Miraculous story of man who survived fastest ever motorcycle crash at blistering 391 km/h
In 2008, Jason McVicar (Canada) broke the record for fastest motorcycle crash survived while he was participating in the the annual Bonneville Speed Week in Utah, USA. Miraculously, he was discharged from the hospital the same day despite travelling at a roaring 391 km/h (243 mph).
It is said that the paramedics on-site could not believe that Jason lived and that he only suffered minor injuries. Upon being taken to the hospital, the doctors discovered that he had a broken kneecap and some friction burns.
“The back of the bike came around and threw me off to the side,” Jason said in a YouTube interview. “The first part of my body that hit the ground was my head.”
In the interview, Jason described himself as a “Bonneville regular” who was at the salt flats two to three times a year.
However, the motorcyclist’s prized possession, his Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 bike, did not survive the crash. The cause of the accident is attributed to be a piece of debris from a previous car that punctured his rear tyre.
Jason’s love for motorsports comes from his father Sam McVicar. In fact, at the young age of four, Jason started riding motorcycles. Jason was born to Sam when the latter was rebuilding a 1941 Ford with some of his friends.
“I can remember standing on the front seat pretending I was driving when I was four years old,” Jason recalled in an article.
The area Jason crashed at is called the Bonneville Salt Flats and is located in Utah, USA. The area is pristine and completely white to the eye’s horizon, formed by a mostly smooth crust of salt.
Image of Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Image from Pexels.
Because of its flatness (and emptiness), the salt flat is considered the ideal location for speed racing. It is home to multiple other Guinness World Records titles like the fastest diesel-engined car, fastest wheel-driven vehicle and the fastest car crash survived.
In 1996, Art Afrons (USA) survived the fast car crash anyone ever has. Like Jason, Art lived but he suffered from more intense injuries. Art was driving the Green Monster, which he built himself, and comprised the J79 engine which was classified at the time.
The American speedster was not alone in his endeavours to brake dangerous records though. Craig Breedlove, also American, was a competitor of Art's in what is famously referred to as the "Battle of Bonneville." Craig broke multiple land-speed records, including the longest continuous car skid.
The fastest diesel-engined car and fastest wheel-driven vehicle titles were broken by Andy Greene (UK) and Don Vesco (USA) respectively.
Since 1990, the record title for fastest motorcycle speed achieved has been broken at Bonneville by various drivers, proving why the location is so popular. Perhaps this popular location for record breaking and miracle stories could now be contender for a Guinness World Records title.
Header image:Pexels