A Georgia man had to jump off his motorcycle at the last second before he almost flew off the edge of an opening drawbridge in Florida, and the car ended up hovering only on the hitch of the trailer he was pulling.
A man was driving across the Main Street Bridge in Daytona Beach, Florida around 10 a.m. Saturday, a horrific incident that was caught on a local traffic camera.
The driver, identified by the Daytona Beach News-Journal as 50-year-old Mark Allen Hagen of Metter, Georgia, reportedly crashed into one of the road’s arms as it was lowering to allow the bridge to rise and notify drivers to wait until it was safe. breaking him in half as he flew onto the bridge.
CCTV footage shows him rocking his bike across slippery paths on a gloomy rainy day. Hagen was heading east over a bridge that connects Dayton’s Surfside Historic District and Orange Island Park.
Seconds later, he can be seen losing control of the bike and falling on his side just as the bike almost reaches the precipice. He lands so hard that his helmet comes off, but the motorcyclist was otherwise unharmed, police said.
In the video, he can also be seen rolling onto his back as the bridge locks into place at its highest point.
Mark Allen Hagen, 50, of Metter, Georgia, was riding over the Main Street Bridge in Daytona Beach on Saturday when his bike visibly crashed into the water after it hit a road arm and nearly fell off a rising drawbridge bridge.
Hagen jumped off the bike at the last second, losing control, and slid slightly off the bridge as he lost his helmet during the impact.
The bike was hanging on by a thread as the tiny hitch that attached it to the small trailer kept it from sinking into the muddy gray water.
He was later transferred to Halifax Health with non-life-threatening injuries. According to the Daytona Beach Review News-Journal, his bike took the brunt of the damage and reportedly $5,000 in damage.
He was charged with reckless driving, which carries a $166 fine.
The driver told police he did not know the bridge was closed as he was wiping rainwater off his helmet when he collided with a road hand. On the Main Street bridge, drivers often ignore signs telling them not to stop, according to the Orlando Weekly newspaper, with many motorcycles and SUVs jumping over the bridge rather than waiting for boats to pass.
The Daytona Beach police later released images of the car dangling from a thin hitch attached to the small trailer it was pulling. The motorcycle looks straight down into the water, the gravity of the steep slope holding the small trailer in place.
The driver was seen approaching the downed road signs while maintaining speed. He told police that he did not notice the traffic signs used to notify drivers to wait for a boat to pass because he was wiping rain off his helmet.
The biker, who could be seen driving in the rain above, was seen crashing into a road arm, breaking it in half as he passed (left)
Police warned the public that the bridge would remain closed while they surveyed the scene, and did not open until around 1:00 pm.
“One of the road levers must be replaced and inspection of the bridge must be completed before it can reopen,” the Daytona police wrote on their social media. He recommended alternative bridges.
It is reported that the man came to the city for a motorcycle festival called Bike Week.
The streets of Dayton have been flooded not only with bikers this week, but also with spring break, including many who were caught drunk as minors near Daytona Beach.
Local reports showed groups were being fined, including one unidentified woman who was seen with handcuffs tied behind her back after being arrested for drinking under the age of 21.
She was also photographed grimacing before being taken away, with aides also targeting other underage drinkers on the beach.
Another man looked extremely annoyed when the cops poured out what looked like a bottle of Courvoisier brandy. Drinking alcohol is illegal on Daytona Beach unless it’s in one of the licensed bars that line its sands.
The bike was eventually removed from the bridge around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and was reported to have sustained about $5,000 worth of damage.
Other revelers were seen to be having a much better time as they basked in the sun drinking during the day, pouring beer and drinking from beer bongs while dressed in bikinis and bathing suits.
The police warned many vacationers to follow local rules.
These include: no tents, coolers, or any other folding furniture that can sink into the sand. Live and amplified music is also not allowed during underage drinking, as well as public intoxication on the beach and sidewalks.
Electric or motor scooters are also prohibited until further notice.
Police departments in the Sunshine State are facing a particularly busy time frame as the Tampa Bay Times estimates that 570,000 students will go on holiday to Florida beaches this month and into April. Last year, a measly 1,500 people a day flew into Florida, and in 2021, about 65,000 people turned out for Spring Break.
The busiest period of spring break is expected to run from March 5 to March 20.
There were thousands of spring breaks in the city that same weekend, keeping the police busy. An unidentified woman (above) was detained and charged with underage drinking in Daytona Beach after she was caught by a beach patrol.
A shirtless man was also seen mourning the beach patrol as they poured liquor into his alcoholic drink while he was in the middle of a beer pong game. Daytona Beach prohibits drinking on the beach unless the drinkers are in a bar.