A motorcycle crash in Delta, B.C., created one of those surreal traffic scenes that looks fake until every news outlet confirms it was real. Around 3 p.m. Saturday, a motorcycle and a car collided on Scott Road near the Surrey-Delta border, sending the bike airborne with enough force that it ended up dangling from a traffic light pole by its front wheel. The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the car was reportedly uninjured. Police said speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash.
Photos and video of the aftermath quickly went viral, mostly because the scene looked more like a rejected stunt from an action movie than a real collision on a public road. Firefighters had to remove the suspended motorcycle from the traffic signal while debris was cleared from the intersection.
As bizarre as the image is, the story is also a blunt reminder that speed, traffic, and powerful machines are a dangerous mix. Thankfully, this crash appears to have ended without loss of life. But seeing a motorcycle hanging above an intersection is the kind of visual that should make every driver and rider lift off the throttle for a moment.