It was a very close call for a Valley motorcyclist, who suffered a nasty fall after trying to dodge road debris in the East Valley.
Brandon Borne was on his way to work on Tuesday night when he came upon two large mattresses lying in the middle of the road along the Ellsworth Loop near Pecos road.
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Borne said he knew he couldn't dodge the mattresses so he dropped his bike to the side and let it slide.
"I just knew I'd go head first if I hit it, so I just slid. I could see sparks flying from my bike like, right at me. I could feel my hand and my arm just dragging, it was pretty painful," said Borne. "It felt like sandpaper that was extremely hot scraping against my skin, just one long motion," he added.
Borne suffered major road rash in the incident.
Road debris is a big hazard on our roads. ADOT officials and volunteers pick up almost one million pounds of trash along valley highways every year. It is leading to almost 1,000 collisions a year.
"I fell victim to a mattress," laughed Borne.
DPS officials say if you see road debris call 911, as it is considered an emergency that could cause a crash. As a motorcyclist, Borne said he's dodging road debris all the time.
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"All the time, I see tire irons, ladders on the freeway. I'll see extension ladders that'll take up three lanes," said Borne.
For those who fail to secure their loads properly, you could be fined up to $1,000.
Borne has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay his medical bills.
