Senior Rafe Reichmuth was driving his motorcycle in late October 2024 when he crashed his brand new Kawasaki Ninja 650. The motorcycle’s price can range upwards of eight thousand dollars. Reichmuth spent months convincing his parents to let him get a bike. Upon receiving one, it only took a few months until he ultimately got into the wreck his parents tried to prevent. 

Reichmuth was merging into the right hand turning lane. He merged too soon leading to him hitting the curb going 50 causing him to fly off of his bike. Upon impact Reichmuth broke his collarbone, left ankle, and left wrist. He also received painful levels of road rash. 

In the moment Reichmuth described his thought process as feeling, “A ton of adrenaline and a ton of pain.” He further described the pain level as an “eleven out of ten”. Along with this, the motorcycle he was on got completely totaled and had to be scrapped for parts.

After 5 months of rest and physical therapy, Reichmuth is back on his feet again. In the meantime he was in a wheelchair 24/7 and restricted to an arm cast as well as a leg cast. He described tasks like “going to work, showering, and just getting around in general” as very painful and discouraging.

Reichmuth explained how much he has learned so much about safety on the road and the importance of always paying attention while behind the wheel. It is easy to get distracted on the road and also very dangerous. He is now back in work and walking around normally again and has made a full recovery.

Reichmuth shares his advice regarding driving, “Definitely be more aware and not be distracted, you never know what could happen.” He was very lucky to recover from his injuries and not have life lasting changes for a simple mistake. The wreck has not scared Reichmuth away as he continues to ride dirt bikes everyday weekend.