A motorcyclist has had a miraculous escape after being run over by a truck when he lost control of his bike.
Now he says he’s been given the best Christmas present ever – his life.
Josicleu Rodrigues, 42, was on his way to work in Campino Grande, northeast Brazil, last Wednesday evening when his motorbike crashed and slid onto its side.
As his bike careered forward, it smashed into the side of a pickup. The driver slammed on his brakes but claimed he couldn’t avoid running over the biker.
Josicleu Rodrigues, 42, was on his way to work in Campino Grande, northeast Brazil, last Wednesday evening when his motorbike crashed and slid onto its side
As his bike careered forward, it smashed into the side of a lorry. The driver slammed on his brakes but claimed he couldn’t avoid running over the biker
The incident, captured on security cameras, shows the horrific moment Mr Rodrigues was hit by the lorry and dragged under the vehicle by the force of the collision
Mr Rodrigues, a granite cutter, said: ‘I’ve driven this route every day for years, and I’ve never had an accident. But on Wednesday, I don’t know what happened to my bike’
The terrified biker was thrown then dragged under the front bumper of the vehicle, his body narrowly missing the wheels as he rotated and disappeared underneath
The incident, captured on security cameras, shows the horrific moment Mr Rodrigues was hit by the lorry and dragged under the vehicle by the force of the collision.
Mr Rodrigues, a granite cutter, said: ‘I’ve driven this route every day for years, and I’ve never had an accident. But on Wednesday, I don’t know what happened to my bike.
‘I suddenly found myself skidding out of control and into the path of a truck crossing in front of me.’
The terrified biker was thrown then dragged under the front bumper of the vehicle, his body narrowly missing the wheels as he rotated and disappeared underneath.
He told Brazilian current affairs programme Fantastico: ‘As I slid under the truck I remember thinking, This is it. I’m dead. No way will I come out of this alive.’
Frantic eyewitnesses rushed to the scene and the panicking motorist desperately searched beneath the truck for the victim.
But Mr Rodrigues wasn’t there. Within seconds of the accident he appeared on the right side of the wagon, stumbling around in a daze.
The father-of-two had managed to clamber out from between the wheels and he walked away virtually unscathed, suffering only minor bruising to his knees.
Frantic eyewitnesses rushed to the scene and the panicking motorist desperately searched beneath the truck for the victim
But Mr Rodrigues wasn’t there. Within seconds of the accident he appeared on the right side of the wagon, stumbling around in a daze
Truck driver Mikael Henriques, 28, who was returning to his work depot after delivering building materials at the time of the crash, was left speechless when he realised the victim was alive and hardly injured.
He said: ‘It all happened so quickly. I remember waiting at the junction until the cars passed then driving forward. The motorbike appeared out of nowhere, skidding on its side with the rider on the ground.
‘I couldn’t avoid hitting him and I thought I’d killed him. I couldn’t believe someone could survive being run over then just get up and walk away. It was a miracle.
‘I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t speak from the shock of what happened.’
Mr Rodrigues, who is the only parent to his two children, said he can’t bear to think what would have happened to his family if he had died.
He said: ‘I’m so grateful to God that I survived, and I am still able to open my eyes on another day to continue looking after my children. This Christmas we all received the best present ever – my life.’