It was 8:50am, everyone was ready for the start of the a long ride on that Saturday, kickstands go up at 9. There were twelve motorcyclists that had their gear packed, helmets strapped, keys turned, lined up ready to go. During a group pre-ride discussion everyone agreed to using the buddy system. They would ride in groups of three and be sure to check every 10 to 15 minutes and make sure their buddies were all together. The final destination for the day would be Universal/Orlando CityWalk.

The clock struck 9am and off the went. It was a beautiful day with clear skies, light wind, and a high of 85 degrees for the day. There were twelve different motorcycles present on the ride. This goes to show that everyone had an original interest in a particular bike. The buddy system was working very well and were well on their way to Clearwater Beach until late in the afternoon. After they had stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A, they had arrived at the beach ready to spend a nice part of the day enjoying the water and soaking up the sun. It was 5pm and the guys were back on their motorcycles headed back to get a quick shower before they started off to CityWalk. It was 7:30pm and all of them were going east on I-4.

They were all having a great time on that Saturday. Everyone was enjoying the weather and the fun at the beach and CityWalk. Around 10:30pm all the guys were ready to head back home for the conclusion of the day. They got on their motorcycles, turned the keys, hit the ignition and off they went. Everyone was extremely tired from the long day and had their minds on getting home, nothing else mattered. I-4 west was the next turn. They would all get on I-4 at Exit 72.

Everyone would get home safe except for one rider. Riding on the overpass going about 80mph, Tyler hit a pothole and lost control of his motorcycle. He went down and slid close to two hundred fifty feet with his motorcycle before it hit a light pole. He was thirty feet from his motorcycle and Tyler's helmet had came off at impact with the road. It was forty yards from where he laid on the ground, unconscious. Luckily, Tyler was second from the back of the pack and Manny had seen the entire accident happen. He stopped on the side of the exit ramp near Tyler and immediately called 911. The ambulance came and saw the bike in a thousand pieces after rolling over and over during the crash. They found Tyler face in the dirt, totally knocked out, not responding to anyone or anything.

Manny told the police everything that had happened and did everything that he could to help his friend. Tyler was breathing. He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he was put in the ER. He looked just about dead because for the first time since Tyler started riding, he decided to set out without his usual protection. He left his gloves and jacket at home. Tyler had gravel dug so far into his hands that doctors had to perform surgery in order to get it all out. He suffered a broken shoulder, two broken ankles, and the road rash took his skin completely off.


Almost 14 hours after the crash he regained consciousness. He had no idea what had happened. The last thing Tyler saw was his body about to hit the ground. He was in excruciating pain. It's a miracle that he lived to talk about it. The other ten riders that were with Tyler and Manny, didn't even know about the crash til they were back in Lakeland. None of them checked, the entire time while riding, to see if everyone was still together. The buddy system, the only rule of the day, was ignored because everyone just wanted to get home. The "what ifs" started to come up in everyone's head. What if Tyler was the last person on the ride and no one had noticed? What if?

Since the accident Tyler has scares and recurring pains that will remind him of what happened for the rest of his life. He has gotten back on his repaired motorcycle and is riding again. This time wearing all of his protective gear and is much more cautious than before.