SEATTLE — A Seattle motorcyclist's helmet-cam video of his violent crash on I-5 went viral soon after he posted it on YouTube.
But Jeff Chen told KIRO 7 the reason he posted it was so drivers would understand the danger cyclists face from inattentive drivers.
At first, the video shows a typical congested trip to work, as Chen drove southbound to his job at Amazon, near Seattle's Mercer Street exit.
But in an instant, the video shows a hubcap rolling by Chen to the right, from a rear-end collision behind him. He had no time to react. The car behind him slammed into -- and and right through his rear tire. "Before I knew it, I was looking up at the sky," he said.
The video shows Chen flipping completely upside-down, and landing on the pavement. Seconds later, he's up and walking around, which would seem to be a miracle. Chen's motorcycle was mangled, and shattered.
"It just pushed the bike out from underneath me, like pulling a tablecloth off the table," Chen said.
The video shows debris and parts everywhere, the cycle's key is bent in half, and yet Chen's head didn't even hit the pavement.
"My helmet never touched the ground," he said. "My backpack actually took most of the damage."
The backpack was scratched up, but bottles of hand sanitizer inside absorbed the blow and exploded, leading Chen to quip:
"Alcohol saves lives."
Chen's phone, ejected from a mount, was found also, intact.
"I put the video up to remind people to pay attention," Chen said. "I've been told I should play the lottery, because I'm so lucky, but this could have been way worse."
According to Washington State Patrol statistics, 153 motorcyclists were killed between 2010 and 2014 in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. Statistics also show 80 percent of motorcycle riders are seriously injured in rear-end collisions involving cars.
"My family doesn't want me to ride anymore," Chen said. I need to let things settle before I think about riding again."
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