“Did I just kill someone?”
That was the first thought going through motorist Zachary Morton’s head when a motorbike rider lost control and flew off his bike into oncoming traffic.
The rider did a somersault across the bonnet of Mr Morton’s car, before disappearing from vision.
Within seconds the acrobatic rider was back on his feet with barely a scratch to show for the dramatic wipe-out.
The entire incident, which happened on Friday near the corner of King and Marton streets in Shortland, was caught on dash cam.
“Both he and I were in a state of shock, not what you expect on your average trip home from work,” Mr Morton said.
“I was concerned for the guy’s welfare as he did hit the front of my car.
“The next thought was, gee, I better have got that on dash cam.”
Mr Morton said he purchased the dash cam to protect himself for insurance claims in case of an accident.
Not what you expect on your average trip home from work.
- Dash cam owner Zachary Morton
When he played back the footage of the Shortland collision he could not believe his eyes.
Considering the rider’s lucky escape he decided to upload the video to a dash cam enthusiasts page on Facebook.
Within two days it had been shared more than 300 times and was featured on the national news.
The footage has also been viewed more than 20,000 times on YouTube.
Mr Morton checked in with the motorbike rider at the scene of the collision to make sure he was not injured.
The two have since caught up online and expressed their disbelief that the incident did not end in a more tragic way.
“I'm usually pretty alert when I'm driving and I saw the rider approaching the intersection and the fact that I was travelling at the speed limit allowed me to stop just in time,” Mr Morton said.
Fairfax Media also caught up with the motorbike rider who said he couldn’t believe what had happened.
The rider chose to remain anonymous, but did express his gratitude to Mr Morton for his quick thinking in the situation.
With minimal damage to the car, Mr Morton decided not to take the incident any further and settled for the peace of mind that the rider was alive and well.
“We all make mistakes, that's why we call these accidents,” Mr Morton said.
“The man on the bike was very apologetic, both at the scene and via email afterwards.
“I'm sure he knows now to slow down and I am just glad that nothing serious occurred.”