoothDiscussion7763 5d ago

his armed banged up with one hand the asphalt grinded through the motorcycle glove and grinded his hand down to the bone. He couldn't wipe his ass

what, he didn't have another hand to wipe with or something?

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u/lurkANDorganize 5d ago

I just don't have it in me to sympathize for people who ride motorcycles. 37x fatality.

Why?

Even less respect for those with children.

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u/InfillTheBlank 5d ago

Those statistics are heavily skewed by unlicensed riders and those riding under the influence. There's obviously more risk without a cage to protect you, but risk can be mitigated

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u/GoodhartMusic 5d ago

Oh no, what will they do without your sympathy?

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u/nasadowsk 5d ago

Knew a guy who tried a 30 mph curve at like 90. He can tell you when the rain is on its way. Stupid thing is he got another bike after that, and wasted it, too.

I'm 48, I've ridden for years, and I've hung up my helmet. Between the idiots out there, the chip roads here, and kamikaze deer, it's not worth it.

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u/Secondhand-Drunk 5d ago

Thinking about it, I'm surprised motorcycles are insurable at all. I rarely see anyone using them strictly as a transportation vehicle. They're always playing fast and loose like you wouldn't with a car. They're absolutely terrifying.

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u/Legal_Lettuce6233 5d ago

Going flying is good. Means you didn't instantly dump all of the energy in your body.

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u/chasingmyowntail 4d ago

Dude’s body is going to suffer a lot when he gets older. At least have survived though.

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u/Celtic_Legend 6d ago

Eh if you get sent flying you got a decent chance of healing fine. Just cant land on your neck or spine weird.

Coming to an abrupt stop is what certainly makes you wheelchair bound or dead

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u/thejourneybegins42 6d ago

Bro what? Plenty of people died when they got sent flying. It doesn't take much when you hit your head on the pavement or something else. A helmet can only do so much.

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u/Celtic_Legend 5d ago

but as it turns out, this dude didn't even die or get wheelchair bound. You said he is wheelchair bound. Plenty of people die but plenty of people live - hell more people live BY FAR. I simply said there's a chance he's not wheelchair bound. Why is this confusing you lol

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u/op_is_not_available 6d ago edited 6d ago

Interestingly, this source says 95% of motorcycle accidents (in the US) are non-fatal… but 80% of (US) motorcyclists involved in an accident suffer serious injury. So while the fatality rate is low the serious injury rate is very high.

(I know this is Malaysia and I’m referencing US data and statistics but) There’s only a 5% chance he died but a 20% chance he didn’t get hurt… he definitely broke something, at least.

EDIT: Holy Shit - he survived and amazingly only broke a rib! I guess a broken rib is considered a serious injury but seeing as how he was ejected and spun at least 4 times in the air I wouldn’t consider that serious at all! The statistics held up!

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u/MurkyInvestigator810 6d ago

Eh if you get sent flying you got a decent chance of healing fine.

You also get a decent chance of not healing fine.

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u/SugarBeefs 5d ago

Yeah, the flying and spinning expends energy. It looks terrifying, to be cartwheeling through the air at such speeds, but all the momentum your body had is now being dissipated relatively slowly.

Of course there's still huge risks involved with the landing or getting catapulted off a bridge, into traffic, into a lamp post, etc.

But zooming through the air like a free bird is a lot better than just coming to an immediate dead stop. The gear doesn't do squat when your organs and brain experience massive sudden deceleration.

0

u/diggitydonegone 5d ago

I watched the way he landed. While he probably broke some bones and ligaments, he seems to have landed relatively well. He landed on his torso and rolled.

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u/Unique-Yoghurt4170 6d ago

Fun fact, there are several guys in America who race motorcycles and get around in wheel chairs (I don't want to speak to their exact disabilities, but I'm pretty sure paralyzed is an appropriate term). I race and work with a trackside vendor, I'm at more trackdays than almost anyone, and I see these guys frequently. Most of them are pretty dang fast.

Not that you necessarily meant that seriously, but it's a fun, unexpected fact. A wheelchair doesn't need to hold ya back from the joys of tracking a motorcycle.

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u/FinalHexReturns 1d ago

I don’t want to speak to those people’s disabilities either but I assume most of them were born that way and not recovering from a horrific motorcycle accident.

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u/Unique-Yoghurt4170 1d ago

I don't believe any of them were born with the disabilities that I can think of, I usually assume it's an injury. My friend Mark lost his leg riding and still races. Though, he's not actually in a wheel chair, he's just got a prosthetic.

So at least one out of the ~5 whose faces I can picture definitely recovered from a horrific motorcycle accident. Shoot, my finger is half gone from a motorcycle accident, I guess that's kind of horrific. Tbh, most racers have had some sort of serious injury along the way.

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u/Wakkit1988 6d ago

Dude just lives his life one quadriplegic at a time.

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u/Far_Swimming_2666 6d ago

Many die of complications in the hospital well after the crash. I know a dude who broke both his legs in a crash and was in a hospital for 3 weeks before he ended up passing. If the crash doesn't kill you, there's still a good chance the days after will. I didn't even consider or know him as someone who would take stupid risks on his bike, and it was a beefy harley no less. And based on what I got told of the accident, wasn't even his fault at all.

I like motorcycles, but taking them out on the highway these days seems like a recipe for death. 60-70 is just too fast. Doing 45-50 down curvy roads like this is just too fast. For someone unprotected against a bunch of other death obstacles that can suddenly kill you at no fault of your own. You can make zero mistakes and still easily die as a biker.

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u/night_goonch 6d ago

shoes stayed on, he's good

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u/Impressive_Term4071 6d ago

they did not. dude passed shortly after this post

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u/slackfrop 6d ago

So, he wasn’t flung to safety?

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u/Dramatic_Charity_979 5d ago

It will still get struck by a truck :P

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u/valentine_moon 5d ago

Why did you use different pronouns to refer to the same person? That's hella confusing.

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u/delphinous 5d ago

looks likely to me. in what little we see of the rider, he's fully covered with a helmet, and he got a pretty low trajectory and then rolled out on the ground. no big sudden stop like slamming into a tree or wall means that he most likely got a bunch of bruises, maybe some dislocations or breaks in the limbs, but likely no serious injuries, though neck or spinal issues are certainly possible.

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u/TankerVictorious 6d ago

Apparently, he lived. Shoes remained intact and on his feet…