Watch a Biker Survive Horrific Crash Thanks to His Helmet
The bus driver’s quick reflexes helped, too.
A man in Brazil is lucky to be alive, after falling off of his motorcycle and landing directly underneath the rear wheel of a moving bus. Thankfully, miraculously, the man's helmet saved his life and he was able to walk away mostly uninjured.
The incident was caught by a security camera and picked up by a local news outlet, Penha News RJ 2.0. The video shows a green bus making a left turn just as a man falls off his motorcycle only a few feet in front of the moving bus. It looked as if the man was trying to brake hard to avoid getting hit by the bus, but potentially hit the brakes too hard and fell headfirst off the bike. His head landed almost directly in front the rear wheel, as the bus driver slammed on the brakes. His helmet was caught underneath the wheel but it didn't brake, saving his life. Though, the bus driver's fast reflexes helped, too. I'm not sure I want to imagine what would have happened if the driver didn't hit the brakes and the rear wheels kept turning.
After the incident, the man rolled out from under the bus, laid on the ground, took off his helmet, and simply held his hands on his head. You can see the combination of fear and relief in his body language. He knew exactly how lucky he was to be alive in that moment. Locals helped pick him up and move his motorcycle off the road but he was thankfully able to walk under his own power. Ironically, another man on a motorcycle rode by moments after without a helmet and slowed down to see what had happened. Hopefully what he saw changes his mind about helmets.
The video is pretty horrifying, even after knowing the man survived. It doesn't matter how many times I replay it, I physically wince every time. It just doesn't look survivable. However, thanks to the strength of his helmet, and the quick reflexes of the bus driver, that man did indeed survive.
