Nashville biker bedridden for weeks after crash advocates for motorcycle safety
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — There’s no brand quite like it: a Harley Davidson.
“That bike is just American legend,” Brent Young said, adding that he’s had a Harley for the past 20-plus years.
However, for Young, his most cherished pastime was totaled nearly a year ago. Young was getting off the Brick Church Pike exit on Briley Parkway when he came upon a very sharp turn, ultimately losing control.
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“I was going too fast. I tried to downshift and hit the brakes and realized I was not going to make it,” Young explained.
Young was dragged along the sharp gravel until the bike crashed into the concrete barrier.
“Once I stood up, I looked to see where the blood was. I saw blood on the gas tank, and I looked down at my arm and I could see the bone,” Young recalled, saying he went into shock at that point.
Thankful to be riding next to a friend with medical experience, Young was rushed to the hospital and was then bedridden for a few weeks.
“The healing, itself, was awful. It took numerous months to get the stuff to grow back, my skin to heal, collagen packed into my wounds,” Young said.
However, the wreck did not stop him from getting behind the handlebars again, but this time with a few life lessons.
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“I’m a full-face helmet wearer now, and I wear all my shirts and pants with the armor protection and won’t ride without it now, and I used to just be an open face and T-shirt guy. It’s a thing of the past now,” Young told News 2.
However, even with all the safety precautions, he said roadways are becoming more and more dangerous for bikers.
“This city’s roadways are absolutely horrendous. My buddy calls those potholes ‘widow makers.’ You hit one of those and your handlebars go down, your front end goes out, it is as scary as can be,” Young said.
He hopes his story can bring awareness on how to ride safely while out enjoying the open roads.
“They typically say you’ll never see a motorcycle in front of a psychiatrist’s office. That is it. It’s the wind in your face; it’s way better than a convertible; there’s no radio, there’s no cell phone, it’s just the wind. There’s a just pure sense of freedom,” Young explained.
Deadly motorcycle accidents are on the rise in Tennessee. News 2 explores the disturbing trend and looks at ways to improve safety in a special report Riders at Risk. Find the latest articles in the Riders at Risk series here.
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