This Bike Racer Miraculously Escapes Injury Despite Losing His Helmet Mid-Crash

Of the very small number of things you need to remember about your crash helmet, two things stand out: it has to fit properly and it has to be fastened properly. Both are essential, or else something like this might happen.

This terrifying post-race crash happened at the New Jersey Motorsports Park on Sunday. As the camera bike crosses the finish line and releases the throttle, the following rider doesn’t, crashing into the back of the camera bike, losing control and somersaulting with the bike. The rider, Luiz Franchi, hits the deck and his helmet simply pops off like the top off a party popper.

In a frame-by-frame check on the high-res video, the AGV helmet doesn’t seem to be fastened properly. The left-hand strap visibly passes Franchi’s cheek as it catapults off his head, but for it to happen at the start of the crash without leading to serious head injuries must be some kind of miracle.

The rider gets up and walks away from the wipeout, thankfully. Next race out, we reckon he might fasten his helmet.