Biker narrowly escapes head-on crash with car

Entire ordeal was caught on dash cam

 

RECORD PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH

Winnipeg resident Ryan Evans, 41, is lucky to be alive after narrowly escaping what would have been an ugly head-on crash with a car that had just barged into his lane.      

By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

A Winnipeg biker, who was merely inches away from being hit head-on by a fast-travelling car, says some quick instinctual thinking is the reason he is alive today.

Ryan Evans, 41, was nearly hit head-on by a car during an afternoon ride on March 14 on Highway 9.

Evans had just left Lockport and was on his way to Gimli when he made his narrow escape from the car, which appeared to make no effort to slowdown or return to its proper lane.

Evans was driving 100 kilometres per hour, and was approximately five minutes south of Winnipeg Beach when he said he noticed another vehicle travelling in the opposite lane.

“Then all of the sudden this silver car popped out from behind him into my lane,” said Evans.

“It was a matter of inches from my handlebar clipping his mirror and sending me down if not worse.”

“So I just headed over to the edge of the road hoping that I’d be able to stay on the road, and not have to get on the shoulder, because I probably would have gone down if I had to go on the shoulder.”

“It just kind of was instinctual,” Evans said.

The entire ordeal, which lasted for just a few seconds, was caught on a GoPro camera that was mounted on the dash of Evans’ motorcycle.

Evans said it wasn’t until he returned home and watched the video that he realized just how lucky he was to be alive.

“I mean I really didn’t know how close it was,” he said.

Evans posted the video online, and it’s since been shared thousands of times making him somewhat famous.

During an interview on Saturday with the Record at a Subway, a random stranger shouted at Evans.

“Good job missing that car,” the man said.

Evans said although he’s lucky to be alive what’s touched him is the response he’s received from his friends and family.

“I mean I’ve been affected more by the reactions of the people around me,” he said.

“I am OK. Everything’s good, but when I watch the video I realize that could have been a whole lot different.”

Evans filed a report with Selkirk RCMP on Saturday and handed over the licence plate number of the car, which was captured clearly on video.

But his narrow escape from the car didn’t stop him from getting back on his bike.

Just a day after the ordeal he drove out to Lockport for a ride with his wife Nicole.

Police are now investigating the incident.

RCMP spokesman Paul Human said now that spring has arrived motorists need to pay more attention on the road.

“Motorcycles are out there and sharing the roads,” said Human in an email.

Post by Ryan Evans.

-- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition March 26, 2015 p.2