Woman Lands in Hospital after Being Annihilated by Airborne Kangaroo
Cycling is very popular where I live. In fact, it’s the second tourism industry of Wine Country California.
While there are plenty of bike paths, rolling hills, and country roads to enjoy, it’s still a bustling city. Cyclists here use their bikes for competition, hobby, socializing, and transportation.
When you add automotive city traffic to the mix, cycling has the potential to become extremely dangerous in an instant.
Where once I biked everywhere, after a particular pedestrian-on-car accident, I became wary and have since limited my rides to designated paths, quiet streets, and times of low traffic.
A group in Queensland, Australia, however, found that getting out of the hustle of the city isn’t enough to ensure a safe ride.
Just as the group of six crested a steep hill on a rural road, a few of them noticed a mob of kangaroos in the bushes beside them.
While most were on one side of the road, the last of the troop was on the other side, seemingly waiting for something.
Just as one cyclist named Rebecca passed the iconic Australia-native marsupial, it decided it was time to join it’s group.
Rebecca was going about 18 mph and never saw it coming. In mere seconds, the kangaroo flew out onto the road and kicked her off her bike with its enormous feet.
The whole incident was caught on camera by a fellow cyclist behind her in the group. The surprise collision knocked Rebecca off her bike and required medical attention.
Rebecca was taken to the hospital via ambulance. She received stitches to suture her knee and a sling to support an injured shoulder — injuries sustained from the kangaroo impact and the subsequent fall from the bike.
It’s the video that’s going #viral: astonishing footage of a cyclist being wiped out by a kangaroo mid-leap on #AustraliaDay — of all days https://t.co/KBJDhQ0Izk #WTF pic.twitter.com/Sp7NwTGoF1
— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) January 30, 2018
While most people worry about being involved in car-on-bike collisions while riding, wildlife collisions often go unnoted.
Yet there is a bike path around my house I still avoid because I’ve seen two snakes on it — one not until it was too late and I had to roll over it (I wasn’t the first)!
Rebecca was released and is recovering at home. A friend, Helen, updated reporters on Rebecca’s condition.
“Within a day she was having a rueful laugh about it all and worrying about the work days she will miss.” Much like here, bills don’t pause for freak accidents.
All the same, the incident could have been far more serious. Thankfully, Rebecca will make a full recovery likely helped by a positive spirit and a jolly laugh.
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