A motorcyclist who was in a head-on crash while wearing a GoPro caught the nearly fatal April 1 accident on camera — but he does not remember a thing.
Jesse Lopez was riding with friend, Angelo Guerrero, on mountainous roads northeast of Los Angeles when a firetruck unexpectedly appeared beside him as he turned around a curve. Caught off-guard, Lopez drove into the wrong lane and collided, head-on, with the vehicle.
"I don't remember what happened due to memory loss, but I might have panicked when I saw the truck," Lopez told
NBC News. "So I applied the front brake, which straightened me out, and I went straight toward the truck, which was also moving probably about 35 mph."
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation advises against hitting the brakes while turning curves on a motorcycle, reports NBC News. A motorcycle operates differently than a car, and it is necessary to slow down and straighten out an upright bike while turning a curve.
The force of the accident threw Lopez to the ground, causing him to break his femur, tibia, fibula, ulna, and humerus.
Personnel on the firetruck immediately came to Lopez’s aid while Guerrero collected his GoPro, which had flown off of his helmet and onto the side of the street during the collision. Medical personnel airlifted the 24-year-old to the hospital, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Chris Reade told NBC News.
No one in the firetruck, which had been clearing brush from the area, was injured.
Guerrero, who witnessed the incident, says his friend is fortunate to be alive.
"Especially head-on, you don't think many people would survive that. Guess he's lucky to be alive," he told
ABC 7 News.
Unable to remember the incident, Lopez’s footage later came as a surprise. "When I saw what happened, I got shocked. I was like, 'Woah!'" he said to ABC 7 News.
Lopez had owned his motorcycle for only seven months prior to the accident. He hopes to share his GoPro video with fellow cyclists in order to teach them about road safety.
"Be aware. Be more cautious when riding. Don't do what I did," Lopez said, according to the ABC station.
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