HERRIMAN, Utah, June 6, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A 22-year-old man who was flown to a hospital Saturday, after losing control of his motorcycle and crashing into a fence, has been upgraded to serious condition and is expected to pull through.
The accident in Herriman left the man in extremely critical condition, but after surgery his condition stabilized, according to Unified Police Department spokesman Lt. Lex Bell
Emergency crews responded to the accident just before 1 p.m., near 8500 W. Herriman Highway.
“The initial information was that motorcycle was eastbound, and failed to negotiate a turn, may have gone into that turn a little too quickly and crashed into a fence,” Bell said.
“The patient, his condition quickly worsened due to a head injury. He was wearing a helmet, but the helmet had been ripped off of his head during the crash when he hit what looks like a metal grate, and from that, hit the fence. And it looks like the motorcycle may have also hit him.”
The victim was identified as Lucas Meyer Rolim, who completed a Los Angeles mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then moved to America from Brazil less than a year ago.
Anderson Francisco, Rolim’s roommate, had followed the bike from Salt Lake City so he could teach his friend to ride the motorcycle, a recent purchase.
Both men were traveling slowly, Francisco said, who witnessed the accident and described it as the worst moment of his life.
“He made the curve alright, and then on the second curve, I think he accelerated a little bit. I don’t know what happened, but he lost control,” said Francisco, who also is from Brazil.
“He went towards the left side of the road, and once he started hitting the dirt, he slammed on the brakes, and then he lost control and he fell, and he got all wrapped up on the fence.
“I think he didn’t lean the bike enough and he kind of went straight,” Francisco said. “I think the motorcycle hit him on the side and threw him on the fence. I am praying everything will be alright.”
Francisco said he and Rolim live together with their wives, and own a painting company.
“We just bought the bike Friday, and she told me, ‘I have a feeling this is not going to work out,’ and then unfortunately it didn’t,” he said.
Francisco said that in December, a cousin of his lost his life on a motorcycle.
“That was a shock for us, for the whole family. But since we really like motorcycles, we just decided to get one, just for fun, and not to do crazy stuff, and we weren’t doing crazy stuff,” he said.
“When I saw that bike falling, I can’t describe. I just hope that the same thing doesn’t happen to him. We’ve still got a lot of things to do.”
Francisco said he and Rolim have plans to go to school in Utah, and are just waiting for their student visas.
